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Creative Differences
What do you do if your "creative style" is different then your teachers?
Yes, most of you would say "find a new teacher", but what if that wasn't an option….
I am a dancer through and through. I'm obsessed with timing, matching lyrics with movement instead of just "freestyling it". I'm not sexy or as we call it "selling it". I'm lyrical with pointed toes and all. I'm also fast and furious. Slow was never my speed in dance {hated ballet!} and for me to stop to just do a simple spin annoys me. I like my music fast and my moves dramatic. I'm an avalanche in a snow ball basically.
My teacher is the complete opposite. She is this Alethea sex kitten with flow and playfulness. She slithers and freestyles like she breathes. Her music is slow and melodic. Its amazing to watch really. I admire it.
But that's not me.So when it comes time to putting our minds together to put together stuff, like my performance piece, what SHE thinks and what i envision are two different things. And where it kills is that she can't quiet teach me what i think would fit. You know? She's a habitual "flow" person while I'm a "this lyric i want to do BAM BAM BAM!". She has the move knowledge though that i don't have. What i envision in my head i can't quiet pull out cause i don't know enough or how to exactly put it all together. And believe me, I've tried and it feels like creative insanity really. lol. Then i grow frustrated cause what is in my head doesn't come out right cause i can't seem to communicate it right. She tries to help but is easily influenced by her own style thus tries to teach me that. It doesn't fit. So we try again. Repeat. So I'm stuck.
Ideas? Thoughts?
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9 Replies
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You may need to find a teacher you gel with.
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Find someone you can skype classes with… skittles?
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I completely understand where you're coming from! I had an instructor that moved sexy and danced well, but completely off beat, but she made it work. I was so unable to keep with her because I had such a hard time just detaching from the music. Another teacher, it was like we were in the same mental field, we'd wait for a good spot in the music and start a walk at the same time, everything was on beat, and if I wanted to "do the pony" next to my pole, I wasn't chided for unsexiness lol. I think I know what you mean, like "that guitar riff needs a slide down the pole, where the drum solo needs some kicks and mad attitude" If shes helping you with moves and transitions, maybe just learn them all fluidly, and use your own flair when practicing the routine. Maybe have samples of other polers that are stylistically similar to you routines to SHOW what you want to get out of what you're practicing? Good luck!!
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As stated in the 2nd sentence, finding another teacher is not an option. She is the only teacher in the area and i'm thankful to have her. Without our style differences we actually get along really well. Doesn't help we're both Libras.
No pole at home to do Skype with. I won't have one till after Xmas and even then it will be a while since the room is a garage room full of dirt, concrete and storage. Believe me, if i had a pole here i probably wouldn't have this issue and i would be skyping like mad.
Skittles? If she is who i think she is, she's just as slow and melodic as my teacher. I need someone like Pink Puma! lol. -
You could set up some chat time with people here, if you see someone's video that is doing the style that you would like to do. Even if its only chat, you can work on working out what it is you want to do and how to find the words, so to speak. I have found that when I am teaching (though its mostly aerial, I am ALWAYS learning from my students, as they are learning from me in class).
Try not to get frustrated! I think everyone who has tried to choreograph for themselves understands just how hard it is to get whats in your head into your body. But I know from experience that is easier said than done. Different dance styles are really kind of a blessing in disguise, though its definitely frustrating in the choreography stage.
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What an interesting question!
I don't have this problem most of the time because my theacher's sexy-flowy style sits well with me most of the time, but I can identify with you – I definitely feel the need to do something different and more 'edgy' sometimes, and I think that he will have a hard time helping me with that.
However, in the show we had about a month ago, one of the guys in the studio danced and really made the dance "his", which means that it is possible:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SXBJqQuwNG8
(sorry for the bad quality. relevant part starts at 2:30)
I've been thinking about choreographing songs in my own style as well, and this is what I came up with:
– Go to dance classes (non-pole) with teachers whose style fits you. In pole classes, try to apply what you've learned to pole.
– Research – find choreographies you like, and keep them with notes – what moves did you like? what moments in the choreography? why did you like them? I have a huge youtube list with comments like "attitude at 1:03" and "cool jump at 2:30" and such.
When I work at home, I use it for inspiration.– During private lessons, maybe you can go over your list with your teacher? She may be able to help you learn some of the moves, or have a better understansding of what you want so she can adjust her style for you.
– Keep a little notebook with you all the time. Does it ever happen to you that you listen to a song and suddnly know exactly what felling/moves would match a certain moment perfectly, and you can envision it clearly in your head?
When this happens, write down what you thought and draw little stick figures as needed, so that you don't forget.I have a special format for this: I divide my notebook into two vertical columns. In the middle of the column, I paint a "beat line" (it helps if this is a math notebook): Lets say that in your song, every bar has 4 beats, and every musical sentence is 2 bars long. You draw evenly spaced horizontal lines in the middle of your column. Make every 4th line a bit longer, and every 8th line even longer than that. Then, use one side to paint little stick figures of what you want to do, and the other side for music/lyrics notes.
I'm not sure if my explanation makes sense, so I made a small example:
https://www.studioveena.com/photos/view_photo/5082767b-bad0-4069-8402-5db90ac37250This way I can remember moves, rythm, and why I thought they fit a certain part of the song. This idea is also very good if you want to remember a choreography you learned in class, btw. My teacher almost cried of happiness the first time he saw me do that https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
And most importantly – experiment and enjoy what you are doing! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
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I kind of have the opposite problem. As a teacher I love dancing fast and hard – but many of my students want the "slow sexy" style. So I get to work with a style that is not "me". It's often challenging, but it has definitely forced me to be a more versitile dancer.
Something that I do in these situations is we coreograph to a song that has dramatic tempo changes and a strong heavy beat. Ozzy Osbourne is one of my favorites for this. Then the dancer in me wants to work with the music and I will slow my naturally fast style down for the slower parts (usually verses) and can really go hard on the faster parts (usually the chorus). For some reason this is easier for me to do when the change is really dramatic.
Something else I've done when coreographing with someone who has a slower style than mine is to figure out what I would do and then start pulling moves out. For example, If I would do 6 moves in a given time I can pull 2 or 3 of them out, and have them hold/do the remaining 3-4 moves for longer – which slows everything down. Could you possibly do the opposite with your teacher? Take what she's giving you and add moves in? That should speed everything up.
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Remember that the same combinations of moves and transitions can be put to ANY music and tweaked to fit. I make up unique choreo for all my level 1 classes so that they have something that is just "theirs" when they have finished. But really the choreo is mostly the same combos, put to whatever song they pick, and moulded to fit. Simply by changing the speed and the emphasis of the moves you can make them fit slow or fast music. 🙂 Like the others have said, "Take what she is teaching you and make it yours."
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If your teacher is open to helping you learn your style and willing to veer away from her norm then what about emailing her links of vids with polers doing your style?
Maybe if she can see exactly what your after or at least something along the lines of it. She might be able to do a better job of showing you what you are after.
I once had a pole instructor who I took privates from and we'd go online and I'd show her moves or transitions I wanted to learn and she would break them down for me.
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