New to Taxi-ing

[Rios Dearg]

Im very flattered (not to say gobsmacked) to have been invited to Taxi at my class. Im starting next week and would be grateful for any tips anyone can give me?

[ChrisU]

Originally Posted by Rios Dearg

Im very flattered (not to say gobsmacked) to have been invited to Taxi at my class. Im starting next week and would be grateful for any tips anyone can give me?

Relax

Chrisu

[Rios Dearg]

Originally Posted by ChrisU

Relax

Chrisu

Dont do it?

[martingold]

Originally Posted by Rios Dearg

Im very flattered (not to say gobsmacked) to have been invited to Taxi at my class. Im starting next week and would be grateful for any tips anyone can give me?

just enjoy helping people i know we do the feeling when someone new finally gets it is almost as good as when you understood it for the first time yourself

Originally Posted by ChrisU

Relax

Chrisu

without a doubt

[Rios Dearg]

Thanks guys. Relaxing might be a bit hard right now, as Im still bouncing off the walls with excitement!

Im torn between being so flattered I cant stop grinning and being just plain terrified of my first night! I really want to do this well, you know?

I still remember my first evening at Ceroc: how nervous I was, how good everyone else seemed to be and how useless I felt....right up until I was asked to dance in the first freestyle by a taxi dancer, who took me through the moves from the class, then put in another couple which were so brilliantly led that I could follow them no problem. I felt like a star, and I was hooked from that moment on.

Id like to pass that feeling on, if I can. So if anyone has tips which can help, please feel free!

(Sorry about the "Frankie" allusion, just couldnt resist it! )

[Gary]

All I do when I'm taxi-dancing is ask beginners to dance, and try my darndest to make them enjoy the dance. Maybe once a night I'll give a piece of advice to one of them, but my priority is to build up their confidence and enjoyment.

[dep]

Originally Posted by Gary

All I do when I'm taxi-dancing is ask beginners to dance, and try my darndest to make them enjoy the dance. Maybe once a night I'll give a piece of advice to one of them, but my priority is to build up their confidence and enjoyment.

I do that and I'm not a taxi.
There must be more to it.
demo accurate lead.
move smoothly.
talk/demo through a problem.
constant praise (for all the right parts).
Possibly, the ability to instantly swap between Follow to Lead and back.

[RedFox]

Originally Posted by Rios Dearg

Thanks guys. Relaxing might be a bit hard right now, as Im still bouncing off the walls with excitement!

I still remember my first evening at Ceroc: how nervous I was, how good everyone else seemed to be and how useless I felt....

Id like to pass that feeling on, if I can. So if anyone has tips which can help, please feel free!

It's great to see your enthusiasm; I'm sure that your positive attitude will be transmitted to others!

As for tips, perhaps you could think back over your early experiences of dancing with a taxi dancer, and recall what you liked or benefited from yourself. Of course people learn in different ways, but it may give you some pointers.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes...

[dave the scaffolder]

ENJOY IT if you are enjoying it your beginners wil feed off your enjoyment and also enjoy it.

This escalating enjoyment will eventually grow into an unstoppable force that will bring peace and harmony to the world at large.

As Martin says "keep it simple keep it smooth".

DTS Dave XXX XXX

[Pheo]

Remember that in all likelyhood you have been asked for a reason; so be yourself. Feel free to ask other taxis for advice, just like you would with dance.

One thing to do, is to be very careful with the way you give advice, you need to nurture people, not break them down. This can be difficult when people *really* need to not do/do something, and in these cases it may be best to tell the teacher who can "Teach" it to them. Spoken as a former taxi.

[gebandemuishond]

Originally Posted by Gary

All I do when I'm taxi-dancing is ask beginners to dance, and try my darndest to make them enjoy the dance. Maybe once a night I'll give a piece of advice to one of them, but my priority is to build up their confidence and enjoyment.

Originally Posted by dep

I do that and I'm not a taxi.
There must be more to it.
demo accurate lead.
move smoothly.
talk/demo through a problem.
constant praise (for all the right parts).
Possibly, the ability to instantly swap between Follow to Lead and back.

I agree with Gary - the most important thing in my thus far limited taxi experience is to try and have a really good dance, making it easy for them to enjoy themselves. This seems to be in line with what Ceroc see as the role of the taxi dancer - the Beginner Retainer (i.e. teacher teaches, taxis keep 'em coming back for more). There are other things like giving advice (or keeping yourself open for questions), but the main difference I see between taxis dancing with beginners and kind punters like Dep dancing with beginners is that the taxis should be doing nothing but until the last half hour, whereas others aren't obliged to do so.

As far as advice for new taxis is concerned, I'd say try to enjoy yourself. If you're feeling bored or fed up it will show both on your face and through the dance. Taxiing is a great chance to concentrate on your dancing and really try to improve the basics like clarity of lead or follow, and gives you an excuse to forget about getting the more advanced stuff you might be struggling with like inflectional musicality or styling details.

Dan

[Minnie M]

Learn the class routine thoroughly !

[martingold]

Originally Posted by Minnie M

Learn the class routine thoroughly !

And always dance the 19 beginners moves as accurately as possible ie hand holds etc

[Rios Dearg]

Thank you all for your advice/comments.

Ive really enjoyed it so far, the most satisfying moments being when Ive run through the new moves with a beginner and they finally 'get it'. Their pleasure in their new accomplishment is so rewarding.

[timbp]

Originally Posted by dep

I do that and I'm not a taxi.
There must be more to it.

No. I don't think there is any more to it.

Dance with the beginners, help them enjoy themselves, give them some confidence so they are likely to come back next week.

You probably do do that every time you dance with beginners (I do).
I think the difference is taxi dancers are expected/required to dance with the beginners -- to turn down favourite dancers to get that first timer with no tension and no sense of beat on the floor.

That is, it's not so much how you dance, but who you dance with (assuming that how you dance always matches your partner's skills, but you wouldn't be asked to taxi if that weren't true).

[Gojive]

I too will be taking my place on the rank as a Taxi for my local venue in a few weeks (post comp).

One of the things we can be called upon to do, is to take the beginners review class in the evening.

I've taken a couple of these classes recently (standing in for our regular TD), and I can tell you it was a lot harder than it I thought it'd be. I now pay very close attention to the format and wording of these classes, so as to be better prepared for when I take them regularly.

I already demo for the beginners and intermediate workshops now, and I must admit I've got a great deal of satisfaction out of helping others gain something out of them - much more than I thought I would. I have to say, I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in properly in 3 weeks time!

[Martin]

Originally Posted by Gary

All I do when I'm taxi-dancing is ask beginners to dance, and try my darndest to make them enjoy the dance. Maybe once a night I'll give a piece of advice to one of them, but my priority is to build up their confidence and enjoyment.

It is as simple as that.

A taxi dancer helps out by dancing with beginners...

[Alan Doyle]

Taxi dancers help out by welcoming people (especially newcomers), helping on the door & dancing with beginners

[martingold]

Originally Posted by Gojive

One of the things we can be called upon to do, is to take the beginners review class in the evening.

If you are from Ceroc its now not a review class its a practice session
Taxi dancers are not allowed to teach in any way therefore cannot run review classes any more
The only people allowed to teach ceroc are qualified teachers

[Maxine]

Have been taxi-ing for about 3 years but am giving it up at the end of month because I seem to have less and less free time. My only advice would be: Be friendly, welcoming, smile and make yourself available to beginners, try to get them to stay for the freestyle because there is more chance that they will return again if you do.