Practicing with a Pro or Am?

[DancePoet]

Hi folks!

On another thread MamboQueen wrote:

As for practice, I try to get some in every other day....although the pro/am practice is probably not quite as beneficial as practicing with an amateur partner.

Which would you say is better and how come?

Or maybe there is something to be gained from both?

 

[swan]

Hi folks!

On another thread MamboQueen wrote:

As for practice, I try to get some in every other day....although the pro/am practice is probably not quite as beneficial as practicing with an amateur partner.

Which would you say is better and how come?

Or maybe there is something to be gained from both?

I'll definitely vote for practicing w/ an amateur partner. W/ a pro, it's a lesson, never really a 'practice'. And it's always your (the AM's) fault W/ your amateur partner, you will be creating your own dance & try to fit each other's dancing & work thru issues together. W/ a pro, I normally feel like it's a 1 way street. Although it's very helpful to work w/ a pro on a frequent basis as a single, as you could really focus on fixing your own problems. However, to really dance as a couple, nothing beats dancing w/ your own amateur partner. But...That's just my personal preference & opinion.

 

[Laura]

Having done both Pro/Am and Am, I'd say that in my experience it's virtually impossible to just "practice" with one's teacher. My ex Pro/Am teacher used to tell me that he felt he had to constantly give me information or else he'd feel like he wasn't doing his job -- that I had paid for his expertise and he felt he'd better give me 45 minutes of information or else he hadn't earned his paycheck.

This, of course, meant that corrections and improvements and new information were always coming at me. I got good at automatically sorting them into "this is what I have to do right this second", "this is what I have to do this month" and "this is what I'm aiming for over the next few months." Still, it basically gave me no time to really think and experiment.

When I was a newer dancer (Bronze & Silver), practicing on my own really helped a lot because it gave me time alone with my thoughts to try things. But after a while all the corrections I was getting were related to how I dance with another person present, so I ended up with even LESS time to personally sort through the information I was getting. It got very frustrating.

Now that I've got an amateur partner to work with who is on the same wavelength with regards to learning, approach to technique, etc, it's a whole different world. We take a lesson, and then we can spend the next week sorting out what was said and what it all means and how we can produce the desired effects together. I've learned more about following in the past few weeks than I have in the past few years of Pro/Am, and I attribute it to just having the 'quiet time' to really get to "listen" (feel) what my partner is doing, and to experiment and see how I affect things. It's pretty incredible

I really think my time doing Pro/Am was extremely valuable in that it gave me a strong foundation and also gave me a chance to learn and intellectually understand a lot of important concepts. But for me I got to the point where I needed to be cut loose and see what I could make of my dancing without being in the presence of a teacher every time I danced. My old Pro/Am teacher and I talked once about how Pro/Am was grand but it was sort of like having training wheels, and that at some point the wheels had to come off. Now, I'm not saying every Pro/Am relationship is like this, but mine was, mostly for the better but sometimes for the worse. I strongly doubt I could be as strong and as thoughtful (regarding dance concepts) a partner as I am now without the training I received in Pro/Am. But I also know that I'd never have started thinking about the artistic side of dancing without having gotten out from under the caring wing of my Pro/Am teacher.

As usual, your experience may vary, I'm just relating what I've experienced....

 

[DancePoet]

Having done both Pro/Am and Am, I'd say that in my experience it's virtually impossible to just "practice" with one's teacher. My ex Pro/Am teacher used to tell me that he felt he had to constantly give me information or else he'd feel like he wasn't doing his job -- that I had paid for his expertise and he felt he'd better give me 45 minutes of information or else he hadn't earned his paycheck.

Ok ... I can understand this. Pro has more experience, more knowledge, feels responsible for correcting the errors, particularly if the Am is paying something more then a practice space fee.

This, of course, meant that corrections and improvements and new information were always coming at me. I got good at automatically sorting them into "this is what I have to do right this second", "this is what I have to do this month" and "this is what I'm aiming for over the next few months." Still, it basically gave me no time to really think and experiment.

I have had a few lessons with the Pro half of my Pro/Am pairing and another instructor. It has been neat to have the instructor teaching both of us, although most of the corrections have come in my direction, which is certainly acceptable and understandable. But yes, there is less time for creative problem resolution, too.

When I was a newer dancer (Bronze & Silver), practicing on my own really helped a lot because it gave me time alone with my thoughts to try things. But after a while all the corrections I was getting were related to how I dance with another person present, so I ended up with even LESS time to personally sort through the information I was getting. It got very frustrating.

I am seeing this happening. There are definitely things that can be corrected while practicing on one's own. But once the basics are out of the way I can imagine needing to work with the partner more to get things correct.

Now that I've got an amateur partner to work with who is on the same wavelength with regards to learning, approach to technique, etc, it's a whole different world. We take a lesson, and then we can spend the next week sorting out what was said and what it all means and how we can produce the desired effects together. I've learned more about following in the past few weeks than I have in the past few years of Pro/Am, and I attribute it to just having the 'quiet time' to really get to "listen" (feel) what my partner is doing, and to experiment and see how I affect things. It's pretty incredible

My current Am/Am partner and I started experimenting to correct issues with our dancing from almost the beginning. Listening both through touch and sound is a fascinating process to develop a smooth dancing style.

I really think my time doing Pro/Am was extremely valuable in that it gave me a strong foundation and also gave me a chance to learn and intellectually understand a lot of important concepts. But for me I got to the point where I needed to be cut loose and see what I could make of my dancing without being in the presence of a teacher every time I danced. My old Pro/Am teacher and I talked once about how Pro/Am was grand but it was sort of like having training wheels, and that at some point the wheels had to come off. Now, I'm not saying every Pro/Am relationship is like this, but mine was, mostly for the better but sometimes for the worse. I strongly doubt I could be as strong and as thoughtful (regarding dance concepts) a partner as I am now without the training I received in Pro/Am. But I also know that I'd never have started thinking about the artistic side of dancing without having gotten out from under the caring wing of my Pro/Am teacher.

Yes, I see Am/Am as being much closer to my desire to create beauty and joy through dance.

 

[standardgirl]

I found dancing/practice with a pro is more beneficial to ones poise, swing/sway, etc. But practicing with an am is more beneficial to knowing the actual steps from the female's point of view.

 

[Gumby]

Hmm -

I think one of the big benefits from pro/am for me has been learning to practice on my own. I'm not dependent on a partner being there to motivate me to practice. I've had the opportunity to explore what combination of technique practice vs choreography practice is right for me. I'm much more balanced cause I have to be. These are all positive things that I will bring to an am/am partnership when I'm ready for one again.

There are of course downsides to a lot of solo practice sometimes I have trouble giving up balance and sometimes I flat out forget my partner who really likes to lead occasionally. But being aware that you have a choice between balance and not balance and connection and not connection and how you deal with that can be valuable too.

I think what I am trying to say it that any situation can be valuable to your development you just have to use the opportunities that you have to maximinum. Don't worry about optimal do the best with whatever situation you currently find yourself in.

 

[DancePoet]

There is truth in what you suggest Gumby.