Pursuit of Perfection

Earlier this week, I taught a class of high school girls and found myself very impressed at how quickly they picked up choreography – youth have such a good memory.  In fact, they learned the choreo so quickly that they wanted to move on to learning the technique of the Cha Cha I was teaching.

Afterwards, that same day, I taught an adult class, with minimal choreography and an emphasis on execution of figures we had been practicing in a series of group classes together.  I found that my adult students are much more eager to learn new choreography.  They often want to learn new steps to keep them interested, yet can experience a frustration over the technique required to execute those steps.

In truth, choreography is easy to pick up, but learning to dance technically well – which is really the point of any dance education – requires time, commitment, and passion.

WDC Ballroom Champion, Peter Eggleton, once said, “I can teach you a Feather step (in Foxtrot) in about 15 minutes, but it will take you a lifetime to dance it.”  Though I am teacher, I am also a student of dance, and this statement is really overwhelming!  A lifetime commitment to dance!

What Eggleton is saying is that the average dance figure takes about 15 minutes to learn; however, it takes time and years of practice to develop it.

Dance is a pursuit of perfection that one will never fully attain.

It will help all students, at every level, to realize that – yes choreography needs to be changed, altered, adapted as you get better at dancing – but it’s RARELY that cause of your bad results.  Your commitment to learning and practicing the technique of execution is the key to dancing well.

I have often talked to students who wish they could revisit an old routine and perform it again with current dance skills.  In fact, recently, one of my students told me that he wished he had his current level of skill when he danced a showcase routine one year ago, this November.

Don’t be eager to jump ahead to new advanced figures that look more interesting – learn how to dance first. Like a novice pianist, after a few weeks of training you would not attempt to perform a complex Beethoven concerto.

Exciting choreography is fun and interesting, but it is not the reason you would fail to get the results you want. Your ability to dance the choreography to the highest level is required for the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment a student seeks. And that is only achieved through technical understanding and practice of execution over time.

Coming From Contribution

Often, my greatest joy as a ballroom dance instructor and choreographer is found in the contribution I make to others through training for special events.  I am earnestly dedicated to training others and experience a deep enthusiasm for their growth.

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a charity event modeled after the popular TV show ‘Dancing with the Stars.’  This was the second time I’ve danced in this particular gala with local celebrities benefiting the Lake Travis Community Library. I also performed in the Austin event last year which raised funds for the Center for Child Protection. For these events, my celebrity dance partner and I select a song, which reflects her choice in music then, I choreograph a dance routine that lasts roughly two minutes.

I enjoy this from beginning to end! Starting with teaching the basic rhythm to a non-dancer celebrity, to the final performance that showcases all she has mastered.

It’s an exhilarating experience for me to perform a routine with someone I’ve trained!  Together, our two minutes in the spotlight, represent many hours of hard work, dedication, and love for dance.

I also very much enjoy choreographing and instructing a couple who have partnered together for a dance recital, showcase, or even their wedding dance.

I recently uncovered a video that I forgot existed in my computer files. It features a young couple I coached performing a West Coast Swing. She was one of my top competitive students and he was an upcoming and talented new dancer. Watching it again, after all this time, I couldn’t help but reflect on the pride I was feeling to once again witness a wonderful moment in dance. It was a culmination of skills and artistic display being demonstrated, to which I made a contribution.

I experience a true sense of accomplishment every time I view my work in both professionals and amateur performers.

To watch dance skills unfold in others, knowing that I have forever been a part of their growth, is something that reminds me of how I am able benefit not only the dance industry, but also to the world community.

 

Gentlemen, I've Got Your Backs!

Gentlemen, while our female partners have a very important role in ballroom dance, we are the ones in charge!  We are the leaders.

To be a great leader, you must become obsessed with using the correct technique to execute the pattern or amalgamation of figures with the necessary control to confidently maneuver yourself and your partner around the floor.

Exact foot placement and correct footwork, posture and poise all serve a leader well;  however, thorough knowledge of a figure is paramount to great floor craft.

When dancing socially, leaders, you must choreograph as you go, orchestrating the moves congruent with the style and rhythm of the music you are dancing to.  It is like a chess match, planning the next step and deciding what amount of turn to maneuver through and around the other couples.  Leaders be vigilant, always aware of alignment and other dancers you are sharing the floor with.

With comfort and confidence, you must know all the variations of a dance figure and what can follow it, along with the ways you can change end alignment in reaction to what is happening on the dance floor in real time around you.

Guys, next time you are in a dance class learning a figure, be mindful and have intention!  Don’t just learn the steps; get to know the technique intimately so that the woman you are dancing with can trust you wholeheartedly within your dance frame.

Where you lead, she will follow.

Why Should I Compete?

The bottom line answer to this question is: you are going to become a better dancer!

We have all heard the saying that growth begins when you leave your comfort zone. DanceSport will definitely push you out of your comfort zone! 

Because I sincerely believe that growth, in every way and in every aspect of life is good, pushing your own boundaries can only lead to a positive result in dance, when you have good training.

DanceSport is athletic with an artistic component.   You can experience the thrill of leaving your body as you listen to the music, yet trained with technical skills to perform each dance congruent with that particular style.  

In competition, you are being judged on technical merit with artistic impression.

Contrary to popular belief, Pro/Am competitions are very forgiving.  Each competitor is only compared to other dancers at his or her own skill level.  In other words, a 45 year old novice dancer would not be competing against an advance 25 year old dancer.  Competitions, though designed to award the best performers, are fair and a lot of fun!

As an instructor, watching my students grow through the preparation for and participation in a competition is deeply fulfilling.  Even the most novice student walks away from a DanceSport event as a better dancer!  Being witness to this growth is my motivation to wake up and go to work each and every day.

