It’s that magical time of year again – preparing for THE ANNUAL SHOW!!! I love this time of year, I get so excited to see everyone’s creativity come alive. With all of the changes this year, I am so excited that this is still a constant for us. I will be performing in multiple numbers as usual, but they will definitely be different. In order to prepare, I started early in the summer.
For me, preparation begins with picking a song. I like to mix it up and challenge myself to try different genres of music. I have taken this route again this year – trying a new style that I haven’t done before. I’m also going out of my comfort zone and trying a different apparatus! Once I have my song, I listen to it over and over, starting to visualize different poses, where transitions should be versus where good holds would be. I spend time just listening and playing before I commit to any moves. Over time, as I play with different things, certain moves and transitions start to feel natural at spots in the song.
As the routine starts to take shape I make sure that I write down parts that I for sure like. Combinations that flow nicely, areas of the song that I know I want certain moves, etc get written down to cement their positions within the routine. I fill in the blanks and fix any gaps in the routine. Once established, I need to run it. Over and over and over – especially in my mind. I do a lot of visualization which helps me to remember what comes next without quite so much wear and tear on my body. We all know that you can only practice and do a routine full out so many times in a day. In your mind you can do it as many times as you like!
As the show continues to get closer, I make sure that I am allowing myself enough physical rest. I know that my body needs time to recover when I’m doing a full routine. I also like to make sure that I’m leaving time to do some special things for myself to relax, like scheduling a massage. With so much going on and seeing everyone working, I’m so excited to be going through this process again and look forward to seeing what everyone creates!