Dance: How to be more creative

We are often misled by two concepts: Only talented-born people are creative and one can only be creative when inspired. 

First, mastering one skill or craft is not the result of natural talent, but the combination of training, encouragement, motivation, opportunities and PRACTICE. Second, inspiration is not reliable. If we wait for inspiration to strike us in order to create something, we will never go far. At a personal level, this was one of the hardest things for me to learn and overcome.

How could I create when I was not inspired? How could I be creative when I wasn't in the mood to create? or when I didn't have my perfect setting? What is creativity in the first place? Can I train myself to be more creative?

1. Keep learning and training

Become more curious about your own training and what it truly means to you. The better you understand yourself in relation to your craft, the more you will be able to deepen your creative practice. Be humble in order to begin as many times as needed with wider eyes and being more compassionate each time.

"Few showed early signs of promise prior to parental encouragement." No one reached high levels of achievement in their field without devoting thousands of hours of serious training. Mozart trained 16 years before he produced an acknowledged master work. Moreover many high performers achieve levels of excellence today that match the capabilities of a Mozart, or a Gold Medalist from the turn of the century" (The Vancouver Sun, September 12, 1998)

2. Adopt a Cubist perspective

Photoshoot with Denise Marino

Cubism was invented by Picasso and Braque who were able to reduce matter - into its most basic elements - in order to capture its essence. We don't perceive the world from one focus only, which is why they decided to paint their subjects from multiple perspectives (in both time and space). They wanted to create a 3D reality in a 2D space. 

Adopt new perspectives in space by trying all possible angles (applying this to dance, imagine you want to include one particular move in your choreography but it doesn't feel as a fit... try the same move from, literally, a new angle). Adopt also new perspectives in time. Look at the people you admire and their best creations (for example, if you are also a bellydancer and admire Dina or Aziza, go on YouTube and look at their dances, it will give you new perspectives).

3. Witness creativity

Mariangel Martinez, Peruvian ballerina

Watch artists you admire as well as new rising artists. Go to theaters, exhibits, shows, open stages, cinemas... Learn to see. Finding new hidden connections and insights within a performance will help you find new ways within your own creation process. We cannot expect to create something new if we resist to learn new things. Make notes, talk to other people about what you just saw or learned, wonder.

4. Remember to ask questions

Adults tend to ask 4 questions a day, while children ask around 100 or more questions a day. Regardless the amount of experience you have obtained or the amount of time you have dedicated to your craft so far, embrace the mind of a "beginner". Ask questions and learn to listen to other people's questions as well. Understanding the emotions and thoughts of another artist while creating will help you comprehend better their creative process. This will nurture your own creative path. When you get the chance to talk to an artist you admire, don't feel afraid to ask questions.

5. Feed your diversity

Painting in Florence

Train in diverse areas. Whether you are a musician, a painter, a dancer... learn new styles. Be curious. Regardless or not you dedicate yourself fully to that new style, the learning process will provide you with a goldmine of ideas. Combine ideas, find new connections. This will replenish your creative stock. If we get stuck with the same creative repertoire, it will be harder to come up with new ideas. We may even become blocked. Become alert and learn to self-nourish your creative mind. Replenish your own process with field rotation. If you are a dancer, learn a new dance style, or consider to take a painting lesson for example. This will give you a break and feed your own creativity from a new perspective.

6. The traditional start point doesn't necessarily mean your own start point

In the book "The creative habit: Learn it and use if for life", Twyla Tharp, the author and a world-known choreographer, states clearly how many artists have problems developing their creative practice because they tend to think we all must start creating from the "start". As a dancer, you may think you HAVE to start creating your choreography from the 0.00 minute of the song. This may work for some, but I know it doesn't always work for me. The structure society teaches us to follow is start-middle-end. However, don't be afraid to start creating from the middle point, from the end, from wherever you want. Many famous writers start their books by narrating the end. Creativity comes along with breaking barriers.

