Breaking out of Beginner-Land

Compared to say academic teaching, dance instruction tends to be one extreme or the other - ie, lecture format or individual tutorial. Questions and answers yes, but real open discovery-through-group-discussion like you see in recitation format or in primary schools is often absent.
 
Chris Stratton said:
Compared to say academic teaching, dance instruction tends to be one extreme or the other - ie, lecture format or individual tutorial. Questions and answers yes, but real open discovery-through-group-discussion like you see in recitation format or in primary schools is often absent.
Click to expand...

You're right, and I think that's a shame.

I used to teach horseback riding (for about 9 years on & off -- almost exlcusively to children). Almost all of my classes were group classes, but we still encouraged participation (questions) from all members of the class. I always said, "If one of you is thinking it, the rest probably are too, so go ahead & don't be afraid to ask it". We would also critique the students in front of each other. Not to humiliate, but to educate -- it can be helpful to see a problem you have yourself illustrated in another student. It can also be helpful to see what works for them and what doesn't.

As dancers, we all know that our 'eye' for correct dancing improves faster than our own skill -- we're able to critique the dancing of people who are more skilled than we are ourselves. To me, this seems like a vital part of the learning process -- the ability to visualize & understand what we're aiming for, as far as our own skill. I know I get practice at this by watching comps, and discussing the competitors with other dancers. But I don't see that in the group class setting.

Why is it that these elements are missing from ballroom group instruction? I've always assumed it's because children can take critique less personally than adults, but is that why? Is there any way to incorporate some of this "group discovery" into the ballroom group class setting?
 
It all depends on the teacher, and on the other people in the class. I've been in group classes where students have demanded that the teachers give lots of feedback and corrections and others where students felt very comfortable asking lots of questions. I've been in yet another where a student actually picked a fight with the teacher because the teacher was giving corrections (and had been to everyone for weeks and weeks), and another where a student complained so long and bitterly that they were "humiliated" by being corrected in front of the rest of the class that the teacher (different from the other teacher I mentioned) was told by the owner of the studio that he/she couldn't give individual feedback in group class anymore -- even though all the other students in the group wanted the feedback and each individually gave oral permission to the teacher to continue with individual feedback.

It's seems there's two groups of people in group classes: the ones who want as much information and corrections as possible, and those who say they're just there to have fun and don't consider being actually *taught* something to be fun. I don't care if this second group happens to be in the classes I'm in, but I wish they'd just be quiet and let those of us who really want to learn get what we're paying for.
 
Really good group dynamics may work best when there's a sense of learning being a group journey. I want to school with largely the same group of ~100 people for 12 years... and even in say an adult-ed night course, the proportion of knowledge gained in the class to total knowledge of the field is still going to be higher than in a lot of dance classes.
 
I was thinking about some of the early comments, and the common idea that detailed technique is primarily for competitors rather than social dancers. Then I thought about how it's so typical for dancers of all sorts to complain about how our partners don't feel as good to dance with as our teachers. And how the solution to that is to study the technique that lets the teacher dance that way...

Not everyone wants to study technique, but just about everyone seems to prefer dancing with someone who has had the benefit of such study...
 
Currently I am doing a group class for New Vogue technique - its a lot more open to comeents and questions than the usual intermediate social type classes I did (with the same teacher) a lot of years ago. I think competitors are much more focussed on correcting things rather than learning new steps.

We changed teacher to get a teacher who was prepared to physically put us in the right position - for years I was told to connect to my feet via my arse and to put my weight over the front of my foot - but it has taken someone actually giving me a bloody good shove into the right position to make it work for me. The difference - although not overnight - more like a year - is amazing - and for the 1st time in my life - in my 40's I have some balance. The tragedy in these politically correct times is that he has to be careful who it lays hands on so to speak!
 
Yes, sometimes it really does take being physically "adjusted" to get the idea of a particular position or posture across.

Fortunately, as dancers gain experience we get better at being able to follow verbal suggestions to make adjustments in what we are doing. We also become much more aware of what it is exactly that we are doing - where our weight is, etc. Plus any initial discomfort at being poked and prodded usually goes away with experience, too.

Which is just another way of saying the beginners - who do not yet have the benefit of these advances - need teachers with the best teaching skills.
 
To make the most of my technique groups, I whine. :P jk.
Hmm... when I don't understand something, I torture my teacher into showing me again and again! She never lets me leave the room without having understood anyway.
Very sleepy all of a sudden. Will try to post later.

Twilight Elena
 
Personally, I am of the opinion that the ability to connect with a partner is what differentiates the beginner from the intermediate dancer. It doesn't matter how often one dances with the person, but the existance of connection shows that certain basic techniques have been mastered.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top