300 Times is a "BIG" number
It takes 300 repetitions to memorize or learn a step or a pattern to make it yours. I tell my students this in class almost every week. We have to start with a goal, right?"
I confess this is may not be scientifically accurate because of so many different studies and opinions! I did receive this information through several articles I have read and many of them used the 300 to 500 benchmark. More articles had much higher numbers of repettions. 300,000 to 500,000. These numbers do not take into account abilities and other conditions or even how well we are motivated to perfect the material.
There are countless opinions as to the number of repetitions it takes to commit a step to memory and how well.
Don't let this discourage you because the effort put into it should be just part of the longer journey to being a good dancer. Recognize that this is what you signed up for when you take a lesson in just about "anything" you want to do well.
How about 300 times doing this pattern or element correctly. Now repeat as many times as needed to make the minor or major corrections needed to achieve some version that you or I can be happy with.
Then it will be worth it because of you put the effort into it. You did the work and now you own it.
My little joke to my students that tell me they don't want to practice it and memorize it incorrectly. Is not to worry because most students don't practice it over 300 times before being back in class anyway so we have plenty of time to fix it. We will always be building on the basics so these patterns and elements should be practiced and reinforced as much as possible.
