CHAT ROOM
message
Re: How do Salsa instructors deal with 'extremely slow learners' ?
Posted By: t.t. 02/03/10 08:30 Source ID: 214dd3e5-01263d6a
In Reply To: How do Salsa instructors deal with 'extremely slow learners' ? 01/03/10 14:51
 | To put it in context, learners that are unable to remember routine that is longer than two or four bars. They can remember two or four bars (that is their total limit), |  |
Firstly.. DONT teach " routines ".. routines are for formation work and have little business in a social dynamic.
There is an obsession ( created by congresses ? ) that everything should be routine based ( the" monkey see monkey do" style of ( "teaching ?" ).
There is much to be learned in developing follow and lead, in simple basics, and building a much broader musical base, from which one may start to add additional variety.
I just came back from my congress w/end and in ALL my classes ( 4 in total ) I had experienced dancers, as well as beginners, and I did not teach sequences, only essentially basic work, with 3 to 4 variations ...and as usual, none had been informed about the various styles of music,and or HOW to dance to it ( they didnt even know that music is not" static" ), .. so much info. lacking in their foundational dance knowledge, in simple musical interpretation.
It was interesting ( to me ) see 2 other teachers who did the "usual " format.. the old 123.. 567.. watching students flail around in utter confusion and with little regard to their dilemmas ( these were not large classes ).. needless to say, the end result was more variety added on top of the " stuff " they were already attempting to dance(?) .
So...it begs the Q.. how much training have you had in " teaching " ?.. or are you a dancer that "discovered " they knew HOW to teach ?.. Im not trying to be perjorative, but genuinely curious .
You will find, if you continue to teach, that this problem will arise frequently.. there are NO short cuts to developing an ease of passage thru the basics in dance.. but.. there is the format that I suggested.. do not attempt to rush those that are having difficulty . Adding new material only compounds the problem. Create patience within "them " ( and yourself ) .
Students will be more grateful, if they feel a sense of accomplishment with the simplicity in what you teach, and, what they are able to take away from the experience..
follow-ups:
(none)