Ballroom Dancing Classes

Last night at the Embassy Ball Dancesport Championships 2010, I was reminded of the reasons why I never got into the ballroom competition circuit – the corruption and injustices that run rampant in that scene never sat well with me and did not serve to motivate me.  However, I continue to attend some ballroom competitions because seeing world level dancers always inspire me to work harder on my own dancing and strive for better execution.

At the Dancesport Worldcup Professional International Standard event last night, we were all stunned when Victor Fung and his partner Anastasia Muravyova who had danced very well, were placed at #3 when they clearly were #2.  But when we saw who they lost to, the entire room, many of us locals, there to support Victor - a local Orange County boy, we were so stunned we didn’t even know how to react.  And yes, I have been around the block, I have competed, been to many competitions, many of my teachers and coaches were competitors and have friends who competed.  I have seen many results that just make me scratch my head and know it’s a very subjective system of judging.  Prone to corruption.  And yet, I was still shocked.

Victor Fung with  Anastasia Muravyova at Blackpool this year was #3 in the world and Victor has been consistently in this spot for several years with his old partner, Anna Mikhed.  Sometimes #2.  Well, last night Victor lost to his old partner Anna Mikhed who was dancing with her new partner  Giampiero Giannico.  Giampiero had not competed for 3 years and his highest placing at the world level was perhaps in the top 13 with Anastasia Muravyova, Victor’s current partner.  Giampiero with Anna Mikhed placed #5 at Blackpool this year.  Blackpool is the most prestigious Ballroom Competition in the world.  International Standard is very much a man’s dance, and the world rankings are determined most often by how well the man is dancing, the ladies may change but the ranking of the couple is usually stable because it’s very much the man that determines how well they perform. 

Victor Fung and Anastasia Muravyeva

We were looking forward to seeing Victor Fung again in his homeground, hopefully dance well (he always does, he’s such a pro) and be rewarded with a fair placing.  All night, he looked classy and effortless.  His old partner, Anna Mikhed was also on the floor with her new partner and I have seen her dance twice with this new partner Giampiero and I have not enjoyed it.  She no longer has the beautiful light quality and classy style of dancing she had with Victor, it was frantic and brutish and her partner just did not have any finesse.

Giampiero Giannico and Anna Mikhed

Some of it I’m sure is due to his unfortunate lack of neck and thus, his topline (frame and head) is just not attractive.  But a lot of  of it is due to his style of dancing.  Now this is subjective because clearly other people like it.  I just don’t.  In fact I was enjoying watching Paolo Basco and Sylvia Pitton (last year’s Amateur World Champions and just turned pro), Urs Geisenhainer and Agnes Kazmierczak (now representing Poland, they used to dance for USA) more than Giampiero and Anna.  The Paolo and Sylvia, Urs and Agnes all placed below Giampiero and Anna.

Because I am friends with Victor’s parents, I was one of the few people who really know what happened in the breakup of the partnership between Victor Fung and Anna Mikhed.  Victor’s parents are just really good people.  Somewhat rare if you live in LA, but ever since I ran into them several years ago, I fell in love with them and have tried to help support their studio ClubOne in Orange County, CA (Costa Mesa) as much as I can living 2 hrs away.  Victor is very much a product of this parents – good hearted, high integrity, dedicated, caring, hard-working, quiet, introverted and classy people.  There’s not a mean bone in his body.  He focusses on his dancing and tries not to get caught up in the politics of his profession.  

Here’s the back story on the perfect storm that happened at last night’s ballroom competition.

Anna Mikhed apparently is not all that she seems.  We all thought she was so sweet, elegant, demure and just loved her dancing with Victor.  Their dancing together had a refined beauty about it and they were becoming known as America’s sweethearts in the ballroom dancing circles.  What we didn’t know was that she is very emotional, neurotic and dramatic.  This is quite consistent with many competitors.  However, Victor is nothing like that.  His dad is a retired engineer, his mom a math tutor and marathon runner.  They were brought up to work hard, be professional and be smart …. all the good stuff good Chinese parents instill in their children.  Victor and his parents are just so professional, I never heard one sniff of the partnerships problems Victor was going through with Anna.  Until I read online that their partnership had broken up so I called up Victor’s parents and asked what happened.

