Quote:
Originally posted by DavidB
I understand that drops are very popular, and people still want to learn them. So please keep them out of classes, and teach them only in special workshops. |
Hi David,
You raise a lot of very good points re. safety while teaching drops.
This is one of my bug bears (sp?).
Drops are indeed very popular and often requested, and I reckon that not teaching them at all in a class context would be a shame. Especially since if you do not teach them, some people will attempt to do them without any training, which would result in more injuries.
However, safety and comfort must be the prime considerations. As Gus mentions, all CTA teachers will have received safety training, and all "dangerous" moves are described as such in a teacher's notes, with the proviso that if taught, there should be a suitable alternative move offered in the routine (ie a slow comb when teaching a Lambada comb).
The point about making sure that every time you change partner, the teacher should make sure everyone checks whether their new partner is happy to do the move (without stigma, ie the teacher should stress that there are many reasons why you might not want to do that move, and if you are getting tired you can change your mind, ie do the move a couple of times and then stop for a while).
Of course, I also agree that warming up should be mentionned (and practised during the class, ie teach the move towards the end of the class rather than at the start of the routine), and dance floor space will always be an issue, so remind all participants to only do the move when there is plenty of space (a quiet night or a very large venue), and only with partners whom you know have learnt that move
and are happy to dance it with you.
If the above are not mentionned or heeded during a class, I would recommend you talk to the teacher expressing your concerns in the first instance, you can also talk to the Franchise owner about it (myself for Glasgow / Aberdeen) or Jean Harris (for Edinburgh Dundee) for example.
As Gus says, we strive to reach very high standards of teaching and need your feedback to maintain them.
Franck.