Clapping in Classes

[Hevmac]

oh how i agree!
i absolutely hate naff clapping! "give your partner a round of applause!"......why? we've just started?
but then i also hate being 'told' to introduce myself too and generally being shouted at as if i was back in a school classroom!.....but hey perhaps that is just me and i have a problem with authority?
that said i can see when you have struggled with a move/routine as an individual or class then it is great to clap together, for each other. i also think it is nice to acknowledge the taxi dancers,demos (and....dj. we don't do this enough at my local class!)
i think judging by all the previous posts on this subject teachers must be 'taught' this strategy. i guess the sign of a good teacher is one who is able to use all the tools to encourage thier class not just the clapping. "well done!" works for me!!

[Yogi_Bear]

Originally Posted by Minnie M

I hate it too - BUT for some reason it makes you feel part of the group, as you break away from concentration (supposedly) for about 10 seconds to see all the others doing the same.

Any forumite psychologists like to clarify more

Turning away to look around the room and clap at this point would provide a strong positive reinforcement and potentially establish bonding with other class members and with teaching and/or dj staff. This is fine if the majority of participants have performed well, especially if the moves have been difficult, and can encourage any who might be struggling. Used indiscriminately, however, it may backfire either by appearing patronising or by making any strugglers feel they have too high a standard to keep up with. From personal experience I know that both these extremes are quite normal.

Alternatively, they could just hand out bananas.

[djtrev]

It would appear not surprisingly that the majority of dancers dislike the idea of clapping every move and to a lesser extent-"introduce yourself".So why do teachers still insist on doing it?

[bigdjiver]

Originally Posted by djtrev

It would appear not surprisingly that the majority of dancers dislike the idea of clapping every move and to a lesser extent-"introduce yourself".So why do teachers still insist on doing it?

Polls/surveys can be very misleading.This is not a representative forum.

People who slightly agree/ disagree with something tend not to vote. The activists are those with very opposite views. The teachers do it because it works.

[djtrev]

Sorry Bigdjiver, have to disagree entirely.
I think we are very representative and the only reason teachers think it works is because dancers are being told what to do and they do it rather than be the odd one out.Whenever I have been to a Ceroc class, being told to "give yourselves a clap" has caused more embarrasment than anything else and the sooner head office(I am of course assuming that this is where it comes from) stops this silly naff idea the better!!

[Jive Brummie]

As a member of the CTA ( ), I can tell you that we're all encouraged to do the clapping thing from the start.

It's meant to be our way of praising you and also to get you to say well done to your fellow class mates. Some moves are difficult whatever level you are at, and whether you 'get' the move or not, is by the by, surely the effort you're putting in alone deserves a ripple of applause. If you think it's naff then you don't have to clap, just stand there with your arms folded....looking miserable .


I personnally think it's a valuable tool to encourage the people who are maybe a little more introvert, the one's who don't necessarily think they have achieved much, the ones who are a bit more nervous than the next man, to unwind and chill out.

Go on, give 'em a clap, if nothing else it'll warm your hands up for some UCP...

J x x

[djtrev]

Sorry J, you know its naff and so do I.I suspect deep down you know that most people find it so but you are obliged to do it.Go on buck the trend one night and see if anyone insists you do it!!
But as you say I dont have to do it-instead I stand there looking embarrased rather than miserable.

[DavidB]

I am very much against the 'give yourself a round of applause' idea.

Applause is a way of showing appreciation, not enthusiasm. When else do you do clap yourself? In a chemistry class at school when a reaction works? In a French class when you decline a verb correctly? At home when you have cooked beans on toast?

Sorry - it is not a natural thing to do and it feels very forced. If it were natural then the class would do it without being asked - like they do at the end of a class. Personally I think it is counter-productive. I think it embarrasses the people you are trying to encourage.

What is next - instead of saying "Thank you for the dance" we have to say "Have a nice day"

David

[Jive Brummie]

Originally Posted by djtrev

Sorry J, you know its naff and so do I.I suspect deep down you know that most people find it so but you are obliged to do it.Go on buck the trend one night and see if anyone insists you do it!!
But as you say I dont have to do it-instead I stand there looking embarrased rather than miserable.

Well......... . I think it's something that can work in moderation. I agree, too much is pants. But if it's deserved, then hell, why not?