Well, last year, when Victor and Anna were taking training in Florida with their coach Loraine Barrichi (former world champion), Anna had a fit in the middle of coaching with Loraine and announced that she was quitting and left.  Leaving Victor in Florida wondering what the hell was going on and what to do.  Apparently she had done this several times to Victor and he would wisely leave her alone for a week or so and she would come back and be ok.  This time, she had a fit at a world renown coach and judge, in front of everyone who was at the studio and then she proceeded to email her other coaches (all very well known world champions, coaches and judges) that she was quitting.  She didn’t have the courtesy of discussing this with Victor, just left him high and dry and stranded in Florida just before upcoming major competitions.  Victor and Anna have been working very hard climbing the ranks and had just broken through to #2.  Anna was very lucky because she was no where until she partnered up with Victor and has had a very short run to the top.

Through it all, Victor and his parents showed their class and their heart.  They did not share this with the world.  

Victor’s parents tried to counsel Anna.  They loved her like their own daughter.  They told her “If the partnerhip is not working, quit the partnership but don’t quit the industry.  This is your career, if things are not working out, then find another partner”.  They were very concerned about their son but they were also concerned about her future.  Eventually Victor decided he had to continue and tried out with Anastasia at the advice of his coaches and then partnered with her.  Victor even went to the extent of telling his coach to convey to Anna that he knows a boy in New York who would be a good partner for Anna, someone kind who would take care of her.  Victor didn’t want to say it directly to Anna because he didn’t think she would listen so he told this coach to give that advice to Anna.

Victor Fung with old partner Anna Mikhed

I found out last night that Anna, had gone to one of her coaches and said “I want to beat Victor and find me a partner I can do that with”. So she partnered with Giampiero.  Who used to partner Anasatasia and had not competed for 3 years.  Don’t you just love this?  Giampiero originally from Italy, is very good at wining and dining and apparently have been busy courting a lot of the Italian judges.  There were a lot of Italian judges on the floor last night.  Poor Victor didn’t stand a chance and never saw that coming.  He is not into self-promotion, does not do the wining/dining/shmoozing stuff (this is why I like the boy, I’ve always hated that stuff too), nor does his parents.  He has gotten so far on his merit of dancing and he has said to us, he just focuses on improving his dancing and cannot get caught up with what other people are doing.  Smart boy.   But that is not how it works.

When I was competing, I was always amazed at how the game was played.  Make sure you take lots of lessons from the judges that are going to be judging up at upcoming competitions.  That will ensure a good placing.  There are many competitors that refuse to play that game (myself included, unless the judge is a good coach and can really solve my movement problems).  I can’t say if I paid the price because I just didn’t do enough of the ballroom competitions, but I think it does help.  I had always heard the rumblings though as I took training from studios where a lot of the teachers were competitors at a high level.  A lot of schmoozing goes on and plenty of injustices.  Again, all the more reason for me to not buy into that whole scene and only use ballroom competitions to motivate myself to work harder at my dancing regardless of how I was marked by the judges.

So last night was a shock, but if you had been following what was happening behind the scenes, then it would have been predictable.   The injustice saddens me.  Why does the universe reward bad behaviour?  I hope Victor will continue on his classy journey and hold his head up high and not let this discourage him.  I’d like to believe that it will all play out right in the end.  This is just a setback in the journey of life, a catalyst to change the directions of the players involved to get them on the right path.

Last night at the Embassy Ball ballroom competition, I was inspired by the quality of the dancing I saw, by the dancers’ dedication, their energy, their willingness to put themselves on the line, for very little monetary reward but for the love of dance.  I prefer not to be inspired by the judging.  It’s the dancers that I give my heart and my support to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJaPHJH4ah0

Technorati Tags: anna mikhed, ballroom competition, ballroom competitors, corruption, embassy ball, injustice, inspiration, International Standard, love of dance, victor fung

I find it fascinating that there are many dance students who really want to look good and feel good when dancing but have only taken ballroom dancing classes in groups only and have never taken private dance lessons.  Often, it is the mistaken impression that they cannot afford the privates because it is expensive.  Group classes range anywhere from $10-$15/class, private dance lessons can range from $65/45 mins – $200+/45 mins.  Note … when it comes to ballroom, do not take private lessons from anyone charging less than $65 per lesson.  You wil get what you pay for …. bad habits and bad technique.  Good ballroom instructors are somewhat rare and word of mouth keeps them busy so they are able charge the market rate.   Another myth is also that only competitors take private lessons.  Both are incorrect.

