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You’re Too Old to Learn to Ballroom Dance

By thedanceinstructor 1 Comment

 

I own a ballroom dance studio in the south suburbs of Chicago and I’m tired of hearing, “I’m too old to start ballroom dancing”.

Whenever I hear that, I picture the 92 year-old gentleman that lost his wife and decided he had to learn to dance to impress his ‘new’ lady friend that goes to Willowbrook Ballroom each week. He does private lessons every week after his water aerobics class across the street.

And then my mind wanders to the 73 year-old woman that comes to Salsa classes every Thursday night, without her husband, because she’s always wanted to learn. Her husband wasn’t interested, so she never pursued it. When she turned 70, she decided it was time for her to start, whether he wanted to come or not.

I think back to an 80 year old young man that had never danced before and ended up competing after a few years of lessons (at age 84). There wasn’t enough competition for him in his age group, so he decided to compete against the 70 year-olds. He kicked their behinds!

Ballroom Dance is for EVERY age!

And then the couple in their 80s that met at a widowers social group and got married the year before. She was a dancer, he was not. They came to group lessons and did occasional privates so he could learn to twirl her around the dance floor. The 30 somethings at the studio would regularly stop and say how they hoped they looked that good someday.

Why weren’t any of those people ‘too old’ to learn Ballroom Dancing? What made it possible for them?

Their attitude.

A positive attitude is what allowed them to start a new skill and reap all the benefits of it… regardless of their physical age. Ah yes, the good old positive attitude. We’ve all heard that – and its TRUE!

Is there an actual age after which you can’t learn salsa or swing or foxtrot?

Absolutely not!

A friend told me, “you will see it once you believe it.”

The one thing that each of my students had was that they believed they could do it.  Age doesn’t matter. Thoughts about your age do matter.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but you’re telling yourself a story about why you can’t (I’m too old, too busy, too uncoordinated, etc.)? Ditch the story. It’s just a story, it’s not the truth.

The truth is that you can do anything you put your mind to – ballroom dancing included.

It’s time to live you life, no matter your age – don’t let yourself, or anyone else tell you that you ‘can’t’ – for any reason.

It’s true, age is mind over matter… if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!

The benefits of Ballroom dancing as you age FAR outweigh any fears that might linger in your mind… consider the study that ballroom dancing is the only physical activity proven to slow, (and reverse) the effects dementia as you age!   (Read the Article)

Filed Under: Ballroom, Featured Articles, Guide, Information, Instructor's Voice, Resources, Salsa, Styles, Swing

Sitcom or Ballroom Dance Show?

By thedanceinstructor Leave a Comment

 

It seems to be a toss up with former Cheers star Kirstie Alley. Last week her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, dropped her on the floor when his muscle cramped prompting him to apologize publicly so that no aspersions would be cast on Kirstie.

This week Kirstie’s shoe came halfway off during what started out to be a promising Waltz. She wasn’t able to get the shoe fully back on, or take it completely off and she became clearly distracted throughout the rest of the dance.

Is this normal in ballroom dancing?

Do ballroom dance competitors have freaky mishaps?

Yes, it can happen. And yes, when it does, you feel like you’re in the middle of a sitcom thinking to yourself, exactly what Kirstie Alley said to Access Hollywood, ““If this was a sitcom I couldn’t write this better, but it’s happening and it’s freaking me out.” Then she laughed.

Laugh is about all you can do, and then it’s time to move on.

Anyone that’s done any serious sport knows how Kirstie feels. Everyone has had that day, or week, or even month or year, when nothing could go right, accompanied by a feeling that life has suddenly become a surreal sitcom.

Yes, it happens to ballroom dancers, too.

Will Kirstie be able to put it behind her? That’s the real question to ask. If she can’t she might not last on the show for much longer. If she can, she’ll do well since she does have some real talent.

I know for myself, when I dwell on the mishaps, it’s like putting my past in front of me. The best success I’ve had with changing my ‘luck’ is when I’ve taken a hard, honest look inside at my own fears.

It’s easy to create drama when there’s a fear lingering under the surface. It takes courage to pull that fear up and look it square in the face, and that’s the best way to put the ‘mishaps’ where they belong, in the past!

We’ll be cheering for you Kirstie!

 

Filed Under: Featured Articles, Instructor's Voice

Is your ballroom dance instructor certified?

By thedanceinstructor Leave a Comment

Ballroom Dance is sweeping this country. It’s on TV, on Broadway and in Hollywood. American’s can’t seem to get enough of it! Television, movies and theater have brought ballroom back to American mainstream, but, the question is, who is teaching America how to dance?

