Becoming A Project Of Success

When we move forward, the iliopsoas (a muscle consisting of the iliacus and psoas major muscles) and other hip flexors contract, causing a forward leg swing until the foot hits a surface.  You basically fall on that foot and repeat the action with the other leg creating locomotion, otherwise known as…walking.  Our bodies are designed to be very efficient with this ambulation as we fall forward on our heels and roll through to the toes.

Walking differs from dancing in many ways. There are no accidental steps in dancing. There is an exact foot placement and exact amount of turn. Combined with many more physical actions, one can create graceful movement through time and space in partnership with another. Many muscle groups and work are involved throughout the body to execute dance steps while maintaining a frame and connection with a partner. A student of dance may dutifully show up for instruction and practice dance figures, yet fail to work on the most important aspect of partnering, motion, and balance…themself! 

We can’t change the natural laws of our universe. Gravity and energy are always going to influence our movement. We must, therefore, become aware of our physical weaknesses and then pursue a form of training that generates correction. Sometimes achieving better balance can be as simple as more rotation in the upper torso or a shift of head weight. Sometimes a personal compensatory action is employed or a mental strategy involving analogies might create the desired result. Sometimes there is a limited range of motion, or lack of flexibility, strength, or endurance. If "it" is preventing us from dancing at a higher level, it doesn’t really matter whether it originates from an old injury or some under-developed muscle. As a dance instructor, I teach the patterns and rhythm of a particular dance, the necessary technique, and the lead/follow aspects of partnering.  It is important for me to also identify the physical issues preventing precise movement and balance and coach my students in corrective exercises.

I walk the walk with regular chiropractic care and massage therapy to not only ensure wellness, but to enable me to perform my job of dancing and coaching. I find that I must endure the sometimes painful exercise of foam rolling my iliotibial (IT) bands to maintain muscle elasticity and range of motion and flexibility. I must also perform exercises to maintain my muscle strength, particularly around weakened or injured joints. Essentially, I am a never-ending project so that I can continue to do the job I most enjoy–– instructing dance. I encourage my students to do the same, which will help them achieve better movement in addition to a healthier lifestyle. Fitness is a necessity in dance. Stronger core and leg muscles together with increased flexibility will result in more control of our movement, i.e. better dancing! So the next time you trip off a step or stumble into a room, remember that to dance is not just an accidental walk in the park.

 

Thanksgiving

The pursuit of any skill or art requires dedication, discipline, and steadfast practice, but the most important element in success is having the right coaches. I’m very grateful for all of the instructors I’ve had in my individual quests towards some goal. One of my greatest lessons is to really respect the knowledge and gift a coach offers as I’ve come to appreciate the value of a teacher more than ever in my own growth. I am humbled and grateful that I can, as a teacher in my field of expertise, be a contributor instead of a consumer. I not only instruct dance, but I motivate and mentor when a student experiences frustration or hits some temporary limitation. I feel an ever-growing appreciation for the influence my guidance may offer as I contribute to the achievement of someone’s goal. I am simultaneously grateful to my students who provide so much joy in my life, allowing me to coach them in their endeavor with a trust that I will guide them with my fullest capabilities. I learn a great deal from my students. They bring me constantly to an awareness of myself and to enjoy all the small, intangible moments I once so easily dismissed.

My quality of life is exponentially improved by both my teachers and my students. I’m thankful for both.

Thanksgiving is a personal holiday for me every day (without all the calories) as I hold myself to not just thinking and feeling gratitude, but showing and expressing it to others each day.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

My dance card runneth over!

I’ve had the opportunity to teach at several events the past few weeks. Most recently, I had the pleasure of working a local school district fundraiser. It was hosted in a private home, complete with food, beverages, D.J. and party lights galore. Instructing adults with little or no knowledge of dance deepened my appreciation for the moment. The participants gathered around as the DJ lowered a microphone from the upstairs loft, as if I were a Boxing referee about to announce the contestants. I felt so at ease in that environment as I began to present the concept of partner dancing and introduce the dance of the evening in terms that helped the group understand how to respond. I feel so blessed to do this as a career and share my knowledge with both beginners and more advanced dancers.

I have entered a sweet spot of gratitude as my business transitions into opening a new school of dance. The teachers I’ve been training have become like immediate family and the student body like extended family. The excitement has been building among current students and those anxiously awaiting their first class. I’ve been receiving referrals from a networking group I belong to as well as from a church directory. But the most complimentary source is always word of mouth. After previously being part owner in two studios, I look forward to watching this school unfold as we organically grow to our fullest potential. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful to all of the teachers who will be working with me as we launch this new endeavor; Kelly, Karla, Shawna, Natalie, Jordan, & Juan Carlos.