This is what you will learn in a typical group class.  They usually run in a 4-6 weeks series per dance and you will be taught 1-2 figures/patterns per class.  The mechanics of the figure is usually  taught ie. foot placement, timing, and sometimes depending on the teacher, some technique elements will be covered.  Here’s the thing about partner dancing, there are 2 people involved.  So it does not matter how well you dance by yourself or work on yourself, you need to work with a partner as the dynamics of 2 bodies moving together presents many new challenges.  Group classes are good because it exposes you to many partners.  That can be bad if you are not getting enough exposure to partners at your level or better.  The pacing of group classes are usually catered for the majority.  Therefore, if you are a slower learner you may feel lost or overwhelmed and if you are a fast learner you will be bored.   Because very little technique is taught in group classes and almost no individual corrections, students can spend many years learning lots of fancy steps but make very litte progress in the quality and look of their dancing and develop bad habits in how they lead or follow.

Not all ballroom instructors teach the same way in private lessons so I cannot speak for them.  From my experience, I have developed a teaching methodology that works and gets results.  My beginner students always get compliments on how good they look, for the leaders – their lead feels good and is clear (without hurting the followers) and for the followers, how responsive and light they are.

In a private dance lesson, with my beginner students, I cover the mechanics of 4-5 beginner figures with an average learner.  This would have taken them 4 weeks to get that same material in group classes.  With faster learners, I am able to cover the mechanics of 6-8 beginner figures.  With slower learners, about 2-3 figures.  So from an economic perspective, it works out to be about the same with definite time savings favoring private lessons 45 mins versus 3-4 1/2 hrs of group classes.  The additional benefit of 1:1 instruction in privates is that I can correct the movement and help my students calibrate to it and give them homework in the form of special exercises which will get it into their muscle memory faster.  I will also teach lead and follow technique elements which are critical to becoming popular social dancers or developing good habits from the start to allow them to become winning competitive dancers.   Then after the students have mechanics of the figures, I can then teach the techniques which characterises each dance which is what makes a dance student look good when they are dancing  eg: rise and fall, cuban motion, swing hip action, samba bounce action, jive leg action etc.

Then after they have practised on their own and have the mechanics in their muscle memory, I am able to teach technique in the next private lesson.  Here’s the important part – everybody has different body and movement challenges.  So I am able to fix my students with precision and laser like speed when I am working with them 1:1.  It’s more difficult when I only see them in group classes, there’s only so much my eye can adsorb and my memory can retain when there’s 20-30 bodies in one room all moving in radically different ways.   In a group class, I can only focus on what’s the biggest problem everyone is having and work on that.  And I am one of the few ballroom instructors who do focus on teaching technique in group classes.   I however cannot fully resolve technique issues for everyone in group classes as I don’t have the time to individually correct how they are interpreting the information I am conveying and demonstrating.  This is because even when your brain comprehends something, that does not necessarily mean your body is executing it.  You need someone to look at your movement as you cannot see it for yourself and then help you calibrate it to where it needs to be and that can only happen in a  1:1 setting of a private lesson.

I fall in the category of fast learner who gets bored in group classes.  I am also particular about technique as that’s the secret to looking good dancing and feeling good to your partner.  So I have always taken ballroom private dance lessons myself.  

However, I didn’t start off that way.  I learned the hard way, wasting a lot of time and money and working with a lot of dance instructors and coaches before I discovered for myself what gave me the best and fastest results for my money.

I started as a street salsa dancer, and then added street swing and hustle to the mix.  I didn’t have any dance training and only took group classes in salsa.  A bad foot accident took me out of salsa dancing for about 6 months, and after a year, I was still limping.  I looked for ways to recuperate my foot as physical therapy was not doing it.  After I saw a ballroom competition on TV, I noticed the Latin ladies had really strong feet so I hired an instructor and thus began my first private dance lessons in International Latin.  I started in clumpy orthortic shoes, then progressed to jazz flats and slowly worked my way back to 3 inch heels.  In a year, I was competing.  

What took me by surprise was that I learned I didn’t know anything about dancing or partner dancing.  I never had to think about my feet or my arms or posture or frame when I was street dancing. Let alone the intricacies of International Latin technique.  None of the salsa instructors talked technique because they didn’t know it and they didn’t dance it either.  I had so many bad habits from my street dancing days that it took me years to eradicate them.  

