PRACTICING GUIDELINES

In order for your child to be successful in Highland Dancing
they should practice for a minimum as follows:

When practicing, dancers should look at the notes they took in their practice book if they were given one. New or Primary Dancers do not have practice books as they are generally too young to benefit from them and know what they have to practice anyway.

More experienced dancers should avoid simply bashing through their dances one after the other - that achieves nothing. They should look in their practice book and see what it is that the teacher needs to have corrected for next time.

Use different practice days for different things - one day you could concentrate on a particular movement, taking it right back to the basic positions and ensuring you get it right every time. Another day you could work on a whole dance - trying to make each step perfect concentrating on not just your feet and legs, but your arms, head and general body posture. On a different day you could work on strengthening exercises and stretches; technically perfect dances are no good if you don't have either the strength or flexibility to make them look attractive and effortless. Your teacher will give you a sheet with different exercises that are very appropriate for those who are serious about competing at Highland Dancing. On at least one of your practice days every week or so, you should try and dance all of your dances in quick succession without worrying too much about the precise technique. These are very beneficial in building stamina which you will be very grateful for in your competitions when the other competitors are flagging at the end of every dance!

Try and make your practicing as interesting as possible - perhaps by dancing to a different type of music (so long as the tempo and speed are roughly correct). Ensure you have a clear space to dance in so that you can confidently stretch your legs fully and avoid dancing on concrete. If you have a mirror to dance in front of, then so much the better - you can really concentrate on whether your whole body is dancing the way it should be.

Practicing will not always be fun - there will be times when you or your child just doesn't feel like it. Think of your dancing as a bank account:-