It turns out, there’s a shortage of qualified ballroom dance teachers.


No Regulation in Ballroom Instruction

Did you know that there is NO governing or regulatory body that oversees the certification of teachers in the Ballroom Dance industry? This has given the industry a bad name for years.

Picture this: you’re inspired by the shows and head off to your local Park District to take a class – the instructor there has watched a few YouTube videos and is now a self-proclaimed ‘instructor’. You have a hard time with the steps and decide dancing is not for you and give up.

This happens EVERYDAY. But the issue is NOT with you, the client, the problem is that you had an untrained teacher that didn’t know how to break it down and make it easy!

“We struggle to find enough credentialed teachers” says Alex Wilhelm, studio manager for a prominent studio in Chicago’s south suburbs. “Anyone can claim they’re an instructor, but we only hire teachers who have passed their exams. It’s important to us to offer quality instruction.”

 

Ballroom Teachers: One Step Ahead

Many of the larger, chain studios even place ads for instructors that say ‘no experience necessary’. This means that those instructors are learning on the job and are usually only one or two lessons ahead of their clientele. An unsuspecting customer pays for a teacher and gets someone that knows just enough to teach a lesson. PLUS, newly hired teachers spend years feeling stressed and overwhelmed with a ‘fear’ that they’ll be asked something they don’t yet know and their cover will be blown! It’s outrageous.

 

The Ballroom Teacher College

As the popularity of ballroom has increased, so has the determination to reform the industry. Diane Jarmolow, founder of the Ballroom Teacher’s College in California, developed a core curriculum that covers all aspects of teaching 17 different dances over a period of 16 months.

She worked with top instructors across the country and used it to train hundreds of successful teachers in her own studio. She then made the course available to other ballrooms that were interested in having trained, credentialed staff instead of trying to teach their teachers ‘on the fly’ and hope for the best.

 

Find a Certified Ballroom Dance Instructor

To find a good instructor near you, read the article, “Are All Ballroom Instructors The Same?  A Quick Guide to Finding a Qualified Instructor“.  It covers the misconceptions and solutions and provides specific questions to ask instructors in your area.

“the Ballroom Teacher Certification course is one of the best things that has happened to the ballroom dance industry,” says Maren Oslac, owner of the Illinois Ballroom Teacher College  (www.ILBTC.com)  “Teachers need to be required to pass exams and get certified, bad teachers give our entire industry a horrible reputation.”

 

 

Filed Under: Facts, Featured Articles, For Adults, For Beginners, For Children, For Dance Instructors, For Men, For Women, Guide, Instructor's Voice

Are All Ballroom Instructors The Same?

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The Quick Guide to Finding a Qualified Instructor

 

You’ve got the ballroom dance bug and want to take a few classes so that you look good at the next wedding or function you attend, but you don’t know where to start… we’ll here’s the quick and easy guide to choosing the best ballroom instructor or studio for you.

Sadly, without this information, many people wind up choosing a poorly qualified ballroom dance teacher (or school); and, sometimes, even worse, have such a negative experience, decide that dancing is something they’ll never try again.

We’ll cover a few misconceptions that people have about choosing a dance instructor and then get into specific questions YOU can ask to when you’re looking around.

 

Misconception ONE:

The term ‘Ballroom Dance’ refers to the smooth floating dances.

That’s only part of the story. It’s true, AND ballroom dancing is a term that really encompasses the smooth dances, the latin and rhythm dances, the swing dances, Salsa, Tango and so much more.

 

Solution/Question(s) to ask:

If there is a dance you want to learn, or several that interest you, look for a well rounded instructor, or a studio with multiple instructors and be sure to ask about those specific dances.

Do you/does your studio teach ______ (swing, salsa, tango, etc.)

 

Misconception TWO:

Ballroom/Swing/Salsa Teachers go to school to learn to teach ballroom/swing/salsa dancing.

NO! This couldn’t be further from the truth. It makes sense, they are teachers – other teachers have to graduate and have credentials. But there is no regulation in the ballroom dance industry.

This means anyone can call themselves a Ballroom Dance Instructor, a Swing Dance Instructor, etc. There are people that have taken a few classes, watched a few YouTube Videos, or even won a few contests, and they are teaching.

You may have taken a class and gotten turned off. It happens ALL THE TIME and it gives the industry a bad name.

