on polishing the craft

after almost every event that we have, be it a recital or a professional/amateur competition, we normally get one of our travelling consultants in. they can be there to help the students understand the scores that they got, make their dancing better, or even purchase more lessons to prepare them for the next event. this past recital is no different. we were able to fit ourselves in to John Clark's busy schedule and he graced us with his presence this past wednesday. he's one of the more experienced consultants that we have and he shares his knowledge quite liberally.

* it's funny that the last remake of the movie Shall We Dance? actually had the name of the lead character as John Clark. he's since had a whole bunch of idiots such as myself pointing that out, and he's good-naturedly taken it all in in stride and sometimes even says that he's there for some dance lessons, very much like the character in said movie. *

another plus in having consultants come in for us, would be the chance for us instructors to hone our skills as well. since they travel a whole lot, they get to see firsthand what may be "hot" in the current pulse of ballroom dancing. they then back this up with years of knowledge so that we can benefit. it's been said that ultimately, consultants are brought in not for the students but for the teachers to be able to give to them what they learned from the consultant.

this time around, we worked on our smooth dancing. these would be the category of foxtrot, quickstep, waltz, viennese waltz, and tango, just to name a few. he literally danced us through our paces, showed us the proper technique, etcetera. he would individually pick on us, give us pointers, and try the step with us -- just to get a better "feel." he would then either nod in approval, or give you more pointers.

the wonderful thing in having consultants come in, at least for me, is the chance to milk their brain for all its worth. since i am more geared in getting the new students at ease with their dancing, i need all the help that i can get with ideas as how best to portray a step that makes students understand it. armed with that knowledge, i get to be a more efficient instructor.

at the end of each day with consultants, we tend to have informal sitdowns where they get to tell us what they were able to pick up from us. i was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Clark approached me and praised me for my dancing. he mentioned that my smooth dances have greatly improved since last he saw it. he said that i ought to keep it up, and even joked that if i do, i just might be needing a dance partner soon enough to do some professional competitions.

it's funny how even the very off-hand statements point me back to mi corazon. she wanted to do tango with me, perhaps even compete.

*sigh*

i'll just have to up my dancing skills, since i'm dancing for two now.