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Originally Posted by El Salsero Gringo We used to go through the moves taught in the beginners class, and it meant that I had a chance to look around the room to see that moves were basically coming out correctly, that everyone was turning in the right direction at the right time and so on.
It functioned as an opportunity to talk about lead-and-follow, which I did, even then as a dancer of barely a year's experience, to talk about thumbs and hand-grips and other 'details', and to give a quick pep-talk on how important it is to get out there and actually do it rather than just talk about it. |
Pulling out the above to comment on a few points made previously.
1) A few clubs still do the 'traditional' put the beginners ina separate line during the Intermedite and see if the sink or swim. Think Ceroc have mostly phased this out but I know that a few Blitz clubs still do this. This is a BAD thing. It scares hell out of beginners and the survivors end up with really bad habits (and sometimes bad attituides).
2) The 'giving confidence' aspect of a consolidation class justifies its assistence if only for that reason. A beginners class can be a very scary place. A consolidation class can make a huge difference.
3) Taxi dancers teaching? YES .. if they have had training. The 'teaching' from stage in a beginners class is mostly 'showing' not teaching. A good taxi dancer can show where dancers are going wrong.
4) Re 3) ... and the main reason I have a doner on consolidatoon classes. 99% of taxi dancers have never been trained ... so many end up aching things WRONG!
I make this point from personal observation. I have a number of horror stories from my time teaching at a certain North Manchester venue .. sufficeth to say I've come across a fair few taxi dancers who's dearth of dance technique knowledge is only exceeded by their ego ....
Does this ring true with anyone else?
Oh ... forgot to say .... (IMHO) the failure to properly train taxi dancers is one of the greatest sins MJ Clubs are guilty of.