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The “Elite” vs Beginner Dancers Only for the sake of this article I am going to define “Elite” dancers as dancers who can see a pattern that is completely new to them as little as 3 times and be able to identify its basic components and then be able to lead or follow said pattern in 1-3 attempts. A “beginner” would be anyone who’s skill set falls short of the above definition of “elite” dancer. There is a huge divide between the two levels in every dance community and I have a theory as to why that is. We as a society have lost the old mantra “practice makes perfect.” I remember having a conversation with an up and comer, back when I was an up and comer, and he said something to me that absolutely blew my mind! We were comparing notes on how many classes we had taken that week, with whom we took classes, their teaching styles, and how many hours of practice we had put in that week. This conversation was less of a “look at what I can do” conversation and more of a “I want to make sure I am on the right track” type of thing. As soon as I told him how many hours I had practiced by my self, in just that last week, he looked at me like I had three heads…”You practice off the social dance floor?” he asked with a sarcastic tone. “I have never practiced” he said with finger quotes, “Accept for on the social dance floor.” If you are not practicing your basics between classes, you are not “paying” into the system. At the point that you choose to rest on your laurels you are choosing to hold back the dancers around you. You are not only not going to become an elite dancer, you are going to fell buried every time you take a class. Every teacher bases their lesson on the basics and if you have not taken the time to master them you have no one to blame but you self. The answer to the question “What’s wrong with “Elite” dancers?” is Nothing! They earned their spot where they are and you can do it too! Here is what is happening this weekend: Friday Night $10 7:30 – 8:15pm Lesson 8:15 – ? Social Dance Practice DNE School of Dance 78 Princeton St N. Chelmsford, MA Sunday Night $10 6-6:45 2-Step lesson w/Mr. J 6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J 7:30-? California Mixer w/Mike and Donna Longfellow’s Club JoEllen 524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD (Rt 20) Wayland, MA Leadership is the manipulation of energy. Following is the embodiment of energy. Connection is the tie that binds the two together. Mr. Jonathan www.MrJonathanIsMyDJ.com 603 475 1391 Dance on! |
Why are we losing dancers?
As I travel from venue to venue teaching, DJing, and dancing just for fun, I have notice that we are turning over an awful lot of dancers. Even at my own dances the faces seam to change all too quickly and it has given me pause to think about why that is. These next couple of weeks I am going to touch on some topics that most people on the “inside” are not comfortable discussing. They need to be talked about and so I am going to bring them up. If you disagree with my thoughts or have thoughts of your own, I welcome yours. Simply reply and I would love to hear from you.
There is no dance this week as I will be traveling with the Radio Show. Next week we will pick up where we left off and I hear through the grape vine that some old friends will be joining us on Friday the 24th…I for one can’t wait!
Sunday Night
$10
6-6:45 2-Step lesson w/Mike and Donna
6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mike and Donna
7:30-? California Mixer w/Steel
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen
524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD
(Rt 20) Wayland, MA
Leadership is the manipulation of energy.
Following is the embodiment of energy.
Connection is the tie that binds the two together.
Mr. Jonathan
www.MrJonathanIsMyDJ.com
603 475 1391
Dance on!
Special Friends Visiting
This weekend I got some advanced notice that a couple of my favorite swing friends are going to be in the area on Friday night and they plan on swinging by to get their dance on! Also I am DJing this Sunday night at Longfellow’s Club JoEllen…So basically my entire weekend will be filled with Joy, Music, and of course Dance!
Here is What the Weekend Looks like:
Friday
$10
Lesson 7:30-8:15
Dance 8:15-?
DNE School of Dance
78 Princeton St. Chelmsford, Ma
If you are looking for a place to dance on Saturday night Longfellow’s is hosting a World Champion Instructor:
Saturday October 11th
2 West Coast Swing Workshops
with
World Champion
Reisa Alexander!
7:00 – 8:00 All level – Improving Your WCS With Connection
8:00 – 9:00 Snazzy Patterns & Styling – Intermediate West Coast Swing
Intermediate Workshops $30/2, $15/1 Both lessons includes admission into the dance
8:00 – 9:00 Beginner West Coast Swing Lesson with Steele Shane
9:00 – 12:30 West Coast Swing Dance
Beginner Lesson $10 includes dance
Dance only $10
Sunday Night (I am DJing!)
