A Hidden Blessing on the Road Often Danced

I’m not a mathematician  – for those of you who have ever handed me class money, you will know that I'm pretty crap at even the simplest addition/subtraction task.. so  this swing dancing thing really has me stumped!

If as a bold sweeping statement we claim that swing dancing started in the 1920’s and ended just shy of 1950, then there was a period of about 30 years in which swing dancing was invented – took off – stylized all around the world, tweaked, changed, reinvented and eventually died down before its revival in more recent years.

If it took thirty years to invent swing dancing, how can we expect to master the art within a few short weeks, months or years?  If in its creation people from all over the globe influenced its moves, style and direction, how can we in Hobart, an island at the bottom of the world, expect to discover all of the nuances of the days of old?

I think the answer is clear – we cant!  But this is not a tragedy, its in my opinion quite a blessing, but like all blessings, your heart and head have to be open to the suggestion!

Learning to swing dance is not a linear experience, at least my learning and there for my teaching is not.  Its not like any other education process I have been through, there seems to be no agreeing on what would fit into swing dancing 101, 202, 303 etc, no exam to test if you know what you have to know to move on, no pass or fail, no right and wrong, and even crazier, new moves are being invented all of the time, we don’t just have thirty years worth of swing to get our feet around, damn dancers keep on giving us new moves to contend with!

Without even worrying about how much there is to learn, we also have to contend with what is in fashion, dance ala mode.  When I started dancing it was fashionable to come in on one for your swing outs, one NEVER rocked back, and swivels were almost impossible to do well!  Since my first swing out class I have attended classes in which the girl is lead in on two, is rocked back, is lead in on three, is made to do swivels, can choose to do swivels, all taught as “standard” and that’s only the swing out.  This does not even go into everything else that is in fashion, blues, bal, shag, and then variations of the theme, like blindy for example! 

Even if you manage to get your head and feet around, what is currently in vogue, more complications are on the horizon, it’s a little thing I like to call seasoning.  Each and every dancer will have their own flavor, will have their own secret recipe of herbs and spices they use to season their dancing.  Every teacher will have the some spice hidden somewhere, almost invariably even the most simple, standard basic of moves, will have a flavor of the teacher, lingering around – even if they SWEAR it’s the basic, looking at them, you know they have flavor! 

Sometimes someone’s seasoning rubs off onto you as if by magic, sometimes someone might be kind enough to break it down into ingredients for you, sometimes, its like KFC – what is THE secret herb/spice? 

Suddenly you look up and realize you’ve been dancing for ten years, you have started to mix your own seasoning, you have been through fads and fashions, you have traveled as far as you can afford to travel to learn from people who have traveled further than you but still the road ahead is long, confusing, and just as twisty turney as your first ever underarm send out!

Every single time, I have a light bulb moment, I realize I have even more to learn, and whilst I take the time to quietly congratulate myself, I also take the time to appreciate, that nailing that one move – is but a drop in the ocean.   

If you are struggling to get enough out of your classes, or feel as though you just aren't challenged enough on the social dance floor, open up your heart and head to the blessing that there is over thirty years of swing dancing out there, for a fact you have not learnt it all, no one has! You have not been taught it all or seen it all on YouTube, you have not asked all the questions or listened to all of the answers.   

Keep your eyes open, the learning, it is out there.

Dancing - youre doing it right

In class when we yell out “change partners” I always get a real kick out of the chatter that goes along with saying goodbye to one partner, and hello to another.  I can hardly make out actual words but generally I can see smiling faces and more often than not nervous giggles and raucous laughter!  This is why I love teaching!!

What breaks my heart tho, is when I hear introductions like “hi my name is Sarah, this is so hard, I suck so bad..”  Its too easy to forget, that dancing is challenging, fun, but also kinda crazy to get used to, and for so many of you, its still very new!!  

Ive never yelled at a student for not picking up the foot work fast enough, or for turning the wrong way, I have been pretty stern when someone is doing something dangerous (hard to do in beginners class but still possible), or when someone is just plain not doing what we are trying so hard to teach (perhaps cos they are too busy chatting..) so I hope the fear of “getting it wrong” does not come from me!

