Tracking and Quantifying Progress

Maybe you're studying, taking classes, taking private lessons, attending workshops, travelling to festivals, but you are still feeling stuck in your dancing? Quantifying your achievements, whatever they are, is one way to start looking on the bright side.  Even if you aren't getting better on a linear vertical scale, you are at least going sideways! Self reflection and assessment over time is measurable and achievable. Are you shaping your time so you are living the life of your dreams? Give yourself a win. 

One Year Ago Today

This originally wasn't public, but it was meant to be, and it's one year later now, so shoots. Earlier this year I made the goal of taking other people's classes, and of training in more forms of movement. I was feeling stuck. I'm back to feeling a bit stuck when I dance zouk, but I know I'm developing as a teacher and training in pole and acro! I've never quantified this in terms of number of hours before, but as an always-somewhat-overachiever, it's satisfying to think of it in terms of numbers. An average week for me by the hour is

40 Desk Job
17.5-27 Dancing
7.5 Teaching Honolulu Zouk Team & Classes
6-7.5 Taking Polearity Classes
2-6 Social Dancing
2 Acro Gym Free Time Training
3 Burlesque until 7 weeks ago
And sometimes I take a contemporary, samba, CI, lyra, or other random
2-5 Magnetic Moments

This year I will have travelled to zouk events in Toronto, Seattle, and New York, and participated in 2 congresses in Hawaii. Completed a teacher training in Canada and won 2nd in the Pro-Am in Seattle. Family trip to Spain and NYC.

Honolulu Zouk will have hosted in 2017 nine artists: Peter Wright, Biki, Brad Meccia, Rachel Meth, Leo & Catherine, Mazouka, Marc Brewer, Layssa Liebscher, Michael Demski, and who knows what's coming later. Our own Mahina & Josh became official Honolulu Zouk teachers.

Honolulu Zouk produced a 45-minute show of over a dozen routines. New choreographies include a slew of solos, a twerk-tutting-zouk routine, and a team of twoscore people performing the International Zouk Flashmob.

I've never been injured so frequently (I guess that happens when you are over 30 and you take up pole dancing). After quantifying how much time I've been doing pole classes since February, I feel disappointed that I'm not better by this time. All the injuries have meant I've had to skip a lot of classes!

I could develop our scene more by teaching private lessons and going out social dancing more often. I'm doing well on the latter but still avoiding privates. Maybe one day when I am more semi-retired.

I could develop my own dancing more by leading more socially, by working on a solo performance of either pole or floorwork/acrobatics combined with dance, and by taking a variety of different classes. This week I am going to try a new contemporary teacher, and go to jiu jitsu and muay thai for the first time. I have half-formed thoughts of lyrical zouky partnerwork, and waterfeeling-based partner performance work.

Today

I had locked the post above up in social media and knew it would return to me. Life hasn't changed much since then.  If I were to write the same post today, it would look like this:  I am on the path of cross training different dances and I love it. Pole classes are still too few and far between, but my body has gotten more comfortable with the pole, and I have learned a few tricks for working with the pole as a partner just as how as a child I had to learn to work with the floor as a dancer. I no longer give myself as many pole bruises, although a week after I wrote my "one year ago" post, I sprained a toe, and I have tweaked out my shoulder several times because of pole. Knock on wood I still haven't been injured because of zouk! I still feel stuck and like I am possibly backsliding in my zouk, despite a renewed fervor for private lessons and workshops for a few months, I don't know how to improve anymore. I've downshifted my zouk teaching responsibilities. Acrobatics and inversions have been mostly self taught, and I know I don't have the discipline to become amazing on my own, but taking up ballet again a few months ago has helped quite a bit with strength and balance. Ballet as a student and teacher has been my dancing mental joy these past few months. I have also traveled and hosted more zouk events than ever before in my life. Making truly comfortable friendships is slow going for me, but I am proud to say it has happened and that I am slightly more comfortable interacting with people on a non-physical-movement level. Sometimes.

Weekly (The Dancing Hours are usually more, because every weekend we have special events!)

40 Hours Desk Job (in actuality, less)

7.25 Teaching

     1.25 Ballet

     3 Partnerwork Choreography

     1 Solo Choreography

     2 Zouk Technique

1.5 Social Dancing

0-10 Taking Class

     0-3 Taking Ballet Class

     0-6 taking Pole Classes

     0-3 Training in Acro

     0-1 Stretching

My teaching load has lightened, and I now feel quite competent teaching zouk technique for follows. I am thankful I have three other very competent teachers at Honolulu Zouk. Teaching ballet has been a pleasure since I started in June. 

