A video of your ballroom dancing is a really great learning tool. You can see your own foot faults and weird lines, notice bad facial expressions, get an overall impression, and have a visual of what you look like (instead of an often-distorted self-image).
That being said, watching said videos is a not a really great way to spend your free, and previously happy, time.
Here's some advice for watching your own dancing:
- have a strong beverage in your hand, preferably alcoholic.
old-fashioned, anyone?
- pretend you are about to watch your grandmother* perform ("wow, Gramma can really move!" is much more optimistic than "what the hell am I doing there?!").
- be alone in a room, where you can cringe, peek out from behind your fingers, and otherwise be physically appalled by... your grandma. Maybe the occasional naughty word slips out, I don't know. [Thanks to Nightmare's Fear Factory for the picture.]
i hide behind my sandals sometimes, too
- watch the video several times. The first time is to get it all out of your system: the yelling and the crying. The second time is to get the general gist of what you did. The third is for serious evaluation (see following tips).
this is what you look like, too; don't laugh
- remember your grandma might not be perfect, but she was working on something when this video was taken. See if you can see an improvement from the last (now, completely offensive) video.
this guy's picture comes up when I google "self-evaluation"
- take notes on what you like and don't like. Yes, there has to be a "like" column. Even if it's your toenail polish or tie, or the floor, or your partner, say 5 positive things about ol' Granny.
omg, toes are odd
- have someone else watch the video- your teacher, coach, partner- and compare notes.
- go forth and conquer!
One year ago: Let's Talk About You, all the awesome stuff
* I know a lot of hot grandmas, and great-grandmas for that matter, so just imagine someone old and frail and that you'd want to be nice to.
