Teaching Slow Waltz

[K Gilden]

Hello everybody!

I am happy to find such a nice place for dancers. Anyway, I am a competitive underage dancer. Our class has to organize the school prom this year and for the sole purpose of getting some more money, I agreed to give some lessons on social dancing, even though I don't know much about it. I asked from my trainer to give me some tips and so far everything has worked great. I have a question though:

In social dancing, slow waltz particularly, should the couples move along the dancing floor ovally counter-clockwise as I do when I compete or should they just dance chaotically?

Thanks in advance ;)

[mummsie]

Hello everybody!

I am happy to find such a nice place for dancers. Anyway, I am a competitive underage dancer. Our class has to organize the school prom this year and for the sole purpose of getting some more money, I agreed to give some lessons on social dancing, even though I don't know much about it. I asked from my trainer to give me some tips and so far everything has worked great. I have a question though:

In social dancing, slow waltz particularly, should the couples move along the dancing floor ovally counter-clockwise as I do when I compete or should they just dance chaotically?

Thanks in advance ;)

Hi, Welcome. You should try and make them progress around the floor otherwise it will end up in a big mess. If everybody gets enough turn on the natural turn and reverse turns, they should all move around the floor otherwise they will all end up doing little circles and end up facing against line of dance. I have been teaching beginners in slow waltz for many years socially :-) In our beginner class we teach balance step, natural turn, balance step reverse turn and then depending on how well they are doing we will do a whisk to a chasse and then a natural turn to finish off. This seems to get most people moving around the floor without getting in the way of the others :-) mummsie

[K Gilden]

Aha, thanks. Well, a great amount of the students have already been in dancing classes (they had compulsory lessons in primary school, some have taken special social dancing courses for previous year proms), so I have a good starting point :o

[latingal]

Welcome to DF K Gilden!

And I agree, have them move generally along LOD.

[waltzguy]

For those that don't learn how to travel along LOD before the prom, at least keep them in the center of the ballroom, so that others can travel.

[wooh]

I find it REALLY hard to believe anyone will actually be waltzing at prom.

[etp777]

Watched a 14yo kick butt yesterday in jr standard. Bet he'll have girls falling all over themselves to go to prom with him, and sure he'll do at least a basic waltz.

as mc said (dan always cracks me up), most 14 are holding a basketball or a football, and he's spending his time holding this (pointing to his lovely teacher). There are some HS age kids smart enough to know a walz is worth doing. Sadly, I was never one of them. :P

[Indiana_Jay]

For those that don't learn how to travel along LOD before the prom, at least keep them in the center of the ballroom, so that others can travel.

Hello and welcome, KG. I echo Waltzguy's suggestion. Sometimes, with beginners who've never danced before, there isn't time to learn progressive waltz steps. If all you have time to teach is the basic box step, instruct those students to stay away from the walls, so those who know the progressive steps can dance around them.

[jwlinson]

I find it REALLY hard to believe anyone will actually be waltzing at prom.

I agree. I've never seen a waltz at any prom I've been to. It'd be nice if ballroom *was* used more often at proms though!

A few years after I graduated, the swing revival came in. My gf and I chaperoned a prom, and there was a couple who had obviously taken swing lessons. They did an awesome routine, complete with lifts.

The only time I've ever seen any real dancing at a prom...

[K Gilden]

Thanks for your tips! Well, here in Estonia we have school proms mainly aimed for students aged 15-18. And as I said, in that school dance lessons were compulsory in primary school, so they already know something ;)

We dance mainly ballroom here on proms, some latin-american dances as well :D

[jwlinson]

Thanks for your tips! Well, here in Estonia we have school proms mainly aimed for students aged 15-18. And as I said, in that school dance lessons were compulsory in primary school, so they already know something ;)

We dance mainly ballroom here on proms, some latin-american dances as well :D

I think that's great. It'd be nice if it caught on here in the US.

[Angel HI]

You have already received excellent tips, as you will here from many experienced and knowledgable persons.

Just wanted to say how cool it is to have a junior/teen dancer on the boards asking good questions. Welcome KG.

[waltzguy]

oh yes and welcome K.G.

[RickRS]

I think that's great. It'd be nice if it caught on here in the US.

Would absolutely floor us over in the "General Dance Discussion" area if a teenager showed up looking for help with an upcoming prom if it wasn't another "how to grind" question ;)

Welcome K.G.

[QPO]

Welcome

I wish all schools had some compuslory dance lesson :-)


=K Gilden;674244]Aha, thanks. Well, a great amount of the students have already been in dancing classes (they had compulsory lessons in primary school, some have taken special social dancing courses for previous year proms), so I have a good starting point :o[/quote]

[Glasswren]

Welcome

I wish all schools had some compuslory dance lesson :-)



We had them. It was a yearly nightmare to suffer through only because it is required. It wasn't in primary school though, it was High School.

There were two or three of the hourly classes each year. That meant no-one really learned very much of anything. The only dance I still remember was the Waltz, which was done going around the the floor in one long line, girls facing backwards. I know they taught Polka and some others too, but I've managed to wipe those out from my memory.

The true nightmare, however, was being treated like a stinking, dead fish by the unfortunate young men who happened to be forced to touch my hand. The popular girls had 'dates' for the classes, so perhaps they had fun. I suffered through them, but many claimed to be sick instead.

Those lessons are possibly the root of why I refuse to try dancing publicly.

Where I went to school there no Balls were held. Here in the bigger cities they have a yearly thing where they dance Old Dances. I think Waltz is among the youngest. They also dress in clothes resembling 18th and 19th century evening wear.