The thing I love the most about swing dancing, is the fact that its actually pretty hard to do it wrong!  I’m not lying at the end of class when I say that as long as you’re doing your foot work, you’re not making a mistake, you are inventing a variation!!  Seriously, there are a hand full of “rules” and plenty of helpful tips to get things looking and feeling good, but after that, necessity is the mother of invention, which brings me to the other phrase that breaks my heart... “You’re doing it wrong”.

At higher class levels we go into quite a lot of detail about how peer to peer feedback should be offered and received, but why wait till then to share some secrets to making you a better dancer. 

Personally I think the key is to ask good questions, heck not even good questions, any questions!!  I know it can be scary to ask a question in front of a bunch of people you’ve never met before (sometimes worse still, people you have seen before who you think are better dancers than you!!), but a question asked is a problem solved.

A way to make asking questions in class a little less scary could be along these lines:

-          Avoiding pointing out you think someone is “doing it wrong”, really, your main point of class is to make sure you’re getting it right eg “Do you mind showing me again, where is MY hand is on count  four?”  much nicer than “I think Steve’s hand is wrong, I think it should be on my shoulder but he keeps on putting it in the air”.

If your not brave enough to ask questions in class, grab a teacher after class (all FootNotes teachers are very happy to answer any questions you have!!), its our job to help you become a better dancer so don’t hold back!!  Plenty of times I have based entire classes on great questions asked of me after class.  In 45 minutes its very easy to skip over handy tips that will help progress your learning, so please feel free to talk to your teachers about any concerns you have!

So if your problems aren’t solved by asking questions, then we have a bit of a situation, but if your problems remain unsolved because you DON’T ask questions, its wise to hold back on giving out too much advise. 

All of your FootNotes teachers have had years of experience as students and teachers, I’m not going to lie to you, we have all completed our fair share of “variations” on the dance floor, but unlike dancing, mistakes can be made in teaching.  I remember after dancing for only a few weeks, I thought I would be helpful and show a guy who was also new to class how to do the foot work “correctly”.  My feedback method was to yell at him and repeatedly kick his rock back foot until he learnt to get it out of the way (this guy is now one of the finest dancers I know, but I honestly cant credit any of that to my peer to peer feedback!).  I totally get how easy it is to get swept away in the moment, but kicking and yelling might not work on everyone. 

When in class, the polite thing to do is ask someone if they want to hear some feedback, and if they say yes, you should be pretty sure you know what you’re talking about when you offer criticism or advice!  Again, rather than saying “you’re doing it wrong”, its usually helpful to offer ONE piece of advice, like “hey lady, I think it might work better if you rock back on your right leg, see how you go”, and don’t forget, everyone is new and learning, by the time that person comes back round to you, please don’t offer more advice, often one thing to think about is enough!!

Outside of class, pretty much the same rules apply, not everyone wants to hear what your opinion is on their dancing, most of the time, most people just wanna have fun and enjoy a dance after class, so the flip side of the feedback coin applies here.  After a great dance, be sure to thank your partner, if you are really keen to know, you can ask them for feedback “hey any tips you can offer me?” but really, sometimes, its grand just to enjoy the moment!

Till next time, much love – Relle

*PS – the same guidelines apply between teacher and student, I still get carried away sometimes (ive stopped yelling and kicking), but if ever in class, you feel like you just want one thing to concentrate on, ask your teacher, and if you feel like we are giving you too much to think about, remind them not to yell and kick at you!

So much to learn - So little time!!

If I’ve not said it before.. WELCOME to footnotes swing dancing classes – a whole new world of dancing, friendship, parties and shenanigans awaits you!

This year is a different experience for me personally, new dance school, new class structure, new time frames, and a brand new outlook in general, but for you, I imagine, its just new-new everything!!

Even though I try to do my best in class to tell you everything you need to know, 45mins is not long, and I can tell most of the time you guys are like “quit flappin your gums and make with the dancing already!!” so, lemme share with you each week, info that will help keep you swinging red hot!

Firstly, the beginners class structure!

