Classes vs. Privates - Part 3

I wrote about this subject last year but I want to revisit it again. See the previous article links at the bottom of this article.

I’m often asked if private lessons are better than group classes, especially since classes are much cheaper in terms of one-hour costs.

My answer is always take both if you can handle it. In classes instructor simply can’t focus on your specific issues, so they make generic suggestions and hope you fix yourself based on what you’re seeing and feeling. Of course, you can make huge improvements in a group class, but it’s easy to miss something that is obvious to great instructors. Here’s something that happened to me personally.

I’ve been taking a one-hour class from an amazing hip-hop dancer/instructor named Sho-Tyme once or twice a week, for a few months. (View video below to see him having fun.) Earlier this week I took a one-hour private lesson, and within the first 10 minutes he showed me a posture/head isolation exercise to correct something I was missing. When I get it right, it’s amazing how much better I look and feel.

He also gave me enough material for a couple months of practice. I already see a positive difference, although the real payoff will be down the road as I practice and grow into the concepts we practiced in private.


Sho-Tyme Having Fun

Unfortunately, I’ve been practicing some moves slightly wrong since the beginning of his classes, and now I’m starting the process of “unlearning” them and getting the right feel. I need some intense practice time to internalize the details and make it a part of my dancing. Intellectually I “get it”, but undoing my previous practice makes it more of a challenge that it should be.

In other words, in class, I thought it was right and getting better each week, but I missed something rather basic. Instead I was reinforcing an ugly habit every class, not to mention my own out of class practice time.

I was making positive progress in many areas. But because something foundational was weak, more class practice was also making some things worse and I was unaware of the issues.

In my case, I actually thought I was doing things right, but there is a specific motion I totally missed. In my head I was getting it better each week, but in hindsight I see it’s a case of “I didn’t know what I didn’t know.”

I suspect I eventually would have figured it out, but I hate to think of the work to unlearn/relearn if I continued to practice incorrectly for another three to six months or more. It's so easy to miss something that should be a part of your dancing, especially when you are working hard to improve.

If you’re taking a class from a great instructor, take some private lessons with them and ask them what they would suggest to upgrade your look and feel. Ask them to focus on foundational issues, rather than the cool move of the week. Those you can pick up in class if your foundation is strong. A few lessons can make a world of difference, because they are exclusively focused on your strengths and weaknesses.

It’s obvious to me I would have benefited from taking the lesson sooner, because then I’d be reinforcing the right moves practicing in class and on my own.

Once you find an instructor you like, I’d recommend you take some private lessons as soon as you can swing it. It makes a huge difference by giving you insights, concepts and details that often take months or more in a group class.

Even though I’ve known this concept for many years, it’s still humbling to see it in action myself. Hopefully you’ll avoid my mistake.

Previous articles on this topic:
Classes vs. Privates – Part 1
Classes vs. Privates – Part 2

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life,
please press three.
--Alice Kahn

Taking Classes Over My Head: Part 2

This is part 2 of a series on Taking Classes Over My Head. Check out the previous article, cleverly named "Taking Classes Over My Head: Part 1."

Imagine an up-and-coming athlete who decides he’s skipping strength training because he “just wants to play the game.” That doesn’t work, because strength is foundational to playing at higher levels in sports. Similarly, if your dance goals include being above average, investing in your foundation while pursuing higher-level classes is an excellent strategy for longer-term growth.

Most people dislike being called a beginner as an adult, even if that's their current status. Many guys prefer struggling in the intermediate or advanced classes rather than be caught dead in the beginner class. For many, it's simply uncool to be at the novice level, and they can't wait to "move on," even if that means skipping some fundamentals. They purchase “advanced” DVDs when they are far from mastering the lower level DVDs from the same instructor.

As someone famous for taking classes over his head, I’ve seen some great progress and been frustrated at points. I highly recommend you attend some classes above your level, even if you sit out part of the class and watch. Being around great dancers can inspire or depress you, depending on your personality and goals; but either way, it’s good to see what you’ll be like in a few years if you put in the effort.

