Message to beginners and intermediates

I'm teaching again. I do so regularly at our local club. I always talk about connection and staying relaxed why that is not a contradiction. It is difficult things to explain, and it doesn't seem to sink in.

I can spend ten minutes or so with a person, tell her what she does wrong, and make her do the right thing. And get a clear improvement there and then. One week later it is all gone. That is frustrating.

Now I want to tell the class attendees the two or three things (max, too many things will confuse them) that I want them to remember and focus, and that will help taking them from the level of beginners and make them actually start dancing.

And I am thinking of something else than connection, because that doesn't seem to work. And they can hear that everywhere else.

So here is what I want to say:
Leaders:
- Dancing is about moving the body, not arms and feet. When leading, there should always be a connection with the lead and the center of the body
- Leading is not an impulse. When changing the direction of the follower, that is something that takes time. Spend the time needed, and make it smooth

Followers:
- Dancing is about moving the body, not arms and feet. When lead, let the energy move the center of your body. Don't let your arm go, don't fall over, but move your body center. The job of your legs is to be under your body and support it.
- Follow every movement through. When walking, walk until stopped. When turning, turn until stopped. Don't stop, turn towards the leader and wait.

Both:
- Don't be tense. Relax in both your mind and body. Try to make everything flow in one long smooth continues motion.

That's it. So what do you people think?

If you are a beginner reading this, does it make sense to you? Can you understand with your body what your mind reads?

If you are an experienced dancer/teacher, do you think these points make a good key understanding of dancing technique? Are there things you would change? Or are there other things you would focus on?

I teach Lindy Hop. But I think the points should be equally valid for West Coast and East Coast too, as well as most partner dancing where leading and following is vital.

These are great concepts, and are also valid for Latin and Rhythm dancers.

Flat Shoes said:

Now I want to tell the class attendees the two or three things (max, too many things will confuse them) that I want them to remember and focus, and that will help taking them from the level of beginners and make them actually start dancing.

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If that's your goal, I'm pretty certain that focusing on technique is a mistake.

Additionally, it seems to me that you are using the wrong tool (classes) for this job.

Flat Shoes said:

Leaders:
- Dancing is about moving the body, not arms and feet. When leading, there should always be a connection with the lead and the center of the body

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I don't like this one too much. Partly because I think it confuses two ideas, also because I think it lacks an anchor in the current understanding of the student.

Flat Shoes said:

Leading is not an impulse. When changing the direction of the follower, that is something that takes time. Spend the time needed, and make it smooth

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This is a place where you should be talking about follow through.

Flat Shoes said:

- Dancing is about moving the body, not arms and feet. When lead, let the energy move the center of your body. Don't let your arm go, don't fall over, but move your body center. The job of your legs is to be under your body and support it.

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I would try to simplify this one - "the lead is telling you where to put your torso".

Flat Shoes said:

Follow every movement through. When walking, walk until stopped. When turning, turn until stopped. Don't stop, turn towards the leader and wait.

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I don't think I like this one so much. "When you don't know what to do, everything is right"

Thanks for your comments Dancelf.

Dancelf said:

If that's your goal, I'm pretty certain that focusing on technique is a mistake.

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Maybe you misunderstood me. What I meant by "start dancing" was in contrast to "walking around in the patterns".

I had this revelation myself many years ago when I was a beginner. One time it just suddenly clicked, and I understood what dancing was. Maybe you have to be me to relate.

Dancelf said:

I don't like this one too much. Partly because I think it confuses two ideas, ...

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What two ideas?

Dancelf said:

... also because I think it lacks an anchor in the current understanding of the student.

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I'm worried about that myself. But I feel it is very important to teach the students how to put their body behind what they are doing. Not just moving the arms around. It's a difficult one.

Dancelf said:

I don't think I like this one so much. "When you don't know what to do, everything is right"

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That one stays. Stopping too early is the one big thing beginner followers do wrong. It breaks connection, and it breaks the flow.

"What two ideas?"

I may have misunderstood you....

Flat Shoes said:

Dancing is about moving the body, not arms and feet. When leading, there should always be a connection with the lead and the center of the body

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The first sentence I read to refer to the dance of the body versus the painted footsteps on the floor. Which of itself is entirely separate from the second which is really trying to associate the lead to the body mass.

Rereading that section, now I'm even less sure that I like it - because lead is all about the arms and feet! Which leaves you something of a problem, because it's not about the arms and feet the way that beginners use them, so you have to find a useful lie to unblock them.

Or a different approach. Depends on what you are really trying to achieve.

If you are trying to start them dancing, then you should be postponing connection and lead follow and concentrating on body movement (ie the dance is the body, not the feet).

If you are trying to develop lead follow, your lessons should be directed there, and ignore the body movement.

