Absolute Beginner Dance

I don't bother with open position or cross body leads. some of the beginners I dance with have no idea of lead and follow and will walk all over the place.

I use good old fashioned closed position and teach them framing in about 15 seconds. We do a lot of basics from closed to get the feet working on the beat. If it stays that way all song, that's the way it goes.

Closed position allows the leader to keep the beginner on time as much as possible. The beginner cannot wander off on any direction except where the leader puts them. The beginner can also learn a little about lead and follow from closed.

When they can hold the beat with their feet, I'll describe a basic right turn, back step, turn them and its back to closed. When they have that down, only then do we go to open. Here the wrestling match sometimes starts with death grip on my fingers, but we sort that out and I try them in a basic right hand turn from open. Only after that point do I put them through a cross body lead.

Some can pick it up on one song, some in two or three songs, some .. .never... or it will take more time than I'm willing to give in a freebie lesson.

This formula works, they have fun moving to the music, and they get a sense of accomplishment from it and walk away smiling...

:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

Just said this somehwere else,,,but really depends on my mood and that of teh beginner. For a person whom I ask who says they really don't do partner dancing...really don't know how to dance usually "just move your feet and leave the rest to me." For one who seems tow ant to learn...and if I'm in the mood....more like salsaTO.

Let me tell you something. Yesterday at an outdoor concert to a latin band my friend and I did a merengue with a couple who seemed to enjoy watching us dance. No this is what you do etc. More a matter of getting them out on the floor. At the end of the song this couple wanted us to teach them privates, even though there are better teachers - just because they learnt so much and felt very comfortable with us. And they actually came out on the dance floor and did some merengues later on. And none of this nonsense of merengue is simple and just stepping..because to really dance any dance ain't simple!

Then I saw another girl just sitting down and she was one of those who said I really don't know, I don't dance well with people. I got her out in front of the crowd and moving to the music. She had a huge smile on her face, laughed...and when I asked her at the end she said she had fun and would like to do it again. I"m telling you if I started to teach her or do the basic I would have lost her, but by the end of the dance I could see the salsa basic forming in her step without doing the traditional back and forth basic the entire song, or even what is described in teh first post as the closed frame. (I ahve my ways... )