Write down the dance moves in a list order. Visualizing the list in your head and remembering what you wrote can help you quickly recall the choreography. Assign key words to each dance move to help you remember. Tim O'Shei from "Dance Spirit Magazine" recommends the key word tool and provides this example: "'Wash your hair' for quick arm waves around your head."
Practice the dance without looking at the paper. If you cannot remember each step, refer back to the paper to jog your memory.
Break down the choreography even more, and assign key words to make the moves easier to understand and remember. Shorter phrases may be easier for you to remember than long sentences.
Practice and repeat until you can remember the choreography.
Go through the dance slowly and recognize the repeated segments in the choreography. Learn these sections first, as they are the bulk of the dance.
Break down the patterns to specific body parts. If the dance contains arm and feet movement, remember the feet first, then move to the arms. Nichelle Strzepek, editor of "Dance Advantage," recommends that breaking a dance into separate body parts can help when there is information overload. "Try focusing your attention on the feet alone if combining the arms, head, and rhythms all att once is proving to be too much information," she says.
Layer the patterns together to combine the body parts and their choreography.
Create a story or song to say or sing along with the rhythm. The words can create a visual in your head of the choreography.
Repeat the dance singing or saying your story along with your visual reference.
Repeat the dance without singing or saying your story aloud to remember the dance.
Learn each move of the dance slowly.
Repeat each move until you can pick up speed.
Practice the dance consistently for maximum retention.