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how to freestyle
So I couldn't a thread on this, probably because it's a dumb question and brings up a lot of keyword hits. =P
The nature of freestyling must mean you can't do it wrong, right? I guess I was just wondering how most of you go about it. Is it a sort of loosely choreographed thing (with a ton of pre-practiced combos) or do you just pump up the music and go for it and see what happens? I also worry about getting almost too caught up in the music, and losing focus on feeling secure before going from move to move. I've done my fair share of booty shakin' in frnot of a mirror when I need a pick-me-up, but I feel like on the pole I can't really go with the same reckless abandon. =P
So this isn't a "how-to" question, since everyone has their own creative process, but I was just wondering what they were. 🙂
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21 Replies
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I thinks it’s a great question!
For me, Freestyle means “without a plan”. I don’t have any particular moves in mind and I let the music carry me away. This is my favorite way to dance, I feel, well, “free” and happy! This may not be everyone’s definition for freestyle though!
Loosely choreographed would be having particular combos, spins and moves in mind. the “in between” is not planned, nor is the order. This is what I have done for any of my videos where I don’t say freestyle.
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If I'm going to freestyle just for me dancing then I focus on tuning into my feelings and letting the music guide my movements. I normally incorporate something I am working on into the freestyle or I have a goal like focusing on flow, transition, projection. If I am going to freestyle for an audience then I will have a general idea of some moves that I want to hit throughout the dance and also some clustering regarding how much floor/pole work I want to throw in. That way I feel like I can use all of my space better.
I love freestyle… I find it the most intimate and liberating way to dance.
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To me, 'freestyle' is 'flow' which is movement without thought…everything just….flows. Music is key, I can't really 'let go' if I am not in the music.
I freestyle for my class sometimes and while I don't choreograph those or necessarily have set moves in mind, I do like to incorporate floor, wall, transitions on the pole, spins, etc…
And when I'm just dancing for me, I 'loosely choreograph' sometimes as V mentioned, knowing I want to include certain movements but not necessarily where or in what order.
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Like the ladies said, just crank out the music and let loose! Don’t worry about being too reckless, u will still know what u can and can’t do. When ur feeling it, u will naturally do things u r comfortable with.
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Thanks for the replies, everyone! 🙂
I guess people would mostly post freestyle videos that they were somewhat proud of, but they're usually intimidatingly good, like they were planned meticulously to the music. But it's a skill like anything else, I guess. Aaaaand I'd be mostly doing it for myself so I don't have to worry about looking good yet. 🙂
And Lyme Lyte, I would only hope that I would naturally do things I'm comfortable with, but I've definitely gotten too enthusiastic about spins and moves when music gets going! =P Nothing too bad, but tweaking muscles here or there with instant regret of "oh well that was dumb". Haha but that's more a matter of choosing my pole music library more carefully…staying away from the dance hits for now.
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I tend to get caught up in technical things when I dance, for instance, I may try to use all the tricks I can think of and practice new ones, but forget to actually dance.
This is why, when I freestyle, I like to limit my options. I may choose not to do inverted tricks (or any trick at all), and focus only on floorwork and basic pole moves. I may choose 3-4 tricks and spins that must be in my dance, and must be the only tricks and spins in my dance. I also try to come up with one thing to focus on – it may be flow, extension, expression, dancing in the music or something similar.
I think that sometimes, when we have too many options, we don't see the forest for the trees and lose focus on what we want to do. For me, freestyling is not about chaining moves. Limiting my options frees my mind and forces me to really get creative and expressive with my dance.
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Sadly I have no advise but I can relate!
I freeze up the moment my teacher tells us to "freestyle" or "do whatever you feel".
