These top tips come from http://chopperdanceblog.com/top-5-ways-to-improve-your-hip-hop-dance-skills/ where Hollywood based dancer Chopper who has worked on top films including Stomp the Yard teaches Hip Hop. We agree with his advice! So what are you waiting for!

1) Take Dance Class-there is no magic pill that you can take before you go to sleep to wake up a great dancer. But one of the best ways to ensure your success is to get into class. The more you take class on a regular consistent schedule, the more results you will see. Your muscle memory, coordination, and confidence will all continually improve each time you come to class. A lot of people have trouble picking up and remembering choreography. The more frequently that you take class, and learn new choreography, the easier picking up the moves becomes. And remember, class is a time to learn. Don’t come to class thinking you have to be good already. This is the time to mess up, ask questions, and develop your skills. As you learn from different teachers you will start to pick up on their style of hip hop. Soon you will be able to execute the movements very similar to them. And it’s not what you are doing, but how you do it that counts.

2)Watch Other Dancers- This is so important when you are wanting to improve your skills. No matter what you are doing in life, if you want to reach the top, look to the ones at the top as your inspiration and learn from them. Buy DVD’s of great dance performances and dance movies and watch them over and over. When I wanted to learn how to pop I used to watch DVD’s of Poppin’ Pete all the time over and over. Ask yourself, what are they doing that makes them look so good? What elements are they adding that make them stand out? Watch music videos and live performances. You will start to pick up on the vibe that the dancers are giving off.

3) Practice your Freestyle- Freestyle dance is an art within itself. It is important to frestyle so that you can learn your body and how it moves. The more you freestyle the more you become comfortable in your own skin. Everybody has their own vibe and being able to freestyle defines your style and your individuality as a hip hop dancer. So I strongly recommend freestyling. Stay tuned for my insiders secrets on how to become an amazing freestyler.

4)Ask Questions From Other Experienced Dancers and Choreographers- It is always good to go straight to the source and asking them how and why they do what they do. Ask questions like who inspired you to dance? When you dance what do you think about etc…. asking question lets you get into the minds of the experts and take you into their world. Dancing has a different meaning for everyone so knowing the reason why someone dances or why they dance a certain way can give you motivation to find your meaning and purpose for wanting to become an amazing hip-hop dancer. It also gives you guidance on what direction you want to go with dance.

5)Last and final tip… Listen to music- I bet you’re saying duhh I already do that. But I don’t just mean listen to music while it playing in the back ground. I mean sitting down and closing you eyes and dissecting each element that makes up the track. Here is where musicality comes into play. The most amazing dancers have great musicality. They hear instruments and sounds in a song that you never knew were there. In turn their movements give the track depth and bring the song to life making the dancer more interesting to watch. By developing your musicality your moves will be far more advanced and more people will love to watch you dance.

I hope you enjoy these tips, and feel free to hit me up with any of your questions or comments! Check out my class at my studio Ography Dance Studio in Hollywood www.ographydance.com. See you in class!
Add Comment
 
 
Central Dance Studios believes that everyone should be able to enjoy dance, whatever your age or ability, but we also understand that as new dancer, especially if you’re a bit older than the average teenager (!) can be daunting, so here’s our easy guide to getting started:

1.       Don’t be afraid to visit the studio and take a look around, meet the staff and check out the facilities.  One thing to remember, dance studios are rarely glamorous.  It’s an arts thing… whilst we love to dance, most of the money a studio makes goes on getting the best teachers in, so changing rooms are often small, few studios in HK have showers and you might need to be willing to travel to find one you like.

2.       Not sure how Hip Hop is different from Jazz Funk? Doesn’t matter.  I recommend you just try the classes and see how you like them. The name is just the name. Each dance teacher has a different style, which means one person’s Hip Hop class is completely different to another person’s hip hop class. Just dive in and keep going until you find a teacher you like.

3.       Ok, so you really want to know the difference between Hip Hop and Jazz Funk?  Mainly, it’s technique. Jazz Funk is more girly, and uses some kicks and turns that are based on ballet, so it’s sexier, but also sharper. Pussycat Dolls style dancing is a good example of Jazz Funk. It’s also called Commercial Jazz, Jazz or Street Jazz depending on where you’re from.


Hip Hop  traditionally uses moves including breaking, locking and popping, but at Central Dance Studios we don’t really teach beginners these moves because they’re quite technical and we want you to learn to love dance before we throw the harder stuff at you! So think Urban music and high energy sounds that are great for working up a sweat. All our teachers have their  own style, so why not try a few classes and see who you like best.

4.       Afraid that everyone in the class will be too young, or a great dancer? At our studio, the average age of our dancers is 28 – 32, because we specialise in adult beginners classes. Most people have never danced before, or just started when we opened, so you won’t be alone.  It is important you feel comfortable, and dancing with other like minded people helps. But remember, everyone in the room feels just like you do, and they are all too busy worrying about what they are doing to be looking at you in the mirror – if you still need moral support, enlist a friend to come with you.  
 
5.       Not sure what to wear?  For most classes gym or yoga clothes and trainers are fine, for ballet class you can do it in socks or ballet slippers, just call us and ask and we’ll tell you what to bring.

6.       Worried you won’t be any good?  If dancing was that easy, we’d all be out of a job because it takes more than 1 class to pick up the basics. Here’s some handy tips to get  you started though:


-          You need to train your brain to talk to your body – through motor fitness exercises

Even gym bunnies rarely do this, so coordination is often a bit slow, and it takes time to get the grey cells working at speed. The good news is that if you stick with it, you’ll see improvement within 4 – 8 weeks  and once it clicks, it stays.  However, it’s like a muscle, so use it or lose it!!!


-          Getting great muscle tone through dance means doing technical dance like ballet or jazz. It’s the effort of standing in the correct posture that tones you up and gives you buns of steel.  So Hip Hop to burn calories, and ballet to tighten and tone….great!

-          Don’t think that missing a class is the end of the world.  We all have commitments ,so book onto classes, but if you miss one, don’t drop out, book the following week and keep coming. Set yourself a goal and you can reach it!

-          Don’t hide at the back of the room. The brain uses your reflection in the mirror to help you learn, so watch yourself not the teacher as soon as you can, and you’ll find you remember routine quicker, and improve your dancing too!


So want to try a class? Why not come and see us.  START WITH A BEGINNERS CLASS – it’s always best to start easy then move upwards , than the other way around . See our timetable here and book yourself in – we hope you love dancing just as much as we love teaching you.
8 Comments
 
Creation Dance HK Limited email: info@danceclassesinhongkong.com hip hop dance classes in hong Kong, dance class in Hong Kong, dance classes hk, learn to dance, street dance classes in Hong Kong, adult dance classes, creation dance, urban groovz, dance classes in Hong Kong, beginners dance classes, dance studios in Hong Kong