I was supposed to learn a spotlight and a freeskate program to do for our club ice show at the end of April.

Well, for various reasons the getting together of music, choreography, and a chance to learn it- I haven't started yet. I told my coach I wouldn't be doing two routines, but instead would just do the spotlight. We were supposed to start last week.

Unfortunately, my coach had to cancel the lesson- so I assume we will start it this week.

However, this has me really really nervous, because, well, the end of April is very soon. We started talking about this at the beginning of February!
This is my first ever program, and I almost want to tell him I won't be performing at the club show anymore. It's a bit of a hassle, and feeling unprepared on top of it just makes it seem like a bad idea. Its about a 100 mile drive to the city my club is in, so it will cost me the gas money, even though there is no performance fee. But I'm having to BEG DH to come out there for the entire day because each skater is required to have a parent volunteer. Well obviously, being an adult, my parents are not available to volunteer- so either I have to do it or I have to get someone to do it. I have no idea how I can volunteer at a show that I am in, especially it being my first one. It's all just a hassle. But I don't want to be a quitter- and part of all the inconviences seeming bigger than they are is I'm nervous.

So, How long do you usually take to learn a program? Is this time frame "normal" ?

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-Jessi
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I got my program in two half hour lessons a week apart in the beginning of February and I competed it for the first time last week. But I have only easy stuff that I'm comfortable with and it's ony 1:40. Everyone is different, but I know my daughter got a solo put together for the Christmas show in only a couple of weeks. In fact, she has another solo in the show at the end of April and her program isn't done yet and she's not panicking. I think the time frame sounds doable, but it depends on your comfort level and how much time you have to practice.

I learned two brand new programs, artistic and freestyle, both in the same hour lesson, and I could remember them and do them by the next week/lesson. But that's because I run through them in my head constantly when I'm bored. I can learn and remember really quickly, which is why I didn't have an issue when I had to learn my artistic in three weeks for a competition.

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Videotape your program with the coach doing the number. I had no coach locally a few years ago, and so i taped it, after driving long-distance one day, and rehearsed it over and over at home on the floor. It went quite well, considering. You may want to do some aerobic exercise or jumping rope or running to get your body ready for the minute long spotlight number. Hope it works out for you!

Well, apparently, 2 hours. (got my first ever programme for my first ever competition in april together now)
For a 2-minute programme that I scratched twizzles from cuz I fell on one and then messed up the rest of my programme and figured that if it messes with my mind in practice, I really dont want that to happen in competition.

Probably the shortest time I had from picking music to competing was 3 weeks when I did a 2 minute original dance for an adult competition. I won (there were only two of us and the other dancer was a bit miffed since she'd been practising hers for months!).

Kids managed a pairs routine in under 3 weeks from never having done pairs to competing.

Daughter wins though, for doing an artistic which we had the idea for on the Friday evening - found the music on the Saturday - did costume Sunday - had one and only lesson with coach on the Monday and competed it (and got silver) on the Wednesday! She made up most of it as she went along!

Having said that, I think two to three months is a better length of time to get comfortable with a programme but 6 weeks is adequate so you should be fine.

I think you will have plenty of time to learn your program. The actual 'learning' of the program shouldn't take very long, it's just the remembering and parcticing that take some time. Good luck!

Well, I must be really impaired or something!!I too am an adult skater and it took me about a month to feel comfortable with my showcase program. That was after it was choreographed! It took about an hour an a half to finish. My freestyle program took at least 4 hours for my coach to finish. And I need at least 2 months to feel just OK performing it. I've been skating for years too.

In regards to you finishing and performing a showcase within your timeframe,I think it's doable. (Even for me) As for your husband having to volunteer, did you check with your club? Maybe they will make an exception because you are an adult or maybe you could volunteer after your skate?

Hey don't worry about it - if you're impaired I dread to think what that makes me lol! I am taking FOREVER to get my programme; in fact I've been working on the same tiny bit for ages because I'm so clumsy and unco-ordinated I can't even get the simplist things right. And I have all the stamina of a spoon.

I look at it this way: when I do actually nail the thing - and skate it well - I'm gonna feel more accomplished than if I'd had got it all straight away.

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

First of all, I would just take them literally and answer, "I am an adult and my parents are in their 70's and live out of town, so my parents cannot volunteer." It's none of their business whether or not you have a husband, so I wouldn't even mention it! If every participant kid's parent needs to volunteer, then they'll have more than enough help.
For me, it's always taken 6 weeks to get a program down. But everyone is different and you won't find out how long it takes you until you do it.
When is the latest you can decide whether to do the showcase or not? In most cases, nobody is going to come after you if "something comes up" and you just can't make it when that day rolls around. Why not see how far you get in your program, and if you don't feel comfortable with it by the time the event comes up, just bow out of it. But then keep working on the program and tell yourself you HAVE to do it at the next opportunity.

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Sonic, Thanks for the encouragement! I've always taken months to feel comfortable, like I said before I've been doing this for about 15 years as an adult. Just the way I am. I've had my current program for about 8 months and now I can do it automatically. Of course if my coach changes something then it's back to the drawing board. He hasn't changed anything lately. Thank God! Anyway, thanks again!! By the way I love your quote about 'the fine line...'!!

I must be a very slow learner then, because in general I need about six weeks to get a new programme to the point of feeling half-decent. My former coach used to just choreograph a new programme little by little, building onto it each week, but my current programme was choreographed by my current coach and she more or less hit me with three-quarters of it in one hit. I found it hard to remember all the footwork though - I prefer to get one piece sorted then work on the next and add it on. I guess it depends how fast a learner you are, and how technically challenging your programme is going to be.