Training and taking class is delightful because it is all optional, and I have a little more choice in life and therefore a little more capacity for feeling like I am opting in, rather than forced to be anywhere.

Since one year ago, I have traveled to 11 stops in the Viking Homelands. I have attended 4 major zouk events in San Francisco, Hawaii Island, Seattle, New York.  I have been involved with teaching and or planning three major local festivals. I have competed in three zouk JnJ competitions but never made finals in the intermediate division. I completed the ZenZouk Fundamentals I Teacher Training.

Since one year ago, I have hosted Honolulu workshops with 13 Artists: Marc Brewer, Michael Demski, Ry'El & Jessica, Brad Meccia x 2, Christina Montoya, Peter Wright, Ben Sodenkamp, Lena Simiesz, Thayna & Leo, Evelyn Magyari & Derrick. I have also hosted several sets of non dance teacher house guests.

We have kept our weekly Honolulu Zouk Sunday social going every week, and introduced a new and successful monthly event on Second Thursdays.

I have choreographed an acro zouk group routine, Hottie Heels Sex & Candy, and The Miss Fatty Project, which is about to debut this weekend. I forced myself to choreograph styles I am not necessarily the most expert in to train myself on them. I co-choreographed a beginning zouk routine with Josh. With Josh I also taught three of the four International Zouk Flashmobs, about to debut next weekend. I created a contemporary acro zouk duet with Mahina, but never performed it, and have not created a solo for myself since my salsa competition pieces in 2012. 

I still want to make a solo for myself. I still want to do a pole performance some day. I still want to create a flowy group piece.

I am still not teaching private lessons as much as I should. I have taught a few. 

Goals

Instead of keeping goals pent up in your head, try writing them down. Then try telling the world about the goal to keep you honest and on track! Rereading the list later is a great refresher and motivator. Keep the goals concrete and measurable when you create them. (Be able to do this skill three times in a row and hold it for five seconds, for example, instead of just "do this skill). Taking group classes? Keep your goals in mind and add them to your work during the class (See my recommendations for how to get the most out of class in this post, "How to Take a Dance Class")

Here is a list I wrote down a few weeks ago. I can't wait for the satisfying feeling of crossing some items off the list.

Goals of Kimberly

Constant awareness of balletic posture, esp while sitting.
Always be stretching or strengthening. Lacrosse ball.
-Do handstand wall walks and and handstand pike/arch on wall every time I am at Polearity to improve shoulder strength

Zouk

better balance and constant leg/knee flexion in zouk, wider stance
Feel as on balance and elegant social dancing in high heels as flats
Nail every time it is led competently one footed spins in zouk (hold that arm! At a strong diagonal right in front of me. Do not let it cross or open too much. close chest and pelvis, go with the lead, hand more open half moon and stable).
Ability to sensitively and dynamically follow crazy fast stuff T&L style
Better hollowness sensitivity more of the time. Not stretching legs in raul.
get better at figure 8 backwards
Train off axis exits
Train travelling vs on the spot roast chickens
Train wifi. closing of chest and opening diagonal vs roast chicken
Be people’s favorite while doing all these technique things

Ballet

Achieve consistently effortless double pirouettes in ballet with occasional triples (3 times in a row).
Stretch feet for a better point
Wear pointe shoes again one day and be better at it than when I was half my age
Extensions all above 90 Degrees.
Reach goal: Extensions at head level in all directions

Flexibility

Get squarer splits (hip flexors and hamstrings)
Completely flat middle splits
stretch and strengthen back
Touch my feet to my head backwards using active flexibility
Bridge with hands touching feet
Camel with head touching feet
Reach goal: Oversplits, all directions

Acro

Be able to hold for 5 seconds 3 times in a row, or achieve cleanly 3x in a row
Chest stand
Forearm stand
Scorpion in forearm stand.
Handstand as needle
Handstand in split
Back roll into shoulder stand
Cleaner front walkovers
Cleaner back walkovers
Back walkovers on one leg with splitty legs
Death Drop like from voguing
Reach goal: handstand press.
do the acro yoga things i see on ig with Mahina Hong. create and perform a cool acro contemporary piece.

Pole

Be able to do 3 times in a row both sides. If a pose, holding for 3 seconds
Janeiro
Reach my foot while in janeiro
Deadlift handsprings
Elbow grip ayesha
Iron X
Caterpillar climb gracefully
Bird of paradise
Titanic

Teaching

be able to create good dancers. be able to train a group of people into in sync choreography-performing dancers of a decent level. improve people's bodies and confidence and the way they interact with themselves and the world through dance.

What else can you do?

Keep your goals in mind and add them to your work during the class. See my recommendations for how to get the most out of your classes in my post, "How to Take a Dance Class"