Dancing Soul

New classes start this week! Argentine tango and more . . .

All classes are six weeks long. All start THIS week, but are drop-in.

Couple Dance 101

Would you like to ease into couple dancing? This class will teach you how to: lead/follow, identify the music, move with a partner, and help you "survive" on the dance floor.  It will give you a taste of several dances--salsa, swing, rumba, waltz, tango, etc.--to help you decide what dance(s) are for you. Come learn to feel comfortable dancing with partners!

• Tuesdays 7:30-8:30
• Krakow Cafe, 3990 N. Interstate (they have coffee, food and beer!)
• No experience needed, no partner necessary
• $60/6 wks, $12 drop-in (summer special: $100/couple)

Milonga traspie and Tango vals: musicality, flow and improvisation

This class is designed for intermediate and advanced dancers who want to improve their milonga and vals. We will do new patterns each week, but the main focus of the class is to make your dances feel magical to your partners through improved musicality, technique and style.

• Wednesdays 8:15-9:15 (and then let's walk over to Norse Hall to practice!)
• Om Studio, 14 NE 10th (between Burnside and Couch)
• No partner needed
• $60/6 wks or $12 drop-in
• Warm up for Oscar Mandagaran and Georgina Vargas' visit the last week in August! They will be teaching vals and milonga classes, so get ready!

Tango Fundamentals: connection, energy and play

This class is designed for beginning students and for continuing students who want to focus on the fundamentals of Argentine tango. We will do new patterns each week, but the main focus of the class is to make your body into a tango-dancing piece of poetry! Breath, posture, balance, axis--attention to the fundamentals brings a connection to the music and to your partner that raise your dance above the ordinary. We'll play tango games to make your dance fun and improvisatory, right from the first hour.

• Thursdays, 6-7 PM
• Om Studio, 14 NE 10th (between Burnside and Couch)
• No partner needed
  
• $60/6 wks or $12 drop-in
• Warm up for Oscar Mandagaran and Georgina Vargas' visit the last week in August! They will be teaching classes for all levels, including the basics; get ready!

Continuing Tango: creating magic through dance

This class is designed for continuing intermediate and advanced intermediate students who want to build a powerful, sensuous and elegant Argentine tango. We will do new patterns each week, but the main focus of the class is to find the magic of YOUR dance. Each week, you'll walk out of class with more confidence and beauty in your tango, ready to spread YOUR magic on the dance floor.

• Thursdays, 7-8 PM
  
• Om Studio, 14 NE 10th (between Burnside and Couch)
• No partner needed
  
• $60/6 wks or $12 drop-in
• Warm up for Oscar Mandagaran and Georgina Vargas' visit the last week in August! They will be teaching classes on lead and follow technique for intermediate and advanced dancers, so get ready!

Questions?  Call me at 541.914.4812 and I'll see you in class!

Finding the *&^*@! beat in Cha Cha

For some reason, finding where to "cha-cha-cha" in music is hard for North American ears. The main issue is that the stressed beats are 2 and 4, not 1 and 3 like most music that folks here listen to. For some students, simply explaining that "ccc" goes on the 4 & 1 of the music, clears up any problems--but most stare at me uncomprehendingly. Over the years, I have gone from teaching one way to start the dance (and pounding it into people) to teaching four different ways. This way, I figure that more people will find an easy way to stay on the beat.

1. My favorite way is (wow, surprise) the way I was taught: Count "1" and start the rock step on "2"--but I was a musician for 14 years before I started dancing, so this does not work for everyone.
2. If you can hear the "cha cha cha": start on that part of the step (Leader CCC to the left and then do the back rock on the right foot--or whatever works for you).
3. If you can find the "1" but can't hear the "cha cha cha": On "1" take ONLY the last step of the "cha cha CHA" (to leader's left), and rock back on the right for leader/forward on left for follower).
4. For the rhythmically challenged: watch to see who looks like they are on the beat, and copy shamelessly--there is NOTHING wrong with this approach.

Good luck!

Ballroom I notes

Hi folks! I've posted a review sheet for the class (see to the right under "Pages" on the blog site). Hopefully, this will help those of you who prefer to have written documentation in addition to classroom time. The key explaining my abbreviations appears at the top of the page (let me know if there are further abbreviations I've forgotten to list!). If we end up doing other steps, I will add/subtract as necessary. Please feel free to ask me to discuss anything that is not clear from class and I will address it in class and/or on the blog.

Lead from your center, follow with energy! (Week I Ballroom I notes)

What is the most important element of ballroom dance for a beginner? To me, it is building communication between the leader and the follower. If you focus on leading from your center and communicating your movement to the follower--even if it is "wrong"--both people get to move together, to dance!

The leader's role is to make the follower feel secure, communicate moves to the follower, navigate without collisions, dance with the music, and decide what steps to do. That's a lot to do at the same time. However, if you concentrate on moving from your center, the follower can stay with you. Because you are making your movement requests clear, the follower feels more sure/secure, and allows you more control over the steps. Moving from your center allows you to stay more balanced, helping to avoid collisions and allowing you to move with the music more easily.

The follower's role is to give the leader energy, while following the lead (pretty obvious). The follower's role has fewer elements to juggle, but it is still not easy to follow. First, many people find it difficult to give up control, let the other person determine the course, and trust that all will be well.  Second, in a beginning class, all the people leading are new at leading and so require more attention on the part of the follower to understand what steps need to happen.

I make my students try both roles in order to better understand the structure of the dance.  Also, understanding the role of the other dancer makes most dancers more sympathetic when difficulties arise: each person knows that both roles present challenges, and can help each other with technique, steps, and keeping the dance together.

I try to balance my games/exercises to improve couple dancing in general, with steps :-)  We are starting with a traveling dance (foxtrot) to get used to moving around the space; and rumba, a mostly stationery dance, to practice holding a space on the floor.

Foxtrot has two rhythms in the dance: slow, slow, quick, quick (SSQQ)--6 counts--and slow-quick-quick (SQQ)--8 counts.  We started with the 6-count steps, practicing traveling around the room.

• Basic (SSQQ rhythm): Leader (Ld) starts forward (fd) on the left (L), fd on R, and steps side together (sd tog) on LR; Follower (Fl) starts back (bk) on R, bk on L, and sd tog (RL).
• Hesitation (SSQQ rhythm): Ld steps fd on L, bk on R, sd tog (LR); Fl: bk on R, fd on L, sd tog (RL). Turn counter-clockwise (CW) to rotate the step.

Rumba has an 8-count rhythm (QQS, QQS--or SQQ SQQ; as I explained in class, I am of the QQS school), and the steps are built off box steps. 

• Basic turning box (QQSQQS): Ld steps sd with L, tog with R, and fd with L; again side step to R, step tog with L, and step bk with R; Fl steps sd with R, tog with L, bk with R; and side with L, tog with R, and fd with L to complete the box.
• Long underarm turn (QQSQQS): The turn is completed using the time of an entire box, 8 counts. On the Ld's bk step, the Ld raises the left arm, starting to signal a turn. As a new box starts, the Fl moves under the raised arm to start a 6-step, 8-count circle.  The Fl's circle and the Ld's box resolve at the same time. (Note: we didn't get to finish the finer points of this yet. This week, we'll make the turn look great).