Cindy Rastutis

Have you ever felt that you could not understand how to do a certain dance move even though you have practiced it over and over and over again? Do you feel like your dancing is just not improving although you're dancing all the time? Have you hit that "Plateau" or roadblock?

A plateau can be described as that "Period of time when the brain assimilates new learning with old where no progress is noted" It can often take what seems forever to master a difficult or even a simple new pattern or technique.

Learning plateaus can result from temporary self limitations or even be caused from outside forces such as poor instruction or too much content with insufficient practice time provided. Either way, plateaus happen to everyone!. They happen in terms of excitement, motivational energy and that joyful high feeling that you get when you dance. Most experienced dancers are familiar with plateaus in learning. For the new dancer these plateaus can be very frustrating. They can lead to decreased desire and interest in learning to dance, loss of self-confidence, absence from scheduled dance classes and events, and may even be the cause of quitting dancing altogether.

When you feel yourself nearing that point, consider the following.

• While your first impulse might be to take a break from practicing and/or lessons, this is counter-productive in that you can't make progress if the means to learn are no longer there. Instead, increase your commitment to learning. Don't become a quitter! • Examine your learning style. When a move proves particularly difficult, try adding it into a well known pattern to attain more practice without dwelling on the particularly difficult step. Or, break the step into smaller parts and tackle one portion at a time. • Is there too much going on? Too many distractions can make it difficult to concentrate. Remove distractions by practicing at a less busy time, practice alone using a portable tape player or headphones, or, if possible, learn techniques involved in tuning out distractions. • Change dance instructors or if you are learning off tapes, borrow or purchase a different one on the same dance. Instructors all have their own styles and techniques of instruction, all of which are assimilated differently by all of us. • If you've given yourself inadequate time to practice between lessons, try increasing your practice time either at home or on the social dance floor. • Consider your stress level. Are you too tense to learn? Is the drive too long? Is dinner or lunch interfering with your practice? Is the atmosphere of the dance studio uncomfortable? Are your shoes and clothing uncomfortable? Is the music unpleasant? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then make an effort change those factors and decrease your stress level. • Videotape yourself then compare yourself to a videotape from your instructor or of someone you'd reasonably like to emulate. Slow motion will reveal areas you need to work on. Study them. What doesn't work about them? How could they be improved? What could you do to make these moves look better? Pay attention to your posture, your hands, feet, and arms, your facial expression, the direction of your gaze. Make notes and make changes. Keep the tapes for you next plateau, in order to illustrate your progress.

• Cultivate non-comparison. Videos can be helpful if we use them to pick up new ideas and inspiration. They can be detrimental if we compare ourselves to other dancers. So observe and learn without judging or criticism. Observe and learn.

• Find a dance friend to discuss your dance frustrations on your level. Feedback and encouragement go a long way. You don't have to go it alone. Reach out. It always helps to learn you are not the only one who has experienced this.

• Keep in mind, every time you dance, you become a better dancer. It may not feel like it but that's often because you are using the wrong levels of measurement. Did you dance? Did you have fun? Did you increase your heartbeat? Did you practice a move repeatedly? Did you put in some "flight time"? Did you work on your "nuance"? These are good measures to go by. You can't learn a new movement every time. What you can do, though, is deepen the expression in a movement you already know. Play with these concepts.

Plateaus are the place where we prepare for our next ascent. Gains are most spectacular in the beginning stages of any new endeavor. While a plateau can feel like a barrier between one level of expertise and the next, it is not.

Dancing, like all things, is a journey. Be gentle with yourself. Try new experiences and value the discipline of repetition. The journey of a thousand miles may begin with a single step but there are a whole lot of steps in between. Enjoy them. In the end, the journey is more valuable than the destination anyway.

Be comforted in knowing that plateaus happen to everyone, in every hobby, throughout life. Then pick up your dancing shoes and get back to dancing!