7. The 3 Ds: Dedication, Determination and Discipline

Be dedicated enough to learn about your own creative process and feed it. Be determined enough to always try one more time and to finish what you started. 

 

Be disciplined enough to create even when you don't want to create. As Picasso said, "Inspiration exists, but it must find you working". Give yourself a time schedule, it will help you develop training habits. The author of "Eat, Pray, Love" tells us how many artists feel overwhelmed by the idea that the "genius of inspiration" lives inside of us. This creates a sense of responsibility so big that sometimes can act as a creative block. She suggests to look at it as a separate entity instead. You are the artist, and inspiration may or may not come. When inspiration comes and finds you working on your craft, you will surprise yourself by your own creation. However, when it arrives and finds you slacking, not working, then, how do you expect to create your best work?

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius

"Everyone has creative abilities. The more training you have and the more diverse the training, the greater potential for creative output. In creativity, quantity equals quality. The longer the list of ideas, the higher the quality of the final solution. Quite often, the highest quality ideas appear at the end of the list." (Creativityatwork.com)  

Baile: Tips pre-performance que DEBERÍAS seguir

*English version below

1. Respira

Respirar muy rápido sin llenar por completo los pulmones resulta en el uso del sistema nervioso simpático - que es el sistema usado en tiempos de crisis. Este sistema activa los cambios fisiológicos relacionados al estado de Lucha o Huída. Mucha gente suele usar este sistema, en especial cuando sufren de pánico escénico.

 

Respirar lento, haciendo uso completo del diafragma, va a causar que tu cuerpo use el sistema nervioso parasimpático. Este sistema es considerado el sistema de Descanso y Relajo del cuerpo, ocasionando el restablecimiento de la homeostasis (condiciones estables) después de estar en el estado de Lucha o Huída. Induce la producción del neurotransmitor acetilcolina, que disminuye el ritmo cardíaco ayudándote a relajar.

2. Visualiza

El visualizar un movimiento activa un área del cerebro llamado  "Pre corteza motora". Esta área está intimamente relaciona a la selección de un movimiento específico o una secuencia de movimientos elegidos de un repertorio de movimientos posibles. No está conectada al movimiento físico, sino a la decisión de qué movimiento seguir. Es básicamente el área que "planea el movimiento". Cuando visualizas tu propio performance estás creando rutas neuronales en tu cerebro como si estuvieras haciéndolo físicamente. Entonces, cuando completas el performance físicamente, es más sencillo y natural para tu cuerpo seguir los movimientos ya que el sistema que toma las decisiones ya ha determinado qué movimientos hacer. Visualizar también mejorará tu enfoque, autodisciplina y autoconfianza (además de darle tiempo a tu cuerpo para reposar antes de actuar).

Tip: Encuentra un lugar sin mucho ruido y siéntate. Cierra los ojos, y estés o no escuchando la música que bailarás, haz uso de todos tus sentidos durante la visualización. Recuerda cómo te hace sentir un movimiento específico, recuerda tus transiciones, y deja que tu mente se concentre por completo en la visualización. 

Para más información, referirse a: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10796/

3. Calienta y estira (Stretching)

Mucha gente no calienta y estira apropiadamente antes de un performance. Stretching correctamente te puede ayudar a reducir el riesgo de lesiones musculares (notar que no previene completamente ninguna lesión) dado que stretching incrementa el rango de movimiento en las articulaciones y reduce la rigidez de los músculos. También deberías enfocarte en stretching dinámico, en vez de stretching estático. Stretching estático significa sostener el estiramiento de un músculo en particular por 45 segundos o más. Se ha hecho mucha investigación en atletas que demuestra que el stretching estático disminuye el poder y fuerza de los músculos. Stretching dinámico se enfoca en velocidad, fuerza y poder. Mi sugerencia es encontrar un balance adecuado para tu propio cuerpo. Cuando estés realizando un estiramiento en particular, no lo sostengas por más de 30 segundos por músculo, y siempre busca a estirar cada parte del cuerpo (brazos, piernas, cuello, columna, tobillos, pies). Estira lo suficiente para la flexibilidad que necesitas durante tu performance.

