Ballet and the brain: The science of how dancers learn choreography
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- It's often said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert, but what happens in a ballet dancer's brain when they learn choreography?
Royal Ballet dancer Gemma Pitchley-Gale is joined by neuroscientists, healthcare professionals and psychologists to find out how performers learn, and the techniques they can employ to improve their performance.
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Please make Ballet and the Brain a series!!!! Very much enjoyed this. Maybe even Physics and Ballet :)
As a medical physicist (in training) and a dancer I second that!
YES!!
Totally agree.
I'm a psychologist (in training too) so I'd love to see that!
Maybe even a choreographers brain too would be interesting
Does anyone else find that they don't feel any pain in muscles or badly broken in shoes until they stop dancing. I can do a full class and feel no pain, as soon as I stop suddenly I feel the pain
yep same. i literally pulled my hamstring and didnt realise until i stopped dancing and couldnt even walk across the room
Tasha This happens because you are very excited and focused during dance class. Human brains have two nerve systems that work together to give us the best performance when our situations require it and to let us rest when the time comes. They are called the sympathetic nerve system and the parasympathetic nerve system. When you are highly engaged in an activity, the sympathetic nerve system is excited and the parasympathetic one is suppressed - imagine in the prehistorical time, when one ran at full speed, that was usually away from predators. One could not afford to feel tired or pain because that was a moment of life or death. Therefore our brains adapt this way to suppress pain until we have run to a safe spot. Then the tiredness kicks in. We notice our injuries. So we relax and heal.
With this understanding, athletes and dancers alike, must follow progressive training and be guided by experienced trainers to avoid over- training and injuries. But sometimes, you are in a big group and everyone is different. So it becomes kind of difficult for the coach to know your personal limit.
Take some breaths between runs and check in with yourself a few times in a class. Deep breaths for just 1 minute can give the brain the necessary space to connect with the body. After all, you don’t want to be injured and miss classes for a long time.
Tasha Good luck with dance. Have fun! And remember to care for yourself. ☺️ (I happen to know these theories because my ma was a gymnast and my pa a physiologist). I dance a bit just for fun.
Same as with any other intense physical activity. And the pain and injury you feel afterwards and the time to recover only get worse with age. :(
So enjoy it while it lasts.
You’re releasing a neurotransmitter called endorphins which is kinda like morphine. This is why we get this runner’s high and the pain basically goes away after a while and it fades into the background and starts to actually feel good
I can answer that question right now. You just learn it out of fear that you are going to get yelled at if you don’t.👍
Lol trueeee 😂😂😂
That old couple at the end was so cute. Bless them.
For those that suffering from PTSD and anxiety, it can be especially difficult as we have brain fog constantly!!! This video was interesting. Thanks for the upload and MORE LIKE THIS, please!
Karen Kirkpatrick I also have really bad PTSD, but don‘t understand what you mean 😳
Maybe it's a good brain training for them then 😃
I've never been able to quickly remember steps to anything. I'm 16, and I was always left with my jaw on the floor with how quickly everyone learned routines to dances and choreos for other things. I've always needed someone walk me through things multiple times before I remember on my own. Even without distractions, I still can't seem to remember things quickly? Like I forget 8 steps right after they're explained to me?? It baffles me
I have the exact same problem ! Even with the exercices at the barre. ! I can’t seem to memories anything. It’s very frustrating sometimes but it’s part of the process I guess !
My daughter has been in dance for nearly 9 years now (she's 11) and it amazes me how fast and easily she learns a new dance. It usually only takes them a few days to learn the choreography and then they spend weeks or even months cleaning it up. Professional dancers are on an entirely different level though...it's such a beautiful art.
I find that you can do anything fast, but it takes a long time to make it professional or good
Power of visualization... One 1⃣ f the great Bach pianists (Gould) did very little physical practice. He used to visualize the keyboard and practice in his minds eye.
i’m a psych major and a ballet dancer at the same time, really relatable video! :)
she was rehearsing a columbine dance for nutcracker and that’s one of the roles i’m playing this year! i recognized the dance just from the rigid arm movements lol😂
Fun fact with the breathing - singers are taught to breathe the same way. There's a reason that a classically trained vocalist can control hiccups!