It’s also important to note that I approach solo and partner dancing differently. In individual dancing classes (jazz, hip-hop, samba, salsa footwork, etc.) you should challenge yourself by trying the higher-level classes at regular intervals. If you create a bad habit or try a move and get hurt, that’s far from ideal. But it’s your issue, created by reaching higher, and you can dial it back a little before moving forward again. Being around the stronger dancers can accelerate your growth and inspire you to work harder, although sometimes going back a level is the best strategy for longer-term growth.

In a partnering class, being over your head isn’t always the best idea. You can injure a partner trying to perform a move that is too far beyond your current skill level, not to mention frustrate partners who are also trying to improve. You can also build a set of partners who avoid you at the clubs, knowing you’re not ready for prime time. You need to balance your level with that of the class in partnering situations, and be mindful that your background (or lack of it) affects others.

Sometimes you need another approach and I employ a method I call “backfilling.” If I’m going to take a class that’s over my head, I make sure I’m also filling in the gaps in my experiences. This translates into taking lower level classes at the same time, hiring the instructor for private lessons, or watching instructional DVDs and/or on-line clips that provide foundational information.

I’m also not afraid to abandon a more advanced class and go to a lower level—including beginner—if the moves or techniques are too far over my head. After a while, (weeks or months) I’ll continue the lower level class and ADD the more advanced class to see if I’m ready. I often continue with the lower level classes along with the advanced class for a few months or more after moving up, reinforcing the basics, while also working on more advanced material at the same time.

As I’ve stated, there can be a dark side to going to classes over your head. Without a proper foundation and some backfilling, more advanced classes can frustrate, build a set of bad habits, and in a partner situation, hurt someone. If you do take more advanced classes, stay out of the way when the moves get too complex for your current level.

In a group class, instructors don’t have the time (or desire) to fix you if you’re too far away from the class average. Many teachers focus on the better dancers in the class, especially if they label the class as intermediate or advanced. This means you sink or swim mostly on your own. Sometimes beating your head against the wall when the majority is much further down the road isn’t a good use of your time.

Many classes build on previous knowledge and it’s your responsibility to be sure you can keep up, especially when partnering. When taking classes over my head, I often take some private lessons with the instructor, sit out parts of classes if appropriate, and make sure I practice on my own to get up to speed. The private lesson gives the instructor a chance to slow down the material and explain details that others already know from previous experiences.

Combining private lessons and classes, I learn the right way to do the exercises or can ask for clarification of complex class materials during my next private lesson. The combination creates a multiplier effect. I get more from the classes and grow much faster, sometimes passing people who were beyond my level and have taken the classes for months or years.

As stated, taking advanced classes and challenging yourself to move up is an excellent idea. However, if you take too many shortcuts and ignore the lower level material, you’ll pay a negative price over time. Those who gloss over the fundamentals often end up either being weaker than they should be or going back later to fill in the blanks.

Free lunches rarely exist on or off the dance floor, so be sure to backfill and seek out the fundamentals as you move up the class ladder. Over time, you’ll become an excellent dancer if you continue to seek out instruction, no matter what they label the classes or DVDs.

There's nothing wrong with Southern California that a rise in the ocean
level wouldn't cure.
--Ross MacDonald

Taking Classes Over My Head: Part 1

"You’re taking jazz classes with Eric Ellis?"

"Are you taking Sho-tyme’s basic hip-hop class?"

I hear it in their voices--the wondering, "Why do YOU take those classes?" with the “I know you aren’t on that level” connotation. They are right. I sometimes fall into the lower 10% of a class at the beginning, but I don’t stay there. My goal is always to be the fastest improving person in the class, and I employ the same principles I learned about music to grow my dancing. One consistent paradox of growing quickly: Working the fundamentals hard moves you further over time than skipping the basics and trying the cool stuff too early.

