Ability Test: Do You Have Dance Talent?

Are you more of a type that master dancing with natural ability or accumulated practice on top of another practice?

If you ask me, I am more on the latter that overcame the impossible step one by one, turning it to possible and even easy eventually. That was my path. Everyone is different. Let's check which type you fall under.

The test is simple. You cross your legs and make a 360 degree turn. The check is how your feet end up. If it ends up facing the front untangled, you have a nice motor ability with dancing.

This test can figure out your dance talent in one shot at the same time. Or to put it the other way, you have got only one shot.

Why? That is because any type of move will be improved if you practice more. If you want to make the turn look good in general, go ahead. But for testing, it is necessary to try it in an unfamiliar initial state.

Since it is a simple test with only one assessment, please do not take it so serious. This is more for enjoyment, with the purpose of trying it out for yourself or do it as a game with your friends and family.

And because of this kind of content, some people might be left feeling disappointed. I should not forget the after-follow for people who did not get good results.

If you know the reasons why it did not go well, you will feel refreshed. You will gain an insight into one important fundamental basis in dance from meeting this article.

In order to make it a positive ability diagnosis test for everyone, I will introduce the tricks for those who can not avoid the situation where your feet become tangled.

Turn is a technique that can measure your dance ability

Turns are heavily used for most dance genres such as hip hop (street dance), jazz dance, ballet, ballroom dance, etc.

Although it is a basic movement, it uses your comprehensive power such as balance, physical (control ability), concentration ability, respondence capability, and so on.

Balance is about stability of the body's gravity center, and physical ability includes muscular strength and flexibility. The ability to concentrate is an important function to demonstrate power at the very decisive moment. The ability to respond instantaneously to the environment, such as how easy the floor is slippery, whether it is socks or shoes, etc. is about adaptation with an instinct.

Cross turns is practice that almost everyone who is not in touch with dancing can try without the worry of falling down. At the same time, they can observe the positional relationship of the feet after turning around to check the above competence level.

Of course, these simple tests are estimations and have errors assessing their true abilities. For example, muscular strength is measured only by grip strength at school's physical fitness tests, but some people have strong back strength and leg strength while their grip strength is not as strong.

Similarly please think of this as a guideline.

What to do after the test?

Congratulations to those who have had good results. Please try to improve your dancing as it is with this same momentum.

People whose results were not good should not let themselves leave. Practice until being able to turn in a state where their feet do not become tangled anymore. If you do that, your mood will bright up.

The trick is still the center of gravity. The cause of your feet getting tangled (cross turn not going well) is that the center of gravity is overly applied to the toes.

Apply the weight onto both feet equally so that the center of gravity is concentrated around the arch in the middle of the toes and heels.

The upper body should also be in a posture (stand up straight almost like you are about to salute), and pulling the chin down slightly is good.

Because we make a light use of the swinging arm, please raise both hands firmly up to the height of the chest ~ shoulder and extend it straight.

Lastly, the most important point is to keep that body position while you are going around.

Practice always pays off

I had been always the work-hard get-better type. There was time especially in the beginning when I felt envy against those who can deal with everything easily and smoothly.

But now I like the sense of accomplishment that I can taste at the moment of transition; "I can not do it" -> "I am able to do it" -> "It's so easy and fun!". I am way more positive about starting something that is impossible.

As mentioned in the article, "Dancing is not only for the athletics", anyone can become an amazing dancer regardless of which stage you start off with.

Please do try this ability test yourself while having fun. And I hope you will get the accomplishment feeling eventually regardless of that immediate result.