Oct. 2, 2001, 12:43 p.m. (Message 27654, in reply to message 27652)
Anselm, Re: Date sent: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 10:32:05 +0200 From: Anselm Lingnau <xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx> > Everything else that comes on top of that is, at the end of > the day, a luxury that is up to personal ambition, of which some > dancers seem to have much more than their fair share and others none > at all; it's usually the former who you're going to find at workshops > and other venues of self-improvement but the latter can be just as > sociable, fun to be with, and important for their groups/clubs/... Excellent points all, especially the above. My concern lies with the potential for "disconnects in perception" between teachers and social dancers, leading to diminishing participation due to classes with too much footwork & other technique practice, not enough dancing (it's happened here). I think the very nature and rigor of our teacher certification process causes our teachers to come from the "more than their fair share of personal ambition" end of the the spectrum (not a criticism, just an observation - it has to take more than middlin' ambition to go through the process). (Note to readers: please don't interpret "ambition" used in this context as a perjorative; it's not.) The potential result is that teachers, given this predisposition for personal improvement, may have a different perception of what constitutes a fun, balanced class than do the socially-oriented class members. So the challenge remains - how do teachers balance the need to maintain the fundamental character of SCD (i.e., proper technique) with the need to develop (or keep) lots of dancers on the floor dancing SCD? Striking the right balance is, I expect, far from easy. Happy dancing, Lee