Westie disclaimers apply, but trying to teach your students to pat their head and rub their belly seems to me a waste of their time.

Dancelf said:

The first sentence I read to refer to the dance of the body versus the painted footsteps on the floor. Which of itself is entirely separate from the second which is really trying to associate the lead to the body mass.

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I see them as the same thing. Both focuses on moving the body.

Dancelf said:

Rereading that section, now I'm even less sure that I like it - because lead is all about the arms and feet!

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I don't agree. Arms and feet are secondary. They are actively used, yes, but they are mainly there to help the communication between the bodies, and support the weight of the bodies.

But I see that I might have to find a different way of getting this point across.

Dancelf said:

Which leaves you something of a problem, because it's not about the arms and feet the way that beginners use them, so you have to find a useful lie to unblock them.

Or a different approach. Depends on what you are really trying to achieve.

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What I want to achieve is for them to put their bodies into waht they are doing.

Dancelf said:

If you are trying to develop lead follow, your lessons should be directed there, and ignore the body movement.

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We seem to disagree here. I think body is all important when it comes to lead and follow.

Dancelf said:

Westie disclaimers apply, but trying to teach your students to pat their head and rub their belly seems to me a waste of their time.

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???

We aren't communicating yet.

Flat Shoes said:

I see them as the same thing. Both focuses on moving the body.

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How you see them probably isn't nearly as important as how your students do.

Ultimately, we want dancers to be dancing with their bodies and lead following with their bodies at the same time. But it's a long jump from there to the idea that the best approach is to ask them to both when they don't yet know how to do either on their own.

But they are almost certainly two different things - after all, you can practice how you translate your body above the floor without a partner.


Here, we are communicating:

Flat Shoes said:

I don't agree. Arms and feet are secondary. They are actively used, yes, but they are mainly there to help the communication between the bodies, and support the weight of the bodies.

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Yup, you don't agree. Do you want to take time to explore that?

When talking about technique and leading/following, the body needs to be in it. The leader needs to use his body to support the lead. The follower needs to let her body be moved, not just her arms. She needs to let her body decide where the feet go, not the opposite around. The body is important, the communication goes from one body to the other, if not the dance falls apart.

I appreciate your input, Dancelf, but I don't see this going anywhere. You aren't being specific enough for me to understand what you're disagreeing with, and why.

MultiFaceted, that is a good exercise. Maybe especially for Argentine Tango, where it has more direct application, but also for Lindy and general body awareness.

It is easy to take body awareness for granted when you are an experienced dancer. But every time I try to follow, I get reminded how lacking my own awareness is, as soon as I am doing unfamiliar things.

My daughter studied with the Schwimmers. There studio is 10 min. away.
You become "relaxed" once you have gotten your technique down. It isn't
the other way around.
Dancelf knoweth what he/she is talking about.

Dancelf said:

"What two ideas?"


If you are trying to develop lead follow, your lessons should be directed there, and ignore the body movement.

Westie disclaimers apply, but trying to teach your students to pat their head and rub their belly seems to me a waste of their time.

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Don't understand this...I thought proper movement of the body/center is essential to lead and follow. All of my WCS classes/teachers emphasize this.

barrefly said:

My daughter studied with the Schwimmers. There studio is 10 min. away.
You become "relaxed" once you have gotten your technique down. It isn't
the other way around.

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I don't agree. It is not one way or the other, it is a growing process.

Yes, it is difficult (impossible?) to relax and lead with confidence before the technique is down. But there are also quite many who tense up unnecessary, which hinders them from leading/following properly and finding the right feeling.

Some people needs to get past this in order to be able to progress further.

barrefly said:

Dancelf knoweth what he/she is talking about.

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So do I.

What I am struggling with is finding the best way to help some beginner/intermediates to understand what they need to do to progress and be better dancers. And that is a communication challenge.

And I am not going to say too much about relaxing, because I know many will misunderstand this, and loose connection. Instead I'll try to focus on smoothness and flow in the movements.

Beginners and intermediates should be concentrating on syllabus and technique. Once they feel comfortable with their skill, they will relax. Connection is another
subject that deserves a thread unto itself. (Displaying a good connection is partly learned/technical and partly natural.) When a dancer is uncertain about their skill, it is natural to tense up. (insecurity) Just work the insecurity out of them, that's what I say. It is "easier" to draw from what is natural in oneself once you have a resevoir of skill to draw from. You can't be a good comedian if you don't know any jokes, no matter how funny you look.

I know what you're saying barrefly, but still I know people who has been dancing for years and never really gets past the mistakes that holds them back.

So while what you're saying is right, from learning the skill comes security. But leading and following is skill too, and that's what I'm going to work on. But from a slightly different angle this time: smoothness, body awareness and finishing the movements.