Sho-Tyme: Basic Hip-Hop Instructor at Millennium


Association is a powerful thing, both in dancing and in life. Being around stronger dancers can improve your dancing faster than hanging out with those just figuring it out for the first time. It can also backfire if you're not careful. Getting too far over your head tends to create frustration, or worse, bad habits that require unlearning and relearning. Who has the time to do that?

Having danced a few years, I mix beginning and more advanced classes; but remember that I’m averaging two back-to-back classes, three times per week, plus a private lesson most weeks. If I’m not too tired, some weeks I’ll add another two or three classes, often at a beginning level, depending on my overall dancing mix and how much I go out to the clubs.

I didn’t start that way, and I’m constantly re-evaluating my class mix to get maximum return on my time.

I have a method to my madness; I don’t simply take random classes and I don’t go to more advanced classes for my ego (it would be crushed by now). I probably take many more beginning/basic classes than most of my peers, because in music I learned the most advanced musicians have excellent fundamentals, built over many years. The more solid your dance foundation, the faster you can grow over time.

My Class Guidelines:

• Over-train the fundamentals
• Be among the best at your level
• If you can only take one class at the start, take the beginning classes until you are in the top few students (see points above)
• Use the same strategy as you move to more advanced classes
• Practice, practice, practice
• Back-fill where appropriate, taking both more advanced classes AND a class a level or two below your most advanced class
• When taking more advanced classes, take a few privates from the instructor to really understand how things should look in class
• Find instructors who appreciate and focus on the fundamentals, and don’t only work flash and style

As someone famous for taking classes over his head, I've played out these strategies for a couple years. You can use the strategies for your growth. Being a little older than most, I want the biggest return on my efforts, and sometimes that means looking at classes a little differently.

Many think I'm on the crazy side, but these principles provide an excellent return on the time invested.

I'll share my experiences and provide additional details in Part 2 of this article.

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every
six months.
-- Oscar Wilde

Taking Classes - It's Easy for You

I recently had a couple people say, "Oh, taking classes is easy for you, you're a natural." My first thought was "Natural... are you kidding? I wish! I'm really just a persistent SOB, even when quitting feels like the obvious option during a class." I generally don't say that, instead I grin and say "thank-you," like my Mom taught me many decades ago.

We all need to stretch ourselves, either in dance or another activity. We are all moving forward or backward; there really is no “staying right here” and treading water. Your longer-term physical and mental health is enhanced by stretching beyond your previous best efforts. Sometimes being a fish out of water is the best way to grow, although short term it can bust my ego if I don’t keep my head straight.

Here's my scene a couple years ago: I walk into class and everybody turns and looks at me. They look like they're staring at a lost puppy and their face says "Ah... Clearly you are looking for the senior fitness class." No! Welcome to beginning ballet at the Millennium Dance Complex. They address me as "sir" as in, "Hello sir, this is beginning ballet, is that what you are looking for?" Their voice makes it obvious they assume I've stumbled into this studio when I was simply looking for the rest room.

It's deadly quiet except for some piano music playing softly from the CD player. Almost everybody is stretching, keeping to themselves, and most are lacing up those satin dance slippers the ballet types wear during the exercises. Two thirds of the room are young enough to be my daughters, and the other guy in the class is dressed in a skin-tight, spandex leotard, not looking super masculine.

Turned out spandex guy was an excellent dancer (like most of the females), and rightly so didn't care if his attire looked girlish to me. He was serious about being a stronger dancer. Later I learned the tight clothes allow the instructor to make more corrections, where my ghetto look hides a ton of errors from the instructor.

I'm in my shorts and athletic shirt, and you might guess I didn’t exactly blend with the natives. It took a few minutes and I'm wondering to myself, "what the heck am I doing here?" Taking serious classes and lessons is not for the faint of heart.

