Category: dance espresso

Why we need to separate creation from evaluation

Post author By FraGue
Post date 13. December 2020
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Why do many people get stuck when they try to create new moves or routines? The answer is simple, but its impact is often underestimated, and therefore, people tend to ignore it. Creation and evaluation (analysis, assessment) are very different processes:

In creation mode, you want the ideas to flow freely.
Creativity is what you need.

In evaluation mode, you need to analyse your results from creation.
Logic is taking the lead here.

A popular scientific theory says that different sides of your brain are responsible for these two different tasks. And they don’t work well together. So if you try to do both at the same time, you are doing both inefficiently.

I can not comment if this theory is right or not, because I lack the scientific understanding. But I know that I work better when I only create at one time and judge later.

When you get stuck in your creation process, try to get rid of the voice in your head that wants to evaluate immediately. Film yourself and do that later. You will see the differences.

And finally, let’s grab a Dance Espresso over this topic:

Tags dance, dance espresso, improve your dance

How to maintain a great signal to noise ratio?

Post author By FraGue
Post date 10. December 2020
No Comments on How to maintain a great signal to noise ratio?

When we talk about marketing, one of the things we should be aware of is our Signal/Noise ratio. The metaphor refers to a technical issue from analog radio broadcasts. When you communicate via radio, you have to listen on the same frequency as the sender is broadcasting and vice versa. If you are slightly off the frequency, you hear the broadcast but with a lot of hisses. If you are far away from the frequency you receive either only hiss, aka noise, or another signal (that you are not looking for).

Let’s grab a Dance Espresso over that topic:

What does Signal/Noise ration mean as a metaphor?

In times of social media, we all broadcast continuously with our posts, likes, shares, tweets, and whatever. If we are smart with our marketing strategy, and if we know our goals and artist identity, we aspire to send a lot of signal, while avoiding to add noise. Signal would be everything that aligns with our purposes, the message we want to spread, and the thing we want to be associated with. Noise is everything that has nothing to do with our signal or even distracts from it.

An example: when we want to spread a message about dancing, choreographing, and traveling the world, everything that is about our dancing and seeing exciting places works as a signal. But posting our daily coffee is a distraction, as are videos from our cats. Those two would be adding noise.

Who defines what noise is?

You do. Only you decide what it is that you want to “broadcast” to the world. It’s not essential what you send out if you only have a private channel and want to connect with friends. But as soon as your social media channels are part of your business, defining and sticking to your signal matters. It’s part of your promise to the world.

How much noise is fine?

Again, that is a question that only you can answer. It depends heavily on what strategy you have to connect with your followers. Noise is everywhere on the frequency spectrum, so it might help you to reach people you might not reach without it. But noise also waters down the value of your broadcast for everyone who is looking for your signal. As a rule of thumb: When you want to be perceived as an expert in your field and it is a niche, keep the noise level low. If you want to reach a broad audience, the noise percentage can be higher. If it’s not possible to differentiate between signal and noise, the noise is too high.

When I released my first book Dance Smart, I dived a little bit more into marketing and therefore stumbled upon this topic. While I am did a pretty good job with my Signal/Noise ratio on the blog, my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Signal/Noise ratios sucked. I gradually improved that over 2020 but I am still not there

Tags marketing, metaphor

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Social media is not the problem

Post author By FraGue
Post date 4. December 2020
1 Comment on Social media is not the problem

Often we tend to feel that social media is keeping us from doing more important or more productive things. But saying social media is the problem is a serious misinterpretation of the case.

If we hang out online instead of doing stuff we want to do – the problem are our priorities. Because we just don’t want it enough. Facebook and friends can be ignored if we really have something to do.

via GIPHY

Recently I made a Dance Espresso about that topic. Bottom-line: we need to be the master of our digital life or we will become it’s slave.

Tags rant

dance espresso

But you are not a pro!

Sometimes people use really stupid things to try and diss each other, like the phrase “but you are not a pro.” It is absolutely beyond me, how anyone could think this is a clever way to diss somebody. Check it out in the new Dance Espresso.

Reasons why “but you are not a pro” is absolutely bonkers

Being a pro is not related to your level on the dance floor but comes down to a lot of other skills too
Not becoming a pro can be a smart decision for a lot of people who want to keep their passion pure and not connected to the need for making money
Dissing somebody for his job choices should not be a thing at all. Don’t we have better stuff to do? I think, we have.

Tags dance espresso, rant

dance espresso

How to give proper feedback and who not to ask

Post author By FraGue
Post date 19. November 2020
No Comments on How to give proper feedback and who not to ask

This is a follow-up to the previous episode of Dance Espresso. Chris Cross and Parrish had good comments about feedback and how to give feedback properly.

