My teacher has left the studio, and is being replaced by a miniature. I'll let you know how it goes....
Update: Mighty Mini Teach is awesome.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Drilling Wins
For me, learning a dance move always starts with a moment of "this is so cool!", usually followed by weeks of "How did that go again?" It's frustrating. I need to drill.
In group classes, my instructors will cover something until everyone has basically gotten it, then move on. That's the most efficient use of the instructor's time, and that's awesome. But it's not enough for me to make the transition from head knowledge to body knowledge.
In private lessons, I definitely want to cover as much as you can, so once I've basically gotten it, we move on. I do often ask for a bit of review either at the beginning or end of a private lesson, but doing that for the whole lesson is like learning to drive a stick shift in a Ferrari. You can do it, it's just a shame and a waste.
During practice parties, there's a lot going on - you have to find a partner, your partner may not have learned the move you just learned, you have to worry about floorcraft and traffic management, and if you're lucky you get three or four minutes of whatever dance you learned this week. For me that's not enough. I need to do a move probably 20 times in a row for my body to start feeling it.
Every instructor will tell you to practice at home, and I do, but only a little, and not enough. I'll claim it's because I want to work with a partner, but that's mostly an excuse. I'm rarely home, and when I am, there are a ton of distractions and diversions. I love working on my house, and it's old enough that there's always more to do. Not to mention (and much more common), I still need to get caught up on Mad Men, and there's always Tivo Guilt.
Plus, I really want to work with a partner. :-/ Different partners if possible.
So I finally bit the bullet and approached several women from my classes about meeting at the studio and drilling. I also checked with the staff to make sure it was OK if we found a corner of the floor and practiced. I've had my first session already - we drilled a flair promenade that I learned in Tango, and I definitely feel I have a better handle on it than some of the more basic stuff I haven't drilled. Fifteen or twenty minutes of repetition made all the difference in me getting it (mostly) out of my head and into my body (somewhat).
So if you're a fellow dance student, set aside some time to drill - I'll be doing so again (and I'm always looking for drill partners - email me!)
20 minutes is the difference between "huh?" and "Yeah, I can do that...."
 |
| Awesome art by Hugh MacLeod, gapingvoid.com |
In group classes, my instructors will cover something until everyone has basically gotten it, then move on. That's the most efficient use of the instructor's time, and that's awesome. But it's not enough for me to make the transition from head knowledge to body knowledge.
In private lessons, I definitely want to cover as much as you can, so once I've basically gotten it, we move on. I do often ask for a bit of review either at the beginning or end of a private lesson, but doing that for the whole lesson is like learning to drive a stick shift in a Ferrari. You can do it, it's just a shame and a waste.
During practice parties, there's a lot going on - you have to find a partner, your partner may not have learned the move you just learned, you have to worry about floorcraft and traffic management, and if you're lucky you get three or four minutes of whatever dance you learned this week. For me that's not enough. I need to do a move probably 20 times in a row for my body to start feeling it.
Every instructor will tell you to practice at home, and I do, but only a little, and not enough. I'll claim it's because I want to work with a partner, but that's mostly an excuse. I'm rarely home, and when I am, there are a ton of distractions and diversions. I love working on my house, and it's old enough that there's always more to do. Not to mention (and much more common), I still need to get caught up on Mad Men, and there's always Tivo Guilt.
Plus, I really want to work with a partner. :-/ Different partners if possible.
So I finally bit the bullet and approached several women from my classes about meeting at the studio and drilling. I also checked with the staff to make sure it was OK if we found a corner of the floor and practiced. I've had my first session already - we drilled a flair promenade that I learned in Tango, and I definitely feel I have a better handle on it than some of the more basic stuff I haven't drilled. Fifteen or twenty minutes of repetition made all the difference in me getting it (mostly) out of my head and into my body (somewhat).
So if you're a fellow dance student, set aside some time to drill - I'll be doing so again (and I'm always looking for drill partners - email me!)
20 minutes is the difference between "huh?" and "Yeah, I can do that...."
Monday, March 5, 2012
No way to say
One of the wonderful things about dancing, for nerds like me, is the social protocol. There's an accepted way to interact. But no protocol covers everything, and there's some important things you just can't say.
There's an accepted etiquette for asking another person to dance, leading and following are recognized roles (and skills), you learn how to signal a turn and how to share the floor with other couples. It seems like at least sixty percent of dancing is communication with your partner.
I get a lot wrong, but I've got really strong rhythm. I forget the steps, I can't get out of my head, my weight often is on the wrong foot, and my hips - the tragedy of my hips is monumental. I'm often doing completely the wrong thing, but I'm generally doing it on the beat. I can always hear the beat, I know when to start, and I know when I'm off. My teachers have commented on it, and they're not kidding. If the music that happens to be playing is wrong for my lesson, the lesson is twice as hard. Currently, my whole rationale for dancing is "She ought to feel the beat in your body".
