Learning To Freestyle
GETTING INTO FREESTYLE!
The first thing when getting into freestyle is you need to have some moves! Whether that's your own special moves or ones that you have learnt.
Without moves your freestyle will become standing still - which isn't really freestyle!
How you learn these moves is up to you. Dance classes, videos and DVD's have all taught people dance moves that they can use.
So how you go about it is up to you depending on your preference. What you need is to learn enough so that you'll have enough material to work with when you freestyle. 5 moves probably isn't going to cut it.
Once you have enough moves that you can do to a good standard you can take the first steps into freestyling. Take it easy when you begin.
When beginning it can be helpful to start with a song that's not too fast. When you first learn to freestyle you will have to think through the process. Even though you will be thinking on the spot, you will know what move you're going to do next.
So it's helpful to choose a slower song, you probably won't be able to think fast enough to choose a fast song yet.
With freestyle you literally can do what you want, there aren't really any mistakes you can make. So try stuff out!
You may find it difficult to begin with. One thing which is helpful is to do a move you're comfortable with several times, more than once and while you're doing it to think of the next thing to do.
With practise you will be able to think much quicker and will go from one move straight into the next without having to do it multiple times to think of something.
Also try not to stop (unless it's part of the freestyle) to think. Do your movements and think of what to do next as you're dancing.
As you get more comfortable doing different moves together, you will eventually get to the point where you won't have to think about your freestyle - it will just come out.
This will normally take a bit of time before occurring, when you begin you may find that you're doing the same moves over and over again.
But as you relax into it you will be able to make your freestyle more varied. You may still like to think of what to do next, but it won't be essential. Even if you're thinking to yourself it will be a lot more natural, for example you may decide that a particular move will look good after whatever it is that you're doing.
So get down and get moving. Freestyle takes time to learn so it's better to start doing it whenever you have enough moves in your arsenal to begin.