As dancers well know, developing a new skillset takes guts. For Neenan, this meant working with classical music and using balletic and Balanchine-inspired vocabulary. He cautions beginners against jumping too far into uncharted territory. You have a pile of rocks, and you have to pick out the ones that fit well together and put together a puzzle. Do you want dancers to start onstage, or off?
Plus, by learning a routine at home, you have the opportunity to practice as much as you need, learn at your own pace, and enjoy unlimited mirror space. What makes a dance routine easy can vary for different people, different styles of dance, and many other factors. Think of the songs that you've heard where you can sort of guess what's coming next, even if you've never heard that song before — those will be easiest to dance to!