Pro is out of the country for a few weeks, so all lessons are with New(er) Guy. We have been working on various dances that I don't usually do partially so that I could help him fill out his entries at the team match. Turns out that for the most part he's not going to need me to do that!! I definitely get to do the smooth dances with him and some WCS, but we may not get to show off Bolero, Swing, and Hustle. Dang! I think he's going to clear one or two hustle for me, just because we've had so much fun with it. I emphasized that I have gotten a lot out of working on the Bolero and Swing with him even if we don't do it in the team match and encouraged him to give the slots to his regular students. (He would have been willing to give me equal standing with them because I do a lot with him, but I demurred. Day is going to come soon when it's going to be difficult to get lessons with him when Pro isn't available. Dang, again!)
Most interesting phenomenon has been how much better my some of my non-smooth dances have gotten just by repetition, and not all that much of it. We both noticed it first in swing. A couple of difficult segments of the swing got better as if by magic when we ran through it one day. My brain/body is either getting better at fixing things on the fly (you know, the way some of people operate all the time) or better at applying what I've learned in smooth to other situations. I'll take it in either case. The Bolero needed by far the most work, but has started to feel like a dance instead of me just going through the motions of something. The WCS has been a lot of fun, partially because I've gotten to teach NG what I know and show him a few variations. I said it before, but it is so nice that he does not get defensive but likes it when I suggest "improvements" to what we are doing. Or, at a minimum, he's a good actor.
Most interesting phenomenon has been how much better my some of my non-smooth dances have gotten just by repetition, and not all that much of it. We both noticed it first in swing. A couple of difficult segments of the swing got better as if by magic when we ran through it one day. My brain/body is either getting better at fixing things on the fly (you know, the way some of people operate all the time) or better at applying what I've learned in smooth to other situations. I'll take it in either case. The Bolero needed by far the most work, but has started to feel like a dance instead of me just going through the motions of something. The WCS has been a lot of fun, partially because I've gotten to teach NG what I know and show him a few variations. I said it before, but it is so nice that he does not get defensive but likes it when I suggest "improvements" to what we are doing. Or, at a minimum, he's a good actor.
(I have some very good qualities as a student, too, but I'm not joking when I say that I am proof that they can teach anybody to dance who's willing to stick with it and do the difficult work that learning dance entails.)