• Dance Discussions - For Teachers - Workshops & Classes

    5 ways to teach to follows

    September 23, 2019 - By 

    It is very easy for teachers to fall into the leader trap. Very often, it makes the most sense for many movements to teach the leads the structure, and then have the followers just “follow along”. But, this has unintended consequences. For example, the lack of follow-centric teaching in many classes causes followers to feel disillusioned with the learning process because they feel like a prop. It can also reinforce the idea that following is “easy”, and always the result of the leader’s quality. And, it stunts the ability for follows to have a conscious understanding of why, when, and…

  • Workshops & Classes

    The Secret to Giving Unoffensive Feedback

    May 25, 2018 - By 

    In group classes, it can be a struggle to find the line between providing feedback to a partner, asking for what you want, and becoming the teacher. In my opinion, feedback and asking for what you need from a partner is an integral part of learning. For example, asking a lead to do something with less force or focus on a particular element can make a follow’s learning experience far more effective. For leaders, asking a follower to wait can be helpful for understanding the actual mechanics of a movement. But, in order to give appropriate feedback, the provider needs to avoid…

  • Workshops & Classes

    When you learned something wrong

    March 8, 2018 - By 

    We trust dance teachers to tell us the “right” way to dance. Whether it’s how to place your foot, establish connection, or execute general body mechanics, we use their guidance to grow and learn. But, what happens if our teachers tell us something wrong? How Teachers can be Wrong There are several reasons that a teacher may be “wrong”. Some teachers have few access to resources, and therefore are ‘filling in’ the blanks that they don’t yet understand themselves. Some are stubborn, and refuse to seek out correct answers for problems in their methodologies. And, some are mistakenly bringing in elements…

  • Workshops & Classes

    The 12 Types of Workshop Dancers

    March 28, 2017 - By 

    It seems that in every workshop, there’s some very recognizable dancers who come out to play. Whether it’s in weekly classes or congresses, you’re sure to find these dancers around the world and in every style. 1. The Questioner You guessed it – the Questioner has a question about everything. Whether it’s foot placement, connection, or some tiny detail about which muscle engages on count 2.5 of the pattern, they will have a question (or 10). Sometimes, the questions are so obscure or off-topic that the teachers are not able to answer them. But, every once in a while, the…

  • Workshops & Classes

    When Fixing Problems Goes Too Far

    March 22, 2017 - By 

    When I was a new teacher, I had a student who began as a very ‘heavy’ follow. She used so much resistance that I would be exhausted after one dance with her. After a few months of regular practice, she became a ‘lighter’ follow. It was a beautiful connection. But, she didn’t stop there. She kept trying to connect more lightly. After all, the response to the initial ‘lightening’ was very good – so more must be better, right? The Overcorrection Conundrum This is a habit that I’ve seen quite frequently with dedicated but less-experienced partner dancers. First, they get a piece…

  • Dance Discussions - Workshops & Classes

    The Overeducation of Social Dancers

    December 1, 2016 - By 

    I love how many dance communities have a strong emphasis on technical foundations. It’s something that advanced dancers always loved, but social media made the importance of technical education more prominent. Dance scenes are growing and expanding. Some students take many classes a week, or invest thousands of dollars in privates. But, are we overeducating our social dancers? Defining Overeducation For the purposes of this article, overeducation has less to do with ‘taking too many classes’ than with an overemphasis on one facet of dancing at the expense of other equally-important components. For example: if you take 200 hours worth of dance training and 199…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Congresses & Travel - Workshops & Classes

    Workshop and Dance Class Best Practices

    June 21, 2016 - By 

    Workshops and classes are one of the building blocks of the dance community. They’re what allow us to grow, learn, and be exposed to new concepts most effectively. They support new generations of dancers, and hone the tools of more experienced dancers. But, it’s also important to make sure that we’re using workshops and classes effectively. This is both in terms of what *we* take out of the workshop – and what we can do to help others who are learning in the same class.