This post that your about to read is about one of the most effective ways that you can create your own style (IMO). I hope everyone can learn about this, especially people who aren't that great at glowsticking yet (like me) and I think this "method" will seriously help people out. I know it is long, but please give it a read or 2, it will be very worth your time I promise.

1.) The use of mirrors

Why the use mirrors you ask? Well, because you can see yourself. Make sure you have a large full body mirror so you can see yourself. In my opinion, this is very helpful because people can watch themselves.

We have all seen very good glowstickers dancing (Paul, Gio, Dave, ultragods.... and others) and we know what looks good and what doesn't right?

Well, using mirrors to watch yourself glowstick is a great tool to use because you can critique YOURSELF! You can add/remove moves you do and don't want! Then you "create" your own new style like this! Because your critiquing yourself, you know what you do and don't want! Eventually as you repeat this process, your glowsticking dance becomes your own. No one else has your style... and that's what separates you from all the other glowstickers.

Basically, by watching yourself, you know what you do and don't like. Then you can edit your style the way you like it and as time goes by, you have a style you are very satisfied with.

2.) The Use of Videos

The use of videos is also very much like a mirror except you can record it. You can watch yourself over and over and see what you can change about it. I have watched my own vid over and over and have constantly flinched at errors and things I was not satisfied with at all...

"If only I had made that move smoother."

"I should have caught that toss."

"When I elbow bumped it, it looks sloppy and I had to move my whole body just to catch it, like I had no control over the glowstick..."

There is so many things I can go on about my errors, and by finding errors, you can correct them and create a unique style.

3.) Friends who are also into Glowsticking

Friends who know about glowsticking and the technicalities of it can critique you as well... Blake has told me what he does and doesn't like and I have done the same with his style. I tell him stuff like, stop being too repetitive and stop relying on certain moves. I think this also helps especially if you want second opinions...

4.) More uniqueness and Separation from other glowstickers

I remember Jeff say, "Now is the video generation... They rely a lot on videos for everything... If someone doesn't know something, they need a vid. They take a lot of moves off videos too".

I remember my in-head response was like, "Yeah right, whatever"

But as time went on in the gs.c boards... I noticed people asked tutorials for everything... I know pictures are worth a thousand words, but figuring out some of the moves is half the fun and you can say you got it all on your own... A great example is Shiesty. He explained a move to me which sounded a lot like an inverted figure 8. I was told him that and we both agreed and confirmed that it really was the inverted figure 8. Shiesty got it all by himself and he told me, it wasn't that hard anyway. It's finding it out for yourself which is pretty cool in my opinion.

And I have tried abstained from watching freehand videos, because I'm afraid I'll want to use good/cool moves or whatever... Basically I want to be unique and by using my mirror/video method, I'm already breaking down moves I don't like... So generally with the videos, I watch them once or twice unless they ask for a critiquing, then I watch it, pause it, and write my opinions, like I did with INFINITI's vid...

There is some truth in Jeff's words, but I think I have found an even better way to use the videos. For yourself. Critique yourself through the video like I said in point #2... You know what you like best, so by watching yourself, you can change the way you glowstick.

5.) General Tips on Variety

In a lot of people's videos, it's always glowsticking in chest level... Use more variety when you are critiquing yourself and trace your legs, head, and your body in general... This is a dance and so move around and trace your body... I remember when I first started out, it was all about the figure 8 and I never moved away from my trace... Then you watch people like Dave and Paul trace their bodies all over and it just looks so good... Do they stay in the chest level? No... They trace up, down, left, right, and put tosses/stalls/other funk styles in to really mix it up... Now that's what glowsticking should look like. A dance. Not flailing your arms around only/exclusively in the chest area... In my opinion, if you want to make glowsticking look damn good, put variety in. Move around and mix everything up. This is a dance.

6.) General Tips on Creativity

In order to get some creative juices flowing, glowstick for long periods of time. I have glowsticked for about and hour and I find out a whole bunch of new moves because your body knows when you are repeating stuff over and over... This is where mirrors and videos tie in. You can watch yourself and you can create new moves that look good/bad and scrap them or add them to your new palette of moves... You'll probably come up with so many moves that you will want to write them down. Describe the move as best you can and try to draw a diagram and stuff... It might sound silly, but it definitely works. If you just try to remember it, there's a chance you may forget and then the move is lost forever until you remember it. So write it down!

7.) General tips on Practicing

Being good at glowsticking has a lot to do with how much time you put into it. Sure you may be naturally talented, or good at eye-hand coordination, but it's the practice that makes permanence...

When practicing/coming up with new traces and stuff (which ties in with the General Tips on Creativity point) go slowly so your muscles "remember". The more you repeat it, the better, smoother and faster you will be able to go. Yes, it is a pain in the ass to do it over and over, but the more you do it, the better it is going to look.

We all know how to do the figure 8, that move is definitely in our muscle memory and it probably looks smooth because you have done it so much.

Take a look at Gio, If you look at Gio MM, Gio MM2, and Gio and Dave at Funhaus, the way he sets up into his footstall is almost identical every time... I'm pretty sure he has performed that move so many times to make it look the way it does... It's all about repeating a move to completely learn it, and to make it look good. Practice, Practice, Practice... Smooth out your dance and make it look fluid...

8.) Confidence

As far as I know, Glowsticking is a dance about confidence.

-Confidence into going into circles to dance
-Practicing more and more, so you gain confidence behind your performance
-Confidence in catching your tosses
-Confidence to overcome nervousness

Confidence ties in a lot with this dance, and you have to work hard to become good. You think the ultragods got as good as they are now by not practicing? These guys have been at it for years, that's why they are good. They attend shitloads of raves, practice, come up with new concepts and moves, and critique themselves and their peers...

So be confident and don't be discouraged if you can't do a move, it's all about practice and sooner or later, as time goes by you will learn it if you keep at it...

In Conclusion, I really hope this was a good read for most of you and I hope I have helped in someway... I am practicing by watching myself and in my opinion my glowsticking has changed a lot since my last video. I have many new moves and as I practice more and more, I can go on longer without messing up. It also adds to how smooth I can perform moves and stuff...

Keep on practicing and try out my new methods... I'm serious. This stuff works, so don't knock it, until you've tried it... Good luck everyone and Ganbate (Work hard in japanese)

Peace,
Chen

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written by Mutantdonkything , October 18, 2008

i thought this was very helpful considering i am just starting out. i cant wait to actually start learning and practicing glowsticking

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