How Are Your Lessons Going? Thread 3

[joy]

SmoothPro has been really harping on connection and lead/follow lately. I mean, I thought I followed. Especially in Bronze when I couldn’t be bothered to memorize my routines.

And of course, with my WCSPro it’s mostly lead/follow.

But SmoothPro really wants me to slow down and to wait for him, to give him more of my weight.
He wants more from my shaping, more from my stretches.

I have more moments where I hover in the air (WHICH I LOVE)
Developes where I can really stretch my head back and leg as high as possible. (Tricky to do without losing my core)
And feeling like I’m in the outer eddy of a swirling whirlpool in our runarounds in V Waltz.

It is pretty much the best feeling.

 

[Emily_E]

It is hard to study multiple styles.

I was at a dance yesterday and someone asked me how I keep it all separate, and I was like, "Honestly, I don't some days."

Also, unless you are very careful, to some extent "events" can get in the way of learning technique. Some studios really like "show cases" and strongly encourage them to be "shows" with story lines etc. That's fine, but there can be a big temptation to deviate from "Improving my Waltz because the show I thought of is Hustle.... (of whatever sort!)" Then the fact that there is a "show" and deadline means you end up spending time making that a nice "show", pulling together costumes etc.

I like performing a lot, and I don't think showcase have to distract from focusing on technique, but I've been on the receiving end of using showcase routines to distract from improving, and using short timelines to keep people off balance. It doesn't have to be that way, but too often it is.

Student spends money. Teachers and studio usually upsell. It can be good for your dancing. But you need to carefully think about how much of that you want to do. It may be tons-- or really not so much.

Establishing firm boundaries can help - if the routine has to be in a showcase in 5 weeks and you just found out about it, too bad. It will be done when it's done and then you can figure out which showcase to put it in, and it better be in a style you want to focus on.

I'd still only do a small number of show cases. Unless I win 1.5 billion in the Lotto. Then I'm going to pull together a show case spectacular with at least a dozen pros in custom outfits. And maybe heavy props like a couch, table etc. All mostly to show off my spectacular wealth.

When you win the lotto, I would just like to register my request to be involved in this Spectacular Spectacular show!

 

[Cal]

My first hour of lessons today was with Pro2, with me as Lead. I’m hoping to add some Open components to the routines that I have in Gold – just dip my toe into Open figures. In Waltz we replaced a Hover Corte with a Hinge to a Same Foot Lunge, coming out with a Telemark and then picking up the rest of the Gold routine. In Foxtrot, I auditioned a new third wall with an amalgamation that I’d blocked out during my solo practice, including a Running Feather and also a Same Foot Lunge. Pro was impressed that all the phrasing worked, but as I’d suspected, it put the SFL in a somewhat awkward location on the floor. So, he swapped out a couple of things, and we think we have a new third side that we’re happy with – and if for floorcraft reasons I’d have to abort part of the Open third side, I can still easily transition into my Gold Syllabus.

The second hour was with Pro1, and I asked him to work with me a bit on the new Foxtrot wall, so gave me some tips for Leading it, and also took me through it as Follow, testing out some alternative entries and exits into and out the SFL as he did so. Then we re-visited a couple of irksome places with me as Follow in Waltz, Tango, and VWaltz, which seemed to work a bit better than they have in the past.

So, all in all, I finished lessons feeling somewhat upbeat.

 

[Dance Redeemer]

Only focusing on Standard lately (partly due to vacations, etc, limiting lessons). I mentioned before that about a month ago I suddenly had been able to get frame, timing, and sway (and a little shaping) to work together. That's held. We're now adding in more shaping, as well as using the shape of the frame to add fluidity to the transitions in Waltz and Foxtrot (we haven't yet been brave enough to try this in VW or QS). Very satisfying.

 

[ProgressNotPerfection]

Lessons last week were sort of a mixed bag. With Pro, we worked on our showcase number because the performance is only a week away. It went very badly at first…I told him that even though I’d been away from the studio for only a week, it felt like we’d lost a lot more than one week’s progress. I said I couldn’t see how we’d be ready to perform it by Saturday. He said things like “stop panicking” and “I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.”

