Today it’s all about spontaneity.
Freestyle is an essential element to dancing whether it’s used to perform or to choreograph. It’s a useful tool get creative with the steps and make sure you don’t mess up your routine during a show.

In this category, the only boundaries are your knowledge, skill set, and dance style. The best thing about it is when you know more than one dance style, you can put your own spin on the combinations. It might come off unorthodox to some, so I’m here to give tips on how to improve your skills on freestyle.

Impromptu

This time there’s no blueprints nor plans. The least you can do is not panic. Personally, when I panic my mind blacks out and it hinders my thinking process. When it comes to freestyle, you have to be quick on your feet, constantly dancing and making up steps at the same time. However, don’t rely too much on your head. It helps when you feel the music, because then the steps come out naturally.

Conviction

Probably one of the obstacles is knowing you’d look stupid if you experimented with steps. The truth is you would, that is, if you don’t own it. Putting in conviction makes a whole lot of difference. There’s nothing more powerful and captivating than seeing someone enjoy what they’re doing.

Build Up

Now for the strategy. When you go in the circle of a cypher, don’t go “all out” immediately. Start off by grooving along the music. Take this moment to compose yourself and choreograph steps in your mind. Then gradually build up your momentum according to the music, and release your best moves in the climax of the song. Although it’s great to start strong but it would be difficult to maintain.

Story-telling

There are several approaches to take your audience by storm. One example is “story-telling”, where you create a routine which spontaneously narrates a story. It can be a personal story, or a story you’ve fabricated. It can be scary, lonely, angry, jolly, or a combination. The emotion usually varies with the dance style such as Contemporary having an emotional approach, while Krump a more aggressive approach. But at the end of the day, anything can work as long as you know how.

Character

Technically, Krump makes use of the concept of creating a character.
Though, I believe it can be applied to any dance style. A character is basically your alter-ego, or it can be yourself. It’s a formidable technique in story-telling and channeling conviction, since it almost acts like a mask. A character can be anything or anyone, maybe it even reflects the subconscious. Use it to provide depth in your routine’s meaning and story, and captivate your viewers.