I danced with a new partner recently and we couldn't get in sync. The rhythm I was hearing and the rhythm I was feeling in her were just off. I'm not talking about swinging around the beat, the way jazz does. She was just off and, worse, inconsistent. I restarted a couple of times. I said things like "I think we're out of sync" and "I don't think we're on the beat". I tried to lead bigger. I tried to firm up my frame. I counted in my head. I counted out loud. I tried to ignore the music. I tried to dance to her beat. But I never managed to get synced up with this particular partner.
Late in the dance, visibly frustrated, she said "you're not on the beat", and she honestly meant well by it, was trying to help with all her heart. There was no doubt in her mind. I try really hard to take criticism well. Everybody there has been dancing longer than me, and the list of things I haven't learned dwarfs the seven I have.
But she was wrong. She was the one off the beat. I didn't want to argue with her and I wasn't going to be able to really help either of us.
What can you say, other than "thanks for the dance"?
There's an accepted etiquette for asking another person to dance, leading and following are recognized roles (and skills), you learn how to signal a turn and how to share the floor with other couples. It seems like at least sixty percent of dancing is communication with your partner.
I get a lot wrong, but I've got really strong rhythm. I forget the steps, I can't get out of my head, my weight often is on the wrong foot, and my hips - the tragedy of my hips is monumental. I'm often doing completely the wrong thing, but I'm generally doing it on the beat. I can always hear the beat, I know when to start, and I know when I'm off. My teachers have commented on it, and they're not kidding. If the music that happens to be playing is wrong for my lesson, the lesson is twice as hard. Currently, my whole rationale for dancing is "She ought to feel the beat in your body".
I danced with a new partner recently and we couldn't get in sync. The rhythm I was hearing and the rhythm I was feeling in her were just off. I'm not talking about swinging around the beat, the way jazz does. She was just off and, worse, inconsistent. I restarted a couple of times. I said things like "I think we're out of sync" and "I don't think we're on the beat". I tried to lead bigger. I tried to firm up my frame. I counted in my head. I counted out loud. I tried to ignore the music. I tried to dance to her beat. But I never managed to get synced up with this particular partner.
Late in the dance, visibly frustrated, she said "you're not on the beat", and she honestly meant well by it, was trying to help with all her heart. There was no doubt in her mind. I try really hard to take criticism well. Everybody there has been dancing longer than me, and the list of things I haven't learned dwarfs the seven I have.
But she was wrong. She was the one off the beat. I didn't want to argue with her and I wasn't going to be able to really help either of us.
What can you say, other than "thanks for the dance"?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Day of Dance competition (Updated)
On Feb 25th I went to the Lovelace Hospital "Day of Dance" - A Health Fair and Celebrity Dance competition, like "Dancing with the Stars" (which I haven't seen - should I?)
Anyway, Local Dance Studios volunteered to work with local celebrities and put together a dance routine, and Saturday was the show and competition. There was also social dancing, and a health fair.
The official results, and my brief reactions:
Third Place:
Will Carr of KOAT TV with Patti Smith of CSP Dance Studio - Viennese Waltz. Very enjoyable and inspiring, I'll have much more to say about this shortly...
Second Place: Elias Gallegos, Fox TV and Charity Toya, Arthur Murray. East Coast Swing. Elias is a good looking and fit young man, and that doesn't hurt. He has a very athletic style, and definitely got the "Elvis Leg and Hips" going well (after some effort, apparently). The only thing I saw was they seemed slightly out of sync at times, but if I could pull off the performance they did, I'd be thrilled.
First Place: Heather Mills, KOB TV and Chip Hindi, Enchantment Dancing - Cha Cha. Heather apparently has some dance background, and it showed, both in her performance and her degree of comfort on stage. I see why the judges gave them the highest scores, Heather was clearly having fun, and to my eye she got a lot of details right, her poise, body position, "spotting" her head during spins (I think I'm getting that term right). Really a very beautiful dance.
Now lets talk about what I found inspiring personally.
Marissa Torres KOB TV and Joe Moncada, CSP Dance Studios Cha Cha. Marissa and Joe went first, which has got to be intimidating as hell. I think it also affected their score, unfortunately. I saw a few bobbles, and I'm sure there were mistakes I'm not experienced enough to even see, but it was certainly a performance that both dancers could be proud of. The scoring from the judges put them down in the pack, but it seemed to me that the average scoring crept up significantly over the course of the competition, which was unfortunate for Marissa and Joe. Near the end one of the judges said something about wishing one could go back and give more points to earlier couples and I think this is the couple that the judge had in mind. Judging has got to be a hard job, and I don't fault the judges, they're on the spot and don't have the luxury I do of several days to think about it.
But here's the important thing to me. Early in the routine, Marissa looked very nervous and apprehensive. Excited, and happy to be there, but just not sure how it would turn out. And partway through the dance I saw her just let that go, and laugh to herself, and just abandon herself to the dance. That was very inspiring.