Imagine being male, late 40's, gray hair, never danced before and taking your first beginning ballet class. Yes, I did it. It wasn't pretty, and I'm thankful they don't allow video because blackmail was a distinct possibility if I was on the tape. It was painfully clear those exercises look much easier on stage or TV, especially when someone else is doing them.

I couldn't bend over and touch my toes, and I didn't know a plie from a pizza. A chaine turn wasn't in my vocabulary and to increase the fun, the excellent instructor was from Japan. All her French words (the official language of ballet) were spoken with a sexy Japanese accent, leaving me wondering what the heck she was saying most of the time, although it sounded great. She was extremely nice to me, had great technique and was more than patient. She mercifully ignored me other than providing subtle corrections and encouraged me to return, since she could tell I was trying, but there was little denying I was the ugly swan in the room.

I was slowly getting it together, but for months I was in the wrong zip code. I often reverted to knuckle-dragger mode and used my famous monkey-see, monkey-do learning technique because I didn't understand the language of the dance. Many of the moves were too fast for me and I hated the "across the floor" exercises. (People going one to two at a time, spinning, turning or in my case, stumbling across the floor while everybody else watched.)

I had points where I had to simply laugh at myself, because I was either that or leave with my tail between my legs. Many times I was bad enough the others took pity on me and complimented me when I did the least little thing better. Sometimes it was close to "Wow... you really hold on to that bar well" but I think they realized that I wasn't leaving, and I earned respect for simply staying in the game week after week. I found ways to focus on incremental improvements and just keep going, even when the "fun" part of dancing seemed worlds away to me.

But I stuck it out, once per week for almost a year. At one point the class I was taking was cancelled due to remodeling at the studio. Now all the ballet classes during the week are in the morning instead of the one evening class, so I have moved on to a couple jazz classes each week.

It's still not pretty, but now I'm committed to going to jazz classes a couple times per week, working my way from total ignorance to intellectual understanding. My technique is still in the lower third of the class but considering I started in the lower 10% of the class (read: usually the worst) actually seeing a few people behind me is something new and welcomed.

Here's the point for you: If I can do it, so can you! Maybe you go to a shines class, a more advanced salsa class, stretching, ballet, hip-hop or jazz class (the good ones are excellent spinners, and someday I will join that group).

Do something to improve your game. Nothing builds confidence like starting at the bottom and attending the classes until you move up the ranks into the reasonable range. Maybe like me, you find yourself outside the norm for the class attendees. Maybe you wonder if you really can become a dancer, since everybody else makes it look easy and they don't struggle like you and me. Over a few weeks (or more), we can push through the feelings that make us all feel uncomfortable when we start something new.

I'm still a work in progress in that area, but every week I try to do something that is a little outside my comfort zone, building my ability to block out what others think of me in the process. That is an excellent life skill that applies to learning anything significant as we continue to mature.

Obviously, it's easy to say "never stop learning" but unless we push ourselves, it's much easier to stay home and watch TV. Learning more benefits your dancing and makes you feel much better about yourself. Little is out of reach, even if you don't fit the "normal" status compared to others.

Of course, you need to make a commitment to stick it out a few months and more. There is real magic in taking classes beyond a few months. Things that seemed impossible (like touching my toes or chaine turns) become routine with consistent practice.

Find a way to stretch yourself this year. Life tends to favor the bold, so go find a class, DVD or otherwise find ways to continue your dance education. The rewards are amazing, and go way beyond the dance floor.

Again, I rarely blend in my classes, and at points it can be painfully obvious I'm not a natural dancer. In my experience, the harder I work, the more natural I look. Overcoming obstacles and sticking with it a while builds your skills and more importantly builds your self-confidence. That carries over into other areas of your life, making you a better person even if you don't become a world-class dancer.

Let me know what you are doing to improve and stretch yourself this year.

Until Eve arrived, this was a man's world.
-Richard Armour

Palm Springs Musicality Links

In my New Years Palms Springs musicality class I used a set of tunes, including one from an article I wrote last year. So many people have sent me mail asking about the links I decided to add it below.