Part cause I dislike being in the spotlight and part cause I was a dancer in adolescent years so I am all about timing/choreography. Its a hard habit to break!I think if I had a pole at home I'd be all let loose and rock out cause no one would be watching and I would have control over the music i like. I mentally choreograph all the time in my head. But In class I'm meticulous and too worried about getting things right with all those eyes on me.https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif
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I can definitely relate. I've never had any dance training, so it's hard to be comfortable with freestyle or choreography. However, I do love music and moving along to it. I find that the best time to freestyle (absolutely no plan) is after a nice long pole session. That way, my body is nice and loose. At first, I was trying to think too much because I wanted to get cool tricks in there. After a while though, I realized that I just shouldn't think about it at all. You do not have to have all the tricks in your bag in a freestyle. As everyone has mentioned, just do what your body feels like doing. I think you're probably right in that most people post what they're comfortable with, but there are bloopers videos too. Besides, what we might consider boring or not graceful, or whatever, might be inspiring to someone else. I have a freestyle video that I made at the end of a workout and I have not yet posted it. I think I have maybe 2 or 3 "tricks" in it and that's it. It's also a 47 year old woman in a bikini. I've been thinking about posting it. Maybe I should so you can see that although there isn't much to it, it's still "right" because you can tell I was "feeling" it.
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For me one of the keys to being able to just relax and let things flow without thinking about them is the the music. I try to freestyle to songs I know really, really well. Like "sings all the words loudly along with the song" well (maybe this is why my husband doesn't want to be in the house when I'm practicing? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif) I find that when I know the music so well that I allready know where the heavy beats, or pauses, or tempo changes are going to happen without thinking about them I don't have those "wait – what move goes here" moments as much.
This is probably a result of pole dancing in clubs for years before I started in a studio. In a club you can't plan anything because you have to be reacting to your surroundings all the time – so you're pretty much always freestyling. And sometimes you get to pick what you want to dance to – or sometimes the DJ does it for you and you don't know what you're going to hear till the song starts. I found I was waaaaaay better and things appeared more "choreographed" when I picked the music .
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My studio teaches a "freestyle" class and I have a love/hate relationship with it. It focuses on mainly transitions, not tricks or spins.
Examples of what we do in class is she will show a floorwork transition, like a way to get up from the floor. Then she will put on a song and say "Okay, now incorporate that transition somewhere in this song. We will be using the floor and the wall only. No chairs or poles." And then we go. We usually will learn three such transitions (not all floor or pole, etc) and dance to probably 5 or so songs with different variations on what we're doing.
She's done "Don't touch the floor" (for the advanced girls), "chair and floor", "pole only, don't go on the floor", "just floorwork", "no spins, feet on the floor", etc. She's even brought a strobe light once and put on fast music and told us to dance slow. The strobing really helped us see how fast we were moving. She's a GREAT instructor.
This class sets parameters, but also lets you make things up as you go along. These things aren't really planned, but the guidelines she gives also helps everyone to focus in with a goal.
I recently had to freestyle when I went with some friends to an intro workshop. Being one of a handful of students that happened to be in the workshop, coupled with an ankle injury of the instructor, we were asked to perform the demo with her to give variety for those watching. I'm so glad that I have taken those freestyle classes otherwise I might have frozen. I don't particularly like freestyling because I worry too much about what to do and looking silly. It's hard for me! Still, I got up and did it in front of my friends and they said it looked really great even though I thought I was floundering. I think you just have to go for it.
A tip that I have heard repeated over and over from my instructors is that when you're tired, or you need time to think, don't underestimate the usefulness of some "break" moves like hip rolls, hip dips, walking to and from places, stopping to touch your body, etc. These moves take little effort, little thought, and gives you time to cool off or think without stopping altogether. You still look good while you're thinking!
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I was trying to go for it but I don't think I can get through a song without my giant foster cat getting the in way. =P
he has no healthy sense of fear! I remember when I was working on hip holds close to the ground he'd just settle in right under me. he also has a knack for knowing where I'll dismount…
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@muroo – LOL!
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i think going slow is the key, don t try to follow the beat of the music even if it s super fast (techno or rock )
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Wanted to share some thoughts on freestyling with you. I hope that this will help inspire and enourage those that are working on their freestyle dance: http://entertainmentgoddess.com/?p=312 -
I LOVE FREESTYLE!!!! It's what I do best. I struggle to follow choreography, and trying to remember all the steps interferes with my expression… im so busy overthinking things that I can't put much feeling into it. So freestyle is where I can express myself. Music is essential, you have to feel it, it has to move you. Sometimes I dance with my eyes closed or turn the lights off so it's almost dark.
