Anyone who comes out with me knows that you will not see me get off that dance floor the whole night! When you go out and there’s music, just think of it as freestyle training in itself (that’s what I do!). When I’m out, people always ask ‘Beckie how are you constantly dancing and doing different things?’ I literally think of all sorts when I’m freestyling..it’s all very random! I have zero idea where it comes from so don’t judge me ok… you asked for it…
So here’s a couple of exclusive and extremely bizarre tips to help you get downnnn in the studio and make the most of your time, but more importantly in the clubbb so you’re feeeeeling those moves. You can also check out my one of my latest freestyles here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS9YTY4Lxwg
1. You’re in a box
First things first, Imagine that you are in a box and think about how many walls and corners the box has. Set yourself a goal to touch all the walls and corners of the box with different body parts each time. Think about your levels, dynamics, and what every single limb (toes to fingertips) are doing while you do this to create your shapes and A-B pictures. The transitions will come later.
2. You’re an animal
Call me crazy but I think about this ALL the time! So now that you have your box, imagine you are an animal and think of how they would to get into these positions. For example a bird would be soft and would flow into every movement or a lion would be quick and sharp! I sound absolutely mad, but this WILL help you so much, just trust and work with me here!
3. Imagine objects are falling from the sky
Ok ok I know, now you think I’ve lost my mind. Start visualising and holding an object (you pick) and throwing and catching it, sending it through loop-holes you’ve created with body parts, move it around your torso, or your avoiding something being thrown at you! Why? Because this gives your movement purpose and continuous flow without even realising it. So keep moving your body in different directions to avoid the flying objects. This sounds ridiculous but your performance will be 10X better if you think of weird stuff like this (sometimes I don’t know how I come up with this stuff lol here’s to letting out all my weird secrets).
4. Focus on moving one body part at a time
Take around 4 8 counts for each part and play music that gets your body moving. Start with just your head and lead with different directions, listen to sounds in the music, and experiment with how many different movements your head can actually do. Then do the same exercise working your way down to your toes. Experiment and see what you can do with each body part, thinking about direction, speed, perhaps isolations to break up your flow etc, and then put it all together. This will allow you to be more body-aware and conscious of the things your body can do.
As strange as these tips are, they will help you MASSIVELY when it comes to freestyle, so take note! You have to learn to love freestyle. It’s your ONLY chance to fully express yourself however you want to. It is your ONLY chance to move in a way in which there is no right or wrong. And it is your ONLY chance to show everyone what you’ve been working on and challenge yourself so just embrace it! I really hope this helps, I mean I really put myself on the line here haha…
Come and practice your freestyle in any of our weekly classes! You can find our timetable here: https://thearmydc.com/classes/