If asked, offer valuable feedback

When somebody approaches you and asks for your opinion “It was nice” is not an appropriate answer. At least not, if you care for the person that is asking. If you genuinely care for the person, tell them what you liked, what you disliked, and what you would change. If you are capable of doing so, tell them the reasons for it.

Offering this detailed response, you give them something to work with, which will help them to grow in their craft. There is a particular trend that goes hand in hand with the nonsense called political correctness, where people don’t offer any critique to spare the artist a negative emotional response. While most consider that being nice, it is irresponsible to value the short-term comfort of the artist over long-term growth. If you care, be honest.

Don’t even bother asking the wrong people

Please don’t waste your time, getting feedback from people who do what I mentioned above. You know who in your circle is never giving negative feedback. That is either because they love everything, or are not used to speak their mind to share something real, because they are too worried about your feelings.

Let me ask for feedback

Let me know if you dig Dance Espresso. What would you do different? Where do you see room for improvement? What topics do you want to see next? There is a long list of topics I can cover, but I think running this more like an open exchange, would be much more fun. Feel free to drop a comment or reach out via email or dm.

Tags dance espresso, rant

dance espresso

4 important things to consider when receiving feedback

Post author By FraGue
Post date 17. November 2020
1 Comment on 4 important things to consider when receiving feedback

Photo by Germain Matviuk via Scop.io

As we talked about showing our art to the world, the next inevitable step in the chain is receiving feedback. Sometimes because we ask for it, sometimes because people want to share their thoughts. Getting other people’s thoughts about our work is probably the best way to learn about things and improve what we do. Here are 4 crucial things to understand when listening to feedback, in Dance Espresso episode 4.

Don’t confuse the messenger for the message

We should be able to separate our personal feelings for the persons who feedback from what they are saying. Being likable does not make one’s opinion more valuable or right. More often than not, the most valuable input comes from people who don’t sugarcoat what they have to say. Try to give every opinion the same amount of thought from your side, no matter whose it is. And please, don’t get upset without listening.

Don’t take fighting advice from people who never stood in the arena

Try to get feedback from people who have experience in what you are doing. When we talk about dance, get your input from dancers, choreographers, producers, directors, or dance curators, producers. Everybody is quick to judge art. When applying this feedback, you should be aware of the audience you are creating for. If you want to reach the masses, listening to a lot of amateur feedback will help, but if you want to grow in your work, it might be a better idea to reach out to fellow artists.

Immediate reactions vs. well-considered feedback

The third point also depends on what feedback you are looking for. Today it is prevalent to present something and ask for feedback immediately. This practice gives you the first impression of the people, which can be what you are looking for. If you are doing a piece of work that is intricate and needs time to unfold in the viewer’s mind, giving them time is the better thing to do as the material needs to germinate to have its full impact. The more simple the matter, the less important it is to give people time to think about it.

A business sidenote: when you present a complex issue or solution with many implications, don’t pressure your colleagues into quick feedback without having the time to think it through.

Sort out some feedback

In the end, we are talking about your work. It is about your style, your view of the world, and your way of doing things. When a response makes no sense for you, goes against what you are trying to achieve, or simply is stupid. Please ignore it.

Tags dance espresso, production

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Why perfect is not the point in art

Post author By FraGue
Post date 13. November 2020
1 Comment on Why perfect is not the point in art

Artwork by FraGue Moser-Kindler with Leonardo.ai in October 2023

Dance Espresso episode 3 is out: this time it is about not showing your work, because it is not yet perfect. But being perfect is not the point.

Art is subjective: it will never be perfect for everyone. On the other hand, it will probably always be perfect for someone.
Not showing your work slows down your creative process
It also breaks the cycle of getting work done: create, publish, receive feedback, repeat.

dance espresso documentation

Make it easy for fans to support you online

Post author By FraGue
Post date 11. November 2020
No Comments on Make it easy for fans to support you online

Photo by Carmen Ramon Cami via Scop.io

In episode #2 of Dance Espresso, I talk about the necessity to make it easy for fans to support our work online. People are eager to support, but they are used to easy means to an end.

How to make it easy for people to support you online?

Have your art and services available online to purchase?
If you teach, have some of your classes online. It’s Covid-safe and you can reach people that live abroad who would not be able to join regular classes.
If you want to accept donations, have Paypal, Ko-Fi, Patreon or something similar (if you prefer, let it be onlyfans.com) set up to receive them.

Tags dance espresso

dance espresso documentation

Dance Espresso episode 1

I launched a new Instagram series called Dance Espresso. It is an ultra-short video format where I present ideas, concepts or methods that should inspire growth in your personal dance, dance business or another artistic journey.

I try to keep every episode as short as possible as it forces me to get straight to the point and practise my skills in communicating clearly. The idea is to give it the vibe of a short chat while grabbing an Espresso at the cafe of your choice.

For now, check out episode 1 below:

Tags dance espresso