Why do people come to their first swing dancing lesson? Why do they come back for more? Why do they suddenly stop coming and become ghosts of "the old days"?
For some its easy to see, they are being dragged along by their significant other, usually an enthusiastic girl, dragging along a less than willing but has no choice guy - and low and behold - some of these guys are actually good! Its not often that I see it the other way round, some poor shy reluctant girl, getting bullied onto the dance floor by her super keen boyfriend, but it does happen every now and then!
Sometimes its a case of a few gals getting together just to try something new, have a little bit of fun, get out and about for a wed night. After the beginner warm up - everyone cancels their gym membership and discover that dancing yourself thin is the new black!
For others it seems (and this for me it appears to be something of a recent turn of events), there is a desire to approach this dance as a competitive sport. Learn fast, dance faster. Ask all the questions, do all the workshops, have all the private lessons and BE THE BEST at swing dancing and like the karate kid, practice the discipline day in and day out. Often in front of a mirror, otherwise anywhere with a floor, regardless of the music, crowd, or appropriateness of doing a swing out into a crowded dining room of sedate retirees, trying to enjoy their meals. These dancers seem to either stick around for the long haul, getting better and better at their art, or, they burn out in usually around 18 months.
The burn out blame is usually deflected. I don't think I have ever heard "well, im just not that into dancing any more". Its usually a case of "I have nothing else to learn, so I'm not going to come to classes any more" or "I don't have anyone to dance with, no one is good enough for me so I'm just not going to bother." Both reasons are heart breaking to hear, and result in people fading out of the scene for ever.
The reality is, if you don't come to class and if you don't social dance, you get forgotten about pretty quickly, especially if you burn all of your bridges along the way. No teacher ever likes to hear they have been out grown (the words "those who can do, those who cant teach" haunt my dreams), and no dancer ever likes to find out they were not good enough, and the irony is, you would never ever hear any of the "best" dancers make either of those claims.
Ive said it before and I will say it again, everyone can always learn from any class, be it a level "too high" for you or a level "too low" for you. You might not learn new moves in a beginners class, you might not learn a new way of doing your foot work, or even hear a new joke, but you should feel as though you can take something away.
A great dancer and good friend once said to me, "the great dancers make me feel amazing, I dont even have to lead them, I just hold their hand and they seem to float on air. The beginers students make me work hard for my money. I have to actually lead every move, think about every single step that im doing, they are whats made me the dancer that I am today. I love dancing with the great dancers, but when I need a reminder to be humble, I dance with one of your students, and it becomes very clear, that I still don't know everything".
People like my friend, they always find a reason to dance, because they love it, they love knowing that they aren't the best in the world (but also love not sucking at it), they love the music, the lessons, the other dancers, they highs and the lows.
