Comments on The Unlikely Salsero - Don Baarns: Slow Learner? Not Really

The more dance you take, the easier it is to pick ...

2011-02-02T12:32:42.704-08:00

The more dance you take, the easier it is to pick up the new stuff. When I'm in class, I will frequently anticipate the next part of the pattern because he's done similar patterns in the past.

"There was a glitch in my matrix" I'...

2010-08-01T20:21:09.375-07:00

"There was a glitch in my matrix"

I'm going to be borrowing this phrase. Heavily.
I had one of those moments in class just today.

(You will be given full credit. :-) )

Reminds me of a cha-cha move I learned at a worksh...

2009-05-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Reminds me of a cha-cha move I learned at a workshop over a year ago. You lead a cross-body with an outside turn; but just before she's about to do the final 180, you check the front of her hip with your fingers and send her back. It requires perfect coordination, and I could barely do it in class, even though the women knew it was coming.

So I practiced walking through it many times at home, tried it social dancing, and flopped completely. But it seemed so cool that I kept practicing, and occasionally tried it again at clubs, always failing.

Then, maybe 4-5 months later, I tried it socially... and it worked, getting a nice surprised smile from my partner. It was like learning to hit a tennis ball: You need to have perfect timing under a variety of conditions.

Just recently, I've found that I can do the same move in salsa, even though it requires quicker reflexes than the cha-cha version. And it seems natural and easy.

I guess the lesson is that we're not just learning things intellectually, but developing physical skills. And just like in sports, these take practice over extended periods of time.

I definitely had one of those rough days in a rued...

2009-04-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

I definitely had one of those rough days in a rueda class this week. Honestly I'm not used to the feeling anymore, and that might not be a good thing. I think I need to find some new classes that routinely push my limits.

Thanks for the reminders that everyone experiences that "two steps forward, one step back... occasionally three steps back" frustration.

How do you balance teaching and being a student? Is it ever awkward, maintaining the image of someone worthy of students' hard-earned dollars while taking classes as well?

I do realize instructors often deal with this by going to congresses, where there peers are and their students aren't (unless they're halfway to being peers)...