4 weeks in...
Jan. 29th, 2007 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
billeylerTonight was another startling night at square dancing, a complete turnaround from 13 or 14 months ago, when it was an effort just to stir the embers of the fast-fading group.
We had six squares dancing. Awesome to me, and I soaked up the energy like a sponge. We've solidified to 15 new students, all very lively. If we tried dancing more than six squares, it would EXTREMELY tight on that side of the center.
I'm thinking we'll be going back to two nights a week VERY soon, so we can regain our full Plus and Advanced program. I called 2 Plus tips tonight amidst the Basic and Mainstream, but although we had more than a full complement of Advanced dancers, I didn't do an A tip. Even the 2 squares dancing C1 in the hour before the regular session went smoothly, with more energy than usual. I did have to ask one of the non-gay C1 dancers to stop wearing whatever perfume it is she slathers on, since I get splitting headaches from it.
The new formula for teaching seems to be working for this current configuration of new dancers. I'm workshopping sequences, then immediately incorporating them at full dance speed into singing calls. They are already dancing to speed, even though they've only been with us between 1 and 4 weeks now. Confidence level appears high, with lots of smiles, cameraderie, and laughter.
Tonight's new calls were Chains, Split 2, Courtesy Turn, Pass Thru, U Turn Back/Backtrack, and Weave the Ring, both by the book and stylized. It was challenging, but worthwhile to work as many permutations as I could into the 17 calls they've been introduced to so far. I introed Square Recovery, although we don't start dancing from line formations until next week.
Even the Mainstream class is doing well, and I think it's time to actually graduate them after holding off for so long. Tonight's workshops for them were Tag, 1/2 Tag, Walk and Dodge. The Plus folks were doing very well also, doing really nicely with DBD Crossfire and Coordinate. One of the self-taught Plus dancers is pretty much up to speed, happily.
I took one break during the evening and put a waltz on so I could hit the restroom. 3 hours and 20 minutes of virtually break-free calling does things to you.
Looking forward to next week already!
We had six squares dancing. Awesome to me, and I soaked up the energy like a sponge. We've solidified to 15 new students, all very lively. If we tried dancing more than six squares, it would EXTREMELY tight on that side of the center.
I'm thinking we'll be going back to two nights a week VERY soon, so we can regain our full Plus and Advanced program. I called 2 Plus tips tonight amidst the Basic and Mainstream, but although we had more than a full complement of Advanced dancers, I didn't do an A tip. Even the 2 squares dancing C1 in the hour before the regular session went smoothly, with more energy than usual. I did have to ask one of the non-gay C1 dancers to stop wearing whatever perfume it is she slathers on, since I get splitting headaches from it.
The new formula for teaching seems to be working for this current configuration of new dancers. I'm workshopping sequences, then immediately incorporating them at full dance speed into singing calls. They are already dancing to speed, even though they've only been with us between 1 and 4 weeks now. Confidence level appears high, with lots of smiles, cameraderie, and laughter.
Tonight's new calls were Chains, Split 2, Courtesy Turn, Pass Thru, U Turn Back/Backtrack, and Weave the Ring, both by the book and stylized. It was challenging, but worthwhile to work as many permutations as I could into the 17 calls they've been introduced to so far. I introed Square Recovery, although we don't start dancing from line formations until next week.
Even the Mainstream class is doing well, and I think it's time to actually graduate them after holding off for so long. Tonight's workshops for them were Tag, 1/2 Tag, Walk and Dodge. The Plus folks were doing very well also, doing really nicely with DBD Crossfire and Coordinate. One of the self-taught Plus dancers is pretty much up to speed, happily.
I took one break during the evening and put a waltz on so I could hit the restroom. 3 hours and 20 minutes of virtually break-free calling does things to you.
Looking forward to next week already!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 01:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 07:28 pm (UTC)Congratulations!