how are your lessons going? thread II

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Participated in a series of AT workshops over the weekend...learned a lot...apparently I've been doing the salon style of AT...there are other styles...got some useful tips on connection and doing ochos...also was introduced to an AT that's a lot like V. waltz, with music, timing and somewhat of the basic...

Also purchased a pair of AT shoes...they are a t-strap in neutral beige and tan, with a gold patent heel...the heel is a lot slimmer than with Latin shoes...I bought the neutral pair so it would go with anything in the event I wear them to a competition...but the AT shoes came in a wide variety of colors and materials...the one I really liked was purple, violet and lilac, with a bird and flower design on the heel...if there's a next time, I'll buy a fun design
 
I'm continuing to love the weekly technique classes. Most of them have been rhythm, but last week and this week are smooth. Given how much of this I do, I was stunned by my various muscles aches after doing close to 45 minutes straight of waltz basics (some breaks for explanation). In this case, no new knowledge, just lots of good practice.

My basic footwork is pretty good; I get compliments on it from coaches, other students, teachers, random people. All the same, Pro added another layer of sophistication to it last week and even more today. My brain exploded. :) I oh so wish I was one of those people who could learn a new bit of technique and apply it right away. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who who goes, "Oh, wait! I should have just used that new thing right there!! Oh, shoot! What did I just mess up while I was thinking about what I should have done? Aagh!!!!" This happens even though I can do the new whatever just terrifically in isolation. Getting it integrated everywhere is going to take eons. Of course, by the time these improvements are second nature, there'll be something else. ;)

Oh, and going through all of the material slowly is obviously the way to get the technique upgrades ingrained faster, but, darn it, coaching this week that is partially to do some choreography for a showcase and then there's a competition next week. :rolleyes:
 
High level of reminding has continued... and admittedly, I have not been confident the last couple of weeks that pro will remember the choreo, direction tweaks we've made, new timing, my position (I have had to repeatedly remind him that I need more space than he is giving me with his right hand), the lead that works best for certain shapes, etc.

I was aggressively backleading yesterday about 2/3 of the way through my lesson. Pro called me on it, thinking I just wasn't paying attention to the lead (some time ago, I used to go on auto-pilot thanks to the umpteen hours of solo practice, but haven't done that in quite some time.). I decided to clarify what was really going on. Pro got defensive ("I have a lot of routines", "it's not that I don't remember", etc.). My response was a calmly stated "I know. But we're competing these dances in less than 6 weeks, and I am starting to get concerned." And then I moved on. (My inside voice was considerably less polite.)

He's definitely a little peeved, but experience has taught me that this generally happens when he's a bit mad at himself because he knows that I am (at least partially) right about something I've called him on. I'd put money on the fact that he'll be stepping up his game in the next few lessons.
 
I used to wonder when I would see a pro dance the same routine, more or less, with multiple students. Now I see the value in it. Less to remember.
 
FancyFeet said:
High level of reminding has continued...
.... I'd put money on the fact that he'll be stepping up his game in the next few lessons.
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Ouch. I hope so. As my teacher says, all of the students deserve his best all of the time.

As for the routines, I don't think it's ever happened at the higher levels, but my teacher did once dance part of somebody else's material with me in Bronze. He was more alarmed than I was when he realized what he had done. Because this is a FADS studio, there are only so many options at each level, though there are also a lot of allowed variations. He's got a slew of silver students at the moment and it's really interesting to see how differently we all dance what is pretty much the same material--and that he can keep it straight.
 
Can I talk about non-Ballroom lessons here?

I took a series of Lindy Hop workshops this weekend. There was a lot of good stuff, but the best thing in the entire weekend was an almost throw-away technique clarification that an instructor gave in the middle of the class. He talked about how a lot of people lead the follow forward on a swingout with a very clear step ("move the follow"), but his preference was to make it a more gradual statement; he kept moving back over the 7,8,1 until the follow came forward. This gave the follow more flexibility to choose styling and play with timing.

I was talking with another lead after, and we both agreed that we loved it and that it was going to utterly break our swingouts for a while.

[edit -- accidentally posted too early]
 
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Two more anecdotes from that weekend:
It was level-tested, which meant that you answered a survey beforehand, they guessed at your dance level, and then resorted you after the first class. Despite not having danced in months, and the first part of that class being solo jazz (which I neither enjoy nor am any good at), and much to my surprise, I was bumped up a level.

