DANCE PARTNER ROTATION IN CLASSES This is a script for HOW to do it, and a list of reasons WHY a partner rotation plan improves fairness, learning, and satisfaction for students in a dance class. First the why. WHY Austin dancers are a wonderfully fair and self-effacing group, so when a teacher announces — with no plan in place — to Change partners! a bit of chaos and uncertainty ensues, particularly when there is a mismatch, especially a big mismatch, between roles, and when couples get out of order of la ronda, as students tend to do in a class. When a teacher has a rotation plan in place AND automatically calls for rotation on a regular basis, such as at the end of each song, then assuming that the plan is set and clear, there are lots of benefits. 1. Saves time. Students know that at the end of songs they automatically return to their spots, and a teacher announcement confirms that they are to rotate. 2. Students dont have to wonder when or if they will get their turn. At the most only one person wont have a partner, and they know a partner will come in the next rotation. (See explanation under HOW.) 3. Leaders get to see the effect of their lead with different followers, and get feedback from each. 4. Followers get to experience leads for the same movement from different leaders, and to receive feedback from each. 5. Less experienced dancers get to experience the dance and feedback of more experienced dancers. 6. Students dont get stuck time and again with a less than ideal partner, and by the same token they dont get to selfishly hog an ideal partner. 7. Dancers are permitted to remain with dedicated practice partners. NOTE: This does NOT handle the concern I have heard from some Followers that, I fear being injured by some beginners. Dancer solution: find a partner you trust and stick with them (though it seems a shame to exclude all the other qualified partners from rotation with you). Teacher solution: since it is often not possible to qualify students to take your material, then strive to teach in such a way that you highlight injurious practices (use of arms, overextending yourself or your partner, bad positioning, etc.). HOW Announce this simple script at the beginning of every class because you often have new students, and because all your students want to know that you are consistently following the plan. Idea: also post this in writing in your classroom. Everyone find a partner and form a circle around the room. Spread out to the edges of the room. You followers (or leaders) without a partner, partner up with each other for now. We rotate partners at the end of each song so that everyone has the opportunity to dance regularly with different partners. (If you feel compelled to do this you could add, Dedicated practice partners who want to dance only with each other can bypass the rotation by stepping of out the circle when the time comes to change. But why bother unless someone asks?) For two followers (or leaders) together, choose one of you to be the first follower. FOLLOWERS, look where you are in the room. This is your home base where you will return at the end of every song. Leaders, look to see who is ahead of you and who is behind you. Try to keep your place, but if you need to dance around a stopped couple you can. At the end of each song just come back to where you started with your current partner. At the end of every song everyone first returns to their home base, and then LEADERS rotate** to the next person in the line of dance. For two followers (or leaders) together, the first leader moves on and the first follower becomes the new first leader for that home base. You followers (or leaders) together, if you are comfortable switching roles you can dance either role and switch off. If youd rather not, then the two of you can each practice your part of the movement separately and help each other. Teacher, at the end of EVERY song loudly announce, Return to your home base and rotate partners! Optionally, if the song was very short, or you interrupted it to make a point, or you think people are at an important point of understanding with their current partners, Return to your home base BUT STAY with your current partner for now. Thats only eight to 16 sentences depending on whether you use the optional parts; only about 250 words that take one minute to say. Most dancers with any experience will already be familiar with the basics of this. Some teachers prefer to move followers in the rotation, but at a milonga, followers sit and leaders move to them. It helps people remember procedures when you do things people already understand. I dont know of any teacher who explicitly deals with the excess follower (leader) situation in this way, but some classes of students figure it out on their own, and it works quite well. The important thing is to have STATED expectations so students dont have to wonder what to do. There is enough uncertainty and anxiety in tango classes without that.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 23:45:13 +0000
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