The same apprehension, joy and abandon were on display with another couple - Annette Lindeman of Lovelace hospital with Randy Piatt, the Dance Studio
Fear and enthusiasm and excitement. This was the single most impressive performance to me because Annette went from a mix of major anticipation and apprehension to total abandon and joy. This is a very human drama, and that drama is what having non-professional dancers out there is all about. I don't have words to express how humbled and happy and inspired this made me feel.
That's also one of the things I loved so much about Will Carr's performance. He wasn't a perfect dancer, but it was a performance to be proud of on purely technical grounds. And he showed and overcame some apprehension, and visibly had fun doing it, though more subtly than Marissa or Annette. But Viennese Waltz? Man, that takes some stones. I don't even attempt the Viennese waltz in the security of the dance studio (and when I do, I'm just a roadblock for the good dancers). Will Carr, apparently with no dance background, goes out there and dances one of the fastest, most technical and most challenging dances possible. Will and Patti took a big, big gamble, and must have worked their butts off, and it paid off.
The other thing I admire about the risk Will and Patti took is that a lot of the audience probably didn't even know how hard it was. In my total noob opinion, there are a lot of dances (Swing, Salsa, Rumba, Cha Cha, my favorite, the Jitterbug) that are much easier to get a handle on from a standing start than Viennese Waltz, and few or none harder. Maybe Tango?
The Judges knew this, and the teachers knew this, but a lot of the audience probably did not. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't taken lessons and been exposed to really good dancers doing a Viennese Waltz. I love Waltz (music and the dance), and I made the mistake of thinking "wow, that looks like a very wonderful flowing, fun waltz, let's try it", followed shortly by "I've got a blowout - damper three... Pitch is out, I can't hold altitude.... She's breaking up, she's breaking...." Until you've crashed and burned on the dance floor, you don't know how risky the Viennese Waltz can be. It just looks smooth and flowing and fast, it doesn't look difficult and dangerous. But it is.
UPDATE: Chip Hindi of Enchantment thoughtfully reminds me that his partner, Dawn Davide not only met the same challenge as the other performers, but did so with a broken arm, still in a cast. Once he reminded me, I do remember that fact being mentioned at the time, and I remember that it looked like they were having a lot of fun swing dancing together. I didn't mention the broken arm because I barely saw it and literally failed to remember it. Dawn pulled off the performance so well that I literally didn't notice. Once again, as I learn more, I'm just more impressed. Thanks Chip.
UPDATE: In a very kind email from Patti Smith of CSP, she points out that even the judges may not have appreciated the degree of difficulty that the Viennese Waltz represents. She's certainly right that that was an assumption, and if it was inaccurate, I apologize. I shouldn't assume that everyone understands this difference. If you'd like to learn more about the difficulty of the Viennese Waltz, I strongly recommend this page at dancing4beginners.com which has video that shows the difference much better than I can describe it. Thanks Patti.
Links:
Lovelace Hospital Day of Dance:
Performers:
Lovelace's YouTube Channel, includes several years' worth of video:
Dance Studios:
Enchantment Dancing
Arthur Murray
CSP Dance Studios
The Dance Studio
News stories:
A Longer look at our KOB dancing stars
2012 Day of Dance
Join our Heather Mills and Marissa Torres for a 'Day of Dance'
Lovelace 'Day of Dance' Feb 26
Ballroom Dancing
Waltz vs Viennese Waltz (incl. Video): - highly recommended!
Anyway, Local Dance Studios volunteered to work with local celebrities and put together a dance routine, and Saturday was the show and competition. There was also social dancing, and a health fair.
The official results, and my brief reactions:
Third Place:
Will Carr of KOAT TV with Patti Smith of CSP Dance Studio - Viennese Waltz. Very enjoyable and inspiring, I'll have much more to say about this shortly...
Second Place: Elias Gallegos, Fox TV and Charity Toya, Arthur Murray. East Coast Swing. Elias is a good looking and fit young man, and that doesn't hurt. He has a very athletic style, and definitely got the "Elvis Leg and Hips" going well (after some effort, apparently). The only thing I saw was they seemed slightly out of sync at times, but if I could pull off the performance they did, I'd be thrilled.
First Place: Heather Mills, KOB TV and Chip Hindi, Enchantment Dancing - Cha Cha. Heather apparently has some dance background, and it showed, both in her performance and her degree of comfort on stage. I see why the judges gave them the highest scores, Heather was clearly having fun, and to my eye she got a lot of details right, her poise, body position, "spotting" her head during spins (I think I'm getting that term right). Really a very beautiful dance.
Now lets talk about what I found inspiring personally.
