Individual work
After entering the hall, the first thing I need is to surround myself with a few important things: three chairs in the quietest corner, my loose-leaf notebook, a pen and a bottle of water. I'm ready.
Then we sit down and decide on how I can help.
My task is to ask the right question and then assist with finding the answer. Together with the students, we define the goal, it takes time and patience, but, in the end, we obtain the most important - we have a GOAL!
Now we are ready to discuss Reality. Where am I now? What are my advantages and disadvantages? What do I know, feel and do? Reality is our starting point. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the exact coordinates, because it is from here that we have to pave our way to the goal.
So, we have a goal and reality.
It's time to act!
Consider an example:
The couple claiming to be in the top 3 prepares for the national championship in standard dances.
We define the goal: which is to show the dance, filled with sensations and real partnership.
To this end, we have done a great job analyzing our strengths and weaknesses, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of our main competitors. We found out that the guys showed the best dance when they paid a lot of attention to each other, outside the parquet as well. Their main competitors, on the other hand, had a sportier and more physical dance style.
We decided to bet on the creation of the Atmosphere. How and when to go, how to complete the dance, how to departure from the floor elegantly, filled with freshness and energy. Particular attention should be paid to the beginning of the dance: the state of the body, the invitation, the reaction of the partner, the touch. Emotional involvement in every dance, as well as an emphasis on pauses and the creation of "silence", builds the atmosphere up.
For each dance, each of the guys was given with a specific task, based on their best qualities.
And so, technically well-prepared dancers, step by step, dance by dance, day by day, begin to feel their dance more deeply, enjoying it while feeling confident in their actions. A few days of intensive preparation and ... an unequivocal victory and the title of champions was received. But, most importantly, it was a dance filled with vivid sensations and understanding of each other, appreciated by viewers and judges.
I like to conduct group sessions. It can be mini-groups of 3-5 people as well as huge ones of 100 people; in all the cases I feel a burst of energy and pleasure from the process that I want to share with each participant.
Why? Perhaps because each group is unique to me. These may be children, each with their character, upbringing, set of skills.
Or adult dancers with different motivation, scepticism, skill, history of victories and defeats. Or groups with trainers and teachers, with whom I can share my ideas, thoughts and priorities.
I also love to conduct groups for parents of young dancers. They are always full of vivid communication, complex questions and the absolute involvement of all participants in the process.
Consider an example:
A group of 25 children aged 8-10. Time - 90 minutes. The topic set for me: the ability to present your dance at competitions.
We start by ... sitting down on the floor! It surprises children and instantly turns them into involved participants because they are interested, they are getting communicated with! Together with the guys, we determine what we are working on, how we will do it, and how much time we have for this.
The choice of location on the dance floor is a very important aspect that needs time and attention. We do various exercises to help children quickly navigate on the floor.
Our next goal is entering the floor. Why is it important? Firstly, as you know, the initial impression is the strongest. Gait, energy, image, confidence. How do we go out?
We learn to inflate a balloon around the head, which parts of the body to activate for a walk depending on the dance, where the girl is relative to the boy, how to enter while conveying the mood of the dance. Gradually, we transfer this skill to our dance. To begin with, we try to enter correctly and dance in this state for 15-20 seconds, no longer. So that the positive experience of dancing with a good presentation remains with the guys.
Our next step is the completion. This exercise is an exciting but rather challenging task. In what direction to do the bow, how to do it, what do I want to say with my bow to an audience? And, of course, we learn to leave correctly with good, positive energy and beautiful body position.
We organize mini-competitions or solo-dances in the centre of the circle, support each other and compete with each other, determining: whose presentation was better today.
Already in 85 minutes after the start of the class, children have gained important knowledge and skills to realize them.
The final 5 minutes are the most important for us. We sit on the floor again, and the children share the things they will take from this activity.
Thus, much like in a good book, we have an exposition, the main part and the conclusion.
“... This is an ambitious goal. Sounds like a lot of hard work. But when we perceive work as a game, this is not work at all.
A game is a game.”
Peter Brooke
