Get Your Head In The Game – Part 4

Respect Your Rehearsal Space

Lost In The Clutter

We as people face a mountain of distractions everyday. Too many of these disruptions can cost us dearly if we have a lot of work get done or deadlines to meet. We have no control over protecting ourselves or our teams from these distractions, but you can help by making sure the environment you guys work in contributes to the focus and efficiency.

It’s hard to focus if the place you do most of your work in is a mess, whether it be at work or at rehearsal. Your productivity is affected if you don’t have the space you need, and the more you allow things to get in the way, the more stressful and frustrating everything becomes. Once your work or rehearsal space becomes associated with these things, you may find your enthusiasm for rehearsal becoming affected. Every minute
you spend making sure you have an organized workplace will save you hours in the future. Here are a few things I’ve kept in mind through all the rehearsals I’ve experienced.

Make sure all belongings are out of the way 

– The dance floor is meant for us to practice and rehearse on. Letting things be in the way of our dance space prevents us from fully utilizing the space we need to use for our routines and run throughs, especially since we face stages ofall shapes and sizes. Not only does having a clear dance floor prevent the risk of damage to personal belongings, but it prevents the even greater risk of injury to the dancer.

Pick up your trash – It would be rude if your mother or a friend of yours just came into your room or house and left a mess. It’s a situation comparable to when we go into a dance studio or a rehearsal space. Getting permission to use a space does not mean we own it. Other people use it too. Respecting your rehearsal space also means respecting others who may use it as well.

Silence of cell phones – This can be a pet peeve of mine, and I’m positive that I'm not alone in this belief. Picture this: you have your dancers circled up around you so you can give them notes or the plan for the day and all of a sudden, a cell phone goes off. I used to try to ignore it, but I realized that it annoyed me much more to ignore it than to just deal with the situation right away.

Closed or Open Rehearsals?

This varies on a team-by-team basis. Some teams like having their friends come in and watch their practice, while others would rather have it be just the team, no one else. Whichever the preference is, both options have benefits and drawbacks.

Benefits of a Closed Rehearsal

Focused Dancers – A dancer's awareness level tends to be much higher when they don’t have a friend waiting around for them during rehearsal. It allows them to be focused on the routine, the team mates, and the directors.

More Interaction Between Teammates – One of the many challenges for teams is developing a good, natural chemistry. It’s hard to establish this if they have someone to go back to and interact with instead of everyone else.

Development of the Team’s Culture – Every culture in this world has certain aspects that make them unique to everyone else. Similarly, every team has their own culture developed through the chemistry they’ve built during rehearsals, performances, and outings. Inside jokes are made, traditions are formed, and life long bonds are created.

Benefits of an Open Rehearsal

A Small Audience – Even if it’s one person sitting around watching the rehearsal, there is a slight tinge of pressure to do better because an “outsider” is watching and it’s only natural to want to impress others by doing what we do best. Some teams prefer having people come around and check out rehearsals. It makes some of the dancers want to perform better for someone they know.

A Fresh Perspective – I sometimes bring people in so I can get another perspective on how the routine looks. Oftentimes after working on something for a while, I run out of ideas on how to improve a certain section or how I can improve a certain visual. People who have never seen the routine can give a refreshing taste in this sense. I try not to depend on it, but it’s a great tool from time to time.

Sacred Training Ground

It’s important that we respect the places we rehearse. If we practice with a negative energy, it will take away from the energy and enthusiasm we need in order to work hard. It’s important to "relaxify" your area of work so you’re better able to focus. Taking the time to do this will save an exponential amount of time in the future.

The rehearsal space can be viewed as the sacred training ground where you and your team prepare together. All the hard work and unseen preparation is done here. It is where the team chemistry started and the culture of the group is developed. A band of warriors preparing together--the result of your hard work is shared with the world when you are on stage.

Le Finis

This concludes our series of how FamBiz mentally prepares themselves for rehearsals and performances. It’s not the be-all end-all of mental preparation, we’re just sharing our tips and techniques. We’re sure that there are plenty of other methods that are just as effective. We’ve simply shared our value in meditating through Zazen. Clearing the mind and controlling the breath results in better control of the mind and body. We've come to learn the worth of visualizing a routine in many possible aspects so the dancers are able to react accordingly to any given situation (ex: messing up in the middle of routines) without having to think about it. These exercises may seem simple or silly to a few, but we believe the mental aspect is just as important as the physical and we want to do all we can to make sure we’re best prepared for any given performance. If you guys have your own tips and techniques in mental preparation, or methods you use to get your team ready in general, feel free to shoot us an e-mail at fb.fambiz@gmail.com or leave a comment. We'd love to hear your take on it as well!

Get Your Head In The Game Series

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Posted in: Culture Shock Los Angeles,Fam Biz,Fambiz,Family Bizness,Jayvee Dance Center,Teen Groov