Marissa Torres KOB TV and Joe Moncada, CSP Dance Studios Cha Cha. Marissa and Joe went first, which has got to be intimidating as hell. I think it also affected their score, unfortunately. I saw a few bobbles, and I'm sure there were mistakes I'm not experienced enough to even see, but it was certainly a performance that both dancers could be proud of. The scoring from the judges put them down in the pack, but it seemed to me that the average scoring crept up significantly over the course of the competition, which was unfortunate for Marissa and Joe. Near the end one of the judges said something about wishing one could go back and give more points to earlier couples and I think this is the couple that the judge had in mind. Judging has got to be a hard job, and I don't fault the judges, they're on the spot and don't have the luxury I do of several days to think about it.
But here's the important thing to me. Early in the routine, Marissa looked very nervous and apprehensive. Excited, and happy to be there, but just not sure how it would turn out. And partway through the dance I saw her just let that go, and laugh to herself, and just abandon herself to the dance. That was very inspiring.
The same apprehension, joy and abandon were on display with another couple - Annette Lindeman of Lovelace hospital with Randy Piatt, the Dance Studio
Fear and enthusiasm and excitement. This was the single most impressive performance to me because Annette went from a mix of major anticipation and apprehension to total abandon and joy. This is a very human drama, and that drama is what having non-professional dancers out there is all about. I don't have words to express how humbled and happy and inspired this made me feel.
That's also one of the things I loved so much about Will Carr's performance. He wasn't a perfect dancer, but it was a performance to be proud of on purely technical grounds. And he showed and overcame some apprehension, and visibly had fun doing it, though more subtly than Marissa or Annette. But Viennese Waltz? Man, that takes some stones. I don't even attempt the Viennese waltz in the security of the dance studio (and when I do, I'm just a roadblock for the good dancers). Will Carr, apparently with no dance background, goes out there and dances one of the fastest, most technical and most challenging dances possible. Will and Patti took a big, big gamble, and must have worked their butts off, and it paid off.
The other thing I admire about the risk Will and Patti took is that a lot of the audience probably didn't even know how hard it was. In my total noob opinion, there are a lot of dances (Swing, Salsa, Rumba, Cha Cha, my favorite, the Jitterbug) that are much easier to get a handle on from a standing start than Viennese Waltz, and few or none harder. Maybe Tango?
The Judges knew this, and the teachers knew this, but a lot of the audience probably did not. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't taken lessons and been exposed to really good dancers doing a Viennese Waltz. I love Waltz (music and the dance), and I made the mistake of thinking "wow, that looks like a very wonderful flowing, fun waltz, let's try it", followed shortly by "I've got a blowout - damper three... Pitch is out, I can't hold altitude.... She's breaking up, she's breaking...." Until you've crashed and burned on the dance floor, you don't know how risky the Viennese Waltz can be. It just looks smooth and flowing and fast, it doesn't look difficult and dangerous. But it is.
UPDATE: Chip Hindi of Enchantment thoughtfully reminds me that his partner, Dawn Davide not only met the same challenge as the other performers, but did so with a broken arm, still in a cast. Once he reminded me, I do remember that fact being mentioned at the time, and I remember that it looked like they were having a lot of fun swing dancing together. I didn't mention the broken arm because I barely saw it and literally failed to remember it. Dawn pulled off the performance so well that I literally didn't notice. Once again, as I learn more, I'm just more impressed. Thanks Chip.
UPDATE: In a very kind email from Patti Smith of CSP, she points out that even the judges may not have appreciated the degree of difficulty that the Viennese Waltz represents. She's certainly right that that was an assumption, and if it was inaccurate, I apologize. I shouldn't assume that everyone understands this difference. If you'd like to learn more about the difficulty of the Viennese Waltz, I strongly recommend this page at dancing4beginners.com which has video that shows the difference much better than I can describe it. Thanks Patti.
Links:
Lovelace Hospital Day of Dance:
Performers:
Lovelace's YouTube Channel, includes several years' worth of video:
Dance Studios:
Enchantment Dancing
Arthur Murray
CSP Dance Studios
The Dance Studio
News stories:
A Longer look at our KOB dancing stars
2012 Day of Dance
Join our Heather Mills and Marissa Torres for a 'Day of Dance'
Lovelace 'Day of Dance' Feb 26
Ballroom Dancing
Waltz vs Viennese Waltz (incl. Video): - highly recommended!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Party
So I mentioned that I was signed up to jitterbug in public. It went well, not least because it was a much easier and less stressful situation than I had imagined. I was definitely jitterbugging in public, but it wasn't "all eyes on me" as I'd feared. I was in a crowd of other noobs jitterbugging at the same time. I tried really hard to get out of my head and just have fun and see what happened, with mixed success. I did notice that I didn't attempt the double arm lift / arm slide combination that I just barely feel I have a handle on. If I had tried that (even if I'd failed miserably), then that would have been something. I tell myself that it's totally appropriate to avoid a technique I'm not sure of in a performance, but honestly, it's not like it really would have mattered. I'm happy that I'm at least doing some stuff mostly by body reflex rather than thinking my way through, but I'm not thrilled with my tendency to play it safe. I am happy that I didn't let down the team.
