Between a rock and a hard place...

Ok, here's the situation:

I've been dancing LA-style for over a year now, with some cuban classes once in a while...
With a new course season coming along I was planning on expanding on my cuban style. So, I went to this introduction class for the "semi-advanced" of a school recommended to me by some of my salsa friends.

To say that the introductory class was a disappointment is a somewhat of an understatement:
- almost everyone there i danced with, either had very poor basics or were not on the beat, didnt know *any* turns....
- the instructor was adressing the students in a manner i did not like at all (eg: and remember "chicos" keep those hips rolling!!!)

Needless to say, it's pretty obvious that i'm not going to shell out a fair amount of cash to take the course, but here's the catch:

- I went to check it out was because i know a lot of people who dance there, and they are pretty good dancers. Not surprisingly, they are all in either "advanced" or in "masterclass" courses...
- The reason i wanted take the "semi" courses instead of going to the advanced courses is pretty simple: I lack the vocabulary (read moves) to keep up...

- Apparently, the people that showed up were not the "regulars".

What would you do in a situation like this?
Would you suck it up and take the course or take your business elsewhere? (and there's not a whole lot of Cuban-style courses around...)

thanks for any input,
Erik

Hi Viking01. This is a tough one. My first instinct is to tell you to run for hills! :lol: But I am a believer in the concept of the student being a product of the instructor/school. Meaning, if you're friends went to the same school and are very good dancers then, in most cases, it's a good representation of the school/instructor. Could it have been just a bad class? I know there aren't many schools that teach Cuban style but maybe research another school? If there aren't any other schools, maybe private classes would be an option to consider. Anyone else?

well, unfortunately (or fortunately ) this: student being a product of the instructor/school, is not always the case.
i know some dancers that surprizingly managed to become decent or good dancers, almost despite of the instructor....

Viking: did the good dancers have the same instructor that taught the semi-advanced?
Well.. whether i'd go to that class really depends on what you want to get out of it.
Sometimes take the c**p teacher, just because i know i'll get what i want from him (in your case: the patterns/terminology), ignore the rest and be gone as soon as i've reached my goal.
Sometimes the bad teaching gets to be soooo irritating, that i just decide what i'm learning doesn't outweigh the irritation factor anymore... so i quit.

sadly i hear this bad teaching a lot about cuban teachers. they're all about 'feeling the music, dancing from your heart' which is all ok when you're born and bread on a diet of salsa, son and rumba, but which is just masking lack of teaching-skills when teaching salsa to newbies whithout the cultural background.
(don't want to generalize... there are probably great cuban teachers around.. i've just never met them, but then my experience isn't that vast.)

There is a cuban congress coming to Amsterdam this fall (don't know the exact date, but it's in the congress topic). Would you consider that an option?

Peach, Yola: thank you very much for your input

You are right Peach, it is a tough question to answer, both of you make some very good points.

well, unfortunately (or fortunately Wink ) this: student being a product of the instructor/school, is not always the case.
i know some dancers that surprizingly managed to become decent or good dancers, almost despite of the instructor....

Click to expand...

I agree with this. The people i was talking about do not restrict themselves to 1 class/school/teacher. I know I dont...

sadly i hear this bad teaching a lot about cuban teachers. they're all about 'feeling the music, dancing from your heart' which is all ok when you're born and bread on a diet of salsa, son and rumba, but which is just masking lack of teaching-skills when teaching salsa to newbies whithout the cultural background.
(don't want to generalize... there are probably great cuban teachers around.. i've just never met them, but then my experience isn't that vast.)

Click to expand...

True, and IMO this even applies to LA-style: technique will only get you that far... the expression and feeling is entirely up to you, and this probably the hardest thing to get across for a teacher.

Anyway, i decided not to take the classes and put my cuban "on hold":

This weekend was the start of my semi-advanced LA-style classes and the teacher turned it up a notch, she said at the beginning, adressing everyone:
"If you think you can keep up, and feel this is too easy... good for you. If, oth, you cannot keep up, it's not my problem!"
Then we had over one hour of shines which afterwards felt like I had the cardio work-out of my life.
Not so sure I'll be able to keep up :lol:

cheers,
Erik

Did you see ANYTHING you liked at the class? Any moves or something? If you think there's some takeaway from that class, wait a bit and see how it goes and ignore the manner of the instructor. If you find in addition to the flippant manner, there's nothing else--head for the hills!!

mala

Mala,

Nope.
I know this sounds a bit harsh - but I didnt see anything I liked.
All we did during the introductory class was a "botella"... not exactly the hardest move in the book.

Well actually there is one positive point: we often rotated partners. At least it makes for good socializing

viking01 said:

Peach, Yola: thank you very much for your input

You are right Peach, it is a tough question to answer, both of you make some very good points.

well, unfortunately (or fortunately Wink ) this: student being a product of the instructor/school, is not always the case.
i know some dancers that surprizingly managed to become decent or good dancers, almost despite of the instructor....

Click to expand...

I agree with this. The people i was talking about do not restrict themselves to 1 class/school/teacher. I know I dont...

Click to expand...

Hmm, judging from the statement below, I was thinking the other good dancers only attended this school. But it looks like they went somewhere else before and are now attending this instructor's advanced classes now?

viking01 said:

......- I went to check it out was because i know a lot of people who dance there, and they are pretty good dancers. Not surprisingly, they are all in either "advanced" or in "masterclass" courses...

Click to expand...

Anyways, keep in mind that the instructor can only do so much. If this was a beginner class and you're an advanced dancer, then you're going to be disappointed and/or bored. Also, you have had some experience under your belt and you can pretty much tell whether you're in a "bad" class or being taught by a "bad" instructor. I say follow your inner voice, it's usually correct.

viking01 said:

Mala,


Well actually there is one positive point: we often rotated partners. At least it makes for good socializing

Click to expand...

Hee hee... well maybe you can develop a real nice partner, make off with her someplace else, and have a great time dancing something someone else taught you!!

mala