Wonderful! Yes, please make more of this type of content -- so valuable!
This couldn't had been posted at a better time! ^^ I was struggling to get motivated for my ballet class today, but this got me right back in there again!
I agree with this comment. I do ballet five times a week. I feel difference before and after doing it.
Such a natural and beautiful young lady!!!
i llooovveee RAD(Royal Academy of Dance) i want pointe shoes so bad and I’m close to getting them I’m in level 2 and next level is pointe
Congratulations! Work hard on strengthening your feet while you're waiting - you won't regret it!
Nikita A yes! something i struggled with was toe strength as you don’t do too much of it before pointe, theraband exercises are good
georgia c Kathryn Morgan does some great videos on foot strengthening if you’re looking for some 😊
Nikita A i have weak ankles and it’s really upsetting because it shows when I’m in class :(
Bell G we all have our weak spots (for me it’s my feet and back) that we need to strengthen, that’s why we go to class! It’s nothing to worry or be embarrassed about, just give these areas a little more work. You can find great videos online to help you, or even ask your teacher for exercises to strengthen your weaker areas. They’re there because they want to help you, so don’t feel like you’re imposing or bothering them
In addition to everything else, love what the Royal Ballet does to keep dance relevant and vibrant and accessible to everyone! Now off to class :).
I loved every second of this video! 💕🙌 Thank you for always sharing such high levels of knowledge, execution and science in the art of ballet, with all the dancers around the world!
So useful and intelligent. What a marvelous contribution to learning about (and through) dance. I hope you make it a series as well. You should be very proud!!!
This is a fabulous video. Keep them coming, please! Excellent content.
More of this, thank you
Wow, she is so pretty! She looks like a very good ballet dancer!I’m second :3
This was very interesting! I wish I could go to the RAD, or Royal ballet school.
Greta Lukacs TYSM! You’re very help full!
love love love this video!!! pls make Ballet and the Brain a series! my dream company is Royal and i love knowing what’s happening in my brain and how to help myself succeed. ❤
Thanks ❤ GOD BLESS YOUR CONCERN
This is fascinating!
Amazing! very interesting and helpful!!
I have a rare condition that doesn't allow me to visualize things in my head which can make learning choreography harder
I loved this video...thanks❤
Beautiful and important information.
this is very wonderful however I am surprised nothing was mentioned on spacial awareness
I learn the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus by watching the DVDs. For example, I learnt Grade 6 barre in a week because I practiced every day. I learnt Grade 7 the same way and I'm far ahead of my class. Looks like I'm in for a boring wait!
Wow this is so amazing.
Absolutely Love!! So glad I follow! More More Please More ;-) oh and Thank you!! Lol!
Very interesting 👍🌺
So amazing 😀
I love it!! 😍👏🏻👍🏻❤️
Awesome!!!
BEAUTIFUL
Hi its an amazing video can I ask how you add these effects on the video
Bravo!
Where is that Black velvet halter leotard from?
Me encanta!
ok, so i’m 13 and i really want to do ballet, should i just do it?
yes
Yes just do it.
altfaith yes definitely!! ballet is amazing and so fun ☺️
Yes yes yes it’s great
go ahead! I started when I was 12 and if you put your head into it you won't believe how quickly you can catch up.
O que ferra é não ter legendada.
