If a person has learned the moves and somehow repeats them to prearranged music, is this the ability to dance in the full sense of the word? And if the movements during the dance make the audience want to turn away? Can we say that everyone who has ever done a wedding dance for themselves is now a dancer? The direction of thought, I assume you get.

To depict a dance or to do a couple of moves does not mean the ability to dance. And then there are the less obvious criteria, which we’ll talk about in this article. And, of course, how to maximize the learning curve to achieve the sweet moment of immersion in a cool dance.

Criteria for learning to dance
When you’re standing on the shore before you set off, you think everyone who’s a little better than you is already doing well. But the picture instantly changes very soon when you start practicing, and it’s not so easy to understand whether you are moving forward in your dance growth. Therefore, you should always start with the criteria that you define for yourself as meaningful.

What criteria you can choose in the dance? For example, the number of elements, movements, ideas, principles of interaction. In some dances knowledge of basic, basic, additional and other figures can be useful. Everywhere else will definitely need physical fitness. Improvisation and musicality are important criteria for dance skills. Don’t forget that inner well-being can also be a criterion. Learning to enjoy dance is often a challenge.

Set goals
The global goal of learning to dance can remain a kind of benchmark for dance growth, but the intermediate goals should definitely be worked with. As in any project (learning to dance is a full-fledged project), the goal must be measurable and achievable in time. For what period approximately do we set ourselves a near-term goal? A month, six months, a year?

The earlier the stage of your dance breakthrough, the time period should be shorter. At the start, it’s enough to plan for the first result in a month. Then six months, and then a year to plan something for yourself.

Why such a time frame and such a strategy? At the very beginning, you are not sufficiently aware of how difficult the path that lies ahead, and how ready you are for it. The further you move, the more you will understand where you will face real difficulties, and what you can skip easily.

When you have an idea of what your immediate goal will be, what criteria you use to evaluate it and how you’ll know you’ve achieved it, then it’s time to choose a strategy for moving forward in your dance growth. There are a number of basic activities that you need to be aware of and understand the effectiveness of each. By addressing your specific challenge, you can always choose the most effective tool.

The four most basic ways of teaching are fundamentally different: group classes, individual classes, independent work, and practice.

Not all teachers in your environment have the skills to help in all kinds of classes. So feel free to always choose a set of not only different types of classes, but also with different teachers. The main thing is to do everything sensibly and understand how it fits into your overall strategy.

The further you move, the more you will understand where you will meet real difficulties, and what you will be able to skip easily.

Group and individual classes.
These are the most popular types of classes with dance teachers. If the instructor is really good, he or she knows what the usefulness of each is, and why one can never replace the other.

In group classes, you should ideally concentrate as much as possible on physical training. Technique, exertion, interaction, endurance, and other bodywork components. The presence of others in the group promotes dedication and motivation. Discipline of the body promotes discipline of the spirit.

In contrast, in an individual class, you should spend more time on personal growth and the specific issues you encounter during dance training. Here, it is also appropriate to work on mental preparation and willpower. Dancing is inherently public, and this can be seriously stressful for beginners and more trained dancers alike, whether you go to a battle or a milonga.

Independent work.
Want quick and quality results? Get used to the fact that you’ll have to practice on your own periodically. When you’re working through and trying to get to the heart of an idea or movement principle by yourself, you’re a much better assimilator of any material. This process may be a little longer than with your instructor’s prompting, but it’s worth it.

The other extreme, where those who have tried it and realized that on their own is very effective sometimes fall, is to refuse to work with a trainer. This is where you can fall into a trap that you can’t even foresee for yourself. You can get so stuck on some simple question for so long that it won’t be worth the time, finances, or nerves you’ll spend to overcome it. It’s better to combine both.