How to Practise Dancing Successfully: A 7 Step Framework

The short answer: don't practise by running your routine over and over. Pick one principle, such as footwork, timing or posture, and take it through seven steps: a loose warm-up, a simple drill, an advanced drill, simple choreography, advanced choreography, stamina practice and performance rehearsal. Dance each step with no music, then slow music, then full tempo. It works for solo dancers and couples, from beginner to professional.

Why is running your routine the worst way to practise?

Most dancers turn up to the studio and go through their routine, day in and day out. It's how most people think they get better, and it's the worst way to do it, because you can be training in bad habits and practising ineffectively.

This framework is how I went from a raw beginner with two left feet to the open amateur grade, the highest grade in Australia, within five years in Ballroom, Latin and New Vogue. It wasn't talent. It was a plan for how to practise.

Why should you focus on one principle at a time?

The framework is based on deliberate practice. Research into why talent is overrated found that the best violinists weren't separated from the good ones by talent, but by how they practised. Hobbyists would play a song through. The very best would play one chord for hours, methodically trying to master one thing.

So choose one principle for the whole session. A beginner might pick part of their technique, such as footwork. An advanced dancer might pick a principle like balance, posture, time or energy. Try to fix timing, footwork, posture, lead and follow, floorcraft and the routine all in one hit and you'll just feel overwhelmed. Focus on one, and you'll develop skills you didn't even know you needed along the way.

What are the three ways to practise with music?

Every step of the framework is danced three ways: with no music, with slow music, then at full tempo. No music is easy because you control the speed. Slow music puts slow technique to a constant rhythm, so you can see where you're falling down. Full tempo forces your body and nervous system to respond and grow.

You'll move differently at each speed, and at full tempo it might all go out the window at first. That happens to all of us. Your job is to close the gap, so the principle you're working on holds up at full speed.

What are the 7 steps of the practice framework?

1. Loose warm-up: a couple of minutes of free movement, such as turns, spins, lunges and ripples, to open the body so it's ready for new information. Not your routine.
2. Simple drill: a basic element of the dance, for example walks and locks in Cha Cha Cha.
3. Advanced drill: something that challenges you, such as continuous spins, or continuous locks and a Spot Turn in Cha Cha Cha.
4. Simple choreography: the easiest part of your routine, one section only, with your one principle in mind.
5. Advanced choreography: the hardest part, such as spins, pivots and rotations. Again, one section only.
6. Stamina practice: dance one whole song, then all your routines one after the other. Make one mistake and you start again.
7. Performance rehearsal: set it up like a competition. Dress as you would for a comp, dance a minute and a half to two minutes of each dance with a strong entry, and walk between dances. No mistakes, or you start again.

You can do performance rehearsal after stamina practice, instead of it, or as a separate session.

Common mistakes

• Taking hold and running the whole routine before you've warmed up, which reinforces bad habits while your body isn't ready for new information.
• Trying to work on timing, footwork, posture and partnering all at once instead of one principle.
• Only ever practising with no music, or only with slow music, or only at full tempo, with no middle ground.
• Working on more than one section of your routine at a time in the choreography steps.
• Letting negative self-talk take over when you have to stop and start again. The strategy only works if your psychology is right too.

Try this in your next practice

Write the seven steps out and choose one principle for your next session. Work through the steps in order, dancing each one with no music, slow music and full tempo, and don't run your full routine until stamina practice. Then give it 30 days and notice how you feel.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a dance practice session be?

An hour is plenty if you use it well. In the video I split one hour like this: loose warm-up 5 minutes, simple drill 5, advanced drill 5, simple choreography 10, advanced choreography 20 and stamina practice 15. An hour like this is worth almost three hours of most people's training.

Can I use this framework without a partner?

Yes. It works for solo dancers and couples. In stamina practice you can include your partner or dance on your own.

How does the 80/20 rule apply to dance practice?

The Pareto principle says 20% of your efforts produce 80% of your results. Many dancers spend three hours in the studio but only do about 45 minutes of real training. This framework is the 20% that gives you 80% of the yield.

Is this framework only for advanced dancers?

No. It works from the most basic level to the highest professional level. A beginner can use a technique point like footwork as their one principle, while an advanced dancer might choose balance, posture, time or energy.

How soon will I notice a difference?

Give it 30 days. As your skills, balance, coordination and control improve, your confidence rises with them, and you'll feel the difference in your dancing.

Related lessons

• Quality vs quantity of practice, part 1
• What is mastery? The 4 stages of learning
• How to stay motivated to train and practise
• Cha Cha Cha forward and backward locks

Vaughan Liddicoat is a 4 time World Professional 10 Dance representative for Australia, an accredited coach and the founder of Ballroom Mastery. He has a passion for dance and wants to help you become the best dancer you can be and have an amazing time doing it.