ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
My lesson this week was disorganized. Pro seemed uncharacteristically unfocused and easily distracted. We worked mostly on Smooth - I MUST keep my left elbow up ALL.THE.TIME. and not rest it limply on his right bicep; must not let my head come upright or forward as we move in and out of closed hold; must stop opening WAY too far out in promenade; must maintain my balance over my feet more consistently; must use standing leg more effectively; must not “fall out of” his right hand; must sway more consistently in Viennese waltz; must keep my feet better connected to the floor; must stop anticipating his lead and just “be in the moment”; must work to keep up with his increased shaping and swing-&-sway…good Lord, the list goes on and on and on.
He said he did more extensive shaping at Empire than he has ever done with me before, and wants that to be our new baseline, which is fine with me. He also arranged my body and limbs into the frame he wants me to maintain at all times - even when we’re just being casual at lessons - and suggested some exercises I should do at home to reinforce that.
We agree that in Smooth style, I am probably not ready to compete in Silver, although I’m improving. He’d like to see how well I dance at another comp or two in Bronze. (Note that I said how well I “dance,” not how well I “place.”) But I challenged him, “are you waiting to teach me Silver until you think I will be competitively successful in Silver?” He hedged but eventually admitted yes, that’s sorta kinda his approach.
I said, “so…what if I never compete again? Does that mean you’ll never teach me Silver?” He said no. I asked, “what do I need to be able to do - what does my body need to be capable of - before you’ll think I’m ready to learn Silver?” He couldn’t give a specific answer to that - nor did I really expect him to - but he talked some more about the things I listed in the first paragraph above. I asked incredulously, “are you saying that I have to ‘master’ all of those things before I’ll be ready for Silver?” He laughed & said no, of course not; those are things that will always be improving, and I will be working on them into Silver and beyond (if applicable). So, then, why not go ahead & start learning Silver?
He acknowledged that in terms of comp placements, I might do fine in Silver at some smaller comps, but he is adamant that if I entered Silver Smooth right now at a comp like OSB or USDC, I would absolutely get my a$$ kicked and handed to me on a plate. Having watched videos of the Silver smooth heats at many of those larger comps, I think he’s right. Therefore, since my goals do not include collecting trophies, and my budget only allows for 2 comps per year, and I prefer to attend comps that are likely to have semis or even quarters, I don’t plan to compete in Silver Smooth any time soon.
HOWEVER - Rhythm is a different story. In Rhythm, he’s on board with me competing in Open Bronze (in which we’d do the “cooler” of our bronze figures plus a few new-to-me silver figures) and Pre Silver, at whatever comp we do next - even if our next comp just might turn out to be OSB in November. (!!!!!!) He said that before Empire, he didn’t think I’d be ready for Silver this year. But he said my dancing improved noticeably (and unexpectedly) in the weeks before Empire, especially in how I use my arms. (He specifically mentioned the way I used my arms in bolero at Ohio last year, and rolled his eyes and said, “I mean, that was just childish.” He’s not wrong about that.)
He said he did more extensive shaping at Empire than he has ever done with me before, and wants that to be our new baseline, which is fine with me. He also arranged my body and limbs into the frame he wants me to maintain at all times - even when we’re just being casual at lessons - and suggested some exercises I should do at home to reinforce that.
We agree that in Smooth style, I am probably not ready to compete in Silver, although I’m improving. He’d like to see how well I dance at another comp or two in Bronze. (Note that I said how well I “dance,” not how well I “place.”) But I challenged him, “are you waiting to teach me Silver until you think I will be competitively successful in Silver?” He hedged but eventually admitted yes, that’s sorta kinda his approach.
I said, “so…what if I never compete again? Does that mean you’ll never teach me Silver?” He said no. I asked, “what do I need to be able to do - what does my body need to be capable of - before you’ll think I’m ready to learn Silver?” He couldn’t give a specific answer to that - nor did I really expect him to - but he talked some more about the things I listed in the first paragraph above. I asked incredulously, “are you saying that I have to ‘master’ all of those things before I’ll be ready for Silver?” He laughed & said no, of course not; those are things that will always be improving, and I will be working on them into Silver and beyond (if applicable). So, then, why not go ahead & start learning Silver?
He acknowledged that in terms of comp placements, I might do fine in Silver at some smaller comps, but he is adamant that if I entered Silver Smooth right now at a comp like OSB or USDC, I would absolutely get my a$$ kicked and handed to me on a plate. Having watched videos of the Silver smooth heats at many of those larger comps, I think he’s right. Therefore, since my goals do not include collecting trophies, and my budget only allows for 2 comps per year, and I prefer to attend comps that are likely to have semis or even quarters, I don’t plan to compete in Silver Smooth any time soon.
HOWEVER - Rhythm is a different story. In Rhythm, he’s on board with me competing in Open Bronze (in which we’d do the “cooler” of our bronze figures plus a few new-to-me silver figures) and Pre Silver, at whatever comp we do next - even if our next comp just might turn out to be OSB in November. (!!!!!!) He said that before Empire, he didn’t think I’d be ready for Silver this year. But he said my dancing improved noticeably (and unexpectedly) in the weeks before Empire, especially in how I use my arms. (He specifically mentioned the way I used my arms in bolero at Ohio last year, and rolled his eyes and said, “I mean, that was just childish.” He’s not wrong about that.)
? 
