This Wednesday May 30th at The Royal Palace in Manchester, NH
657 Elm Street Manchester, NH 03101
When I started lead and follow dancing just over 15 years ago I was hooked for life. Thinking that I may compete some day I sought out the pros that, at the time, were at the top of their game. After just over $10,000 invested in my dancing I was finally ready to do the first step of this dance correctly. Granted I am a slow learner but $10,000?and it only bought me the first step in a dance with millions of patterns and variations? How long does it take to get good? When do I move one to step 2…I am speaking literally about steps here people. I was learning how to walk when I wanted to dance. I took lessons from everyone Sam and Denise Miller, Bill Cameron, Anne Fleming, Larry Mongeau, Cathy Pothier, John Festa, Ramiro Gonzalez Robert Cordoba, and Deborah Szekely and the lesson started of exactly the same every time.
I was living the Dancers version of “The Karate Kid” Paint the fence, wax the car, sand the floor. Everything but dancing. When I hit my breaking point I stopped my teacher mid lesson (Cathy Pothier) and asked her when I would progress beyond the boring first step and actually learn how to dance? I was sick of hearing the word “Wrong” after every single “one”. Every time I took a step in her lessons for a solid year it was “wrong”. As her customer I demanded an answer and I was about to here the words that would change my dancing life forever!
She stopped the music, walked up to me, put her hands on my face, and proceeded to put the wonder full world of West Coast Swing in perspective. “You already know how to dance. In fact you are such a good dancer that there is very little I can teach you about dancing… you have “IT”…Oh you can dance my friend…you can’t lead for shit…but you can dance!”
We all can dance when no one is watching and our favorite song comes on. Suddenly the chores stop, the taxes get pushed aside, or lunch gets a few degrees colder while we bust a move on the carpet for 3 and a half minutes. All the while pretending that a crowd of 50,000 screaming fans are watching…Ok maybe that last part was what I imagine when I am dancing in my living room. The point is that you are your own “dance” teacher. You know what you like and you do it when you are flying solo.
I am teaching you how to lead and follow…How to take that first step and do it correctly…How to communicate with your partner so that you can each bring your own dance to the partnership. This is why I taught the Advanced intensive the way that I did and its exactly why everyone should be in attendance at this Friday’s “Back to Basics” workshop at DNE and the repeat of the lesson plan in Manchester, NH at Queen City Ballroom.
If you can’t lead or follow that first step you will never see the day that your living room dance (in front of 50, 000 of your closest imaginary friends) makes it into your West Coast Swing.