MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
My goal is to instill enthusiasm for and enjoyment of line dancing by making my classes informal and fun. I want everyone to know that it's okay to make mistakes--or variations, as we prefer to call them.
Here in The Villages where I live and teach, line dancers can be divided roughly into three groups: those who regularly dance together in class and on the public squares, those who travel to attend line dance events, and those who dance mainly in classes for recreation, socialization, exercise, and fun. Because some dancers fit into more than one category these circles overlap, but each group has different priorities.
My knees are compromised from previous sports injuries, and because I want to be able to continue dancing and teaching as long as possible, I only dance inside on smooth surfaces where I am less likely to cause further damage to my knees.
I consider myself a recreational line dancer, but I also dance as well as I know how every time I dance. When I'm wearing my instructor hat, my goal is to pass along techniques I have learned through my training with the NTA and through style workshops. Using proper mechanics makes dancing easier, smoother, and less likely to cause injury, and enables dancers to rise above the level of "followers" who can only dance by watching others. My method is to demonstrate and explain the proper execution of steps when teaching, then leave it up to students to put what they've seen into practice.
The first time I teach a dance, I show it the way the choreographer wrote the step sheet. However, I also teach easier options for some turns and steps, and occasionally offer alternate suggestions to smooth over awkward choreography.
Why? Because I live and teach in a retirement community and I know my students. Some of us have to accommodate mobility or balance issues. Taking out turns and simplifying footwork are obvious examples.
When LEARNING a dance, it's much easier if everybody is doing the same steps. However, in my experience, the majority of choreographers are okay with dancers adapting steps to suit their abilities, so in MY classes, it's okay to change things up. I tell my students "Once you know a dance, you own it." By that I mean that they are free to add their own styling and variations.
That's why I want my students to feel free to change anything in a dance that they find difficult or awkward. The point is to dance! Changes like these not only make dancing more fun, they also help students understand the relationship between steps, rhythm, and weight changes, and why some step substitutions work and some do not. They encourage students to look at the big picture rather than the details. If substituting steps keeps them dancing and they end up on the same foot facing the same wall as everybody else, then it's all good.
And what happens if the intended variation goes awry? We shuffle and smile until we get back on track because, after all, IT'S ONLY A LINE DANCE!
In my classes, students don't have to be concerned with being perfect or following the choreography to the letter--they're dancing, not teaching!
I take a page out of John Robinson's Book Of Line Dancing (there's no such thing in reality--that's just how I think of it; click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page for some pertinent advice from John). In his workshops, John often demonstrates a dance as written, then does the same steps with added styling; sometimes he even (gasp!) substitutes other steps. People watching are amazed at the difference it can make, and those demonstrations always get enthusiastic applause from appreciative spectators. This is a world champion dancer telling us that it's not only okay, it's desirable, to loosen up and have fun on the dance floor.
Doing a dance exactly the way it's written always is correct, and students can do every dance the same way every single time.
Ultimately, line dancing is you and the music, and that's all that matters.
