Mistakes salsa instructors make
MISTAKE #1:
NOT UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF SALSA DANCING
Here's the deal. Most instructors can only teach you what is common
in a particular region. And, for the most part, that's ok. But the
thing is this your salsa dancing will be at a more advanced level,
you will have more dance partners, and you will be at the center of
all the attention if you understand that it is by FAR more important
to know how to go with the flow then it is to be rigidly stuck in
only one way of dancing. Now it's not that most instructors don't
WANT to teach you that, it's just that it's hard to do it in a class
there are just too many other people for the instructor to
concentrate on only you. You see, even if your instructor could do
it, many don't know HOW to do it. It's not easy to go from one style
to the other unless you learn from someone that is able to teach you
how. If you ask an instructor how you can apply what you learn to
other styles, and they don't have an answer for you TURN AROUND AND
RUN!!
MISTAKE #2:
NOT GIVING SPECIFIC AND DIRECT INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO LEAD AND HOW TO
FOLLOW
I know what you're thinking how could this be? This seems so obvious
that there's no way this could be happening. Well, I thought the
same thing, until I saw it with my own 2 eyes! Listen, Salsa dancing
is a partner dance. So in any partnership dance there has to be a
leader and a follower. The problem is that most instructors really
don't get the little details of how to lead and how to follow. Yeah
they'll teach you steps and where to be and where to go, but that's
just superficial. They hardly ever give it to you
straight.
MISTAKE #3
NOT GIVING ENOUGH INFORMATION ON TIMING AND WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT
Do you know what "Timing" is when it comes to salsa dancing? Timing
is basically dancing TO THE BEAT.you bet it is!! Nothing will make
you look better, out-shine, out dance, and flat out win the hearts,
respect and admiration of the people around you. NOTHING. The
problem is, most instructors don't talk about it. And if they do,
they don't teach it!
MISTAKE #4
THINKING THAT YOU ARE IN CLASS, OR WATCHING THEIR
VIDEO BECAUSE OF HOW "GREAT AND WONDERFUL" THEY ARE.
Correct me if I'm wrong. When you pay for something, you do want to
get something in return, right? See, one thing that I notice is
this: a lot of instructors think they are such "good dancers" that
the mere fact you are in the same room with them makes you a better
dancer. And of course, what happens is you get a level of training
that's way less then you deserve. No! You are in class, or watching
that video TO LEARN!! Not to be wowed or amazed or entertained or to
admire the instructor. You are there to learn plain and simple. If
you wanted to be entertained, you would go to the movies, or to a
show! The problem is, many instructors just don't get it.
MISTAKE #5
GIVING BETTER TREATMENT TO "PRIVATE PAY" STUDENTS
This one really gets to me. Please make sure you understand what I'm
about to say: "It does NOT matter if you are taking private lessons
or not. You still deserve and should expect to receive the same
top-notch, high quality instruction your hard-earned dollars are
supposed to be buying you." Listen, this is a no-brainer. If you
were at the supermarket, or at any other establishment, and you
noticed that other clients were getting better service than you, for
no apparent reason, wouldn't you be upset? I'd be down right pissed
off!! You would probably not put up with it, so why expect anything
less from your instructor?
MISTAKE #6
TEACHING THE MECHANICS, BUT NOT SHOWING YOU REAL-WORLD APPLICATION
There's not doubt about it. There's theory, and then there's the
real world. And something that most instructors haven't figured out
yet is that you will not always be inside the class, or in your
home. You will have to go out and dance at some point with real
people at a real party or club. And I can guarantee you one thing:
Unless your instructor has prepared you, chances are you will not
know what's about to hit you!
MISTAKE #7
THINKING THAT ANYONE CAN DANCE
I know this one is going to get some people mad. but I don't care!
Listen, I personally feel that anyone can learn, but.only if THEY
REALLY WANT TO. This is the biggest mistake an instructor can make.
