Everyone secretly loves a cheesy New Year’s list.
I’ve titled it 10 things to do before 2020, but feel free to do it in the beginning of 2020 as well. Or in the middle.
1. Sort your video recaps
Some of them are on your phone, some in cloud and majority of recaps is on your friend’s phone because you didn’t have any memory left. We’re all guilty. Find a way to store recaps – either on your computer, in cloud or as private videos on youtube. It will allow you to use them more often and… that’s the reason you have them. You can sort them in separate folders or playlists such as Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz, Charleston, Balboa, Collegiate Shag or St. Louis Shag. If you have a lot of videos you can go more into detail and separate them even more – to Fancy Moves, Aerials, Basics, Bal-Swing, Pure Bal, Rhythm variations etc. It’s also a good idea to add some basic information to videos in description. You can add: date, teachers’ names, event name and a class theme.
2. Take care of your dance shoes
Take a little time to clean and take care of your shoes – you can use our short routine. Go pair by pair and polish them. Check if heel caps or leather soles need to be replaced and take them to a cobbler if needed.
3. Make a list of your favorite dance songs
Save 20 songs you like to dance to as a Spotify or Youtube playlist. Go back to it throughout the year when you lack inspiration or just as a go-to music to swing dance.
If you do it at the end of every year you will be able to see how your style changes as well as will go back to memories as soon as you listen to your favorite music from a few years back.
4. Fix clothes & update closet
Look at your closet and get rid of pieces that you don’t use. Find clothes you bought for socials but they are not danceable or you don’t like the style anymore. Sell or donate them.
Find clothes that miss buttons or are ripped and fix them or take them to a seamstress.
5. Sum up 2019
Look back at your 2019 and reflect on people, events and ideas that came your way. What was your favorite moment of 2019? What event you really want to visit again? What was your favorite party or class and why was it so good?
6. Set your goals
Think about what you want to work on in 2020. You probably want to make progress. But which direction of improvement is the most important to you right now? You might want to get more into history, the Old Timers and their style. You might want to work on big things like musicality, smoothness, style, new dance or numerous small ones like particular transitions or variations. Make a list of your goals and think of the ways to reach them. Mix big ones i.e. learn Collegiate Shag with medium ones like dance more Solo Jazz or improve your turns and add little ones such as figuring out that one transition that you always get stuck at.
The goals above mainly focus on your dance technique or knowledge. But consider all of the other areas that make Lindy Hop, or any other style of swing dance so much fun. Maybe you want to take a step back from classes and only social dance in 2020? Visiting new countries and meeting new people can also be a worthy goal for the new year.
7. Write a dance bucket list
What is the thing that you really want to do? Make a bucket list of dance-related activities that you’d like to do. Go big!
Choose an event you want to attend, classes you want to take, places you want to dance or perform at.
8. Plan something big for 2020
Pick one of the bucket list goals and try to incorporate it to your 2020. You have a lot of time to figure out how to do it, it might happen if you start now!
9. Take up a 20 days long challenge
20 days for 2020. Talk to your friends or partner and choose a challange that reflects your goals. Two years ago I learnt Trickeration routine as a challenge we set up with a friend. We filmed progress and sent videos to each other on set time. It was a lot of fun and taking the challenge together with someone improved our solo dance skills as well as strengthened our friendship (I warned, that the list is a bit cheesy)!
10. Talk to dancers that inspire you
If someone does something good – tell them. Positive feedback works very well in every situation. This international instructor, that just conducted an amazing class will be thrilled to hear that you were inspired by their ideas. And maybe even more important – if a person who looks up to you as a dancer hears from you, that you really dig some variation you saw them do on the dance floor, you can make their whole day or weekend with one simple „hey, that was cool”.