Firstly you should know, that there is no point waiting for “the perfect moment to start classes”, any Tuesday at 6.30 at the Grand Poobah is great!  We welcome brand new beginners every week so we don’t expect you to have any previous experience, or remember anything from a previous class, just turn up and pay your $10.00 (or slide in for free if its your first class) and enjoy your evening!!

You will start every class with a warm up, usually to a mystery song that even I don’t know (this way, im as off guard as you, and we get to have a bit of a nervous giggle together!!) once we are warm, we are pretty much dancing already!!

Swing dancing needs three key ingredients to work – Rhythm, Direction and Momentum.  We talk about the first two quite a lot in beginners class, the third one comes along when your leading and following start to come together, and is explored further in more advanced classes.

In beginners class we look into the six count rhythm, the 8 count lindy rhythm and various Charleston rhythms including 20’s and 40’s!  It takes us eight weeks to get through it all once over!!  For this reason, it makes sense that you do at least sixteen weeks as a beginner to become familiar with what your feet are doing, let alone all the other mysteries taking place.

Four months is a minimum requirement**, along with attendance to at least one Swing Out class/workshop, but there is no pressure to leave beginners after this time, in my experience as a teacher, I have found that the key to moving to a more advanced class, is to feel completely comfortable with where you are at (don’t worry though, I will give you a gentle nudge if I think you need one!).  When you are ready to move into the intermediate class, you are also required to do at least two extra months of beginners to make sure you are really getting the best of both worlds (please make sure you have a quick chat with me before you move up, so I can make sure ive told you everything you need to know before you move up)

Swing dancing has been around for a very long time, there is a lot to teach and a lot to learn, on top of everything that we show you in beginners classes as far as rhythm goes, there are also offshoots of swing that you may not have heard of before, such as; blues, balboa, collegiate shag, just to name a few!

So the moral of this blog, is that you are always welcome in beginners class, you should stick around for a minimum of four months (but stay on for longer if you’ve missed classes or feel you’re not quite getting it), and talk to your teachers about how to progress forward, our only reason for being there, is to help you out!!

**four month minimum requirement is based on the following break down

-          Minimum of 4 weeks of six count over any period of time

-          Minimum of 4 weeks of 1940’s Charleston over any period of time

-          Minimum of 4 weeks of 8 count over any period of time

-          Minimum of 4 weeks of “teachers selection” including 20’s Charleston, tandem Charleston, or additional footwork classes

     T     Till next Blog - Much Love Relle
        For additional info head to 

      http://www.footnotesdance.com.au

Not about Dancing - this is about food

Sometimes, you just gotta brag!  Kyle and I have had a bumper crop of Tomato this year, I had so many after a weekend away, that I had to oven roast them and turn them into soup!  I pretty much followed Jamie O's "30 Minute Meals" recipe but slow roasted the Tomatoes rather than blasting them with heat.  The soup came out a little yellow, but that's due to the delish yellow cherry tomatoes we discovered in the lower section of our yard!  Finished the soup off with some home grown basil!  This is what I do when I'm not dancing!

This is the bulk of yesterdays collection! 

Half of our tomato loot - ready for some oven roasting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Been slow roasting (could do it in half an hr if following Jamie O)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit it with your stick blender and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Bill, is that your dog?

I wade with caution into this discussion but I feel like I should join in the great debate of “who leads and who follows” and the on going conjecture over whether a good follow simply follows or if too contributes to the lead of the dance. 

To me, learning to dance is like learning a new language.  At first, you only learn statements

• My name is Bill
• My dog is brown
• I need to pee

This concept may be more familiar to the leads as at first, they are the ones doing the talking, in your first phase of dancing leads tend to make statements at their follows, and we ask the follows to bare with it!!

Next comes questions

• What is your name
• What color is your dog
• Where is the bathroom

We are getting closer to a conversation, but its still the leads asking all the questions, and the follows nodding along trying to reply when they can but there is no real flow

-          My name is bill, what is your name, My dog is brown what color is your dog, I need to pee, where is the bathroom

After a while, the leads get a feeling for when to make a statement, when to ask a question, when to wait for an answer, and when to move onto a new topic, this tends to be around about the same time that the follow feels she can also freely contribute to the conversation

• Hi my name is bill, what’s your name?
• Hey Bill, my name is Sarah, how you doing?
• Good thanks Sarah
• Hey bill is that your dog?