My enthusiasm for the waltz led me a bit astray (again) during the party. I heard a waltz starting up, and found a partner and asked her to dance. As we got out there everyone started spinning and moving and flowing and I realized that this was a Viennese waltz, which (as I've mentioned) is currently out of my depth. And the music didn't feel like the slow waltz was an option. At least I have some coping strategies to mitigate the problem caused by my dancing limits. I headed to the middle of the dance floor so as to minimize the obstruction we were about to become, had a chat with my partner that was equal parts apology, explanation, and brainstorming, and we clunked our way through it despite my error. She was a very good sport, made a few suggestions, and then just locked in to try to follow whatever I was trying to do. Since I was making stuff up, this was a considerable challenge. Respect. By the end we were doing something that was more or less keeping up with the music, but I honestly couldn't tell you what my feet were doing and there was nothing else going on, other than focusing on footwork. I don't think any toes were lost in the escapade.
This all was part of a party the Dance studio was throwing for students. It was a much, much bigger thing than my little bit, with workshops, and performances by students with lots of feedback from itinerant experts as well as the staff, lots of social dancing, good food, and dance demonstrations from the staff pros. It was a really good time. The pros did some awesome numbers with complex choreography and snappy costumes, and those were very fun to watch. I'm sure I'll be even more impressed as I learn just what it is that's going on. They're a long, long way from quick, quick, slow....
The other thing I'm very impressed by is how hard the staff worked to make sure everyone had a good time. It had to be a very long day, and they were dancing their feet off, and they kept hitting it hard right to the end. In one small example, during the awards ceremony at the end of the day, the men at the dance studio were making a point of escorting their female students up to receive their awards and recognition, in a very gallant and chivalrous way - Making it a little flourish. Not in a show off, "look at me" kind of way, but in a wonderful, masculine, generous "Look at her" sort of way. It was considerate and admirable, and it looked good too. It's a joy to watch a man who's really in touch with his body move, and it's wonderful how much can be communicated by every movement.
I want that too.
My enthusiasm for the waltz led me a bit astray (again) during the party. I heard a waltz starting up, and found a partner and asked her to dance. As we got out there everyone started spinning and moving and flowing and I realized that this was a Viennese waltz, which (as I've mentioned) is currently out of my depth. And the music didn't feel like the slow waltz was an option. At least I have some coping strategies to mitigate the problem caused by my dancing limits. I headed to the middle of the dance floor so as to minimize the obstruction we were about to become, had a chat with my partner that was equal parts apology, explanation, and brainstorming, and we clunked our way through it despite my error. She was a very good sport, made a few suggestions, and then just locked in to try to follow whatever I was trying to do. Since I was making stuff up, this was a considerable challenge. Respect. By the end we were doing something that was more or less keeping up with the music, but I honestly couldn't tell you what my feet were doing and there was nothing else going on, other than focusing on footwork. I don't think any toes were lost in the escapade.
This all was part of a party the Dance studio was throwing for students. It was a much, much bigger thing than my little bit, with workshops, and performances by students with lots of feedback from itinerant experts as well as the staff, lots of social dancing, good food, and dance demonstrations from the staff pros. It was a really good time. The pros did some awesome numbers with complex choreography and snappy costumes, and those were very fun to watch. I'm sure I'll be even more impressed as I learn just what it is that's going on. They're a long, long way from quick, quick, slow....
The other thing I'm very impressed by is how hard the staff worked to make sure everyone had a good time. It had to be a very long day, and they were dancing their feet off, and they kept hitting it hard right to the end. In one small example, during the awards ceremony at the end of the day, the men at the dance studio were making a point of escorting their female students up to receive their awards and recognition, in a very gallant and chivalrous way - Making it a little flourish. Not in a show off, "look at me" kind of way, but in a wonderful, masculine, generous "Look at her" sort of way. It was considerate and admirable, and it looked good too. It's a joy to watch a man who's really in touch with his body move, and it's wonderful how much can be communicated by every movement.
I want that too.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
How it all began
I never thought I'd be taking dance lessons. I've been on a pretty deliberate self improvement kick for a year or two and dance lessons weren't on the short list. They weren't even on the long list. They weren't on ANY list. If you'd have suggested them, I'd have reacted like most men I know - like I was going to get cooties. And I'm not kidding - people HAVE suggested dance lessons to me in the past, and I sneered and ridiculed them. So I owe all those people an apology now - if you're one of them, find me and remind me, and I'll apologize and buy you a coffee or something.
So as a warning to other young men, here is my story. Here is how they suck you in and trap you in an experience that will enrich your character, expand your horizons and change your life.