I was also told by a follow that she'd seen my dancing the night before and liked my style. I was really pleased that I was able to accept that compliment. I don't love my dancing at all at the moment. In the past, I probably would have said something self-deprecating in that situation, and ended up thoughtlessly insulting her taste.
 
Some level of sorting would be great for group classes. A studio I used to go to in Chicago did that; they could because they are largish and so can run multiple levels and offer several levels in parallel.

Unfortunately, all the studios out here in Naperville are smaller, so it's not as easy to find sorted group lessons. Some exist, but in that case a studio will be offering "intermediate X" OR "advanced X" or "beginner X" in a particular month, not all three.

By the way, by larger, I mean the floor area in the Chicago studio was at least 4 times that of the local studios. (Unfortunately, with traffic and "stop and go" along the way the drive to that studio is intolerable.)
 
lucia_l said:
Unfortunately, all the studios out here in Naperville are smaller, so it's not as easy to find sorted group lessons. Some exist, but in that case a studio will be offering "intermediate X" OR "advanced X" or "beginner X" in a particular month, not all three.
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Oh, that's rough. So you have to go months without group lessons, then have a month where you have one every week? Seems like it would be difficult to build a big group for classes that worked like that. Lindy Hop seems to mostly be group lessons out here; there aren't any studios that I know of. Instead, lessons are either run before 1-day-a-week dances held at things like Elks centers, or are these big weekend extravaganzas. There's usually 2.5 levels of lessons before the dances, though (intro, beginner, intermediate).
 
David_D,
As far as I can see looking at their calendar... yeah. I think it's hard for smaller studios to have effective group lessons. As an outsider though, I really can't see how they can fix it without being larger. But unless you are in a very heavily populated area like a city, I'm not sure how a study can be very large.

The studios generally want to over lots of dances-- foxtrot, waltz, salsa, tango, quickstep, swing, cha cha, rhumba, mambo.... so 10 dances* 3 levels is a lot to offer as group.

I'm taking lots of private lessons, so it's no longer a big issue for me. I get the level I need because my pro tailors lessons to my current skill and which dance(s) I'm interested in. But it's I can't help but thin it's not an easy thing for dance studios.
 
10tmf said:
Was in a bit of a rut until I started taking group classes in Standard a few weeks ago. Now I feel like my dancing has all around gotten way better (been doing strictly Latin pretty much since I started about 15 months ago). My frame feels less stiff and I've become way more aware of my core which is awesome. It also finally clicked in my brain what it feels like to activate my arm and connect it to my body without letting it stiffen.

My coach commented on how much easier it was to dance with me during both of our last two lessons and that she doesn't feel like she has to fight me through any figures which was really nice to hear as it came totally unprompted.
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clap clap clap
 
double latin lesson yesterday. the goal was to review all 5 dances and see how far we need to go before the next comp in june. We made it through all but paso, which was better than i thought. Lots of good fixes for cha cha and samba, a few things on rumba, and just a quick review of jive. there is a long way to go, but now i feel better about where i'm starting from, lol.
 
David_D,
That's assuming they can get 20 in each group class. But yes, group classes can bring in lots of revenue if well attended. The other thing is group classes can be the gateway drug to private lessons. Also, some people taking private lessons also like to get the basics of choreography in group classes.

Still, having group classes be at levels is nice. If I remember correctly, the studio in Chicago broke each bronze syllabus into 3 or 4 levels. So when you were in Foxtrot 1 it was really people who knew zero foxtrot. They learned the basic and a few school figures. Then moved on to Foxtrot 2 which was a few more bronze school figures. Only after passing all 4 did you get into the final level at group, which had a range of people.

My husband really, really liked that because he could have a firm grasp of stuff and we got repetition. That studio did have a lot of people in each class -- at least 10 sometimes more. There were always at least 3 different group classes running each hour and the group classes seemed to run 8am-4 pm Sat and Sun. (They had some on weekdays too.) I don't think a studio in the suburbs could ever manage that.

Group classes out here are useful, but it is nicer when everyone at the class is in a tight level range.
 
Got to go to an amazing latin workshop over the weekend, and it was so so helpful. I don't get to go many group classes in latin because my studio predominantly teaches rhythm group classes. it was great. taught by Max Kozhenvikov (sp?), Yulia's former partner. lots of good drills and information for rumba and jive. WOOHOO!
 
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