Nicki

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NickiT, You are not a slow learner. My programs are put together a little every week too. If I was taught 3/4 of it in one 30 min lesson I would probably forget all of it!!

Well, it IS my first program, I AM a beginner, and I AM rather ancient, but it took a bit over two months to get to the point of being comfortable and satisfied with my program but that included working out the choreography (a collaboration between my coach and I). If we hadn't kept tweaking it, it probably wouldn't have taken so long.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

I think it gets easier the more programs you learn, you just get used to remembering that you have to do something after another. Mentally walking and visualizing through your program immediately after practise at the rink multiple times can help to enforce the memory. If you also write your program down... draw the path that you travel across the rink out, that also helps. I usually do those things to help me remember my programs fast.

Of course most of the time, programs take long because you want to keep tweaking them and making them better if you can afford to do so, but you should be able to skate the program anyways whether or not its fully tweaked! And if you do it confidently no one will know whether you winged it or not (worst case senario.. and also means for me that... well the length of time to learn a program is quite inconsequential for me)

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Tidesong

I think dance may help gettng used to remembering stuff. I started dance when I began skating and remembering my program is the least of my worries. I was thinking that besides all the other advantages of dance (edges -not that dance has made mine that great--posture) it helps with the concept of keepng moving, going from one element to the other.

j

I agree that having a dance background helps in remembering stuff -- my background is in dance and choreography -- if you show me something once, I've got it for life, LOL! Doesn't mean my feet can do it on the ice, but it's in my brain. It takes me a while to feel comfortable with performing the stuff, especially if it's challenging, but the stuff I LIKE to do (spirals, pretty stroking, dance-y steps) I'll get pretty much right away if it makes sense with the music.

My coach has told me that she'd consider herself a "consultant" when it came to ever choreographing a program for me because of my experience. I think by that she means that she'd help me figure out which elements I need to have in a program and make suggestions for increasing difficulty. A year from now, LOL! Pregnant again, so no program for me yet...

Jessi: your coach is an excellent choreographer with a flashy, showy style, so I suspect that your choreography will me make a lot of sense with the music and that it won't be difficult to remember -- he harder part will be putting in the time to make it comfortable.

Yes - this year we have five compulsory dances we'll need to have competition-ready (four of them by the weekend after next!), plus a free dance. Plus possibly a couples' interpretive, if we get our act together in time. Plus Husband's free programme.... and some years I have an Interp, too.

To say nothing of all the other dances that we skate socially - probably at least ten, if not more....

Remembering steps ends up not really being an issue!

Being able to do them well is, however, a whole new ball game!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Once I drew a complete blank just as my music started and I had to make it all up as I went along....

didn't even come in last!

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Hehe...that happened to me too! Mrs Redboots didn't even notice but I swear I stood there frozen to the spot for several seconds before I kicked into action!

Nicki

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Well here's the answer:
How long does it take to learn a program- about 30 minutes including a nervous breakdown involving the fact that it will never be showable in time.

So I guess I should have asked "how long does it take to make a program good enough to perform"

I'm excited to be starting on a program, but nervous as heck about the "deadline" for it. There is a small section I already don't remember, but except for that 10 seconds, I know what I'm supposed to be doing the whole time. Doing it is a totally different story.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

I wonder if there is a form of dyslexia where instead of confusing words, you confuse steps? Seriously! If there is such a thing, I am convinced I have it, because I CANNOT remember steps.

I have done a couple of dancing auditions in my life, where I've had to make up something on the spot to a piece of music, and although I've done virtually no dancing, the comments were 'Oh, you've obviously had some experience in dance then'. However, when I'm trying to do dances in shows to set steps, I'm the bane of the director/choreographer's life. The same goes for skating: I cannot remember dance steps.

It seems I can move okay if I'm relaxed, but trying to skate/dance and remember steps at the same time is beyond me.

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

You're quite right - I remember you saying, and me saying it really didn't show - which it hadn't!

My worst was when I turned the wrong way coming out of the opening sequence and found I was doing my programme the wrong way round, which mattered, as it was an artistic programme and I needed to act at the judges, and tried to wing it, which was disastrous.

It happens to us all....

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I did Dutch Waltz steps in the middle of competing the Rhythm Blues.

j

cool, youre very first program, how exciting.

Throughout the years you will figure out how you work with different programs. Such as :jumps are you comfortable whipping out of nowhere and as well as spins. This will make things easy for you in terms of choreographing a new program and as well as maybe doing an improv number. {You just simply set a certain amount of time to prance around throughout your program and then proceed with your jumping and spinning passes and so on and so forth}

For years, I have been invited to shows on a last minute basis. ("Hey Tim, we have a show this Saturday [its a wednesday] can you do _______")
I had to pull programs out of my ###. From ave maria, totetanz, elvis program, and so many other things. Like next week, my boss at the rink is having a broadway show theme for the caoches. Unfortunately due to time constraint, I will not be able to rehearse this program AT ALL! Everything will be fresh on the day and time I have to skate to it. (Program is to: "Corner in the Sky" from Pippin) I just have to listen to it once and know mentally where it ends then just enjoy the crowd and atmosphere.

Of course being prepared is always a good thing. That is something I for some reason struggle up to this day. Like for my competition programs, I decide the day of what program I will use. I already have something set in my head on each piece, but I have trouble deciding months before on what to skate to.

Let us know how you do? Will you publish it in youtube?

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