Celebrity status in Colorado

Just returned from my first trip to Colorado for a gig with TinaMania, the show in which I dance professionally. I didn't get to see much of Colorado, but the Denver airport is pretty spectacular. Our gig was in Fort Collins, about an hour's drive from the airport. This was a gig for the city of Fort Collins, a benefit for a senior center I believe. We were the only act, so we did two 45 minute sets and the audience LOVED us. Many of them asked us to sign their posters. This was the first time anyone has asked for my autograph and it was fun. Takesia (the other back up dancer), and I both had the same response when we were asked. You want MY autograph? Our first thought was that somehow they had mistaken us for Kiesha (Tina Turner) although that would be virtually impossible if we'd had time to think about it. The audience was wonderful, dispite the fact that we were a half an hour late and stunned by the effects of the altitude. We'd been warned, but still found ourselves gasping for air when we started working hard. We were told, and we believe it, drink a lot of water in high altitudes if you're planning on exerting yourself!

Keeping the dance community alive: part II

One way or another, a dance community has to attract beginners or it will die. Sometimes the dance is simply so compelling that new people see it and just want to do it. Argentine Tango is a good example of this. In my opinion, it is the most difficult of all partner dances. Hard to learn and hard to retain, it requires a huge time commitment in order to do it well enough to enjoy it. The community is not welcoming of beginners to say the least. Beginners are expected to prove themselves by their continued work before they are acknowledged by the experienced dancers. Yet they keep coming because the dance itself is so exciting. Sometimes a similar dance can woo dancers away from an established dance. West Coast Swing was once hugely popular. The rise of Lindy Hop didn't kill West Coast Swing, but the community shrank considerably as many dancers decided that Lindy was a whole lot more fun. Lindy became so popular the community became complacent and nearly lost it's beginner momentum a few years ago when beginner classes were floundering all over the bay area. We can thank Hep Jen's move from Seattle to the Bay Area for rescuing our dwindling beginner appeal by offering free classes at Lindy in the Park to curious passerbys, an idea that worked miracles to keep the dance alive and thriving. Cudos to Hep Jen with her friendly and welcoming energy!

Lifetimes of Dance Communities

A discussion with friends today brought up the subject of how to keep a dance community from dying. I remember when Country Western Dancing was popular. There were clubs everywhere and I taught a lot of C/W. All of a sudden there wasn't enough interest to keep the formally thriving clubs alive, and one by one they closed. Now the closest clubs to my area (Oakland) are Fremont and Concord. Even the gay community's stalwart Rawhide II closed and the popular dance is now relegated to twice a week in SF. What happened? It seemed like it was here to stay. My guess is not enough beginners. A dance community has to nurture it's beginners to stay alive. More about this in the next entry.

Dancers hunt for treasure: results

I know you're all eager to hear how Rats-a-roni: the San Francisco Meat fared on the treasure hunt. Well, we didn't finish, but we had a great time, enjoyed each other's company off the dance floor, and had an adventure in foul weather. We also solved a lot of the clues, which was challenging and exciting. Not very good in the competitive spirit department, I wasn't the only one with the tendency to shout out a solution in great excitement, fully within earshot of other teams in the vicinity. I was shushed good naturedly by the more competitive players on more than one occasion, but in the end it didn't matter since we didn't finish in time to turn in our score card. It's a great exercise in stretching your mind, staring in great frustration at the clue right in front of your nose and not seeing it, until you do. It's hard not to shout "There it is!" at the top of your lungs. There is a certain fun in slogging about in the rain, but all in all I would have enjoyed it more in clement weather.

Dancers hunt for treasure

An important and not often addressed part of dancing is that of community. when you fall in love with a dance, you do it often, and you begin to get to know the other regulars. Sometimes your dance community becomes your social circle. This weekend a group of Lindy Hoppers will try our hand at the annual SF Treasure Hunt. It's the year of the rat, hence our team name, Ratsaroni, the San Francisco Meat. It's a first for me and most of our team. Wish us luck. I'll report on our success after the weekend.

Your Teacher: Does gender matter?

Every once in a while I get a student who wants to learn to follow and expresses a choice to learn from a man instead of a woman. I don't argue with this, as some women just don't feel comfortable dancing with another woman and I'm happy to pass her on to one of my colleagues. However, sometimes it's not a matter of comfort level, but a misunderstanding of what it takes to teach the skill of following. Any dance instructor who teaches alone must be skilled in the arts of leading as well as following. If you want to learn to follow, your instructor must know how to lead, but also he/she must have a clear understanding of how to follow. A man who doesn't follow may be able to teach you, as the leader is directing the follower, but someone who dances both parts will be better equipped to give you the instruction you need than one who only dances lead. If you are not a natural follower, that is someone who picks up the skill intuitively, it can be a very difficult skill to learn. If you are not uncomfortable learning from someone of the same gender, pick you teacher based on experience, teaching skill, and how comfortable you feel with him or her. Gender is not important.

wedding dance question

I am frequently asked if I can choreograph a routine for a first dance for a wedding. I want to talk about that here because I answer it so often. Of course, I CAN choreograph a routine, but I advise against it. Here’s why. A choreographed routine requires strict memorization as each step is designed to fit a particular place in the music. If the leader makes a mistake, the follower has to decide whether to follow the routine or follow her partner and it makes for a difficult recovery. It takes a long time to perfect, is more expensive, and after it’s over, all you’ve learned is how to do that one routine to that one song. I believe a much better plan is to learn to lead and follow, and learn enough moves to make your dance interesting. If the music has particular places that are more dramatic, you can learn a move that you can do in those places. A dramatic entrance and flashy dip at the end give it a polished look. The follower always follows her partner, and recovering gracefully from mistakes is easy and takes a lot of pressure off. After it’s all over, you’ve learned how to dance, to any music that fits the dance you’ve learned, and you can use your hard earned lessons to have fun on the dance floor as you continue your life together. I’ve choreographed routines for contests and performances, but for weddings, a relaxed dance that connects you to your partner with love and joy is a much better choice.