I'm not a trained dancer so its easy for me to let go and dance without a plan. I'm drawn to unusual and unique movements, I love it when other dancers come up with interesting and sometimes weird ways of moving their bodies. I think thats why Alethea Austin and Pink Puma are two of my favourites. They both have an individuality to their style.
So if I could suggest one piece of advice, it would be to not worry about ANYTHING while freestyling. Don't let yourself think about what tyou're goin to do next, just be in the moment. Follow your gut instinct, let your body be a physical embodiment of your emotions…. The more emotional and expressive the better – my best freestyle dances have occurred when I'm feeling strong emotions (anger/sadness/excitement/sexual frustration) hahaha. Oh man, I love freestyle sooo sooo much! It's when I discover cool new ways to move and when It makes me feel sooo relieved and satisfied afterwards. 🙂
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@scarlettthoney – you do have some amazing freestyle vedeos 🙂
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Why thank you LillyBilly! I happen to be uploading another one as we speak! Talking about freestyling got me in the mood and I had to go spend an hour dancing! 🙂 xo
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@Scarletthoney, you are the complete opposite of me! Wanna trade? Just for like an hour. lol.
I NEED choreography. I am an amazing mimic. I can watch videos a handful of times and repeat them wonderfully. Leave me to my own and its gone. My teacher sadly doesn't keep the same thought for a moment let alone choreograph. That's one of my pet peeves to be honest. I crave structure and repetition like i had in dance and she's far from it {besides warm up}. Oh well. Hopefully come Xmas, my own pole will change everything.
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LittleEngine…. how wonderful that you can learn and memorise dance steps so easily! Remembering routines must be a piece of cake for you…. I can repeat a routine a million times and I will forget something or add an extra something… I had SO much trouble preparing a routine for a recent performance, I ended up changing a whole bunch of tricks mid performance anyway!
I think it's just a mental difference though. I mean, the neurons in your brain that communicate with your body must be super responsive from all that dance training, so maybe psychologically you feel like your body can't move smoothly without that instruction? But in freestyle there is still that connection between mind and body… it's not total random movement. As much as aim for "free" and "unplanned" movement, our bodies are going to want to move in ways and combos and tricks that it's comfortable with. Muscle memory and instinct will kick in and come to the rescue. So even though I don't decide before hand what I'm going to do, I am still makin some decisions in my freetyle. When I'm dancing I'm thinking things like…. "hmmm I think I should stay on the floor for a little longer, it suits the song" or , "Oh man, big climax/crescendo coming up, need to get spinny quickly"…. I mean, they aren't always full on conscious sentences, but I'm reflectiong on the music and making split-second decisions…
So maybe it's just a confidence thing…. because I am sure your body has just as much muscle memory as me. So when I let myself just go "weeeeeee" spinning around the pole, I will automatically move into some kind of combo, and your body should be able to do that too…. I mean, I'm not a scientist or doctor or whatever haha but that's my optimistic opinion anyway! 🙂
What has helped me with my fluidity is pacticing in combos. In fact, I can count on one hand the times I've practiced a trick in isolation. I ALWAYS practice while dancing… Knowing combos like the back of your hand helps make everything fluid. Transitions are essential too – Practice getting from one trick/move/combo to another. SO it all looks like one piece….
I just htoguht of this metaphor: Imagine dance moves were words. You and I both know the English language, the full alphabet, we have a similar word count in our vocabulary. You are used to reading a story and repeating it. I am not. Freestyling is like someone saying "Make up a story on the spot, right now, go!" So I just go "Blah blah blah blah and then this happened and then this happened" and I don't worry if it won't make any sense, I just let the words fall out of my mouth, I just say the first words I think of". …. Im an English and History teacher and I come across sooo many students who REFUSE or just seem unable to start a story or add to an existing sentence…. but they CAN. They just don't know they can. It's about trusting yourself. There are no rule in freestyling or in creating. No right and wrong. So just let whatever comes out of your mouth or out of your pen or out of your body just flow.