DanceSport is also an interesting and entertaining subculture.  Much like acting, competing involves costumes, makeup, hairstyles, and spray tans!  It is one big party where you get to dress up and hang-out with others who share a common interest with you! 

Don’t let fear inhibit your fun!  After all, we are all one big, happy family of dancers!

I regularly participate in several competitions each year.  For information on competitions that might be right for you, check out the National Dance Council of America for opportunities across the country.  http://www.ndca.org/

 

 

Dance Is An Investment in Personal Growth

During the 14 years that I have been teaching dance, my students have been individuals and couples from all walks of life; each with his or her unique personality, career path, life style, and income level. My students also come to the dance floor at all skill levels: from the novice dancer taking the first lesson, to the seasoned professional seeking an experience, certified coach.

 

HOWEVER, all of my students have one quality in common: a deep desire for personal growth and the recognition that dance is an investment in this growth.

The benefits of dance are too numerous to list in full so, I will address three that my students commonly experience; these are: physical fitness, stress relief, and self-mastery of a beautiful art.

Physical Fitness

Dance is beautiful form of locomotion that builds physical strength, muscle control, and often provides aerobic exercise. I have seen many individuals incorporate dance into a lifestyle of healthy food choices and regular workouts to increase weight loss, muscle tone, and strength. I have one student who has been especially successful at using dance as a vehicle to better physical health and weight loss. I cannot express how proud I am of her! She has used dance to make an investment in her personal growth and a healthier lifestyle. Through dance she is reaping great rewards!

Stress Relief

I commonly encounter students who have a long-time desire to learn to dance but, set aside this dream until they are faced with dramatic life changes requiring new avenues of stress relief. Dance introduces students to a new community of people with a common interest and can provide a mental vacation from the stress that life and change brings. I have witnessed amazing personal growth in individuals who find a path to dance following: divorce or loss of a partner, a move to a new city, or retirement. I have also watched dance transform couples, even save marriages, through the time invested in the relationship through the learning process; and, I have seen renewed intimacy blossom when couples discover a new shared interest that brings fun and excitement to their lives. The possibility of personal growth and stress relief through dance is limitless.

Self-Mastery

In my personal experience, one of the greatest benefits of dance is the path to self-mastery. As in any discipline, this requires commitment, patience with the learning process, an investment of time and resources. However, the rewards that are reaped through sowing these seeds are deeply fulfilling. It is easy to see how this applies to professional and competitive dancers. However, I have seen many amateur students growth through self-mastery of a dance discipline. This may be most evident in my youth students. Often the personal discipline and self-commitment required by a young person is impressive. For anyone who commits to the journey, dance will provide growth in the areas of mental sharpness, physical control and skill, and a mental, emotional connection to the body.

The benefits of dance are countless! Don't allow time or cost prevent you from finding your own personal path to growth trough this beautiful art. And, don't wait for a crisis to lead you to fulfillment of a life-long dream.

Dance is one of the greatest investments in yourself you will ever make.

My AMAZING Students

I have spent the day reflecting on my heartfelt gratitude for my AMAZING students.

This week, like never before, I am so thankful for their loyal support, passion for dance, and commitment to my tutelage.

It has been a fantastic first week in the new studio space!   The new location is full of light from beautiful windows that open onto a greenbelt; it is full of students, activity, abundance and love.  However, without my supportive following of dancers, who have become my dear friends, this positive change would be meaningless.

My students make dance worthwhile.

May our journey together exploring the lovely art of dance be long.

May each of you experience exponential life growth along this path.

May dance make your world a brighter, better, more beautiful place to be.

 With admiration, respect, and gratitude,

Mark

Exercising for Dance: Part 2

Exercise to develop core strength can make a critical difference in one’s skill in ballroom dance.

Core strength can be defined as the balanced development of the deep and superficial muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body, especially the abdominals and muscles of the back.

Core strength goes beyond the surface muscles and asks us to utilize our deep internal muscles to maintain stability in motion.

The abs have very limited and specific action, and what experts refer to as the "core" actually consists of many different muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis, and run the entire length of the torso. When these muscles contract, they stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle and create a solid base of support. When this happens, we are able to generate powerful movements of the extremities.

The core muscles also make it possible to stand upright and move on two feet. These muscles help control movements, transfer energy, shift body weight and move in any direction.

Pilates is a perfect way to develop core strength and improve one’s ability to remain stable in motion, particularly in closed frame partner dancing.

The Hundred is a classic Pilates mat exercise for core strength. The Hundred requires that we coordinate the breath with the movement, and be strong and graceful at the same time. 

1) Lie on your back with your knees bent and the shins parallel to the floor. For now, put your hands behind your knees. 

Inhale to begin. 

2) Exhale: Bring your chin down and curl your upper spine up off the floor. Keep the shoulders engaged in the back. The gaze is down into the scoop of the abs. 

Stay here and inhale. 

3) Exhale: At the same time, activate your abs, and extend your legs and arms toward the wall in front of you. 
Your arms extend straight out but low, just a few inches off the floor. 
Your legs should only be as low as you can go without shaking, and without your lower spine pulling up off the mat. 

4) Five short breaths in and 5 short breaths out (like sniffing in and out) go along with a controlled up and down pumping of the arms.
This is a small pumping action - be sure to keep your shoulders relaxed. 

5) To finish: Keep your spine curved as you bring the knees in to your chest. Grasp your knees, and then allow your upper spine and head to roll, sequentially, back to the floor. Take a deep breath in and out.

This exercise is safe to perform everyday and should be done as often as possible. This will develop your stabilizing muscles as you remain in frame, moving with a dance partner through time and space.