If you are new to my blogs, or you attended my class, you'll certainly want to check out this article from last year titled "My Favorite Tunes..." Download the "Salsa Never Ends" tune and check it out yourself. The intro is worth listening to over and over, and it's simply great music.

In a comment someone mentioned finding the clave and the article titled "Clave: More Than Most People Want to Know" provides some perspective on that topic. Once you know about the clave, the "Salsa Never Ends" tune referenced in the first article showcases the clave as the first instrument of the tune.

As always, questions and comments are welcomed.

I'll be posting more about the festival tomorrow.

If you want to get rid of somebody, just tell 'em something for their own good.
-Frank McKinney ("Kin") Hubbard

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I’m still recovering from the Palm Springs salsa weekend (the twice yearly SalsaMambo Festival). Four nights of dancing until early morning, combined with teaching workshops during the day. I arrived Thursday afternoon, taught the opening classes in the evening, danced and taught four hours per day the next two days. Six hours of my classes were working with Edie in her bootcamp classes, and the others were my Salsa intro and musicality classes.

Eat, teach, eat, nap, eat, and dance from around 9 pm until early morning, then sleep a few hours and repeat. Throw in some energy drinks (Hansen’s new “Rumba” orange juice) and stay on the dance floor a few more hours.

I had a blast dancing with lots of great dancers who I never meet before. I danced with an excellent dancer from France who said “No English” at the beginning of our first dance. One time she did an exceptionally sexy move and I said “nice!” (out of habit), and she said “Oh… I know that word…” in broken English and laughed. We danced a couple songs each night and dancing was our only common language. When the songs ended it was just a smile and a hug, and it was obvious during the dance we had a strong dance connection and we both enjoyed it.

One thing I noticed was how many people danced with people from their hometown. They may have traveled hundreds of miles, then they danced with the others they dance with on a normal weekend at home. Even stranger to me, during the social dance time, many of the couples who performed together, also social danced together.

My theory is if you travel to an event, that is the perfect time to dance with new people, since there are so many others traveling as well. The ratio of known to unknowns is totally reversed compared to my local scene, where I see a set of people every week or so.

Because I've done this event a few years, I do see a subset of people who I meet in the past. It's great dancing with people I saw last year, but why dance with someone who I'll see next weekend at my local club?

I have some theories on why this is, and I’ll expand on them over the next couple days.

Your thoughts are welcomed as well! (If you went, let me know how it was for you.)

The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is
no good evidence either way.
-Bertrand Russell

I Can't Dance Like Nobody's Watching

Maybe you’ve heard someone say "Dance Like Nobody's Watching," and maybe you’ve already embraced it yourself. But I’ve noticed that most people who spit this mantra at you are already strong dancers. It’s easy to dance like nobody’s watching when everybody likes watching you dance.

I think that’s like the calendar girls who say “the human body is art, and showing it is fine.” It’s easy to be comfortable in a swim suit (or less) when you could be on the cover of Victoria’s Secret. And I’m pretty sure they haven’t seen me without clothes, or they would amend their "body is art" statement.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about the process of dancing without care or inhibition. In some venues, I do pretty well with that concept, but it isn’t always the case. In most clubs, there are a set of people dancing and a set of people watching, and I just do my thing, effectively ignoring them and focusing on my partner. In that environment, I know I’m a work in progress, and I’ve learned to deal with the discomfort of others being critical.

Frankly, I realize that most people simply don’t care about me; they’re focused on themselves, on their dancing, on their image. That’s fine with me.

As a musician, I learned a long, long time ago that when performing, someone is always in the audience saying “I could do that better.” In LA, many times there IS a set of stronger musicians in the audience, so I learned to ignore them and think, “Ok, maybe he could do it better, but he’s sitting in the audience. I have my strengths too. These musicians asked me to perform, not him, so I must be doing something right.” The more energy you spend worrying about what others are thinking, the less focused you are on your performance or social dancing.

