how can we make our dance classes better?
You know, I feel like the most interesting part of dance is teaching it to others. If you get me talking about learning theory, I might not ever shut up.
Make better dancers in shorter amounts of time. This is our basic goal. Better dancers meaning dancers who are both technically sound and capable of expressing themselves in an authentic -emotionally connected- way. Note I said, shorter amounts of time, not short. Efficiency should reinforce quality, not interfere with it.
Anyone can become a great dancer. We ride heavy on this premise and assume it the moment people walk into our studio. We don’t cut much slack for a reason. You already have what it takes. I think we’ve proven this at Paso now and in the past, by making dancers out of anyone who wants to put in the time to do so.
Once you accept that dance instruction should be simple and efficient, AND that anyone is capable of becoming a great dancer, what can we do to make it better? We are already years ahead of other schools in terms of instruction methods, we want to go light years.
These are just a few questions that pop into my head. Please feel free to add everything and anything else. I know there are more efficient and tighter methods out there and right now we are on the hunt!!
Should classes be longer or shorter?
What would help you develop certain areas faster?
What areas are focused on but not focused on enough?
What would you change? How and why?
Please donate any exercises or ideas or experiences that you have that would help dancers to improve.
If you’ve got any input, give it. What may seem like nothing to you may be a “light bulb” to us.
As always think outside the box. Feel free to email us as well: info@pasosalsastudios.com
Thanks!
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- should instructors teach steps before clave and music?
- a salsa dance fit for a wedding
- but no one asks me to dance!
We work a lot on body movement, which we need, but not at all on sueltas, which emphasize body movement and creativity, as well as working with a group of people.
I like the length of class and how there is plenty of time for social dance and whatever else we want to do at the end of each class.
I really liked the “mood” exercise we did, when people were in different states of mind while dancing and had to use that. Maybe we could do the same thing with one-on-one by using a different song for each couple that expresses a different mood, which they have to follow while using the same short routine (a couple of rueda moves that we have been working on, in a specific order). It might help us see the creative possibility of moves with which we are in a rut.
I love how Paso works, and how it changes up depending on the day and the class. It stays really interesting because you’re still learning about dance even as we do, which keeps your dance fresher and inspires us to keep going.
Great insight!
So you are saying we need to integrate more Suelta group exercises?
I like what we had going on last night. The reason we don’t push Sueltas like we used to is just because of lack of time. We are trying to squeeze so much while not making class too looooooong. And to allow for dancing afterward.
But having more free flow “mimic her” type exercises is a good thing, I agree. Build wicked coordination, and because Paso people already tend to have good coordination, it’s great even for an instructor to try and follow other dancer’s movements. It’s tough!
I really do like you idea of adding limitations by giving them only a certain movement set to use while still expressing their “mood”. Not sure how we could use a different song for each couple, since there are usually other people and classes being taught.
I learn plenty from you guys, including body movements. To be honest that’s another reason why I like these free flow Sueltas -I get to learn new movements as well. Interesting that you noticed many of our exercises are also designed to keep the instructor’s mind fresh! I think you’re the first to openly address this!
Our play book is literally packed with more exercises than you could imagine. The challenge is to pick just a few for each class when I want to do them all. The best instructors, refine a few things and actively ignore a lot. One piece at a time…….
I’m sure that as I take more classes I will have more comments about them, but for now I can say that I really appreciated the blind follow exercise we did last week. I think it is great for the lead and the follow because if the lead isn’t strong the follow will not be strong, additionally, the follow has to be attentive to what they feel from the leader.
Becoming a strong follower allows be to dance in a variety of dance styles. I have been doing a little swing dancing in the past several weeks and I haven’t had many lessons. So it’s beneficial all around.
I also appreciate that you don’t get too hung up on the details of movements or patterns because that can take so much time, but at the same time a little more detail or examples might be helpful for me and others.
The exercise last week where we just free danced was a good exercise. I guess that is what you call suelta? I felt pretty self conscious during the exercise, but I think it is helpful for me to get through that discomfort to become a better dancer. It also helps me connect with the music better, which is my first passion (especially Cuban music).
Maybe some kind of activity or exercise that involves recognizing the different sounds, beats, rhythms in music and how that can connect with body movement. I think you touched on that in class last week as well.
Most inspiring for me though is how evident it is that you love to dance and you want to share that love of dance with other people. It doesn’t seem like a chore to you (although I sure that it wears on you at times) and you are willing to be flexible and give extra time to students when they need it.
It would be fun to bring students together to practice their dance skills whether it be in Paso studio or at a public event. I’m not sure many people practice Cuban style salsa and I would enjoy practicing my new skills with others who dance in this style in a more “normal” setting. It’s the best way to improve. That’s my two cents for now…
there’s so much to like already about paso classes–their constantly evolving form and format; the intensity; some of the most challenging latin music around; the philosophy lessons; inventive exercises; supportive atmosphere; positive energy; and within all that, the fact that everyone has to take personal responsibility for their own path of development.
on that latter, i feel like i make better strides when i approach it as a style of movement rather than as “social dance”–mainly because my brain is wired that way, where i know i’ll pick and choose my social “events” but movement goes with me everywhere all the time. it’s a life thing at that point.
here’s a thought, in the vein of flipping the box over and dumping its contents out: pretty much every “salsa” school, everywhere, starts out with teaching some basic steps in silence, and then adding music, so that the music becomes already secondary to steps already learned in its absence. what about flipping the script? you’ve already criticized robotic choreography visible on every dance floor; noted the disconnect between music and movement also visible on every dance floor; stressed listening and drawing from music–why not walk the line those observations trace? maybe take a zen approach and have a “dance with your ears” listening session once in a while. i know this happens once in a while, but maybe a closer (or more intense) connection to music as an integral part of other teaching tools might help keep some folks from getting into the box you want them to stay out of, in the first place.
at the same time, i recognize the practical realities of teaching, and the varying levels of interest/desire of students, and i don’t know really what the best, or better mix, would look like. right now, getting through csf2 will get you competently out on pretty much any dance floor where you won’t look like an idiot. past that, though, and the rabbit hole goes way, way deep.