Maybe it's the way it's done? Cheesy teacher, with extra cheese and a side order of cheese? "GO ON, GIVE YOURSELF A HUUUUUUUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE!!!"

Ok......I can see you point.

J.... (have a huge round of applause )

[drathzel]

I agree too much clapping is a bit off putting but it is good to encourage your partner when you are dancing! Especially if it is during a beginners class!

A little encouragement is the difference between someone returning to class and someone not!

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by drathzel

A little encouragement is the difference between someone returning to class and someone not!

I hate it if someone tells me I'm good when actually I'm crap.

I think the thing about the whole clapping thing is that people know when they're being bullsh1tted. If the clapping is genuine appreciation for either achievement or effort, all well and good.

But if it's 'ooh we've reached the end of a move, so we clap now', then it's completely sh1te.

One of the things that amazes me every time it happens, is the way that people are so sentitive to bullsh1t when it's directed at them, yet they still dish it out as if the recipient is three years old.

One of life's little contradictions, in my experience

[Gus]

The whole thing about the clapping is less to do with how you as an individual have done ... but its more to do with the whole 'cheerleader' philospphy (entertainment and engagement) ... the clapping raises the tempo gets a mutual congratulation thing doing and gets people more 'up for it' ... its basic physchology ... AND IT WORKS .... look at classes (especialy for beginners) where the clapping thing is absent ... how do you get the class more engaged, how do you make them more confident and less self-concious. OK ... the clapping thing may seeem like some amercian OTT cr*p but it DOES serve a useful purpose .... maybe a bit mre subtle than you may think (IMHO )

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by Gus

... AND IT WORKS ....

But have you not noticed the difference in the mood of the people in the class, between on the one hand:

- timely applause, encouraged when it's deserved (like towards the end when everyone's worked well, or after they've got a difficult move),

...and on the other hand:

- a formula-based 'clap at the end of every move' approach?

If you're on the stage, I would suggest you can neither see nor hear the embarrassed muttering that frequently goes on in the latter case.

Chris

[Gus]

Originally Posted by ChrisA

But have you not noticed the difference in the mood of the people in the class,
If you're on the stage, I would suggest you can neither see nor hear the embarrassed muttering that frequently goes on in the latter case.

Au contraire. Its very easy to see what the mood is from stage and its depending on the vibe you get back as to how you 'wow up' the class or dont. I dont subscribe to the obligatory round of applause but it is possible to turn a class of grumblers around by going into (semi-)cheerleader mode ... as far as you know how far to push it.

My experience of CTA training was that the one bit that really stuck in my craw was some insane attempt to make us into to cheerleaders regardless of circumstance. This practice still seems to be in practice as I've seena few teachers recently that made me cringe ... they truly sounded like some escapee from a Florida Cheerleaders convention ... only not so good looking ( )

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by Gus

Au contraire. Its very easy to see what the mood is from stage and

Splendid.

I guess, then, that some are better than others at acting on what they see

[bigdjiver]

Originally Posted by djtrev

...I think we are very representative ...

More than half of the people that come to a MJ class come less than 5 times. Less than 1 in a 1000 joins this forum.

and the only reason teachers think it works is because dancers are being told what to do and they do it rather than be the odd one out.

That is one of the reasons a class works. Unity, solidarity, discipline, call it what you will, but the whole idea is to get everybody doing the same thing at the same time. (Come on Brothers, let me hear "Amen")

...Whenever I have been to a Ceroc class, being told to "give yourselves a clap" has caused more embarrasment than anything else ...

Teachers, like DJ's, have to learn to "read the floor".

[djtrev]

Quote;
If you're on the stage, I would suggest you can neither see nor hear the embarrassed muttering that frequently goes on in the latter case.

[djtrev]

Quote;
More than half of the people that come to a MJ class come less than 5 times. Less than 1 in a 1000 joins this forum.
I take your point Bigd.

But I think you would agree that the people who are on this forum care about every aspect of MJ.The way its taught,the music,the moves,the venues etc.All the people that made comments on the "clapping" thread would be the people that you would listen and take note of their opinions.
I would be more interested in their opinions than somebody who just looks on it as a night out dancing on the pull

[DavidB]

Originally Posted by bigdjiver

More than half of the people that come to a MJ class come less than 5 times.
{snip}
That is one of the reasons a class works

What is the definition of it not working?

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by DavidB

What is the definition of it not working?

Have some rep, even though you have far too much already