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As you have guessed this blog post is a reminder of some key etiquette aspects of dance.
First off, winter is coming to an end, That means warmer weather, and a greater chance of sweat. That in turn means body odour. So please start getting back into the summer habits of ensuring you are pleasant to dance with. Second, private lesson cancellations. It is also that time of year where people can become ill, and need to cancel a class. We understand this, but please do try to give us as much notice as possible. 48 hours is the standard. Third, more a reminder, please clean your shoes prior to lessons if they seem to need it. I have bought some extra brushes for this purpose. They are quite firm so you need not be vigorous with them to clean your shoes. Group lessons this week (we are in the third week of the cycle):
Finally, Remember your tickets for the awards night (https://www.destinedance.com.au/store/p40/August_2024_Awards_night_-_Destine_Dance.html)and the spring ball (https://www.destinedance.com.au/store/p42/springball2024.html). See you on the dance floor Clint ReplyForward
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Please keep the night of April 7 free. The plan is to go to a tango event in Richmond. It will be a Sunday night so not like the usual events we go to. But it will still be a good chance to dance tango in a social context. And given we are doing it now in group class, it's good timing.
Speaking of group class, please note the following:
Now as a reminder for group classes this week:
Finally - we will have class next Monday See you on the dance floor Clint  For those who were there last Thursday, you know most of the details. For those who were not, here are the ones you need to know:
These injuries can happen in dance. But we would still like to minimise the frequency and severity. One way to minimise both is to ensure that you dance as instructed. Ballroom is, despite what many might assume, the most dangerous of partner dances - if lifts and dips are excluded. That is why, in class, we talk so much about the right frame to ensure that people dance with the right alignment and connection. Therefore, please, when you are next in dance class, focus on ensuring you always dance with the right embrace. Never, let the figure compromise the embrace. If you can't do the figure without compromising the embrace, then do not dance the figure. The same goes for your partner. If you feel unsafe dancing with them, then ask (if following) or say (if leading) that only simple figures will be done. You are entitled to choose not to dance with someone if you feel unsafe with them or if you feel they are not safe for themselves. Another way to minimise both the frequency and severity of an injury to the foot is to wear proper footwear. Closed toe shoes (ballroom ladies shoes are closed toe - while Latin ladies shoes may be open toed) will prevent your toe nail from catching on another shoe. Suede soles (in the case of leads especially) lack the grip and geometry to catch a toe nail should it be exposed. Also, the soft soles allow less pressure to be placed on a partners foot should you stand on in. And the thinner sole gives a person a better sensation of what is underfoot so your instinct to lift your foot - and prevent injury to another if you apply pressure to their foot - can be better utilised. Therefore, if you have been dancing for some time, then you should have proper dance shoes and dance with a proper frame. And, regardless of how long you have been dancing for, ensure you are dancing within your and and your partner's ability. Thank you for reading this and now choosing to take action to ensure your own and other dancers' safety. I hope you have been having a good time in class of late and at the socials we’ve been to. Certainly the Saturday night event was fun. It was a great band, great songs to dance to, and a great group of us who went.
