Working with Beginners

By Eric Dahlman

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine started teaching me how to Lindy Hop, a dance that I have always been excited to learn. For the most part, the informal lesson went well. I was able to get the basic steps down, but throughout the lesson I couldn't help from feeling a little discouraged. My friend has been dancing since childhood. While he certainly has his skills on the dance floor, he hasn't had much experience in teaching. As we were dancing, my friend continued to correct the minutest details of my dancing. Granted, if I were preparing for a competition, this would have been excellent practice. In this case, I was only beginning to learn simple steps and his assertions just went over my head.

Now as the new season of ballroom dance begins, I can't help but try to see through the eyes of the team's newcomers. Not everyone has the same experience in dance, and it is only made harder for beginners when the team is taught together as if we have all been dancing our entire lives. One of my new teammates likened the first week of practice as if she were dropped into a foreign country without speaking the native tongue. The people here say weird things like cross-over breaks, and heel leads. “Am I just supposed to follow that without explanation?," she asked me. Added to that is the fact that it appears that everyone else understands exactly what our coach barks out at us. I have to feel respect for those just starting to embark on their adventure through the crazy world of ballroom dance.

The beginning stage of learning any skill is often one of the hardest. Ballroom makes no exception to the rule. While we cannot change the team lessons just to suit the beginners, and they will just have to learn with time, it is possible to help beginning dancers when working with them one-on-one. If you're having some difficulty practicing with a partner new to dance, it is time to start thinking about what you can do to ease partners into ballroom.

Perhaps the most common source of confusion when learning something new is that the teacher explains in a manner that makes sense to them rather than in a way the student would comprehend. Especially in ballroom, people tend to critique others as if they were on their same level rather than with the skills their partner currently exhibits, which only causes more confusion for beginners. For example, let's say you are practicing with someone completely new to rumba. You are dancing with them, and something feels off. Your partner is still only beginning to grasp the basic box, and rhythm of the dance. However, thinking that it might be a useful tip, you point out to your partner that their feet are not turned out, and that they need proper ankle breakage. While ankle breakage may be important to remember for your current level at dancing, the advice may not be as helpful to someone learning to feel the pattern of the rhythm. Your partner is likely to feel even more lost, and probably would have learned more if you helped them count out the basic, slow-quick-quick. Once they start understanding that, then you can gradually add more information on the proper technique for rumba.

Another key aspect to remember that continues from my other tip is to congratulate progress rather than showing how much the newcomer still has to learn. After a partner in cha-cha finally learns how to cross-over break, tell them afterwards, "It was a pleasure dancing with you." Now is not the time to berate them on how they should have Cuban motion. Wait until the next dance to bring up a more advanced techniques. Progress is always important, but it is better to inform another dancer about different aspects of their dance. No one benefits from feeling pathetic after being shown exactly how little they know. Make sure to show newer dance partners the same courtesy you would show anyone else.

Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a decent Cuban motion. Everyone needs time to naturalize the important aspects of ballroom dance. Keeping a growth mindset is one of the most vital skills in ballroom dance, and reminding new dancers that sometimes it just takes a good night of sleep and another week of practice may be the best thing they need to hear. If ballroom dancing came naturally, everyone in the world would have perfect posture. All skills require time to be learned, and new dancers have to keep in mind that as long as they continue to try, they will improve. Everyone learns at a different pace, so until their confidence comes, they will just have to grin and bear it.

I am excited to begin the new season of ballroom dance as well as to begin writing this column. The new dancers on the team have great potential, and seeing them makes me realize how far I have come in only my first semester. As the year continues, I am honored to be a part of my team, and I hope to use my column to help others learn the culture of the ballroom from a fresh pair of eyes. Until next issue!