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 New ways of thinking about the learning of danceI can't remember the last time I updated this blog so here's a contribution to get me back on track!If you've read through the other articles in this section of our website you'll know that I find the process of learning quite fascinating, particularly in relation to learning dance. But if you've been dancing for many years it can be a little difficult to put yourself into the shoes of a beginner to both remember how that feels and to shed a little light that might make the process easier. But recently I started learning a whole new dance-form which has brought the learning process back into sharp focus for me. Lists are easier to read than a long narrative so here's a list of some of the things that have occurred to me... in no particular order! (Re-reading this I realise I have to apologise in advance for the fact that my 'list' is actually a long narrative divided into a small number of large parts!!)... 1) How you prefer to learn should affect your choice of method Knowing how you learn will help you decide on a strategy for learning how to dance. This doesn't mean you should try to come up with an off-the-wall and unproven approach to learning - that may work out ok but there's a risk that you will not get the basics right - and failing to get the basics will store trouble for the future. But there are a number of formats for learning that are available from most, if not all, dance teachers. For example, you can attend drop-in beginners classes or a beginners course of varying duration (I teach both 3 and 6 week beginners courses). Drop-in classes will have a less structured feeling than a planned and progressive course - and you may find that when you start your classes on a drop-in basis there will be others who've been attending for longer - but the informality and reduced ongoing commitment may appeal. A structured course has a clear beginning, middle and end and you're more likely to start in a group of people who are all at pretty much the same level as you. If you are of a slightly nervous disposition and know you need an incentive to keep attending (until the group gels and/or you feel comfortable with both the people and what is being taught) then a course may be your best plan - if you've forked out some money in advance then there's more chance you'll stick at the classes long enough to find your comfort zone (I find that men, in particular, need to do at least three weekly classes to discover that it's something they want to continue with - the drop-out rate within the first three weeks can be very high - one reason why I avoid teaching beginners on a drop-in basis). Your other learning option is to go for private classes, attending with someone else or solo. If you need detailed information and a teaching style geared to your pace of learning then private classes will be very helpful. They'll be more expensive (typically £30 to £40 per hour - some teachers charge extra if they're teaching a couple - I'm not sure why, but there you go...). But even if you're a (wealthy) beginner you should still think hard before signing up for private classes because you'll be missing out on dancing with a variety of partners - and that process is important when you learning (it's easy to get into bad habits and anticipation with a single partner - and you'll fail to learn that every partner is different - as a lead this helps you to develop a clear and consistent leading style, as a follower you'll learn how to follow with more confidence). Most teachers don't advertise private classes so ask about the possibility if you're interested. Courses on DVD are available for all levels. You may find these helpful as back-up to a class taught by a 'real' teacher but as a stand-alone learning method for beginners I have my doubts. In fact, in ten years I've never heard anyone say they learned to dance exclusively from a DVD. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has! But a DVD, or a YouTube video, may be a good way forward for those people who need a little knowledge before attending their first class or as back-up to the classes you're attending (make sure the dance styles match!) . Getting the Basic step sorted before you attend your first class can be a goo confidence boost. If you have a friend who already dances get them to show you the basic step (they don't even need to take you into partner-work). For an immediate step in this direction you can check out a very simple video we put together ages ago (the sound quality is atrocious and there's far too much talking but you'll get the message) - follow the link below (which will open in a new browser window so you won't lose your place in this article - when you get to that page use the password 'dancing' - the video introduces the Basic step and partner hold. Click here to watch the video. I just had one more thought about private classes - if you really do belong to the 'I've got two left feet' school of thought then a couple of private classes may be all you need to discover that what you've got is a temporary mindset and not a permanent disability! In that time a good teacher is very likely to move you on to the point where you will realise that, in fact, there's no such thing as two left feet except in your own mind! 2) Practicing What can I say? A class gives you enough information to go away and start practicing. If you don't practice you won't hold the information in your head until your next class and, in the slight chance that you do hold onto it you probably won't be able to dance it (muscles have to be trained to interpret what's in your head... I mean, how long did it take you to learn to walk?!). If you don't have a partner and there's no practice time at class then you're got a problem - but there usually is time at a class to spend on some practice - just 10 minutes repeating the taught move can make a lot of difference. With the new dance I've been learning my weekly schedule looks something like this: Monday evening - I attend a one hour group class and I practice for about 30 minutes after Tuesday evening - I practice again for about 45 minutes Thursday evening - I attend a private class for one hour with my dance partner Saturday evening - I attend a dance night lasting at least 3 hours I'm not practising the Monday evening class content at every one of the following sessions but I'll try to work it in often enough be able to dance it freestyle. I would be the first to admit that I probably have an excessive enthusiasm for this dancing milarky and the above schedule doesn't include the 6 hours of salsa teaching I deliver each week, or the long-weekend workshops that crop up at least once a month - but you get the idea!). Don't feel you have to turn into a fanatic like me though, a couple of 15 minute practice sessions during the week would go a very long way when you're starting out. I also like the idea of 'dance miles' - the more you do the better you get. 3) Not all moves are good moves (for you) I'm 6ft 3in and, er, reasonably heavily built(!). What I choose to dance suits me. There's stuff I occasionally see others dancing that I know I wouldn't be comfortable doing. And, in the fairly pattern-led world of salsa not all patterns appeal to me - they may feel uncomfortable, or I may get too dizzy or a level of agility is required that I simply don't have. This is all fine. Just learn to recognise what works best for you and don't beat yourself up if you can't perform everything you're taught. Do the class anyway - you'll get something out of it. You may find that if your teacher has a very different body-form than you that what they teach will less frequently feel right for you - this is worth bearing in mind when choosing a teacher - but it's only one factor - I may still choose to attend a class led by someone of 5ft who eats like a sparrow if the quality of the teaching is good. Followers have to learn to follow anything that's led, so they have a little less choice, but on the other hand, they're relieved the responsibility of have to memorize patterns! On the dancefloor I would expect the person doing the leading to take into account your body-form in the choice of moves that are being led. And, similarly, I would expect a good teacher to adapt a move or pattern during class to accommodate different body-forms. 