 

En el 2012, la revista de Medicina y Ciencias del Deporte de Escandinavia, publicó un artículo que se enfocaba en 104 casos de estudio acerca de stretching estático. Los resultados demostraron que estirar un músculo en particular por más de 45 segundos puede disminuir el poder por 2%, la fuerza muscular por 5% y la capacidad de desempeño por 2% por un largo de dos horas.

Para más información, referirse a: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22316148

MUY IMPORTANTE: Muchos bailarines se olvidan de estirar DESPUÉS de una presentación. Estirar luego de bailar te ayuda a incrementar tu flexibilidad (dado que tus músculos ya están en calor). Mejorar tu flexibilidad requiere disciplina también. 

 

 

 "To dance, put your hand on your heart and listen to the sound of your soul." - Luigi

 

Dance: Pre-performance tips you SHOULD be following

1. Breath 

Breathing very fast and not filling up your lungs completely results in the engagement of the sympathetic nervous system - which is the system engaged during times of crisis. It activates the physiological changes related to the Fight-or-Flight response. Many people tend to use this system especially when experiencing stage fright. 

 

Breathing slowly, fully engaging your diaphragm, will make the parasympathetic nervous system to be engaged instead. This system is considered the "rest and relax" system of the body, bringing it back to homeostasis (stable conditions) after the Fight-or-Flight state. It induces the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which lowers your heart rate allowing you to relax. 

 Tip: Breath in for 6 seconds and breath out for 6 seconds as well. Do this at least 4 times, focusing on your breathing and not on the external noises. 

2. Visualize

Visualization of movement activates an area of the brain called "Pre motor cortex". This area is intimately involved in selecting a specific movement or sequence of movements from the repertoire of possible movements. It is not connected to the physical movement itself, but rather with the decision of which movement to follow. It's basically the area that "plans movement". Hence, when visualizing your own performance you are creating neural pathways in your brain as if you were physically doing it. Then, when you do perform the dance (or the skill you are visualizing yourself completing) it is easier for the body to follow since the "decision-making" system has already determined what paths it will follow. Visualizing will also enhance your focus, self-discipline and self-confidence (plus, you are giving your body some rest before performing!)

Tip: Find a quiet place and sit down. Close your eyes, and whether you are listening to the music or not, engage all your senses in the visualization. Remember how a specific movement makes you feel, remember your transitions and let yourself fully immerse in the visualization. 

For more info, refer to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10796/

3. Warm up and Stretch 

Many people don't warm up and stretch properly before performing. Stretching up correctly can help you reduce the risk of injuries (note I don't say it completes helps you prevent them) given that stretching increases the range of motion about a joint and reduces the stiffness of the muscles. You should also focus on dynamic stretching, rather than static stretching. Static stretching means to hold a specific stretch for 45 seconds or more. Much research has been done on athletes which shows that static stretching actually decreases power and strength in your muscles. Dynamic stretching focuses on speed, strength and power. My suggestion is to find an adequate balance for your own body. When holding a stretch, keep it no longer than 30 seconds per muscle, and always aim at stretching every part of the body (arms, legs, neck, core, ankles, feet). Stretch enough for the flexibility you need during your performance.

In 2012, the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, published an articled that focused on 104 case studies about static stretching. The results showed that stretching more than 45 seconds can decrease power by 2%, muscular strength by 5% and explosive performance by 2% for up to two hours.

For more info, refer to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22316148

VERY IMPORTANT: Most dancers forget to stretch AFTER performing. Stretching after performing helps you increase your flexibility (given that your muscles are already very warmed up). Flexibility requires discipline too. 

 "To dance, put your hand on your heart and listen to the sound of your soul." - Luigi

And in the spirit of this day, to everyone that loves, enjoys, shares, teaches, appreciates and supports dancing in any form...

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY !!!!!!