$10
6-6:45 2-Step lesson w/Mr. J
6:45-7:30pm WCS w/Mr. J
7:30-? California Mixer w?Mr. J
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen
524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD
(Rt 20) Wayland, MA
Leadership is the manipulation of energy.
Following is the embodiment of energy.
Connection is the tie that binds the two together.
Mr. Jonathan
www.MrJonathanIsMyDJ.com
603 475 1391
Dance on!
A refreshing Approach to a Stale Problem
I belong to a 3000+ discussing page on facebook and a question was posed: WCS is the land of the cool kid bullies…How much longer will this “High School Mentality” continue? The cool kids can do and say what ever/whenever they want until a “cooler kid” calls them out on it and everyone jumps on the band wagon. When will it be that what is right is right and what is wrong be wrong?
My friend Kelli Kilgore had the best answer that I had seen:
“There comes a time when we all need to just get over ourselves. Yeah I said it. From the top down and the bottom up. We need to take a step back and reset the situation. You have to take some ownership and realize that dancers aren’t just dancers but real people. Talent doesn’t automatically make you grow people skills overnight. Some people are terrible at interacting with others. Some people are just plain jerks. Some people are extremely shy and dance is how they’ve learned to interact with others. I had to ask myself if there is a lead whose ego is too big to fit through door and treats me like trash, why am I crying in a corner when they turn me down? Cause they are supposedly so “awesome”? Screw that! There are plenty of awesome people in the room and they don’t need the most points or notoriety for me to enjoy dancing with them. I learned to seek out great dancers and if they are rude and mean, walk away head held high and move on to the next one. Also rejecting a dance and being a jerk aren’t the same thing. That some no’s aren’t as mean as we make them. I am constantly putting myself in check and resetting my expectations and giving people second and third chances to change my opinion of them. But I also have this pie in the sky mentality that there is good in everyone and I make it my mission to seek that good out. I’m not saying you have to go that far LOL that’s my own way of navigating through life in general.”
What a refreshing outlook!
Friday
$10
Lesson 7:30-8:15
Dance 8:15-?
DNE School of Dance
78 Princeton St. Chelmsford, Ma
Sunday Night
$10
6-6:45 2-Step lesson With Donna Shea
6:45-7:30pm WCS With Donna Shea
7:30-? California Mixer
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen
524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD
(Rt 20) Wayland, MA
Leadership is the manipulation of energy.
Following is the embodiment of energy.
Connection is the tie that binds the two together.
Mr. Jonathan
www.MrJonathanIsMyDJ.com
603 475 1391
Dance on!
Isn’t It Obvious…I Have A Foot Fetish!
Last week I counseled everyone on the importance of owning your own dancing…Taking the blame onto your own shoulders…With no more excuses. This week its time for me to take a big spoonful of my own medicine!
Last week, as you know, I taught, DJed, and performed for NHABDA (New Hampshire Amateur Ballroom Dance Association) and my friend Jeff filmed it so I could use the video for some shameless self promotion this week. While editing the video I noticed something about my dancing that shocked me…I can’t seem to take my eyes off of the feet of my partner during the West Coast Swing portion of the video!
What the hell is wrong with me? While she (Sheila) is flirting with the audience and attempting to look me in the eye, I am staring at her toe nails and making eyes at her dance sandals.
Now, most of the time I love to watch my self dance, each time I watch this video I am more and more horrified at how lousy my posture is. If it wasn’t for last week’s email I would not have even put it on YouTube. As I say during class, we are all in this together…Learning, pushing, and pulling each other toward the never ending goal of being better dancers. So, could someone please smack me on the back of the head every time you see me lock my gaze onto another dancer’s feet…PLEASE?!
What is happening this weekend:
Friday
$10
Lesson 7:30-8:15
Dance 8:15-?
DNE School of Dance
78 Princeton St. Chelmsford, Ma
Sunday Night
$10
6-6:45 2-Step lesson With Mr. Jonathan
6:45-7:30pm WCS With Mr. Jonathan
7:30-? California Mixer
Longfellow’s Club JoEllen
524 Minuteman Dr off of Boston Post RD
(Rt 20) Wayland, MA
Leadership is the manipulation of energy.
Following is the embodiment of energy.
Connection is the tie that binds the two together.
Mr. Jonathan
www.MrJonathanIsMyDJ.com
603 475 1391