So I changed my approach. Instead of trying to hit every line perfectly, I just tried to hit SOME kind of line, even if it wasn’t what we’d choreographed. And that worked - better than I’d hoped! We did a pre-dress rehearsal run-through in the main ballroom (my costume is a 1950s-ish royal blue fit & flare swingy knee-length dress, with full white petticoats underneath - so fun!), which went well enough I decided to just push forward, full speed ahead. (The video of that pre-dress rehearsal is on my unlisted YouTube channel.) I mean, what the heck. It’s a showcase, not a comp, not an audition, nothing riding on it. And I LOVE the song, the choreo (too bad I can’t actually DO all of it, but oh well), the costume - overall it’s a very cute number. If our goal is “have fun, charm the audience, & make everyone smile,” then I think we’re ready.

But…as we know, one of the downsides of showcases is that preparing for one can interfere with (or in my case, bring to a dead stop) your syllabus progress. At the end of Thursday’s lesson, a Viennese waltz started playing. I gave Pro my biggest, pleading-est puppy dog eyes, & he laughed & said “ok, fine.” We took dance hold and did L & R turns around the room - which felt GREAT! - but then I felt him trying to signal something to me by adjusting his left hand’s hold on my right hand, and I went blank. I had no idea what he was signaling. He led me into an open figure (maybe butterfly/back-to-back?) and I had NO idea what to do. I sort of stumbled to a stop and we just looked at each other. I shook my head in confusion. “Ummm…,” I frowned, “THAT was revealing. I think we should forget about silver. Clearly I need to stay in bronze a while longer.” He replied, “yeah, like another year!” (Not sure he was joking.)

So I went back through my lesson records and discovered that the last time Pro & I did any silver smooth was in April - FOUR MONTHS AGO. We’ve done nothing but showcase and a handful of rhythm lessons since then. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. And to make it worse, I’ve been having regular Standard lessons with ProV during those same 4 months, which means I’m no longer accustomed to doing any apart work. AND I MISS IT!

I also had a lesson with ProV this week. We tried to dance the basic figures he’s shown me in W, FT, & QS, but I didn’t remember a thing (although our frame & connection were better than they used to be). At the Standard Fun Night in June, we used short simple routines. And now, merely two months later, they felt totally unfamiliar to me. It was soooooo discouraging. I love my lessons with ProV, his energy and enthusiasm and humor and knowledge - but this just isn’t working. Standard is too difficult for me to merely “dabble” in it. I need more than just one weekly lesson to retain what I’m learning, much less make any progress. And I need to practice at home - but there aren’t enough hours in a day for me to practice everything I need to practice.

And I don’t want to learn Latin now (if ever). And although ProV has learned enough Smooth that he is now teaching it, his style of smooth is - well, not what I’m used to, and not the way Pro does it, and looks sorta like a Latin dancer trying to do smooth using a Latin style. Idk. I’m not describing it well.

But what all of this boils down to is this:

• I can’t afford to take multiple weekly lessons with 2 teachers
• To make progress in standard, I need multiple weekly lessons with ProV
• To make progress in smooth & rhythm, I need multiple weekly lessons with Pro
• Learning the little bit of standard I’ve learned has already interfered with my ability to dance smooth

I actually feel a little like crying at the thought of giving up lessons with ProV, but I feel a lot MORE like crying at the thought of giving up - or even just cutting back - my lessons with Pro.

I’m also considering taking a “dance break” after the showcase and having NO lessons at all, with anyone, for a few weeks. I can use that time to reacquaint myself with all the stuff in smooth & rhythm that Pro & I had just started to work on, before the showcase took over my lessons, & before ProV took over my attention.

This year, my dance journey has been wandering down a meandering path with lots of fun side trails and rabbit holes. And that’s ok, but I think I’m ready to narrow my focus again.

 

[Tracy]

I haven't competed since June and won't be til October so my lessons lately have been going through every routine I have and fixing/changing/detailing. I now have pretty much 14 dances with new parts to work on! Yikes! And a coach coming to add more in a few weeks. But the cool thing right now is that a new teacher has arrived from Ukraine and he is learning American style including what social dances are like here and after my lessons my teacher has him practicing leading me to prepare for an upcoming studio social dance. It's so full circle since I have been dancing with my teacher since he went through this process and now he is training someone else through it. I am proud of them both.

 

[Misspendragon]

Lessons last week were sort of a mixed bag. With Pro, we worked on our showcase number because the performance is only a week away. It went very badly at first…I told him that even though I’d been away from the studio for only a week, it felt like we’d lost a lot more than one week’s progress. I said I couldn’t see how we’d be ready to perform it by Saturday. He said things like “stop panicking” and “I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.”