 

Solution/Question(s) to ask:

There are actual ballroom dance teacher colleges, professional exams and professional certifications. There ARE qualified teachers. And you can ask questions to help you find them.

The most widely recognized accrediting agency is ‘Dance Vision International Dance Association’ (DVIDA), which is recognized by the National Dance Council of America (NDCA).

Teachers get certified in EACH dance they learn, and there are levels of certification. So if you want to learn Waltz, be sure your instructor has, at minimum, his or her Bronze Waltz Certification.

Ask what credentials s/he has and where and when s/he got them. If you get a story about why ‘there’s no need, or no schools for his/her dance’, etc, beware.

Are you a certified instructor?

In what dances?

From what accrediting agency?

What school did you attend?

 

Misconception THREE:

A great dancer makes a great teacher.

I wish this were true – then it would be easy to find a teacher – just look for the number of awards. However, the problem is that most great dancers don’t learn how to EXPLAIN what they do so naturally.

Have you ever noticed that most of the Olympic gymnastic and skating coaches are not great gymnasts or skaters?

Dancing and teaching dance involve two different sets of skills. The highly trained dancer has usually spent years and years developing only ONE of those sets of skills (clue: teaching is not the set they’ve developed). So often they make TERRIBLE teachers. (This is not always the case.)

 

Solution/Question(s) to ask:

Some great dancers retire and focus their attention on becoming great teachers. This becomes a terrific combination. You can ask about their certification (above) and you can also ask about how they’ve worked on their teaching skills.

What training have you had to develop your teaching skills?

 

Overall, your experience is the best judge of your instructor. Armed with these three essential pieces of knowledge:

  1. the term Ballroom encompasses most ‘couples’ dances
  2. there is no regulation in the ballroom dance industry
  3. a great dancer does not equal a great teacher

you will be a savvy consumer. Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to look a bit further if you’re not getting the answers you want!

 

Filed Under: Facts, Featured Articles, For Adults, For Beginners, For Children, For Dance Instructors, For Men, For Women, Guide, Information, Instructor's Voice, Resources

Self-Image: the Making of a Dancesport Champion, Part 2

By thedanceinstructor Leave a Comment

In my last post “Self-Image: the Making of a Dancesport Champion, Part 1“, I talked about self-esteem; what it was and why it was important to improve it as a ballroom dancer that wants to compete in Dancesport. I also mentioned one essential ingredient changing your self-image in order to become a champion: finding the hidden fears that are holding you back.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to focus on the two ‘nutrients’ it takes to grow self-esteem: Praise from Self and Praise from Others.

Two ‘Nutrients’ to Grow Self Esteem in Dancers

Ballroom Dancers

Dancesport Competitors

Praise from Self:

The ongoing chatter in your head needs some attention.  What is it saying?  That chatter will tell you EXACTLY what you will become, and will determine whether or not you will win.

1. Take the time to control your self-talk, give yourself credit for doing a good job and become your own best friend.

2. Take the opportunity to get to know what is special about YOU.  Write it down and focus on it.

3. Create a Performance Analysis Journal.  Each day you train at your dance school, have a practice or a competition; record what you did that day including your objective, your goal and your successes.

4. Make writing your ‘success analysis’ the most important element.  What did you learn?  What did you enjoy?  What makes you feel great about what you did today?  How did what you did today make you more prepared for the competition?

5. Compliment yourself BIG TIME!

Ballroom Dance Students

Ballroom Dance Class

Praise from Others:

Dancers are not in control of this, but you can talk to you dance school, coaches, parents, your partner and your friends.  Tell them that you are working on improving your self-image and that it would be helpful for them to do the following:

1. Praise often!

2. Give credit where credit is due.

3. When giving critiques or in mock judging session focus not only on how you can improve, but also include what you are doing well already.

4. Find opportunities to give praise, to help grow your self-image.

5. Be solution based – give ideas on how to improve – don’t just focus on what is wrong (this hurts the self-image).

6. Be motivated and excited about improvements and make training a positive and uplifting experience.

Self-Image changes through imprinting: words impact the self-image of the dancer/competitor in a huge way – positive or negative!  This is not just about winning titles – it’s about helping a dancer grow internally too.

Filed Under: Ballroom, For Adults, For Children, For Dance Instructors, Guide, Instructor's Voice, Styles, Uncategorized

KIDS LOOSING SOCIAL SKILLS: TRY BALLROOM

By thedanceinstructor Leave a Comment

Child At ComputerIn our fast paced, computer-dominant world, something has gotten lost – that something is connecting to the people around us.  What happened to chatting on the phone or stopping by?

