Mastering any dance style takes time, discipline, the right teachers, and hard work. But having said that, over the years running hip-hop dance classes in Etobicoke, we’ve figured out many simple tips that can make improving your child’s hip-hop skills that much easier.
See below for the best tips on how to make mastering hip-hop that much easier from one of the top Etobicoke dance studios.
It’s Okay to Be Loose
While dancing is an athletic sport that requires full body participation, the fact is that hip-hop requires the dancer’s body to be a bit looser and relaxed. Looking stiff, after all, is the exact opposite of what hip-hop dancing is about. Stretching and getting in the right mindset can make nailing those fluid movements much easier to achieve.
Stay Balanced
Balance is crucial to all dance styles and techniques, but it’s even more so to hip-hop! That’s because hip hop requires a lot of fast and fluid movements, so that balance is key to transitioning from move to move. Have your child keep their knees bent and feet planted and be sure to dance on the balls of their feet. This will help them get the control they need to perfect the movements.
Research Well-Known Dancers!
It’s never been easier to find hours and hours of video of the best hip-hop dancers in the world showing off their skills! Watching them can help your kid understand exactly how the moves are meant to look and they may pick up a thing or two they didn’t quite grasp in class. Plus, it’s a great source of inspiration!
Wear Something Comfortable
Building on that relaxed feeling that hip-hop is trying to achieve, comfort is key. That means your child needs to feel totally comfortable in what they’re wearing. In other words, you can leave the leotards at home for hip-hop. What you really want is something that fits easy and makes the dancer (your kid) feel as comfortable as possible. You’ll also want to get them a good pair of sneakers that they can easily dance in.
Keep Practicing!
While this one may seem obvious, it’s still worth repeating. Dancing takes time and effort to master, and practicing is about the only way to get to that expert-level dancing skills. Any opportunity your child has to increase their practice time—be it after class, at the park, or at home—will bring them that much closer to becoming the best dancer they can be.
Learn the Moves
While hip-hop has a loose and relaxed feel to it, that doesn’t mean that there still aren’t intricate techniques that your child will have to learn. They need to understand the moves and what parts of the body play a role in nailing them. Early on, it’s a good idea to learn a number of basic moves as part of a routine. But as your child advances, they’ll be able to customize the dance and link together a variety of moves to make their very own hip-hop dance routine.
Control Weight Distribution
It’s very important that as your child goes from move to move, they’re able to appropriately distribute their weight. For instance, if your weight is on your right foot when it’s supposed to be on your left foot, it will make transitioning to the next move difficult and may throw off the next series of moves. It’s important to touch base with an instructor when this keeps happening, so your child can figure out how best to execute the moves while keeping weight distribution in mind.
Hinge at the Waist
While some dance styles want your child standing straight up or moving in a more rigid pattern, that’s not at all what hip-hop is going for. In this case, a lot of the movement should be focused on hinging at the waist, which essentially means that there should be a lot of waist bending and movement, moving on an axis that allows your kid to hit those hip-hop moves.
Don’t Get Down on Yourself!
When your child takes dance classes in Etobicoke (or anywhere else, for that matter), they’ll be faced with difficult moves and techniques. The learning process can be long. It can be hard. It can be frustrating. But they should never get down on themselves! Everyone learns at their own pace, and everyone is capable of mastering hip-hop…they just need confidence! And that means that they’re able to persevere even through hard-to-learn routines.
Hip-Hop Dance Classes in Etobicoke That Make Hip-Hop Fun and Easy to Learn
If you’re looking for hip-hop dance classes in Etobicoke that offer your child a fun and safe learning environment with expert teachers, then we’d love to have you join us at Performing Dance Arts!
We are one of the top Etobicoke dance studios. We always prioritize fun, development, and safety while your child gets to do what they love—dance!
Our dance classes—both virtual and in-person—are top quality and perfect for children of all ages. No matter what setting your child prefers, we’ll be able to accommodate them.
We have hip-hop dance classes in Etobicoke for all skill levels, so contact us today to register your child or learn more about which style and program fits best.
