While we all wish we could fit in an hour or two a day to practice belly dance, it’s not always possible. Work, school, family, and all those other little things that are necessary tend to cut into your practice time, and you might be tempted to think, “What’s the point?”

Every belly dance teacher will agree that practicing at home gives you a big advantage in your learning. If you learn a new move or combination during class, practicing it at home a few times will help you remember it better. Even just doing a few drills improves your muscle memory and your overall performance. However, finding the time to practice can be difficult.

No matter how busy your day, there’s always time to fit in 5-20 minutes of practice. If you’re really pressed for time, you can practice your shimmies and posture while you’re brushing your teeth, washing dishes, cooking, or standing in line somewhere. However, if you want to get more out of your practice time, try to set aside the same time every day to practice. Practicing at the same time every day will help you get into a routine, and you’ll be more likely to stick with your practice.

If you only have 20 minutes or less to practice, makes sure it’s beneficial. If you’re going to practice something every day, pick something different to concentrate on each day, so it doesn’t get too boring. For example, on Monday, you can work on shimmies. Put on four 5-minutes songs and practice shoulder shimmies, flutters, straight leg shimmies, regular shimmies, and ¾ shimmies. Alternate your weight, try level changes, or travel to mix it up. Change your concentration the next day—maybe work on your arms and shoulders. Make sure you mix it up by throwing in traveling, level changes, and weight changes, and change out the music so it doesn’t become a chore.

If you are working on a choreography, apply the same techniques. Put on your performance music and just play it over and over for the limited time you have, and practice your piece. Even just a few runs through the choreo between classes will improve you performance and memorization. If you don’t even have time to do the choreo, carry the music with you on a CD or mp3 player, and when you can, listen to it and imagine yourself doing the choreography. Your brain will help your body remember what to do, and you’ll find that the next chance you get to practice, you’ll dance a little bit better.

Practicing just once outside of class can improve you performance. Use these techniques to get the most out your practice time, and see yourself improve as a dancer.