And yes, after I started ballroom private lessons, I really stood out  (in a good way) in the salsa, swing and hustle scenes.  I was invited to dance salsa on TV, photographed by various photographers, my dancing photo was published in a swing book and I was given a lifetime pass to the hottest club in the Bay area because they wanted to use my salsa dancing image on their promotional flyers. 

Everyone knows that great musicians come from strong classical music training,  great dancers come from strong ballet training.  What is less known is that great partner dancers come from strong ballroom training.

By now, you would be expecting me to say that private dance lessons would be the best way to go for beginner dancers.  Well, I wouldn’t say that either.  

I do not recommend only taking private lessons especially if you do not have a partner.  It will often get monotonous and boring unless you have an exceptional and entertaining teacher or you are working on a showcase or competition which will give you a focus and goal.  

I also do not advocate doing group classes only … so easy to fall into bad habits.  When I look at my students who only take group classes, in the same amount of time, my private students have progressed much faster, learned more dances and look and feel better on the dance floor.  

I also do not advocate dancing socials only …. even more bad habits and injuries from lack of training and dancing with other dancers with no training.  The only times I have been injured dancing was when I was social dancing in my early days.  Some of my students have suffered from foot injuries because they did not listen to my advice about being selective on who they should social dance with.   In other words, followers stay away from the leaders who have not been trained, who pull and push you with their lead and hurt your arms when turning or twist your body and try to force you into fast turns, dips, tricks, back flips and jumps without finesse.   Leaders, stay away from the followers who are not balanced, or who throw themselves into patterns and dips without paying attention to the lead, who do not have a frame so they are heavy and will create shoulder and back sprains for you or followers who grip your fingers when dancing.

It is in the right combination of private lessons, group classes and social dancing that I see the fastest progress in my beginner students.  Competitors are in a different category – group classes and socials are a waste of time because they will often have to compromise their alignments and technique when it’s still in development and this will lead to bad habits.  Private dancing lessons and lots of practices in between is what’s needed to get technique into muscle memory.  Then when their routines are ready, rounds with other competitive couples to develop floorcraft and stamina.

Here is the best combination I have found for beginners for the best results for looking good, feeling good when social dancing and becoming popular social dancers or allowing them to transition to competitions without bad habits getting in their way, based on my 15 years of dancing, 13 years of taking ballroom dance training and 7 years of teaching.  I have taught hundreds of ballroom group classes and private dance lessons to absolute beginners, intermediate and advanced dancers.

If you are an absolute beginner – you should start with a private dance lesson just to get the basics of posture, center, frame, direction of movements and how to relate to music, connection basics of leading and following.  This can be done in 1 lesson.  Very worthwhile because you are never going to get all this in group classes.  And you will get corrections on how to do it for your body and how you are moving.

From there, you can learn the mechanics (steps, patterns and figures) either in group classes or private lessons.  If you take group classes,  then you can tune what the teacher is teaching to how your body behaves.  After you get the mechanics in your muscle memory, then take private lessons to learn the techniques that are the characteristics of that particular dance.

Repetition is key to improving.  And that can be boring if you are by yourself or even if you have a partner.  So take group classes to practise and reinforce what you learn.  If you have limited time and can’t get to group classes every week, then select the group class at the end of the 4 or 6 week series because this is usually the review and you will get to practise all the figures they have been teaching over the 4-6 week period.  Practise your leading or following with others.  Apply the techniques you have learned in your private lessons while reviewing the steps. 

Go to socials and use that as an opportunity to practise.  For leaders, you will hone your navigation skills, ability to focus with  the distractions of other dancers getting in your way, music to dance identification, leading the entire song without stopping and leading many different followers and learning how to adapt to each one.  For followers, it is learning how maintain your timing and connection, trust and reacting to different leaders and styling you will need to practise.  For both, the exercise and cardio work-out you will get from dancing all night will help with fitness and weight loss goals.

I hope this helps you in your quest to learn ballroom dancing and hasn’t created more confusion.  Not all ballroom dancing classes are the same, and not all private dancing lessons are the same.  It depends on the instructor.  However, if you are educated on the process and know what you want, you can find it or ask for it.  

I would love to get your feedback on this, please write to me in the comments box below.  Or if you have questions, please write them in the comments box below and I will answer them as soon as possible.

Technorati Tags: ballroom dance, ballroom dancing classes, Group classes, learn ballroom, muscle memory., partner dancing, private dance lessons, private dancing lessons, private lesson, Repetition, technique elements