I was eating dinner at a club one night, and instead of the usual karaoke or kickball crowd (really, I swear, they have tee shirts and everything...), people began showing up. People dressed to go out. I notice these people are pretty fit and slender, which is, sadly, rare enough to make them stand out. One lass shows up, and this girl is Put Together for an Event. She's got the sexy heels, and is in an actual dress which is also, sadly, rare around here. Whoever she's meeting will definintely be glad to see her. She heads over by where the DJ is set up, and where I now see a big happy guy in a Hawaiian shirt. I'm a nerd, so I'm not sure, but "Hawaiian shirt" feels different than "dressed to go out". If she's there to meet him, they didn't coordinate that much...
Anyway, the DJ is spinning Latin beats and these people start dancing. Like for-real dancing, not random twitching, You know, spinning and turning and stuff. Coordinated movement between two people. Like that. Hawaiian shirt guy gets even happier, because he's the only guy there so far, and he's in high demand, he needs one of those "take a number" machines. To me he doesn't look like he's the best dancer in the world - some of the time he's not moving his feet at all, he's just concentrating on spinning his partner. But when he moves it works, so he's got some kind of training or practice in his background. What he's doing looks totally doable. And he's having as much fun as is permitted by law.
Of course (as I would learn in my very first lesson), Dancing isn't about the guy, it's about showing off the lady. And these ladies are having fun and showing off. Put Together Woman (who we will now call the DanceEvangelista, for reasons which will soon become obvious) is a really, really good dancer. In my experience, there are two levels of good in most things. There is level one of good, which is totally obvious if you know something about the activity, but which is often lost on the outsider, and there's level two good, which is obvious even to an outsider, and as you learn more about it, just gets more and more impressive. The DanceEvangelista is level two good, and it showed even to my untrained eye in the span of about 15 minutes.
Some other Gentlemen show up, including Mustachios and Slender Latin Fella, and these guys are clearly better dancers than Hawaiian Shirt is. I 'm starting to see what is possible, but Hawaiian Shirt keeps reminding me it would probably be pretty easy to get started. And everybody is just having too much fun.
Of course, I'm too self-conscious to actually try anything, or ask any questions, but I am very much enjoying the show, and it's dawning on me why my Mom and everybody else kept saying that I should take Dance lessons. People come in and out, everybody has a different style, but the theme is "fun".
I get ready to leave, and I'm disappointed to notice that the DanceEvangelista has apparently left. Oh well, I guess I won't be learning to dance after all. I could ask one of the remaining dancers, but they're all the way Over There and the door is Right Here... (yes, I make excuses. I'm aware. Deal with it.)
Still, a pretty good night, all in all. Maybe I'll find out about dance lessons someday. I get in my car and head out.
And lo and behold, I drive past the DanceEvangelista and her boyfriend getting into a car in the parking lot. Sometimes the Universe is willing to give you ANOTHER hint. What the hell. I roll down my window and say "You guys were having too much fun, that's great" ... "Thanks" ... I ask "how would I get started ...?" And that triggers the DancEvangelista like she's an attack dog that just got the command. She more or less shoves the boyfriend out of the way and tells me "I'm an instructor at such-and-such studio, we have an introductory package that ...." I swear if she'd had a business card on her, I'm sure it would have been flicked into the center of my forehead like a ninja star. "Uhhhh... Thanks and good night".
In a couple of days, I make an appointment at the Dance Studio and show up to see what's what. I chat with a very pleasant, confident, mellow guy, and then he hands me over to Teach for my intro lesson. Teach asks me enough about myself to get a feel for how I learn, and immediately gets the fact that I'm a nerdly type that lives all up in my head. Not that I hide that, but it's cool that she's trying to reach me where I live. I'm not the first nerd they've taught, of course. I end the lesson only fractionally better than I began, but that's actually pretty impressive considering my total lack of experience or even a mental framework for any of this.
And there are other dancers there, Instructors and students, moving with grace and style. Inspiring, and awesome, and enviable. And some students that are on the wrong foot or locking up in confusion, or asking questions, all of which I've already done, and will clearly keep doing for a while.
And then the DanceEvangelista grabs me and gets a chance to do the OTHER thing she does really, really well - selling. And I say this with the highest respect - in a previous job I was the designated nerd for our sales staff, and I know second hand how important and difficult a job sales is. A good salesperson helps you see what's possible and shows you how your life can be made better, and makes it real to you. And the DanceEvangelista is hitting it out of the park, in addition to literally being a walking advertisement for dance awesomeness. (I'm starting to kinda hope she doesn't read this - wouldn't want her to get a big head....) It helps that she really, really believes in her product, and the staff, and the program, with good reason. It's frankly overwhelming. I know I'm a dilettante that's likely to lose interest and wander off after a while, and this is clearly her Life's Purpose (tm). That's intimidating to those of us who don't have one, and aren't likely to. But intimidated or not, there's fun and challenge and masculinity and grace over that horizon, and so I'm in.
