"Accountability buddy"?

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MariaAZ

New member
I received some good feedback from my dance teacher today, I'm making progress in the beginning class. However, I want to make more progress.

My biggest problem is buckling down and practicing. I have a few tapes and videos of what we're practicing in class, but it just seems the day races by. I'm thinking it would be nice to have someone to be accountable to, someone who needs the same thing. Anyone else out there need someone similar?
 
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Creaky Old Dancer

New member
'Accountability buddy'

Hi Maria AZ, that is a good idea, but the best bet would be is there another person in your class that joined around the same time as you? Then you could maybe make a practice date or perhaps even take a private together with your teacher. Other than that what are the specifics that you feel you need to work on really the best buddy will be your practice mirror (mine is the bathroom mirror when I brush my teeth which is a twofold - brush longer and watch the moves get smoother). Creaks
 
Yame

Yame

New member
This is a good idea, indeed. You can set up regular practice with a dance buddy and set up a "schedule" (30 min a day of practicing this this and that or an hour a day or whatever) with them, and each time you meet up you can review what you did in between your meetings. You can also do that without actually having practice sessions with someone else, just by having someone you can talk to about your regular practice, whether you only know that person online or you actually see them in person.

Ultimately though, it'll come down to yourself and what you do, either way. Remember that ANY amount of free time is time enough for practice. You don't need to set aside a full hour or more of your day to get something done (although it sure is nice to do that, if you can).

Aim low and you will find that you will get a lot more practice that way. Maybe wake up just 20 minutes earlier than usual and do some drills. Drill shimmies while putting your makeup on (this is what I do, pretty much every single day, it gives me 5-10 minutes of shimmying daily). Do you have 15 minutes of free time during a break at work or during a break from chores at home? Practice! Even if it's just 10 minutes... even 5 minutes. If you practice every time you get a 5-10 minute break during the day, you will get 15-30 minutes of practice at the end of the day if you got 3 breaks, and a lot more if you get more breaks than that. It's not a ton, but it's something, and it surely is better than nothing!
 
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MariaAZ

New member
A few months ago there was a thread about practicing with DVDs. The idea was, people pledge to practice a set amount of time every day, and post to the thread when they do so.

I'm thinking something a little more accountability of the time I dedicate to my studies. Say my buddy and I pledge to practice 1/2 hour a day. We drop each other a note when we've completed our practice sessions, maybe even share what we did. If I slack off and get that email from my buddy with what s/he did that day, it will give me a push to get in MY practice and return the email. Or, maybe after not hearing from me for a couple days my buddy might email me and remind me to keep practicing (and I'd do the same.)

My idea is more geared towards disciplining myself to practice daily. I've amassed a small collection of DVDs and have bookmarked several Youtube videos that were suggested so I have plenty of material to work with. I just need a bit more accountability to develop good practice habits, and am hoping there is someone else in a similar situation :)
 
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Belly Love

New member
I'm in the same boat as you. When I do practice, I can go for hours but I just don't practice that often.

My schedule is super erratic, so I'm aiming for a certain amount of hours per week... something like 5 hours.
 
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MariaAZ

New member
I totally understand. I work from home some my schedule is dictated to by my clients. We keep early hours here (up around 3:30am) so I find it easier to practice between 4:30 and 6am (which is when I start my work day).

My goal for now is 1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week.
 
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Belly Love

New member
I'm starting tonight... maybe we can just log our weekly sessions here? Or we can start a thread where everyone can just post their hours, that way the thread would be easy to follow...
Something like this:

Sat 23 -1h
Sun 24 -30m

I don't know how many times a single comment can be updated?!

Okay, so I'm going to start a thread called "Practice Log" and anyone who wants to keep track of their practice can post theirs there. It can help to keep one accountable or inspire one to practice more by looking at others' logs. :)

I put it under "Other Dance Stuff"... not sure if that's the best place but, if someone thinks it should be moved, go for it.
 
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