You get the picture right?  But like a getting to know you conversation in a loud pub, quite often things can be missed, or misunderstood, and if you’re anything like me, sometimes you might find yourself talking over someone by accident!!  Just as we do when we are having a verbal conversation with someone, we learn to apologize for butting in, we ask for a repeat when we mishear, we learn to speak clearer when there is a lot going on, and  we get better at conversational communication the more we practice.

The truth is, some people like to listen to great stories, others like to tell great stories, and some like to join into conversations that they hear along the way.  I don’t think a bad follow is one that is captivated by the story, who does not like to illustrate too much and who likes to enjoy the journey so to speak.  Nor does it make for a bad follow if she actively participates in the conversation, adds in voices for the characters you’ve created, and at times, generally makes up new parts to the story (never let the truth get in the way of a good dance).  The same goes for a lead, sometimes its hard enough to just start the conversation with the ladies, let alone back it up with 3 mins of interesting banter!  At other times there is so much to say that you just need to get it all out and you silently pray that she keeps quiet and lets you finish your story!!

As long as both people have a chance to have their say, and the dance generally follows a conversation and not a great debate, then its usually smooth sailing.  This is what I feel is the role of the lead and follow – to have a conversation through their dance, and end up knowing where the bathroom is and who owns the brown dog!

What Makes a Man a Gentleman?

I used to have such grand ideas of what made a normal guy, a gentleman.  He had to open car doors for me, walk up the stairs behind me (to catch me if I fall), but down the stairs in front of me (to catch me if i fall..) walk on the side of the footpath closest to the road to save my pretty frocks from an unwanted splash of mud, and always stand up as I entered the room, and then again as I left.  Whilst somewhat out dated, these are the things I though a gentleman did.  Dancing has changed so much of what i thought a gentleman should be, and I'm most proud to say, the most gentlemanly men i know are from Tassie.

Last night I was enjoying my first social dance of the evening, when half way through an attempted spin, I commented on the stickiness of the floor, was barely a whisper, but my lead, through a variety of interesting and very well led moves, negotiated me to a secret stash of talc on the floor, with which I could powered up my shoes for extra slip.  I did not know what his intentions were, and if anyone cared to be watching, I don't think they would have cottoned on either.  This gentleman, ensured without fuss or grandeur that I was taken care of, a little like a gentle gesture to let you know you're slip is showing or to tidy the edges of your mouth, I was not made to feel embarrassed or demanding, I simply felt like a well taken care of lady.  You know who you are - and I tip my hat to you sir.

My second social dance of the evening was just as wonderful but for different reasons.  This dance just made me feel like the best dancer.  My lead took note of what moves I loved, and repeated them throughout the dance, he listened to what moves I was not getting so well and did not force them onto me again.  He maneuvered me out of harms way more than once, but never made it look obvious to the people who nearly crashed into us.  He was much a gentleman to me, as he was to the whole dance floor.  This lead took pride in the invisible.  No one will know that he nearly killed himself avoiding a crash, no one will know that he most certainly saved me from a world of hurt, but I sir, know who you are, and you are a gentleman!

My third social dance, was one that filled me with security and comfort.  Every lead was smooth and strong, every dip supported me head and neck, every pulse was subtle but clear, and every hold was like the ones you see on a black and white movies (swooony!)  We made our mistakes, I misread leads, and he experimented with new moves, but at no stage did I feel left to flounder, at no stage did I feel as though I had "ruined" the dance and although, I missed the end dip, he held my hand until we had left the dance floor, he thanked me for the fantastic dance.  This is how to be a gentleman!!You sir are the benchmark to which all others must measure!

This is more than has been taught in any class, this is the product of our young Tassie guys generally being awesome - yes last night I was actually awe struck by these guys!  Ladies, I hope next time you dance with a gentleman, you treat him well and show your appreciation!  I owe at least three guys a cool beverage next time the opportunity presents itself!