Video games, tv screens and computer monitors dominate our world.  Interpersonal skills are being lost – with great consequences – as kids learn at their computers, text their friends and then retreat to tv at the end of the day.

Where do our young people learn interactive social skills and gain self-esteem in groups in today’s world?  A ballroom dance studio may hold the key.

“Ballroom dancing is all about connections,” says instructor, Lynzi Scholz “teaching youth ballroom inspires those very connections that are so endangered – along with an extensive list of other benefits like – learning to focus attention, improved confidence, physical fitness and more….”

Kids Learning Ballroom Dance

Kids Learning Ballroom Dance

Mad Hot Ballroom has inspired many youth ballroom programs across the country for those exact reasons – kids are craving an atmosphere that allows them, even encourages them, as well as teaches them – to step out and shine.

Dance is one of the most expressive ways we celebrate and communicate.  Losing basic relationship skills means we will lose an essential element of our culture.  Social dancing directly addresses the fundamental issues of mutual respect and self-esteem by putting them into practice. Our kids learn by doing.

Teaching dance is more than teaching dance steps.

The benefits of dance are endless – from physical health and wellbeing (kids learn to focus physical energy and increases health through the joy of movement) to building self-esteem and interactive social skills.

It’s obvious that due to the interactive nature of ballroom, it improves children’s confidence and ability to relate to others.  It inspires children to do well, to respect one another, to be proud.

Want to try it out for your kids?

Ballroom Dance for Kids:  Check your area for ballroom dance studios that offer youth programs, call your park district and request a program or even talk to your child’s school.  Programs such as ‘Dancing Classrooms’ are spreading across the country and a phone call from you might be what it needs to get started in your community.

Filed Under: Ballroom, Classes, Facts, For Children, Guide, Information, Instructor's Voice, Resources, Styles, Uncategorized

Ballet Vs. Ballroom: Compliment or Contradiction

By thedanceinstructor Leave a Comment

So You Think You Can Dance is all about finding the best over-all dancer, someone that can do all styles, ballet, hip-hop, modern, ballroom – whatever is thrown their way.  It pits top dancers from each genre against each other – trying to learn, and execute, each others’ styles.

Most of the dancers have spent the majority of their young lives focused on excelling in one or two forms of dance – the form of dance they now do so well.  Then they are asked to do something totally different – or is it so different?

Ballet Feet

Ballerina Practicing

There are quite a few ballroom dancers that started in a different form of dance – ballet, modern, jazz, etc. only to fall in love with ballroom once exposed to this magical form of dance.

“There is something about moving in complete unison with another that doesn’t get explored in other forms of dance” says competitor and teacher Maren Oslac.  “People who try it either find they love it or they don’t.”

Erika Cianciaruso was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, and began ballet dancing at age 3. She discovered ballroom in Hartland, WI, as a pre-teen and knew she found her calling.  She is trained in various styles but her strengths are in Latin and Smooth.  Ballroom dancing is now one of her strongest passions and she’s started teaching to share her love of ballroom.

So is it one or the other?  Or is there room for both?

Julie Lowe was a Principal Ballerina with the Oakland Ballet Company touring extensively throughout the United States and Europe, performing many of the company’s leading roles, and working alongside luminaries of the dance world.

Ballroom Feet

Ballroom Dancers Practicing

In 2000, she met Diane Jarmolow, founder of the Ballroom Dance Teachers College in San Francisco, and the bridging of the ballet and ballroom worlds began for her.

She is now a ballroom dancing instructor, and Director of the Ballet Program at the Metronome Dance Center in San Francisco.  This successful bridge of the worlds of ballet and ballroom, provides dancers the opportunity to enhance their technical and artistic skills in both dance forms.

Many of today’s top competitive and professional dance couples have worked with Julie, including Six-Time U.S. Finalists, David & Valentina Weise, 2005 U.S. Rising Star Latin Champions, Vaidas Skimelis & Jurga Pupelyte, and West Coast Swing National Finalists, Arjay Centeno & Melissa Rutz.

In the end – dance is dance, and each form compliments the other forms.  It’s obvious from watching any season of So You Think You Can Dance.  Each dancer is superb at what they know – and yet they get better over 12 weeks – by learning other forms of dance.

Whatever inspires you – pursue it, and pursue it some more – and then – maybe try something else!

Filed Under: Ballroom, Guide, Information, Instructor's Voice, Styles, Uncategorized
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