RE: Got To Learn How To Dance

From: Bedford, Sibyl (sbedford@indiana.edu)
Date: Tue Feb 06 2001 - 20:51:09 CET

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    For one person's view on jazz dance [& it's history/derivatives] in general
    check http://www.jazzart.org/jdh/history.html ... that's probably not what
    you want but it could be fun... You may be able to find a funk class, but
    there's a good chance it'll be really hard.

    I took dance classes, workshops, performed etc. for at least 15 years [I
    started when I was 4], and what ends up on the dance floor in a club is
    usually unrelated to training [mostly ballet, some modern, jazz, Spanish,
    and character] but I think that in my case my dance background allows me
    greater balance [even while intoxicated], turning ability, ease of motion,
    improv, ability to pick up choreography or mimic other styles, etc.

    Since you don't know exactly what you want - and in my opinion there isn't
    just one style or studio out there which you might like - shop around. Don't
    just let your fingers do the walking, once you call and tell them what
    you're looking for, bring yourself there and sit in on a class, or ask if
    you can try one out and see if you like it.

    Just remember that what you take in class is an established technique, or
    moves that have been around long enough to be given names. Once you're used
    to consciously controlling your body you'll find it a lot easier to
    translate what you see others do into movement, or find what your body wants
    to do all on its own. You may be able to find people that do practice
    together on their own. When I was in London I met some amazing dancers at
    Ma d a m EMAIL souljazze Jo Jo's [Funk night on Sunday] and one of them invited me to come
    practice with them... I never did, but it's proof that some of the people
    that you see in clubs do spend a lot of time on their technique. I asked
    that guy how he'd learned to be such a great dancer/breakdancer and he said
    he used to watch videos over and over and he just practiced like mad.

    Dancing is the main reason I'm on this list, so I'm not an objective voice,
    but I say it's never too late to start.

    -s-



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