It was also the first outing for a couple of our students. It’s always a big milestone when students can say words to the effect of “last night we went out dancing.” And that is the point of Destine Dance. It is to help you and others learn dance so you can enjoy it the way it was originally meant to be enjoyed – as a fun way of being social with other people. That’s why it is also called ‘social dancing’. Once you can use dance as a social tool, you are in that happy place where you simply keep on getting better so you can enjoy it more and more. Private classes are easily the best way to get to that point fastest. And they allow you other avenues of enjoyment – like a sense of achievement and a chance to perform through awards. But group lessons are still excellent for the social side. So next time you are in a group lesson, remember two things:
That means you need to find that balance between a focus on yourself and a focus on your partners to get ideal cooperation. Cooperation that allows everyone to learn for betterment and experience the social aspect. Both of which are essential to good partner dance. So when you are in the next group class, think about being social and working with your partner so you can both be better dancers. If you have been going to group classes of late, then you likely know that this week is the last week of the current cycle. That means this is the week you get to enjoy most what you have learned in these styles:
Next week we start a new cycle:
If you have been looking to jump into a cycle, then lock in next week. And if you have been with us for the current cycle, then you know this is a chance to learn another group of dances so you can dance them socially as well – and simply improve your overall dance ability. See you on the dance floor Clint As the subject line suggests, this update is going to be about something olfactory. However, before we get into that story, let's talk about the group classes this week. The dances we are doing are:
Social events Saturday night was good too. Disco always is. Check out the photos in the Facebook group. That's where we share the more raw and behind the scenes kind of stuff. It was a popular event too - check out the photo below - so we got in a little less partner dance than desired, but we certainly still danced.  And we have another social event this weekend. Sundays are back at the venue like we used to have! See the details here - https://www.facebook.com/functionseventsepsc/posts/pfbid012nV6yxZGaEXzNcb9Tx5iGELHsbNyr4iwxRXbguYyVhSxZQfiBvfJGBXjkWei9fKl - and note the excellent entry price! This has always been a great way to see the weekend out. So let me know if you are coming - we will be on a table together. The band does a range of classic songs so there will be a few styles you can dance.
Reminder on cancellation policy Please remember that our policy is 48 hours notice to cancel a class. This is so our instructors are not left with vacant slots and wasting their time. We do understand emergencies happen, but in other instances, please give us as much warning as possible. A story about stinking Last week a student left a scarf at group class. I noticed this afterward during a private lesson with Bertha*. I picked it up and smelled it to see if I could work out who's it was. "That's Hildegard's" I said victoriously (proud of my olfactory senses) and I went to the default lost property bin (the red suitcase) to place it there. Bertha laughed at my statement and asked how I knew. I noted that when you dance with someone enough you pick up on their scent. Thus, I can pick many of the women in group by scent. I asked if she could not do that with the men. Her reply was "Only if they stink!" The moral of the story? There's a few men in group class who need to put more effort into their scent. The fact is I did not really smell Hildegard's scent - it was her perfume I could smell. So if you are a man then:
Hopefully that was a sufficiently humorous, but still informative enough, end to this week's update. See you on the dance floor Clint Classes start next week so this update is just to get you primed for the New Year. It will cover:
THE DESTINE DANCE FACEBOOK GROUP You might already be a member, but we have not used it for a while. The Facebook page will still be used for updates and such, but we will use the Facebook group to share extra insights about dance and things going on at the studio. So if you are a current student and you want to get extra insights into dance, then apply to be a member now – https://www.facebook.com/groups/767400293465916. PROMOTION In February, we will be running another 4-week program to get more people in for you to dance with. See the details here - https://www.destinedance.com.au/intro-4weeks.html. Share it with anyone you know who has been thinking about learning to dance and is ready to start in 2023. SOCIAL EVENTS COMING UP We had a great time on Saturday at Elwood Beach – I hope you saw the pictures. This Saturday it will be a Santana cover band at Carnegie Hall (https://www.facebook.com/events/1198657654400242/). And then Sunday week on the 29th it’s the Treblets at the studio (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=628555115936571&set=a.516936113765139). Thanks to those who have let me know that they are coming. If you want to come along and have not yet let me know, then send a message. That way we can get a table together at each event/venue. A RULE OF DANCE Your teacher might already do this and you did not realise. If you are doing a stationary dance (say salsa), then you do it in the centre of the floor. That way, people who do travelling dances (say quickstep) can dance around the outside. Some studio etiquette. Looking forward to seeing you all when we come back Clint Before we talk about other things, let’s talk about classes for this week. Note we have no lessons on Monday or Thursday this week. So the group classes are:
Now for the serious part. Some reminders about good practice in dance class (group and private):
Clint |
AuthorThis blog is written by the staff at Destine Dance and is inspired by the questions and challenges faced by our students Archives
October 2024
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