Good Teachers

By Ray Ishikawa, Wahiawa

We are certainly fortunate to have so many good teachers, professionals and the amateurs, in social dance, that help for fun. Our teachers seem to have recognized the differences in their students and attempt to work within those differences instead of forcing all students into their own or the studio's particular mold of how the ideal student should appear.

"If you are persistent you will get it.

If you are consistent you will keep it."

The teachers study the differences in bodies and personalities, trying to adapt each person's character technique to match. And it is not always easy. These differences may be found in the arm and leg length, fitness levels, age, height, personal goals, physical handicaps and emotional outlook. Covers everything?

"Dancing In The Dark" by Artie Shaw

The thing is the teachers will adapt the techniques necessary to the individual instead of forcing the individual to adapt to the set technique. Teachers who try to make clones attempt to make each student alike instead of allowing the student to blossom and become uniquely individual, the focus should never be on the technique.

Technique in social dance is like a window and there are two reasons for a window, to look out of and to look into. Technique should be to showcase the inner personality of the dancer in the same way a window showcases the products in a store. Good, efficient and clean technique is like a clean window. It more clearly shows what is on the inside, while poor technique is like a dirty window that clouds the objects inside.

Focusing only on technique in social dance is like focusing on the window and ignoring what is inside. However in a discipline that is to be judged, it can be quite different.