On The Importance Of Dancing With Beginners

On doing some dance reading around the 'net, I came across this brief article randomly and really loved it. It is about ballroom dancing/partner dancing, but was so absolutely true for Tribal Group Improv/ATS I bookmarked it for later reference. Thought I would share it with you here!

"On The Importance Of Dancing With Beginners
While there is no question that dancing with a better partner will make you *look* good, and that with such a partner you can concentrate more on styling details and so on because the lead and follow doesn't need so much attention, it is not the best way to practice lead/follow skills. If learning leaders only dance with accomplished followers and vice-versa, they won't develop great leading/following skills, because they won't *need* to. Now let's suppose that YOU are a great leader or follower. What happens if you dance only with other great dancers? Your lead and follow skills will gradually *deteriorate* -- because you're not working them very hard. After some months without exposure to beginners, you may be surprised to find that you can't dance with them very well, even though they seem to do okay with other beginners.

You learn how to dance better by dancing with more experienced partners. But you learn how to lead/follow better by dancing with less experienced partners. Your skills are put much more to the test dancing with a beginner than with an experienced dancer. It is easy to lead/follow a great dancer. All your weaknesses as a leader/follower show up with beginners. Dance with them and ask yourself why each incorrectly led/followed figure didn't work and when you figure it out, work on incorporating the fixes into all your dancing!

You cannot become a good dancer by dancing _only_ with the same person. Dancing only with each other, you will become good at dancing with each other with all the mistakes and bad habits that become "correct" for you.

There is a certain type of character (leader) that one encounters again and again if one has been dancing for any length of time: the guy who only wants to dance with the best followers because he believes they are the only partners who can match his high skill level. Often what is REALLY going on is that only the best followers can compensate for his mistakes or idiosyncrasies. They make him look good. But the guy continues to think he's the tops because he insulates himself from feedback. *Dancing with poor to average followers is a good reality check.* If none but the best can follow your leads, I respectfully suggest your leads could use some work.Also, that kind of thinking ultimately harms their dancing. I've seen guys overestimate their ability and abandon the study of technique FAR too soon. Consequently it will take them a lot longer to reach the next level of skill.

(This file is part of the lead/follow FAQ list. These are articles compiled from the newsgroup rec.arts.dance by Mark Balzer.)

(You may link to this page and make copies for private use in any form, but reproduction in any means, including book or CDROM, is not allowed without permission.

Dancing that makes me cry... (repost with new video links)

In a good way!

Mia Michaels Moves Me...Mmmm

Hide and Seek (just watched again and *tears* every time)
Sorry for the low quality. The original ones were removed for copyright issues, and only a few remain that have been left and they are poorer versions. *Cry* Don't take these away from us!!




And SYTYCD is again coming soon! I am sooooo excited! One of the few series I anticipate with such excitement!

Ego vs. Pride

I really dig this article on Wisegeek examining the sometimes subtle, but important, difference between ego and pride. In my estimation, ego can get in the way of progressing in our dance, while pride can be motivating and bolstering in our attempts. What do you think? Read on...

Since ego and pride are rather linked, and their definitions are so similar, it can be difficult to figure out exactly how they are different. However, a simple way to consider ego and pride is this: ego is rather selfish and often has no basis in fact while pride tends to be less selfish and is typically based on the facts of a person's achievements and qualities. Some people think of ego as self-respect. While it can lead to a sense of self-respect, it too often leads to arrogance instead.

When a person has a genuine ability in a particular field, this could be a source of pride. Instead, however, the person may begin to feel that he is the best in this field and that no one else is or ever will be worthy of working with him; he may feel this way regardless of whether or not there's actually any truth to his perceptions. Pride, on the other hand, would make this person feel happy about his skills and accomplishments, without having to be the best or only one capable of achievement. Pride leads to confidence instead of the arrogance.

FCBD: Who We Are

This is a 1997 video of Carolena talking about what ATS is and isn't, and specifically some of her theories about the evolution of dance, motivation of feminine display and beauty, and more. It's very brief, but enjoyable.

My favorite dance moment is right at the beginning. She is just doing a simple little hip bump, her arms posed so beautifully, and just turning slowly, to show all sides of the simple move. It is done with such grace, control, and confidence, it strikes me at my core. Inspiring. So little can have such impact, it's easy to forget you don't necessarily always need all the bells and whistles. Just your own energy and confidence, and the simplest things are powerful.

Teacher loyalty...

To All Students,
Regarding "Loyalty" to Your Teacher
By Amanda Niehaus
with a few edits by me personally
(originally posted at Shira.net which is a fantastic resource for all things bellydance. Check it out!)

Dear students of this beautiful art form,

I am a teacher. I teach because I am passionate about this dance and I want others to share my passion.

I am not teaching because I require a fan club.
I am not teaching because I require devotees or because I need hero worship.

As your teacher, my job is to teach you; to inspire you to be your best. If I am a really good teacher, then I also will not be your only teacher. I will encourage you to study with other teachers who have skills and experience I lack. Because I am not the end-all, be-all of bellydance knowledge.