TikTok dances have taken the internet by storm, and it makes sense why. They are easy, quick to learn, and fun to do with friends. However, if you are trying to grow as a professional dancer, too much TikTok choreography can create limits. While scrolling on the app can be fun, here are some things to look for when learning the trending dances often.
Dancing in Place vs Using Your Stage
Filmed vertically on a phone screen, TikTok dances don’t usually require you to take up much space or move around a space. But when you dance, using your space and levels wisely is crucial. Limiting your movements and extensions (this includes arms and legs!) can lead to bad habits that impact your technique. It is so important to maintain your ability to travel across a stage and use your entire body to express your movements and feelings. So, even when doing TikTok dances try to do every part full-out.
Moving to the Lyrics vs Dancing to the Beat
TikTok dances pull inspiration from trending songs, often using moves and gestures that revolve around or pantomime the lyrics. Focusin on lyrics can make it more challenging for you to catch onto beats and intricate rhymes when doing real dancing and therefore “untraining” your ear. This leads to having a more difficult time when freestyle or improving or even just catching the tiny details in new choreography. A good way to avoid this is to consistently create new choreography where you intentionally listen to those small beats and layers within the music.
Waist-up vs Full Body Dance
The majority of TikTok dance choreography is heavily or only focused on moving from the waist up. While most TikTok dances include standing, these waist-up dances don’t engage the full body and may even just include hand and arm movements rather than dancing. Too much time spent focusing on waist-up movement can limit your range of full-body movement. Being able to move your entire body is such a crucial part of dance! If you’re a TikTok dance aficionado, work around this by practicing dancing with your whole body and doing stretches that activate your arms, legs, hips, feet, etc.
Hitting the Choreography vs Performing it
Trending dances on TikTok usually revolve around hitting the movements sharply. However, dance isn’t just about hitting every movement. While staying clean and precise is important, finding the balance to flow between movements and emotions is just as necessary. When you are on stage you need to be able to tell a story through your dancing which cannot be done by only hitting sharp movements. As dancer Squid Head Joe says, there is a significant difference between just “hitting the choreo” and truly dancing it. When you are in class, focus on flowing between your movements and making them appear seamless.
Learning from Non-Dancers vs Highly Trained Dancers
TikTok is a great app because it is fully accessible for anyone of any talents, levels, or hobbies to post what they want. However, that is not always the best thing when it comes to dancing. Many TikTok dancers are influencers versus professionally trained dancers. This could result in the choreography lacking the proper technique and demonstrating poor movement quality which can lead you to developing bad habits. Make sure to balance your fun TikTok dances with training from real dancers who are capable of guiding you in technique and quality movement.
Reduced Stamina vs Performance Time
TikTok dances are typically 15 seconds to a minute long. That is a pretty short time for a dance. Over time, this could start reducing your dance stamina which is needed when you dance in practice or on stage. The ability to run across a stage without getting out of breath or dance across-the-floors majorly impacts the range of choreography you can perform. Set aside time to practice full choreography to keep up that endurance.
Moving vs Dancing
Basic movements are the main focus in TikTok dances. This is what allows everyone to do them. However, that also means those movements don’t really qualify as dancing. Real dance challenges you to create levels, change between flowy movements and intricate beats, and take up space. These are things that TikTok dances typically lack.
TikTok dances are a fun and creative outlet to do with friends, but be conscious of the impact they may have on your technical skills. Balance the time you spend on TikTok dances with professional training that focuses on your growth as a dancer, trying new things, and expressing your emotions.
