In class there’s generally two types of people. There’s those lucky ones who are able to be shown a combination once or twice and have it down perfectly, and then there’s those who need to be shown a few more times because they just can’t seem to remember a certain section or two. The ways in which we learn and retain information varies from person to person and is different for everyone. Some find it easier to learn by watching, others by moving. In this article we’ll give you the tools and tips to enhance your retention and get you nailing that choreography in no time!

A dancer rehearses backstage during the 2019 Lucie Saranova Awards.

When it comes to memory retention and learning there are three primary methods that are practised - auditory, visual, and physical.

Auditory Learning

Auditory learning is based around sounds . Those who are auditory learners retain information best when it’s primarily focused around music or sound cues. They depend on listening and speaking as their main format of learning.

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Visual Learning

Visual learning is focused around images. Visual learners retain their information best when it’s presented in an image or photo format and find it easier to learn when they can see the information rather than hear it.

Physical Learning

Physical learning (or kinaesthetic learning) is all about movement and touch. These people learn best with the use of their hands, body, and physical touch. Their strengths lie in their ability to process information through movement, control, and expression.

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As dancers we tend to use all three of the primary learning methods combined together. It’s not impossible to learn and remember something without the use of all three but it does make things a bit more difficult. To further support the primary methods of learning, dancers have three other basic cue types that aid in the retention of choreography - word cues, movement-based cues, and visual images.

Word Cues

Word cues involve the names given for movements. Think of all the terminology used in your classes - ‘chassé’, ‘shuffle’ or ‘boogaloo’ and how you manage to create a combination or routine out of those. The use of non-words, phrases like ‘bah-de-da’ or other made up things you or your teacher/choreographer use also assist with remembering choreography. These are especially useful if it doesn’t fit into easy counts of the music or they are a collection of movements that don’t have a specific name. Word cues also includes counts. All the times you get counted in with ‘5,6,7,8’ to know when to start the choreography enables you to further remember the sequence of movements.

Movement-Based Cues

Movement-based cues are all about the rhythm, feeling, and embodiment of the movement. With time you gain an understanding of how specific movements will have certain rhythms - like a waltz being in 3/4 time or tap combinations starting on the eighth beat. Once you start to learn the rhythms and understand how these work, your embodiment and expression of the movement will grow. This expression becomes a feeling that you remember and resonate with and allows the movement to become a second skin. When your body feels and remembers the movement through muscle memory, you don’t have to think as much about what you are doing and can just enjoy the movement.

Visual Images

Visual images is a similar concept to visual learning. Most of what we learn is by watching someone and having them teach it to us. What we see we then copy and replicate to support the creative vision and direction given to us. The use of visual images doesn’t always have to include face-to-face learning. It can also include choreography learnt through online videos, syllabus DVD’s, or live-casts.

Along with the three main cues that dancers use to learn and remember combinations and choreography, here are some other helpful tips and habits you can include to boost those brain cells so you never have to worry about forgetting what you’re doing again!

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Write it down - When you learn a new combination or blocking, write it down so you can remember what you learnt or where you are meant to stand/change positions to. This is also a great way to revise over what you’ve done while doing other activities to wind down - like stretching or relaxing on the couch watching Netflix!

Film - Record the class (with permission) or get your teacher to so you can easily watch over the videos when you have a bit of spare time.

Change it up - Pick a different spot each class to give yourself extra visual and sensory clues. Often we stand in the same place in class, similar as to how you sit in the same seats at school, because they feel comfortable. Notice how different it feels to stand in a different location and whether it impacted on how you learnt or performed.

Mark slowly - Marking things slowly heightens the awareness of the movement and how it should feel. It improves and accelerates muscle memory and mental capacity. If you mark things quickly you might remember the overall shape you need to create but you may be missing critical movements or in-between shapes.

Practise together - Learning with friends, practising, and performing for one another allows you to refine what you have learnt. It also allows you to pick up hints and tips from your friends that you might not have thought of or considered in the first place.

Sleep - An essential part of memory and brain function is sleep. When we are sleep deprived our focus and attention starts to drift, making it difficult to retain information. Ensuring we get a restful period of sleep, (eight hours ideally) our ability to perform tasks increases. Sleeping after you have learnt something new is also one of the best ways to improve memory retention. It enables the brain to reset and calm the excitatory neurons, allowing new memories to be preserved.

Food - There are certain foods that are known to improve memory and enhance cognition. Foods that are high in antioxidants and omega 3s reduce inflammation throughout the body and oxidative stress (damage that occurs to our cells ), improving the brains capacity to function at an optimal level. Fruits and vegetables, particularly berries and colourful veggies, are high in antioxidants, and foods such as fish, chia seeds and walnuts are all a rich source of omega 3 fatty-acids.

‘Practise makes perfect’ - An oldie but a goodie. Immediately after you’ve learnt something take the time to practice it. After a break practise again, take a longer break and practise once more. Practise away from the mirror so you can’t copy anyone, do it with your eyes closed (if it’s safe to do so) to feel what the movement should be, and do it with and without music. The more you practise the better you will feel, not only about the choreography but about your abilities as well.

With the use of these tips and tools, you can actively begin to improve your memory and make the most of every class, audition or rehearsal that comes your way. Keep persisting, and with awareness, practise, and a bit of self love (because no one is perfect!), learning and remembering choreography can be as easy as counting ‘5,6,7,8’.

Article by Sheree Ronai-Horvath
Photography by Elly Ford