So as a warning to other young men, here is my story. Here is how they suck you in and trap you in an experience that will enrich your character, expand your horizons and change your life.
I was eating dinner at a club one night, and instead of the usual karaoke or kickball crowd (really, I swear, they have tee shirts and everything...), people began showing up. People dressed to go out. I notice these people are pretty fit and slender, which is, sadly, rare enough to make them stand out. One lass shows up, and this girl is Put Together for an Event. She's got the sexy heels, and is in an actual dress which is also, sadly, rare around here. Whoever she's meeting will definintely be glad to see her. She heads over by where the DJ is set up, and where I now see a big happy guy in a Hawaiian shirt. I'm a nerd, so I'm not sure, but "Hawaiian shirt" feels different than "dressed to go out". If she's there to meet him, they didn't coordinate that much...
Anyway, the DJ is spinning Latin beats and these people start dancing. Like for-real dancing, not random twitching, You know, spinning and turning and stuff. Coordinated movement between two people. Like that. Hawaiian shirt guy gets even happier, because he's the only guy there so far, and he's in high demand, he needs one of those "take a number" machines. To me he doesn't look like he's the best dancer in the world - some of the time he's not moving his feet at all, he's just concentrating on spinning his partner. But when he moves it works, so he's got some kind of training or practice in his background. What he's doing looks totally doable. And he's having as much fun as is permitted by law.
Of course (as I would learn in my very first lesson), Dancing isn't about the guy, it's about showing off the lady. And these ladies are having fun and showing off. Put Together Woman (who we will now call the DanceEvangelista, for reasons which will soon become obvious) is a really, really good dancer. In my experience, there are two levels of good in most things. There is level one of good, which is totally obvious if you know something about the activity, but which is often lost on the outsider, and there's level two good, which is obvious even to an outsider, and as you learn more about it, just gets more and more impressive. The DanceEvangelista is level two good, and it showed even to my untrained eye in the span of about 15 minutes.
Some other Gentlemen show up, including Mustachios and Slender Latin Fella, and these guys are clearly better dancers than Hawaiian Shirt is. I 'm starting to see what is possible, but Hawaiian Shirt keeps reminding me it would probably be pretty easy to get started. And everybody is just having too much fun.
Of course, I'm too self-conscious to actually try anything, or ask any questions, but I am very much enjoying the show, and it's dawning on me why my Mom and everybody else kept saying that I should take Dance lessons. People come in and out, everybody has a different style, but the theme is "fun".
I get ready to leave, and I'm disappointed to notice that the DanceEvangelista has apparently left. Oh well, I guess I won't be learning to dance after all. I could ask one of the remaining dancers, but they're all the way Over There and the door is Right Here... (yes, I make excuses. I'm aware. Deal with it.)
Still, a pretty good night, all in all. Maybe I'll find out about dance lessons someday. I get in my car and head out.
And lo and behold, I drive past the DanceEvangelista and her boyfriend getting into a car in the parking lot. Sometimes the Universe is willing to give you ANOTHER hint. What the hell. I roll down my window and say "You guys were having too much fun, that's great" ... "Thanks" ... I ask "how would I get started ...?" And that triggers the DancEvangelista like she's an attack dog that just got the command. She more or less shoves the boyfriend out of the way and tells me "I'm an instructor at such-and-such studio, we have an introductory package that ...." I swear if she'd had a business card on her, I'm sure it would have been flicked into the center of my forehead like a ninja star. "Uhhhh... Thanks and good night".
In a couple of days, I make an appointment at the Dance Studio and show up to see what's what. I chat with a very pleasant, confident, mellow guy, and then he hands me over to Teach for my intro lesson. Teach asks me enough about myself to get a feel for how I learn, and immediately gets the fact that I'm a nerdly type that lives all up in my head. Not that I hide that, but it's cool that she's trying to reach me where I live. I'm not the first nerd they've taught, of course. I end the lesson only fractionally better than I began, but that's actually pretty impressive considering my total lack of experience or even a mental framework for any of this.
And there are other dancers there, Instructors and students, moving with grace and style. Inspiring, and awesome, and enviable. And some students that are on the wrong foot or locking up in confusion, or asking questions, all of which I've already done, and will clearly keep doing for a while.
And then the DanceEvangelista grabs me and gets a chance to do the OTHER thing she does really, really well - selling. And I say this with the highest respect - in a previous job I was the designated nerd for our sales staff, and I know second hand how important and difficult a job sales is. A good salesperson helps you see what's possible and shows you how your life can be made better, and makes it real to you. And the DanceEvangelista is hitting it out of the park, in addition to literally being a walking advertisement for dance awesomeness. (I'm starting to kinda hope she doesn't read this - wouldn't want her to get a big head....) It helps that she really, really believes in her product, and the staff, and the program, with good reason. It's frankly overwhelming. I know I'm a dilettante that's likely to lose interest and wander off after a while, and this is clearly her Life's Purpose (tm). That's intimidating to those of us who don't have one, and aren't likely to. But intimidated or not, there's fun and challenge and masculinity and grace over that horizon, and so I'm in.