Over time, I matured, and I suspect the same thing applies to dancing. You have to toughen yourself as you grow, putting yourself in situations that are not always comfortable. Over time, you realize that other people think about you much less than your paranoid ego fears they do, and you have to go through the experiences to get better.

I’ve had a couple times over the years where I’ve thought, “Maybe I should stop going to clubs for X months, and just practice on my own. The next time I show up at the clubs everybody will marvel at my progress.” Then I realize, “Ahhh, that’s not realistic; going to clubs and practicing is what makes me better, so just get over yourself and ignore everybody else while you learn.”

Of course, it’s easy to say that, but sometimes I’m still moderately embarrassed while working through different phases of growth. Being a work in progress means some days will be better than others, but nothing beats the experience of being in the arena rather than sitting and watching others have fun.

Here’s a simple example: Sometimes I’m in my car, and working on head, neck or shoulder isolations while driving or sitting in traffic. Funny thing is, I’ll often stop when I realize someone has noticed me doing exercises, even though I dance in front of hundreds of people per week at the clubs.

The exercise will help my dancing, and the car practice is good time management, as long as I don’t hear breaking glass from impact with those around me. I don’t know these people now, I doubt I’ll ever see them again, they can’t hear my music, and I’m actually making progress with my practice.

Why do I stop? What’s my problem? In that situation, I’m obviously too worried about them thinking I’m crazy or otherwise abnormal. When I take a cold, hard look, it’s obvious I shouldn’t care what they think.

If I actually continue my exercises, possibly entertaining them and giving them a good laugh, I’m making their world more interesting and improving my dancing. In a way, I’m giving them a gift, even though they may be laughing at me rather than with me.

Of course, if I continue and my dancing improves, I’ll have the last laugh. Someday all those car hours of practice will fool people into believing that I’m a naturally gifted dancer, rather than someone who practices good time management.

Think of them telling their friends, “Yeah, I’m sitting in traffic, and this gray-haired guy in his Lexus is grooving to something. I think he was on drugs, or maybe he was having a seizure, I almost called 911, but then I figured out he thought he was dancing and I laughed so hard I had to pull over and wipe the tears from my eyes. This guy is a hoot. Watch for that gray Lexus.”

So I’m on crusade: I’m trying to worry less about others, especially those who don’t know me. I’m thinking about what can I do to truly dance or practice like nobody’s watching, and give myself the mental freedom to occasionally look like an idiot.

How do we toughen ourselves, so we grow to our full potential? We can take different classes where our skills put us in the lower third of the class, then stick with it to become above average. We can read books about mind/body connections and high-pressure performance situations and find situations where growth is required. This may include doing a performance, going to new classes, entering a competition and/or joining a dance team.

In my case, I’m adopting the same dance attitude I have while playing music, plus taking classes and practicing.

We should also look for little things, like practicing shines in the line at the bank, or doing a few spins at the grocery store. The idea is to be bolder than you were in the past, doing little things in places where people will notice, knowing you have to ignore them and focus on refining your techniques.

For example, it would be easier to do our favorite, most rehearsed shine sequence while waiting at the bank, but we should also working on the ones that don’t always work, because the risk of temporary failure makes us stronger. Ninety-nine percent of the people around us can’t do the shines either, so if we “fail” temporarily, refine, and then get it right, it toughens us and makes us stronger dancers.

In some classes I've moved my location from hiding in the back, to being in the front row, someplace close to the instructor. I'm no longer in the middle of the pack on the "across the floor" exercises, instead going close to the front, or sometimes even last, which means almost everybody else in the class is watching.

It’s not always easy for me, but I do it anyway, and you should too.

I’m wondering what others are doing to toughen themselves? Let me know your thoughts and techniques.

I feel like I'm in a rut. Every time I go to bed at night, I find myself getting up again in the morning.
-Brad Stine