4) It may not be you Sometimes a move taught in a class doesn't seem to work out for you at all. If the class involves partner changes (most do) and the problem is the same with everyone you dance with then the chances are that the problem lies with you (unless no-one is getting in which case it may be the teacher who's at fault!). If the problem doesn't resolve itself during the class then talk to the teacher afterwards (don't leave it until the following week as most of us forget what we taught the previous week!). After all, you've paid your cash so ideally you should be walking out with the some useful information. If the move is simply too difficult for you then that's ok, it's not the end of the world - learn to recognise that it's just an issue of skill level and you'll probably find next week things will feel a little easier (if this happens consistently take a long hard look at the quality of the teaching - if that's ok - and it probably will be - then the issue may be that you have simply pushed forward a little too quickly - take a step back into a lower level class or repeat that beginners course). But also bear in mind that it may (just) be that the other leaders/followers in the class who are getting it wrong. Check this out by asking the best dancer in the room to dance the move through with you a couple of times - they'll be able to tell you if something's wrong with your lead or follow. As a rule - get that feedback from the teacher or from someone a level or two above you - I've found that people who are at my level can be very assertive that I'm doing something wrong only to be contradicted by the teacher. 5) The 3000 hour rule You're going to like this! We all know there are gifted people in the world who have remarkable talents who will always be at the top of the tree their particular talents relate to. If you feel this is unfair then console yourself with this... these gifted genius individuals usually have one fatal flaw - they tend to be lazy. And they're lazy because stuff comes too easily to them. Even a genius has to make an effort to be the very best. More often than not they don't bother. That leaves the way clear for lesser mortals like you and me. It has been calculated (I know this because I heard it on Radio 4!) that to become highly proficient at something you need to do it, in one form or another, for at least 3000 hours. Well, yeh, I hear you say, that's all very well but 3000 hours is A Long Time. But is it? Do a one hour class every week and it'll take you about 58 years to be pretty damn good (or, like most of us, you'll be dead). Three hours a week will take you just under 20 years. Six hours and you're down to ten (that equates with what I'm doing with the new dance I'm learning). I've been dancing salsa now for about 10 years and I've probably averaged at least that magic 6 hours per week. Now, I'm not saying I'm all that brilliant at what I do but I know that I can hold a candle to most people who dance in the same places I dance - I'm no worse than the best of them (with maybe three or four exceptions - and those guys obviously either diligent geniuses or they're into dancing with an almost religous fervour!). I'm no natural dancer by any means... but today I teach this stuff - which kinda proves the 3000 hour rule (you may beg to differ - feel free to add a comment below!. Some people say 'but look at Mozart - wasn't he a child prodigy - he didn't practice for 3000 hours' - but it's argued that that is just what he did - with the active encouragement of his father... it's been calculated that by the time the child Mozart was wowing people with his youthful brilliance he had almost certainly managed to get 3000 hours under his infant belt - add to this that he was also a genius and you can see why he shone so brightly. The coolest thing about those 3000 hours is that they're progressive and you'll be dancing competently from very early on - so clocking up the full number is nothing more than fun! 6) What you learn at the beginning is the hardest stuff Early on there's only so much you can be taught before your head explodes. At the same time, we need to get you doing stuff so you've got the basics nailed. This is all well and good but there is a danger that you will think that the move you learned in week four has been learned to the full. This is never the case. I guarantee that if you've been dancing salsa for five years and you attend a well taught class for absolute beginners you will learn something. I know this because I did just that. They say in this new dance I'm learning that everyone is taught the core moves inside the first 8 to 10 weeks. Then they move on to ever more demanding stuff. Then, one day, they decide they're ready for an advanced class and at the class the teacher explains that they're going to learn the Embrace, or the Walk - stuff that was covered in week one. And then they learn that they not attending a refresher class - they discover that what is being taught is some of the hardest stuff they've ever come across - and they thought they'd covered it as a beginner. I can say with some confidence that if you put me in front of a class attended by salsa dancers with at least a couple of years experience and I set about teaching, let's say, the Cross Body Lead and the followers Clockwise turn I will probably have stuff to teach to every person in the room without moving on from those basic moves. That's because the more you get into this dancing lark the more you find there is to learn. This is not a criticism of anyone's dancing (or of anyone's teaching, for that matter) - it's about discovering that you can constantly be improving what you are doing today. I may add more to this blog... this is probably enough for now! Promotion
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2 commentsPosted by Jeremy on Mon 12 Oct 2009 at 8:24 PM
Well written
I have only danced a year but do go back to basic lessons when I can and what you say is so true allways pick up something. The 3000 hours is encouraging as you tend to feel that the expert dancers (like yourself!) just magically become that good!
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Posted by Steve R on Wed 28 Oct 2009 at 8:53 PM
Re Visiting Beginners Stuff
I couldn't agree more with your blog! - I have been dancing for about 18 months at a rate of 6-12 hours/week and I still get a great deal of infomation/technique out of helping out in the beginners classes.
From time to time I also see a few people at a variety of venues who think they are above all that and from watching them their technique and style often leaves much to be desired.
For me, I feel that periodically need to go "back to basics" to help iron out any bad habits I might be developing.
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