Waltz, Rumba and Salsa lesson notes
Tonight I had a private lesson, we worked on Rumba, Waltz and Salsa. Some of this was review, but a little new stuff. This post is mostly just my lesson notes - Converting this stuff into words helps me remember it, but probably keeps me too much up in my head. So if lesson notes sounds like an uninteresting post, you'll want to click ahead.
Waltz:
We worked on Promenade. I've done Promenade in Tango, where it is similar, and, frankly, trickier. I need to remember to elongate my frame, and I think I'm opening my hips too much in promenade. The hesitation during promenade felt very natural, but then I'm a slave to the beat.
We also did an open break - underarm turn combination. Aaaarg, the critical details are already fading!! Let's see, 1st half of a normal box then sidestep? is that right? Then back rock step Left, and lead the turn, back rock step Right, (turning...) then another hesitation before we're off to the waltzes again. I'm starting to love the hesitations in the waltz, they're subtly dramatic and they're what makes it human and to me they add so much to the flow of the dance. Without the hesitations, it could be done by clockwork dancers (which I probably resemble, but not for long....)
Salsa:
We reviewed cross body lead, and I needed the review, I wanted to start it on 3 (back step), but it needs to be set up on 2, otherwise my partner can't feel it coming. We also did a double face loop, I tend to hang on too long, in which case I tend to turn my body out, but that's not the end of the world, it's a decent set up for a cross body lead. I think getting into the Right-over-Left handshake hold to start this all is probably my biggest problem right now.
We also reviewed coaster action, which I was fine with, but I had a surprisingly hard time knowing what to do with my right foot after my left foot comes up. I need a thousand reps, as usual.
Rumba:
We also did an open break, underarm turn combo, Teach is obviously building on the Waltz lesson. I need practice rolling my left hand from the closed grip to the low open grip. And I think I am often too high with my Right arm - Teach very insightfully helped me understand that if our arms aren't nice and straight, I can't provide a strong lead. I'm starting to get my lead together on the "close the door" finale to this combination (the same motion also completes the cross body lead), and I love the way that feels when I'm leading it confidently.
The DanceEvangelista has drafted me into a little dance competition on Saturday. I'm the token noob on her team, and we're going to do a Jitterbug. I'm pushing my comfort level here, Though I'm decent at Jitterbug for all my noobness, if I do say so myself. But I'm nervous about the spotlight. Making mistakes in the middle of a crowd of other people who are all working through their own dance issues is one thing. All eyes on me and no other distractions is intimidating.
Waltz:
We worked on Promenade. I've done Promenade in Tango, where it is similar, and, frankly, trickier. I need to remember to elongate my frame, and I think I'm opening my hips too much in promenade. The hesitation during promenade felt very natural, but then I'm a slave to the beat.
We also did an open break - underarm turn combination. Aaaarg, the critical details are already fading!! Let's see, 1st half of a normal box then sidestep? is that right? Then back rock step Left, and lead the turn, back rock step Right, (turning...) then another hesitation before we're off to the waltzes again. I'm starting to love the hesitations in the waltz, they're subtly dramatic and they're what makes it human and to me they add so much to the flow of the dance. Without the hesitations, it could be done by clockwork dancers (which I probably resemble, but not for long....)
Salsa:
We reviewed cross body lead, and I needed the review, I wanted to start it on 3 (back step), but it needs to be set up on 2, otherwise my partner can't feel it coming. We also did a double face loop, I tend to hang on too long, in which case I tend to turn my body out, but that's not the end of the world, it's a decent set up for a cross body lead. I think getting into the Right-over-Left handshake hold to start this all is probably my biggest problem right now.
We also reviewed coaster action, which I was fine with, but I had a surprisingly hard time knowing what to do with my right foot after my left foot comes up. I need a thousand reps, as usual.
Rumba:
We also did an open break, underarm turn combo, Teach is obviously building on the Waltz lesson. I need practice rolling my left hand from the closed grip to the low open grip. And I think I am often too high with my Right arm - Teach very insightfully helped me understand that if our arms aren't nice and straight, I can't provide a strong lead. I'm starting to get my lead together on the "close the door" finale to this combination (the same motion also completes the cross body lead), and I love the way that feels when I'm leading it confidently.
The DanceEvangelista has drafted me into a little dance competition on Saturday. I'm the token noob on her team, and we're going to do a Jitterbug. I'm pushing my comfort level here, Though I'm decent at Jitterbug for all my noobness, if I do say so myself. But I'm nervous about the spotlight. Making mistakes in the middle of a crowd of other people who are all working through their own dance issues is one thing. All eyes on me and no other distractions is intimidating.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)