So I changed my approach. Instead of trying to hit every line perfectly, I just tried to hit SOME kind of line, even if it wasn’t what we’d choreographed. And that worked - better than I’d hoped! We did a pre-dress rehearsal run-through in the main ballroom (my costume is a 1950s-ish royal blue fit & flare swingy knee-length dress, with full white petticoats underneath - so fun!), which went well enough I decided to just push forward, full speed ahead. (The video of that pre-dress rehearsal is on my unlisted YouTube channel.) I mean, what the heck. It’s a showcase, not a comp, not an audition, nothing riding on it. And I LOVE the song, the choreo (too bad I can’t actually DO all of it, but oh well), the costume - overall it’s a very cute number. If our goal is “have fun, charm the audience, & make everyone smile,” then I think we’re ready.

But…as we know, one of the downsides of showcases is that preparing for one can interfere with (or in my case, bring to a dead stop) your syllabus progress. At the end of Thursday’s lesson, a Viennese waltz started playing. I gave Pro my biggest, pleading-est puppy dog eyes, & he laughed & said “ok, fine.” We took dance hold and did L & R turns around the room - which felt GREAT! - but then I felt him trying to signal something to me by adjusting his left hand’s hold on my right hand, and I went blank. I had no idea what he was signaling. He led me into an open figure (maybe butterfly/back-to-back?) and I had NO idea what to do. I sort of stumbled to a stop and we just looked at each other. I shook my head in confusion. “Ummm…,” I frowned, “THAT was revealing. I think we should forget about silver. Clearly I need to stay in bronze a while longer.” He replied, “yeah, like another year!” (Not sure he was joking.)

So I went back through my lesson records and discovered that the last time Pro & I did any silver smooth was in April - FOUR MONTHS AGO. We’ve done nothing but showcase and a handful of rhythm lessons since then. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. And to make it worse, I’ve been having regular Standard lessons with ProV during those same 4 months, which means I’m no longer accustomed to doing any apart work. AND I MISS IT!

I also had a lesson with ProV this week. We tried to dance the basic figures he’s shown me in W, FT, & QS, but I didn’t remember a thing (although our frame & connection were better than they used to be). At the Standard Fun Night in June, we used short simple routines. And now, merely two months later, they felt totally unfamiliar to me. It was soooooo discouraging. I love my lessons with ProV, his energy and enthusiasm and humor and knowledge - but this just isn’t working. Standard is too difficult for me to merely “dabble” in it. I need more than just one weekly lesson to retain what I’m learning, much less make any progress. And I need to practice at home - but there aren’t enough hours in a day for me to practice everything I need to practice.

And I don’t want to learn Latin now (if ever). And although ProV has learned enough Smooth that he is now teaching it, his style of smooth is - well, not what I’m used to, and not the way Pro does it, and looks sorta like a Latin dancer trying to do smooth using a Latin style. Idk. I’m not describing it well.

But what all of this boils down to is this:

• I can’t afford to take multiple weekly lessons with 2 teachers
• To make progress in standard, I need multiple weekly lessons with ProV
• To make progress in smooth & rhythm, I need multiple weekly lessons with Pro
• Learning the little bit of standard I’ve learned has already interfered with my ability to dance smooth

I actually feel a little like crying at the thought of giving up lessons with ProV, but I feel a lot MORE like crying at the thought of giving up - or even just cutting back - my lessons with Pro.

I’m also considering taking a “dance break” after the showcase and having NO lessons at all, with anyone, for a few weeks. I can use that time to reacquaint myself with all the stuff in smooth & rhythm that Pro & I had just started to work on, before the showcase took over my lessons, & before ProV took over my attention.

This year, my dance journey has been wandering down a meandering path with lots of fun side trails and rabbit holes. And that’s ok, but I think I’m ready to narrow my focus again.

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but if only you picked a style - or at least no more than two - you like the most, I think you would feel a lot less overwhelmed. It seems you are eliminating Latin, which is a good start.

Just a thought - you mention you miss open body movements and that you cannot afford taking multiple lessons with 2 Pros. If you let go of Standard, you could dance only with your regular Pro Smooth (which I always felt from your posts was your favorite) and maybe Rhythm; after our last talk and seeing some videos, Regular Pro is probably a better choice for you, anyway.

And if you meant to dance another style, you will end up dancing it in the future, anyway. But deepening your understanding of one style will enhance your understanding of dancing in general more so than trying to do everything at once, and narrowing your focus at least for now would help you soothe some anxieties.

 

[bronzesusie]

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but if only you picked a style - or at least no more than two - you like the most, I think you would feel a lot less overwhelmed. It seems you are eliminating Latin, which is a good start.