This video 🔥 🔥 🔥
Nice 👍👍🥰🥰🥰
Brainwork, indeed
Dance for the win
Which are the stage productions they are showing clips from every now and then? I get super curious, they look amazing^^
Stjarnljus a few were definitely from the nutcracker ballet, and some may have been from swan lake but i’m not sure
lovely video. however, just a quick qn, would appreciate if anyone could answer:
I'm a dancer who struggles with remembering quick combinations. any tips? I like to prep myself before each class, think about certain combinations my teacher may do, but it doesn't quite help.
space oddity it is a skill that does develop over time, like any step or trick you will need to practice it over and over. A few different thing I have used myself is coming up with my own little “titles” for certain steps or combinations or using musical phrasing/cues, I know people make their own stories for the sequence of steps even knew someone who used foods they ate that day. Just try different methods and see what works best for you. Everyone learns differently you might even come up with your own method of remembering things, but these things will take time so just be patient and it will come.😁
ive found that reapeating the steps in your head at the right tempo like a little worded phrase helps, i find it alot easier to remeber the steps if its like a little chant in your head.
I had this issue as well and a word of a advise I will give you is that you won’t be able to really see the progress for a long time, but it’s there. It took me a few years of practice and now I’m really fast at picking thing up. Just do your best to mentally run through it as much as you can before you do it. I’m also a very musical person, so memorizing it in terms of the rhythm rather than the counts may help as well. that way once you hear the music it all just flows nicely. good luck!
For combinations (barre, jumps, etc) i like to write them down and repeat then in my head in my spare time. Using blocks (sections basically) is a good way to find the pattern and makes it easier to remember
Usually when my teachers give combinations the best way for me to remember is by doing it full out while they show us. If I can’t get the hang of it, then I’ll work on it at home that night and try again next class.
Whats the Name of the Song in the beginning?
Please consider elaborating on the benefits of dancing from a scholastic point of view. Ie How dance helps school-going children
I don't know why but I have always been really bad at remembering long choreographies. ( for example a swan in swan lake) I always take longer to memorize everything while the other girls seem to get it earlier. I hate it because not remembering causes me so much stress as my technique is quite good (for a 14 year old) and I don't have trouble understanding new steps. Does someone know what to do about it or what the cause my be?
I just really wanna know how dancers learn a two hour ballet in three weeks like what??? How do you even know when and where in the music you do what?
If it’s classical ballet is because the choreography was probably made in the 19th century and many of us have watched it before. Personally for most of the videos of variations I’ve watched I memorize according to the music and associate sounds to movement and divide variations in sections. Also if you don’t know about ballet, the moves we do have names, is not like we do a random movement, many dancers memorize choreography by name.
Daph Duck
For those of use who have been dancing for a long time, memorizing things isn’t as hard as it may be to others. This is coming from someone who learns choreography a little bit slower than other dancers. So basically, practice. That’s the answer. And also, we know what parts of music were dancing to because we choreograph to the music. We listen to music first, THEN choreograph dance steps to certain parts.
From what show is 2:01 from?
놀라워요 브레인 트레이닝
Great video!
Please subs in spanish, they speak really fast
No credit to the song?
Only saying cause I cannot remember what it is!!
RoyalPsilocybin it’s by four tet called two thousand seventeen
@@gggggggggggggg41 I knew it was four tet but I didn't want to wormhole into all their albums! Tysm 🙏💗
This reminds me of my time in marching band, as there were similar elements in play (breathing, choreography, visualization).
This was excellent! Thank you so much for putting this clip together and I will share this with dancers AND with jazz music students. I attended a class at the University of Arizona taught by Dr Jean Williams, a sports psychologist/author (now retired) called the PSYCHOLOGY OF EXCELLENCE in 2003 (the only other place this course was taught was West Point). It discussed everything you mentioned in this clip. I would add (if ever you update), that TREAT or REWARD you may give yourself (motivation) for a job well done. Some may find the 'goal setting/achieving' process more successful with a treat (beyond the applause). Again, wonderful clip and beautifully edited. Excellent mix of dancers, speakers, and dance styles -- from the young to the very wise who have figured out you 'should' dance forever - even if just by 'watching.' I came across this in my LinkedIn account. Thank you Wanda Ottes for posting.
lol i have that leo
😍🤩😍
Wooooo
오후8교시
She looks like Weyes Blood
yapenese