"How to Freestyle"

By Marty Dew

Let me begin by saying, there is no right OR wrong way to dance when it comes to freestyling. "Freestyle" simply translates into "self-expression". So, unless specified, your style is what you want it to be. It can be hip-hop, jazz, tap, ballet, or a little bit of everything. The sky is the limit. One key to remember is practice and do what feels comfortable to your body. With anything in life, practice makes near perfect. If you feel that you do not need to practice, then you have lost all love for your art. In essence, the more you practice the more you will feel comfortable.

Start off by yourself. Whether it is your room or in a studio, start by yourself playing music that motivates you to move around. This will give you a chance to become familiar with your body and how you move. If you don't know what to do, start with any basic move you know (i.e. - step touch). Do it over and over again playing with variations in how you execute this move. Once you get that down switch to another move. Keep that process going until you can go from move to move but without choreographing it.  At the same time, remember to stay on beat and play around with the musicality relating the steps to the song(s). This is a great way to start, and it's only the beginning.

Once you feel more and more comfortable, start exploring and branching out. Get your friends involved and you guys can feed off of each other. Also, you will be able to watch other people and see how they interpret music. In the process, you can all learn together. Remember, there is NO wrong way to freestyle. Just start basic and work your way up.

.....things to remember......

• you can't mess up.....because it's freestyle!!
• play music that motivates you to dance and be creative!!
• do ANY style you desire!!
• learn from other people as well as from yourself!!
• when ready, video a freestyle session and remember what you like!!

NOW START DANCING!!!

- md