My dance card runneth over!

Emotional Connection

As a professional instructor, I've focused most of my coaching on the necessary discipline of teaching my students to practice basics and body control, with a constant emphasis on technique and high intensity training on the physics of partnering.

In retrospect, I've come to recognize that emotional partnering skills are as essential as physics in creating a successful connection and chemistry. I've been observing the emotional dynamics between dance partners and how much that influences their progress. Falling in love with dance is one thing. Staying in love with it while training can be difficult at times. The experience runs counter-intuitive to the notion that dancing with someone should be effortless, comfortable and natural. In fact, the experience is more intense because of the more intimate nature of our chosen recreational pursuit and the expectations brought to the dance floor. Both verbal and non-verbal communication become amplified---after all, it does take "two to Tango!"

I find myself being ever more mindful while dancing and teaching, to the reactions and responses of my partners. To get the full experience of dancing with one another, we must surrender to becoming an open book, vulnerable with both goals and fears exposed. I encourage my students to practice not just executing near-perfect movement, but also to dedicate themselves to creating a safe emotional environment around the partnership, successfully striving to reach new milestones with authenticity and openness.

In a dance, there is you, your partner and the music. The rest of the world is just a blur.

ON MINDING MY “P’s”

Strive for Progress—not Perfection! This is my new motto.

I’ve never considered my students as clients. For a long time, however, I have over-emphasized trying to produce something very unlikely—perfection. Teaching is its own delicate form of dance, an intimate balancing act of inviting the student to learn while encouraging them to progress.  While I never want to spoon-feed information, stringing students along for more profit,  I recognize that the long-term value of providing what they are capable of absorbing is key to their success.  Like many things in my life, my teaching style is evolving as I experience a paradigm shift in how I interact with my students.

I have refined my instruction so that student dancers can be more genuine with me both in and outside of our student/teacher relationship. This has required me to develop a more relaxed and authentic bond with those taking instruction from me. The results were clearly demonstrated at the recent competition in late September. 

In just the Pro/Am competitions alone,  four of my attending students garnered 1^st place awards in 30 single dance heats between them in a variety of Country, Smooth, Rhythm and Standard dances—a remarkable accomplishment!

I've had the benefit of working for myself as a dance teacher for several years. I love that I’m not just some instructor randomly paired with a new student and instead sought out by students, who place their trust in me to guide them. As they progress towards their dance goals, I honor their trust with great responsibility and take my teaching more seriously than ever before. My job is to train them in developing their skills, while allowing them to simultaneously experience the joy of our common passion—another “p” word I now prefer to “perfection!”

Leadership is helping others succeed through influence! This is my personal mission statement.

Youthful Inspiration

At the end of March, I participated in the Texas Challenge Dancesport Championships with some of my competitive ballroom dance team.  Among the group who competed in the event were two amateur Rhythm dance partners who I have been coaching for about 4 months; they are a great partnership of two young adults.  As I reviewed some of the terrific photographs of their performance, I felt inspired and excited as I realized the great fulfillment I gain from the role of coach.  This feeling is never more true than when I am working with youth, junior, and collegiate level dancers.  Like the young amateur couple that I have been training, young dancers bring an enthusiasm to ballroom dance that is contagious!

Whether I am leading a youth ballroom class in the studio, coaching my competitive youth and junior dancers, or participating as a judge at the Austin Open Ballroom Dance Competition at the University of Texas at Austin, I am thrilled to see a younger generation embrace ballroom dance. 

As I have watched these amazing young dancers grow as artists, I have also watched them gain self-confidence, social grace, knowledge, communication and performance skills that will stay with them throughout their school years and well into their adult career paths.  What an advantage each of these young people will have when they discover all the ways to apply the subtle nuances of this training in real life. 

Dance builds grace in young people on many levels.

Like many of us who find a path to dance in adulthood, I envy the opportunity that early ballroom dance training provides youth.   The younger dancers have physical ability to grasp the technicality of dance in the early stages of training, they possess a limitless creativity that becomes a part of their artistic expression, and their minds are sponges soaking up the language, skills, and many lessons taught through ballroom dance.



What these young dancers will one day learn is that ballroom is gift that can be applied throughout a lifetime!  While most ballerinas enjoy only short-term careers, ballroom dancers have an unlimited potential to find their passion on the dance floor at any age!

Coaching these amazing young people brings me the greatest joy as a teacher.