Just a thought - you mention you miss open body movements and that you cannot afford taking multiple lessons with 2 Pros. If you let go of Standard, you could dance only with your regular Pro Smooth (which I always felt from your posts was your favorite) and maybe Rhythm; after our last talk and seeing some videos, Regular Pro is probably a better choice for you, anyway.

And if you meant to dance another style, you will end up dancing it in the future, anyway. But deepening your understanding of one style will enhance your understanding of dancing in general more so than trying to do everything at once, and narrowing your focus at least for now would help you soothe some anxieties.

You could also separate it out as smooth and rhythm are for competition and I do them with old pro. Standard is for fun, I do it with new pro, and we do fun nights and showcases when and if I have time for it.

 

[bronzesusie]

Lessons have been up and down lately. Lots of good content really digging into technique but spotty scheduling and my pro moved to a new studio which I just don’t like as much. Hoping in the fall I can find a better rhythm because right now feels a bit scattered.

 

[Purr]

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but if only you picked a style - or at least no more than two - you like the most, I think you would feel a lot less overwhelmed. It seems you are eliminating Latin, which is a good start.

Just a thought - you mention you miss open body movements and that you cannot afford taking multiple lessons with 2 Pros. If you let go of Standard, you could dance only with your regular Pro Smooth (which I always felt from your posts was your favorite) and maybe Rhythm; after our last talk and seeing some videos, Regular Pro is probably a better choice for you, anyway.

And if you meant to dance another style, you will end up dancing it in the future, anyway. But deepening your understanding of one style will enhance your understanding of dancing in general more so than trying to do everything at once, and narrowing your focus at least for now would help you soothe some anxieties.

This is a good plan.

It's not impossible to learn more than one or two styles at a time. However, it is almost impossible to learn more than one or two styles at a time well. There's just not enough money for lessons and not enough time for practice. Also, when you agree to a special event, like a showcase, it puts you that much further behind on learning when you return to regular lessons. And the level of stress to keep up just goes up exponentially with each dance/style added. Also, having multiple teachers who give out different and/or conflicting information adds to the angst.

Been there, done that to just about all of the above - someone whose taken lessons across five styles of dancing at various points in time.

 

[singndance]

Lessons last week were sort of a mixed bag. With Pro, we worked on our showcase number because the performance is only a week away. It went very badly at first…I told him that even though I’d been away from the studio for only a week, it felt like we’d lost a lot more than one week’s progress. I said I couldn’t see how we’d be ready to perform it by Saturday. He said things like “stop panicking” and “I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.”

So I changed my approach. Instead of trying to hit every line perfectly, I just tried to hit SOME kind of line, even if it wasn’t what we’d choreographed. And that worked - better than I’d hoped! We did a pre-dress rehearsal run-through in the main ballroom (my costume is a 1950s-ish royal blue fit & flare swingy knee-length dress, with full white petticoats underneath - so fun!), which went well enough I decided to just push forward, full speed ahead. (The video of that pre-dress rehearsal is on my unlisted YouTube channel.) I mean, what the heck. It’s a showcase, not a comp, not an audition, nothing riding on it. And I LOVE the song, the choreo (too bad I can’t actually DO all of it, but oh well), the costume - overall it’s a very cute number. If our goal is “have fun, charm the audience, & make everyone smile,” then I think we’re ready.

But…as we know, one of the downsides of showcases is that preparing for one can interfere with (or in my case, bring to a dead stop) your syllabus progress. At the end of Thursday’s lesson, a Viennese waltz started playing. I gave Pro my biggest, pleading-est puppy dog eyes, & he laughed & said “ok, fine.” We took dance hold and did L & R turns around the room - which felt GREAT! - but then I felt him trying to signal something to me by adjusting his left hand’s hold on my right hand, and I went blank. I had no idea what he was signaling. He led me into an open figure (maybe butterfly/back-to-back?) and I had NO idea what to do. I sort of stumbled to a stop and we just looked at each other. I shook my head in confusion. “Ummm…,” I frowned, “THAT was revealing. I think we should forget about silver. Clearly I need to stay in bronze a while longer.” He replied, “yeah, like another year!” (Not sure he was joking.)

So I went back through my lesson records and discovered that the last time Pro & I did any silver smooth was in April - FOUR MONTHS AGO. We’ve done nothing but showcase and a handful of rhythm lessons since then. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. And to make it worse, I’ve been having regular Standard lessons with ProV during those same 4 months, which means I’m no longer accustomed to doing any apart work. AND I MISS IT!

