how are your lessons going? thread II

Status
Not open for further replies.
first rhythm lesson in a while due to the smooth-only comp last week and vacation. worked the kinks out of a couple of spots in bolero and cha cha. since rhythm pro was able to watch most of my smooth heats, he had some good feedback on the competition and things i need to work on in both styles. 1. turn quality 2. partially broken lines in checks 3. more contrast! I've added a lot more contrast over the last year, but need to add more. Looking back on the year, my best comp in rhythm was the one with the most/highest level of competition for me - WI state. I've heard it said you get better when you compete against the best -so I wish I could do more of those comps, but not enough people from my studio go to make it financially feasible. post-comp smooth lesson tonight!
 
good post-comp smooth lessons. working on even more movement and shaping through the upper body. rhythm double lesson last night was very interesting. reviewing concepts that we have reviewed before, but they made more sense this time. working on pushing through the floor to control movement, and how you focus on pushing the floor away with the standing leg, instead of focusing on the landing leg. if that makes sense lol.
 
Nice lessons this week with New Guy (who has now been there for a couple of years, so I need to think of some other way of referring to him). I felt like I was on semi-vacation as I competed last weekend but Pro wasn't there for typical post-comp lessons. We did work on a couple of things that were a little rough, or at least uneven, during the competition. He also taught me a new Foxtrot figure and reviewed some VW and W that I had been working on but dropped before the comp--they clearly weren't going to be ready. And we started working on some rhythm dances for the next team match. I spent a lot of time marveling at how comparatively good and consistent my dancing was. :hilarious: And being pleased that when he wanted something improved, for the most part I was able to deliver. I'll enjoy this for another week before tackling the next set of Difficult Improvements.
 
At lessons this week: Pro's pushing me to make decisions about shows in December and competitions next year... and I'm trying to tell him that I'm seriously struggling with motivation. Pro's all "a whole group is going and it will be fun"... and I'm saying "being one of a huge group is the opposite of what I find motivating".

Felt like we were having two separate conversations. I've been leaving him out of everything going on in my head over the last couple of months as he's been going through some heavy personal stuff, but I see now that was maybe a mistake... because we're in completely different places at the moment.
 
Very good lessons today, also with New(ish) Guy. I requested Tango and Waltz because I felt that they were the two dances where it would be relatively easy to work on upping the overall level. We went through all of my current repertoire in both dances, then chose specific figures to pick apart. We both really enjoyed it and I made some excellent progress. Some (most) of it is "to be continued", but we were able to improve everything we wanted to.
 
Hot mess last night in lessons... and continued to be less than spectacular in ballet. My brain was tired, and wasn't really communicating with my body. Here's hoping today will be better.
 
Because I'm new and I'm not that confident without any prior dancing experience, every week's group class is a bit intimidating for me. That's not a bad thing. That feeling of uncertainty and discomfort is when I feel most alive.

I had my first Latin dance lesson with Rumba. I didn't know much going into it other than there was going to be some unique body and arm movement. My experiences so far has been with Waltz and Foxtrot. So this was going into totally different territory.

I'm glad that I can push through my fears and take a leap into each and every one of these classes. It has always ended up with me learning a lot and having fun. I smile, laugh, and I'm very grateful every class. I've started to socialize with the various instructors and students that go to the studio regularly. We're all warming up to each other. I feel right at home there now.

I'll probably still have that discomfort before every class, but I know to embrace it and do it anyways now.

I can feel my life expanding in an awesome direction the more that I immerse myself with dancing.

It's hard work, but when I get the moves down after lot's of practice, it's very rewarding.

I don't know how far I'll go or what I'll be able to achieve in this new world, but I'm not waiting for the future. I'm focused on growing and dancing in a way that makes me smile. Every class and practice session is an event for me. Every small progress is an achievement to be celebrated. Every person that I come across on this journey is someone to be appreciated.
 
Lesson with alternate-alternate am partner tonight, since alternate am partner is out of town... We worked on something I don't believe I have ever worked on before: synchronization when dancing choreo apart. We started out with a sequence in which partner and I, in a side-by-side position, do a back lock step (same foot) and then spin, ending up facing each other, in position to return to closed frame. We were trying to do spins in opposite directions and we could both tell, even without video, that it was a big mess. The instructor worked with us on developing a different sequence that has us both spinning in the same direction and doing the last 360 together, although we have to do different things beforehand because she does two full rotations while I only do one and a half, in order to end facing each other. After that, we worked on some other intricacies of doing spins and other apart work, such as how to create the look of being together by which way our heads face at what points, and which beats need emphasis in movement and which beats to slur. Very different from the usual lesson fare, but worthwhile.
 
had my lesson time in my calendar wrong yesterday and so completely missed it. grrr argh. double this wednesday to make up for it, but i had really wanted the two separate days to run rounds. DANGIT TO HECK. It's been a snowball of external crap for me since the beginning of november and i would really like dance to not be part of that.
 
I'm getting more and more hooked on dancing. The more I practice and show improvement, the more my instructor pushes me out of my comfort zone into many new lessons. I'm surrounded by amazing dancers there while I try to clumsily navigate out of their way. Each session is jam packed with so many things I have to work on.

My reward for working hard is that I get to work even harder. It's uncomfortable and strangely addicting. Like I'm caught in a loop of perpetual growth that I don't want to stop. I don't want to let my instructor down, the people in the studio down, or myself down.

I'm surprised by how many different styles and various techniques I can learn all at once.

I have a great instructor.
 
entheos said:
I don't want to let my instructor down, the people in the studio down, or myself down.
Click to expand...

The "don't want to let my instructor down" is usually only helpful as a minor motivator. It sometimes becomes an overblown concern--and, really, this should be pretty much all about you, not the teacher. ;)

(And I say that as somebody who tries to be supportive of the studio and my teachers.)
 
double lesson went well for rhythm. ran rounds twice, worked on some little things that need continued cleanup and practice. felt good, despite the rest of life KINDA SUCKING HARD.
 
There was crying (not bawling, just a few tears), and intense discussing... and only about 10 minutes of actual dancing. Pro may finally get where my head is at, and how unhappy I am being just one of the pro-am gaggle - which made the light dawn for him on why I don't want to do things that 'everyone else' is doing, like perform at the annual studio showcase, and why I'm hesitating on committing to things next year. I've never made a secret of the fact that am-am is where I want to be, but I don't think he ever realized that it was way more than an idle "oh, that'd be nice" wish.

We cancelled my second lesson this week. Here's hoping this tough chat was where we turned a corner toward the better.
 
FancyFeet said:
There was crying (not bawling, just a few tears), and intense discussing... and only about 10 minutes of actual dancing. Pro may finally get where my head is at, and how unhappy I am being just one of the pro-am gaggle - which made the light dawn for him on why I don't want to do things that 'everyone else' is doing, like perform at the annual studio showcase, and why I'm hesitating on committing to things next year. I've never made a secret of the fact that am-am is where I want to be, but I don't think he ever realized that it was way more than an idle "oh, that'd be nice" wish.
Click to expand...

That's a rough talk. Have you got prospective partners? I miss AM-AM as well, and spent a lot of time looking for a partner. Never found one in my age group and skill level that could make it work. I hope you can move to that!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Dance Ads

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