Tonia, I didn’t know you were a Cuban music fan! Very cool. Most people have a tough time with it initially because of the complexity. A year and a half ago, we shied away from using it in class, relying more heavily on the NY stuff because it was simpler and easier to follow. But our students didn’t develop quite the same rhythm or body movements.
I know what you are saying about additional detail on turn patterns. It’s a point we constantly wrestle with. Will keep a sharper eye on this. Glad you are watching.
Sound to body movement. Expression, right? We have lots of these exercises. Stay tuned, we can’t use all of our exercises every class because there are too many but we definitely have material for this. We like to ‘point’ rather than ‘give’ you the answers as to what to do for the different instruments.
The social dance issue. Tough one. We are planning to maybe open up the studio on Sundays for free dancing. You and about a handful of other students have been asking about this. We only want to do it if people actually come out and take advantage of it. You know?
Creating dancers is first priority. If you need extra help, we are always here. No matter how large we grow in the upcoming years, we won’t change this. Quote me!
“Everyone has to take personal responsibility for their path of their own development”. I just finished writing on this note. Very nicely put.
Dude, you are a mean thinker. Paso philosophy at its very core.
How do we implement these listening sessions while still maintaining interest. I agree they should probably be done at the CSF 3 or higher level. This is when the rabbit hole becomes much deeper. You, Amanda, and Tonia have touched points related to this. Your points are along the “purer” end, but I think we can reach a middle ground.
Part of expression is based on responding -emotionally- to music. Unfortunately, this exercise works BEST when done to music that you have no dance connection to. I think a good thing to do is restrict students from following the rhythm of the music and force them to move outside of the constraints of Salsa using emotion as a base. No “basic steps” or anything like that. Just emotion transferred into movement. This takes your mind out of the equation and focuses your attention on your body’s response to the music OUTSIDE of any step, even the Salsa rhythm.
Thoughts? What do we follow it up with for practical reinforcement?
some places have musical expression activities for little kids where they say something like “visualize the music, and then act it out” — and modern dance instruction used to feature a lot of free form improv to music. doesn’t matter what kind of music, really. but i think adults probably need a minimal script, and i think you are on to something by suggesting some roles to perform in movement exercises.
perversely, to jump ahead to the next thread, paso-styled “styling” classes might very well be a rueda where one person is assigned a role (happy, serene, excited, a matador, etc.) to perform. styling as barely guided improvisation.
and here is maybe where real roots music might come in handy. some bare-bones rumba with a prominent clave and drums. getting primal and back to literal basics. that stuff used to be illegal in cuba, so you know it had to reach out and grab something.
We already got that one covered my man!
Actually, in ICD III we begin using “mood” exercises in a Rueda, where people are assigned roles/feelings/moods/thoughts/etc. and act them out.
We actually did some of these expression exercises in ICD I as well on Monday.
I am FLOORED at some of the “styling” that results. People are doing things from the core, and I find MYSELF using some of these movements later on though sheer influence -incredible! Some of these movements I could never have taught because I didn’t know them!
It keeps a very fresh and vibrant pool of movement going. Paso will never be a stale backwater of recycled styling and movement. Why? Because our students will keep inventing new things and instructors simply stand back, watch and take notes.
Rereading this now…leads to new ideas.
You’ve talked about a separate turn-pattern class on Saturdays or something of that sort, and I think that that would be a great help to those of us who really need to work on our lead and our vocabulary of movement ideas (i.e. something that isn’t immediately related to enchufa or setenta or sombrero, even if it contains elements of one or more of them, of course). The kind of freedom with movement provided by knowing different types of rueda moves would be invaluable to me right now, and probably to other follows who lead and regular leads as well because (my slowly-worsening lead technique aside), my ability to create new moves is still based on the variety of moves that I know and the muscle memory from them. My body only improvises naturally within the style of moves that I know without thinking, thus my ability to improvise with turn-patterns (not body movement, mind you) is only as good as the complexity of the moves I know. Without thinking really hard, the most difficult and complex move that I know off the top of my head is La Cruz, followed by Setenta Moderna or La Nueva (not that I’m trying that one on the social floor anytime soon) or Marron. Exactly. I know one relatively difficult move well, and after that the level of move slides down to CSF II or so. My dance is beginning to feel unbalanced because even when I know I have the ability to lead certain moves, I don’t know them.
Also, I think we should train follows to lead moves that have only been led on them, and that only a time or two. This would give us as follows greater variety of movement when leading, especially if we started picking up things from leads on the social floor.
Another thing: I’ve been going on and on about this ever since the evolution of Cuban salsa practica on Thursday, but I’m completely serious about the need for all of us, especially at CSF II and above, but also for the beginning levels to some extent, to learn about and dance those dances that led to the evolution of Cuban salsa. The feel and flavor and brilliance of those dances, especially rumba Colombia and rumba Cubana, are imperative to this stage in our dance learning because it expands our understanding so much about what Cuban salsa really is, and why it is that way. Just as it is impossible to understand WWII without knowledge of Hannibal’s strategical brilliance and the way Scipio responded to it, it is impossible to dance Cuban salsa without a thorough understanding of how it came about, which you give us, but not in quite as much detail and practice as I have begun to realize we need. I understand that there is so much information and practice and work and music that you are trying to pack into each lesson while still keeping it manageable and not four hours long, and this is going to require even more work, but I think that the impact on our dancing will be incredibly worth it.