I get it must be hard to let yourself go in front of a class… Having your own pole would probably make a big difference. But I hope my weird analogy helped somehow! I really think it's just a mental thing…. 🙂 and it's practice. I wish I had your ability to remember steps so easily! 🙂
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I had a conversation about this with a colleague once. It seems like there are two types of people – those who are really calculated and orgenized, and are good in learning patterns an repeating tedious tasks in order to learn, an those that are spontaneous and jump between things and ideas, and learn and advance in sudden "bursts" of action.
We observed that people of the first type will often be good "technicians" – they will learn fast and have perfect technique in whatever they do, but when asked to improvise they will freeze or be lost with all the options, and their results will always feel "forced".
People of the second type will usually be brilliant freestylers, but will have a hard time focusing and learning things that require precision and repitition, so their technique may be sloppy at times.
(Of course this is a spectrum everybody is somewhere between those ends).
I am of the first type, and it has always frustrated me – no matter what kind of art I try to create, I can never stop being calculated. When I paint, I can copy the most realistic pictures, but I cannot paint an abstract. When I played the guitar I could play all my scales and the most complicated solos, but in 6 years I never managed to improvise to a song. When I pole dance, I learn the tricks really quickly, but play a song and tell me to express myself, and I will spend half the time standing in the corner looking silly.
I think that most people expect that when you improvise, you will do it like a person of the secon type does it – this is what you wrote, scarletthoney – that you will "let go" and the creativity will flow.
But for us calculated folks, letting go is the problem, and I find it often helps to practice letting go intentionally. One way I find very useful, is to let go in small steps – you keep some rules, and improvise within these rules. The fact that you still have some structure really helps the "too many options" fear. Once you get used to that, you remove some limitations and repeat.
So for instance, you could start by working only with 3 moves that you like, and play with transitions between them. Then, when you feel comfortable, limit yourself to grounded moves, and decide that you must use these 3 specific moves in your freestyle, but you can add other things as well. You get the idea. This gives you some structure to work with, while still allowing a degree of freedom to be creative.
I know that some of the more spontaneous people feel this method kills their creativity, but we all work differently.
I also find it very helpful to practice just letting go before I freestyle – maybe doing stupid and grotesque moves on purpose with a song I like, maybe dimming the lights and rolling on the floor feeling sexy, mayby smearing all my colors in my pallete with my fingers on a fresh sheet of paper, whatever.
I think that perhaps instead of telling your students they can let their words flow, you can help them ease into it by turning it into a process using similar kinds of exercises.
Just a thought 🙂
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We teach a how-to class on freestyling at my studio and its much like what a previous poster (sorry, typing on my phone and can’t see the thread yo.put your name) said… We have catgories of links & transitions – so the movements are split into things like: poses, direction changes, kicks, turns, floor to pole (or vice versa), dance – etc. We then teach one thing from each category and then put it on a set sequence (just to get using to doing them in the flow, with simple pole moves between).
After that we put on music and encourage people to use those new transitions however they like between their favourite pole moves and if they totally blank they can just use he previous choreo – the only rule is you’re not allowed to stop moving! Then we repeat the process. Once students have learnt a variety of ‘transitions’ from each category, then we make the set sequences a bit looser – for example: some set choreo then INSERT ANY KICK, followed by set spins and INSERT ANY DIRECTION CHANGE, THEN ANY POSE. etc etc. We find this semi structured class plan is a great way to easy people into freestyling.
Finally, we do a freestyle challenge, which other people have also mentioned. So it might be no climbs or inverts allowed, or we might yell out instructions like ‘floor work only’ during the music.
Even the clumsiest, most shy students walk away from this 4 week course with he ability to freestyle confidently to a 3 minute song – so we must be doing something right!
Although you don’t have the luxury of an instructor to teach you a repertoire of linking moves, poses etc – maybe watch some YouTube videos and note some down yourself – split them into categories and then follow our lesson plan above.
I’d love to hear how you go!
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