The Problem with Practice

One of the keys to becoming an ever-better dancer is practice. That's not class time; it's time spent working alone or with another person, improving your technique, polishing up steps and routines, and maybe doing some improvisation and/or choreography.

But most of us don't own studios. So how do you get in your personal rehearsal time without ruining the floors and angering your neighbors? Here are a few ideas.

Studio Time

The benefits of having access to a real studio are obvious: space, mirrors, sprung floors, and a good sound system. The drawbacks are less flexibility, distance, and cost.

Whether it's a studio you normally dance at or just the one closest to home/work, dance spaces often have down time. What that means is that the owner or manager may be willing to let you use a studio for a small fee. One studio near me said it would cost $25 an hour to rent studio space. That seemed pretty steep, but the cost went down if I came in when one studio was being used and the other was empty. I could reduce my costs even further by sharing the space with another dancer. Some institutions such as churches or schools also often have studio space that goes unused, and they are probably the least expensive options if you can find a good space.

Home Schooling

If you have a place to dance at home, you can dance whenever you want, however you want, without paying an hourly fee. With enough money and space, you can create an in-house studio with all the amenities---barre, mirrors, good floor, etc. If this is you, then good luck. But many of us have neither the cash have nor the square footage for such a production, and need to improvise.

If you want to do more than practice on the living room carpet in your socks, you'll need a hard (preferrably wood) surface to dance on. You can head to the local hardware store or lumber yard and pick up a piece of flat plywood---4' by 6' is a decent size. Choose the thickness according to your needs. A temporary floor that has to be moved a lot should be lighter that one that stays in one place. A piece of wood that is going to lie atop a carpet or rug may have to be a little heavier, as the plywood will bend with your weight. If you'll be using it on a wood or tile floor, buy a piece of rug or carpet padding and put it underneath the plywood to prevent slipping and scratches.

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