New Year, New Me?// leaping into the new year

Hey y'all!

It's finally 2018, and per the usual I've made some New Year's Resolutions regarding my Quest:

1. Allocate more time in my week for dancing

High school is mercilessly consuming both my time and energy, causing me to struggle to find opportunities to dance. I'm going to try to set aside 15-20 minutes each day to practice my dancing from now on, or else I'll never get any dances learned.

2. Actually start filming dances that I learn

Not only is filming incredibly time consuming, but I'm also incredibly bad at dancing in front of the camera. Recently I've been trying to film the few dances that I've actually gotten around to learning, and it takes FOREVER. I'm already short on time in my day, so it's difficult to find motivation to film choreo to post on my blog.

3. Stop procrastinating on writing these blog posts

Believe me, I actually really enjoy writing blog posts. The only problem is the fact that I have so many assignments that are constantly due, and blogging often gets moved to the bottom of my list of priorities. Last semester I waited until the last minute to write my blog posts, and it was a pain to try and rush to write what felt like 30 blog posts all at once.

I think we all know that these resolutions won't last more than a month, but nevertheless, I'm going to try my best (pinky promise!).

Update (March): I was right-- I kept my resolutions for less than a week... oops. I've fallen behind on both learning, filming, and blogging (big surprise there).

---

For this month's post, I wanted to discuss my goals for the rest of the school year, and reflect on the past few months.

Struggles?

I realized that I don't have the best environment for dancing. My clubhouse gym is often occupied, so I have to dance at home in front of the tiny living room mirror. I can't even see my whole body when I move, and my music disrupts the rest of my family members that are working. Also, the tile floors in my house aren't ideal for dancing, because the impact of the hard floor is damaging to my already bad knees. I'm going to try to find a studio where I'll be able to practice and film once every 1-2 weeks.

If time is money, I'm in poverty. I simply don't have as much time as I would like for dancing, especially with AP Exams, summer camp applications, and SAT subject tests coming up. As mentioned before, I'm going to set aside short periods of time for dancing everyday, most likely during breaks in between my study sessions.

Filming is still SO hard for me. Even though my confidence in growing and my facial expressions are improving, I'm still working on looking natural in front of the camera.

Successes!

Yes, it's important to acknowledge your struggles-- but I think it's also important to celebrate your successes, and I've had several throughout these past months.

I've learned 10 dances! I'll be showing y'all videos of some of my favorites in a blog post coming up. I'm currently working on a mashup of some of my favorite girl group dances, and hopefully it'll be posted by March (ish).

Also, there's a chance that I might be able to perform a self choreographed solo for a Chinese New Year's banquet in February-- it hasn't been confirmed yet, but my fingers are crossed. I'm really looking forward to dancing contemporary again!

---

Tips for Improving as a Dancer:

Below are some of the things I've learned this past semester that are helpful when learning, rehearsing, and filming dances.

DO

1. Dance in front of a mirror

Without a mirror, you have no way of knowing how your body looks when you dance. Practicing with a full length mirror is a good way to check in with your progress, and fix things that might look a bit strange.

2. Practice your dances even after you memorize the choreography

Learning the dance is only the first part. After that, it's important to practice the dance and continue to perfect your movements. Practicing you dance also ensures that your hard work won't go to waste by forgetting the dance completely!

3. Ask others to film your dancing!

Last semester, I tried multiple times to lean my phone against some pillows and film that way. Take it from me instead of learning it the hard way-- it'll take forever, and your recording will not look good, no matter how talented of a dancer you are. Allowing others to film you will produce better results in a shorter period of time.

DON'T

1. Be afraid to challenge yourself!

Sure, it takes much less effort to choose an easy dance that you can learn in less than 2 minutes. If you want to improve yourself as a dancer, it's important to push yourself and go out of your comfort zone.

2. Be afraid to ask for feedback

You might be afraid of others' judgement, but other people can often spot things that you might not be able to. Asking a family member or friend to watch your dancing and give constructive criticism will help you improve drastically.

3. Doubt yourself

You're more talented than you might think-- don't be so hard on yourself. Confidence is just as important as talent when it comes to dancing. Even if you might not be the most comfortable with the choreography you're learning, just fake it 'till you make it-- it works!

---

I'm looking forwards to sharing more about my dance journey on this blog in the future.

Here's to leaping into the new year :)

bye bye~

ellie