Thinking that everyone in the class is going to want to learn. You
may be saying: " If they're paying for the class, or if they're
paying for the videos, that must mean they want to learn." BULL!! Be
honest, how many times have you started to do something that you
really wanted to do, only to leave it halfway. I don't know, maybe
it was a new hobby, or quit smoking, or drinking or whatever. The
point is, you THOUGHT you wanted to, but at the time you REALLY did
not want to. Otherwise, you would have done it! But how does this
affect you? Simple. Unless your instructor is good at this, he/she
will be wasting time on tire-kickers, and
wannabe's.time he/she could be spending with you! As soon as there's
a negative force in the classroom, the instructor should immediately
refund the person's money and get them outta there! But the truth
is, most instructors would NEVER give a refund to anyone, much less
ask them to leave. Think about it, if they do, that's money they are
losing out on.
AND FINALLY.
You think I'm lying, don't you? Listen, you can go and see it for
yourself, this is not just made up. But, I will tell you this. It's
not that the instructors are bad, or that they may have bad
intentions, far from it. In fact, most of the instructors that I
have met are actually very nice, awesome people, and good dancers
too. The thing is, just because someone is a good dancer, or a good
person, does not mean they are a GOOD INSTRUCTOR. Make sure you
understand that. There are thousands of great dancers out there, and
many more that are truly good people, but the bottom line is that
unless that person can teach, you will not be getting true value.
It's not that teaching is extremely difficult, but it does require
someone that can take certain concepts and translate them in a way
you can understand.that takes practice and a very unique
personality. So, when searching for a good instructor take these 7
mistakes and utilizes them to your advantage. Ask a lot of questions
and find out where their teaching will take you in the real world.
Instructors are still needed to actually
explain and demonstrate some of the steps and moves that may be a
little difficult to understand and execute. I hope this newsletter
will help those who are thinking about taking salsa lessons form a
school or teacher. Please look before you leap and if you are not
happy with what you are learning then it is time to find someone
that will provide you with the tools needed to help you become a
great salsa dancer.
HISTORY OF SALSA
Salsa is not easily defined. Though many
get caught up in the age old debate as to "invented" Salsa (Cubans
or Puerto Ricans), the truth of the matter is that salsa has and
always continue to have a great number of influences that have
played a large part in its evolution.
(Cuban Origins)
Cuba established its identity by combining
the influence of its entire population, black, white, and mulatto.
Music played an important role in the formation of such an identity.
The genre that was to succeed in creatively fusing equal amounts of
black and white derived musical features was the son, which
subsequently came to dominate the culture not only in Cuba, but most
of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean as well.
The roots of many of the rhythms can be
traced to West Africa, from Nigeria, Congo and Yoruba. To date many
of the rhythms are stilled played in their original form which is
used in toques, bembe’s, and rumba’s.
These rhythm’s come from the lucmi
religion; it is form here that the base of the rhythms are
generated.
The son originated in eastern Cuba during
the first decades of the century. From the start it represented a
mixture of Spanish-derived and Afro-Cuban elements.
The basic two-part formal of the son has
remained the same the 1920’s to the present, and the vast majority
of salsa songs (which Cubans would call son or
guaracha) also follow this pattern.
(Puerto Rican influences)
From the early 1800s until today, Puerto
Ricans have avidly borrowed and mastered various Cuban music styles,
including the Cuban danzon, son, guaracha, rumba, and bolero.
Indeed, the richness of Puerto Rican musical culture derives in
large part from the way it has adopted much of Cuban music, while
contributing its own dynamic folk and contemporary popular music.
Puerto Rico should not be regarded as simply a miniature Cuba,
especially since genres like the seis, bomba, and plena are
distinctly Puerto Rican creations, owing little to Cuban influence
in their traditional forms.
In the end it seems almost as though the
research that we do about the origins of salsa is bound to come to
no conclusion since much of the evolution takes place not in
institutions of dance in the conventional sense (universities,
official competitions, professionally trained, registered dancers),
but in nightclubs, ghettos, streets, in one word, places that leave
no documents to be studied.
Keep on step-in,
Carol
"Smooth & Sassy" |
