Dr Strange Dance or How I Learnt to Relax and Love the Bomb

Its not often i get the absolute pleasure of attending someone else's class. These days it is getting slightly easier with the addition of the blues nights that Kara and Bryce are teaching, but usually I have to travel interstate, or wait for someone to visit Tassie... and it usually feels like forever between either of those options.

Its hard to explain why I like attending other peoples classes so much, because I'm often outwardly fearful of being exposed as a fraud, of everyone finding out I cant really dance, of everyone finding out it takes me a really long time to learn, of everyone finding out that I teach this kind of thing "back home" and I still sometimes don't have it quite right. They are all silly fears, but they are mine and I carry them with me every where I go.

About 6 months ago, I realized, how I am both my own worst enemy, and the largest walking contradiction I know. I shall explain.

My pet peeve, the one thing that really lights my wick (and not in the good way), is when I'm trying to teach a class, and the people attending my class, try to teach it for me, by either giving little classes off to the side, or by not changing partners so that they can further explain the intricate details of beginners Charleston to some new innocent or even just correcting time after time the minor quirks of someone else's dancing.. IT KILLS ME.

It annoys me for two reasons, one, we all know I am the center of attention (I choose to share the limelight with Duncan from time to time), but also, if there is a valid concern about someones foot work, lead, follow etc, how helpful would it be for the WHOLE class to hear about it, rather than individuals have it pointed out to them by a peer on their way round? I guess the other thing is, a lot dancing is individual style and technique, its actually pretty hard to teach a straight down the line basic of any kind, because the more you dance the more flavor you get to add in, and if you are in a class and you are commenting on another students performance, you have to be pretty sure of what you are asking them to do, and what tools you are giving them to work with.

There are so many sneaky tricks that we all use to share info in a class, so very very often a more experienced dancer will ask the most basic of questions "I'm just not sure if my back hand should be high or low in my six count basic, can you please remind me?". I know full well that this student knows where to place his hand, but he might have just overheard a comment that I cant hear, or he may see a lead a few down that is not quite right, and then the teachers get to address the whole class and answer this "great question" without anyone feeling embarrassed or picked on.

I want all the dancers in all the levels to just have a think about how much comment they make when they make a cameo appearance in a lower level, or indeed the more experienced dancers that are now choosing to be Faux Bro's or for whatever reason keep returning to beginners and level one classes. I would love to hear more "great questions" and less personal instruction, because every question thrown open to the class is like a shower of gold, it helps everyone move forward, and shows the new people that questions are ok!

Kara is a great one for reminding us all that feedback should be given carefully, we should ask if people want our feedback and we should give our feedback sparingly (one comment at a time.. per night!), but unfortunately, or fortunately, beginners students are like sponges, they just want to soak up everything all at once (why wouldn't they? this dance is amazing!!). Remember, that the beginner you are dancing with is probably in the same boat as the other 30 students in the room, and if you ask them if they want feedback, you will probably spend the rest of the night repeating yourself.

So the more I thought about it, the more I realised, when I am a student, that is all I am. I'm not a teacher any more, I'm just some kid off the street looking for some dancy action. I don't have to know what I'm talking about, I don't have to make comment when I do know what I'm talking about. The better I can listen to my teachers and my lead, the better student and therefore dancer I will be.

Its this epiphany that has made me shed my fears of not being a very good student, of being found out by everyone, because next class I attend, be it an advanced class or an into to swing, I am just a regular student, with perhaps a few "great questions" up my sleeve for the class.