Quality vs Quantity in Dance Practice: Part 2

The short answer: time in the studio doesn't equal skill. What counts is how well you use that time. Geoffrey Hearn told me his advice was to practise and get out: do about an hour of focused, intense work, then leave. Walk into every practice with the intention of walking out better than when you walked in.

Does time in the studio equal skill?

No. Dancing for 20 years doesn't necessarily make you good. That doesn't mean you should start judging other dancers. Just be aware that time doesn't equal skill. There's also something more than learning steps that makes a good dancer. The way you think and what you believe about yourself show up on the floor and in your results, so the changes have to happen at a core level, not a surface level.

Who is Geoffrey Hearn?

Geoffrey Hearn played a big part in pioneering DanceSport. I interviewed him while I was working with DSI London, where we created DSI TV, a live streaming service for DanceSport. He took over the letter service that Alex Moore started, which sent teachers the latest steps in writing with little drawings, and he created The Choreographer, a DVD series for teachers with new steps and combinations. He made those videos for 30 years and ran some very large studios in England.

What did Geoffrey Hearn say about practice?

When I asked him about practice, he said he hated it when pupils came into the studio for three hours, spent most of it chatting, barely danced, then left thinking that was practice. His advice was to practise and get out: do an hour, then go. It matches Olympic-level sport, where you can't train physically and mentally at full intensity for much longer than 45 minutes to an hour.

How do you make your practice time count?

In the video I cover these points, in this order:

1. Be honest about your hours: three hours a day, five days a week sounds like 15 hours of dancing, but how much of it is real work? And you might dance 48 weeks a year, or 30, not 52.
2. Use a method: a structure like my 7 step practice framework helps you practise really well in a short time.
3. Bring the right attitude: don't worry about what other people are doing or what they think of you. Focus on getting the best version of you going.
4. Work with intensity: don't panic or practise from a place of fear, but when you're there, do the work with focus and concentration.
5. Keep it short: do the work you came to do, then off you go.
6. Walk out better: go in every time with the intention of walking out better than when you walked in.

Common mistakes

• Thinking that years of dancing or hours in the studio automatically equal skill.
• Spending hours in the studio, mostly chatting and barely dancing, and calling it practice.
• Training for longer than you can stay focused and intense.
• Worrying about what other dancers are doing or what they think of you.
• Judging other dancers by how long they've been dancing.

Try this in your next practice

Before you walk into the studio, set the intention to walk out better than you walked in. Keep the session to about an hour, dance far more than you talk, and work with real focus. Afterwards, be honest with yourself about how much of that time was quality work.

Frequently asked questions

Does dancing for 20 years make you a good dancer?

Not necessarily. Time doesn't equal skill. Twenty years adds up to less dancing than you think, and a lot of that time may not have been used well.

How long can you practise at full intensity?

Like Olympic-level sport, you can't train physically and mentally at full intensity for much longer than 45 minutes to an hour at most. That's why Geoffrey Hearn's advice was to do an hour and get out.

What was the letter service?

A written service started by Alex Moore. Teachers received the latest steps on paper every month, with little drawings, so they could learn and teach them. Geoffrey Hearn later took it over.

Who taught you Ballroom technique?

My coach Penny learnt from Alex Moore for 10 years in London, and we learnt from her for around 15 years. I'm proud to be part of that lineage.

Related lessons

• Quality vs quantity of practice, part 1
• A 7 step framework for successful dance practice
• How to stay motivated to train and practise
• What is mastery? The 4 stages of learning

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.