I also had a lesson with ProV this week. We tried to dance the basic figures he’s shown me in W, FT, & QS, but I didn’t remember a thing (although our frame & connection were better than they used to be). At the Standard Fun Night in June, we used short simple routines. And now, merely two months later, they felt totally unfamiliar to me. It was soooooo discouraging. I love my lessons with ProV, his energy and enthusiasm and humor and knowledge - but this just isn’t working. Standard is too difficult for me to merely “dabble” in it. I need more than just one weekly lesson to retain what I’m learning, much less make any progress. And I need to practice at home - but there aren’t enough hours in a day for me to practice everything I need to practice.

And I don’t want to learn Latin now (if ever). And although ProV has learned enough Smooth that he is now teaching it, his style of smooth is - well, not what I’m used to, and not the way Pro does it, and looks sorta like a Latin dancer trying to do smooth using a Latin style. Idk. I’m not describing it well.

But what all of this boils down to is this:

• I can’t afford to take multiple weekly lessons with 2 teachers
• To make progress in standard, I need multiple weekly lessons with ProV
• To make progress in smooth & rhythm, I need multiple weekly lessons with Pro
• Learning the little bit of standard I’ve learned has already interfered with my ability to dance smooth

I actually feel a little like crying at the thought of giving up lessons with ProV, but I feel a lot MORE like crying at the thought of giving up - or even just cutting back - my lessons with Pro.

I’m also considering taking a “dance break” after the showcase and having NO lessons at all, with anyone, for a few weeks. I can use that time to reacquaint myself with all the stuff in smooth & rhythm that Pro & I had just started to work on, before the showcase took over my lessons, & before ProV took over my attention.

This year, my dance journey has been wandering down a meandering path with lots of fun side trails and rabbit holes. And that’s ok, but I think I’m ready to narrow my focus again.

For the vast majority of us, the reality is, there is only so much time, and so much money. I agree, also for the majority of us, to get really good at your chosen style(s), it takes a significant investment of both.

As much as I would love to try Latin or standard, it just isn’t a reality for me. And I honestly don’t miss dancing rhythm now. I’m having a great time learning all the nuances of smooth.

I can’t remember the last time I did a showcase. I missed being part of that with my old studio buddies, but again, it took precious resources away from competition training and preparation that I just couldn’t afford.

I guess, unfortunately, if you can’t have it all, you have to have a talk with yourself about what makes you the very happiest. What do you willing write checks for and smile while you’re spending that hard-earned cash? What makes your heart really sing, and makes you want to take time away from friends and family? That will give you your answer for right now. You can always change your mind in the future, remember.

 

[joy]

I have Smooth, WCS and a showcase always, and I go social dancing. SmoothPro and I are working on our 7th showcase together! A Paso/Tango.

I dance pretty much everyday.

But I always make it clear the Smooth is the #1, and everything else get scraps.
But sometimes, just before a showcase, I will spend more time on showcase or before a WCS comp, I will spend more on WCS.

 

[Purr]

I have Smooth, WCS and a showcase always, and I go social dancing. SmoothPro and I are working on our 7th showcase together! A Paso/Tango.

I dance pretty much everyday.

But I always make it clear the Smooth is the #1, and everything else get scraps.
But sometimes, just before a showcase, I will spend more time on showcase or before a WCS comp, I will spend more on WCS.

That's great you know where your priorities are.

 

[Purr]

I guess, unfortunately, if you can’t have it all, you have to have a talk with yourself about what makes you the very happiest. What do you willing write checks for and smile while you’re spending that hard-earned cash? What makes your heart really sing, and makes you want to take time away from friends and family? That will give you your answer for right now. You can always change your mind in the future, remember.

This. This is, more or less, the sentiment I was going to write this morning, although much more nicely and tactfully written.

FWIW, it sounds like PNP needs to set an end date of lessons with ProV and cut him loose. And focus dancing resources on smooth and rhythm lessons with Pro.

 

[Misspendragon]

FWIW, it sounds like PNP needs to set an end date of lessons with ProV and cut him loose. And focus dancing resources on smooth and rhythm lessons with Pro.

The final word is PnP's of course, but I whole heartedly agree. Whatever PnP was doing two years ago when she was working with her Pro and won Ohio, it was working. She danced well and she seemed happy. Now, she seems more overwhelmed than anything. I would even go as far as to suggest picking one style (the one she likes the most) and add another style later IF and when she feels ready; when she feels confident and has a has a good grip on her dancing journey in her original style.