How to learn to dance: The Physical Learner
This is the third post in a seven part series that extends from 7 Ways of Learning.
Physical Learners
These students have the ability to learn through body movement: activity, touch, feeling and actions. They like information to be active and ‘now’ (learning by doing) and also by touch (shaped into dance frame by teacher) and feeling (music and motion association). Their bodies are good at remembering motion and position. Physical expression is very important.
There are many dance tools for the Physical Learner. If you are a Physical Learner, these tools will help you learn and retain information. However, the most important dance tool for Physical Learners is practise! Listed below are some learning tools that will help you get the most out of your practise.
Dance Tools for Physical Learners
School Figures
Practising School figures is an excellent way for Physical Learners to develop their dancing. School figures enables you to apply style and technique in each step. If you get used to ‘perfect’ school figures then it is easier to achieve the ‘perfect’ dance.
Classes with Social Dancing
Physical Learners need less talk and more action. Taking classes that have a social dance afterwards is the best option as you will get to apply what you have just learnt. Because you will learn much more by doing it is a good idea to make friends at your social dances so you can always have plenty of names on your ‘dance-card’.
Good Dancers
Physical Learners learn from the movements of others so it is important that you dance with good dancers. Never dance with only one person all the time as you will pick up their bad habits (without even knowing). Dancing with people who are better than you will challenge you and teach you new things. But it is also important for you to practise dancing with less experienced dancers - going ‘back to the basics’ will be a great chance to solidify your knowledge.
Body Memory
One great learning technique that Physical Learners have is the ability to remember motion in the body. You can recall school figures and patterns easily because of the ‘feel’ of the movements. Style and technique also becomes a memory in the body which makes it easier for Physical Learners to apply this knowledge to new steps and patterns. This means you can always look great on the dance floor (even if you are not sure what you are doing!).
Previous posts in this series:
How to learn to dance: The Logical Learner
How to learn to dance: The Visual Learner