|
by Erik Novoa
Q - What is a Dance
Event?
A- A Dance Event is a dance
focused day or weekend. It may
consist of workshops, social
dancing, performances, and some
competitions. It differs from
a Dance Competition in that it
focuses much more on social dancing
than on competitions.
Q - If I am a
beginner dancer, should I go to a
dance event?
A- Definitely! Going to a
dance event (rather than a dance
competition) allows a beginner
dancer to log many critical hours of
dance time. Most importantly,
you will meet dancers of all
different levels who share a common
interest...making new friends on the
dance floor.
Q - How can I get
the most for my money at a Dance Event?
A - A Dance Event offers
workshops with some of the most
highly regarded and best dancers in
their category. You'll get to
take class with national champions
in Hustle or US Open Swing
Champions. You will have the
opportunity to enter light-hearted
pro-ams or Jack & Jills (see below)
or to watch (or maybe even enter)
the choreographed Classic
Swing/Hustle divisions or shows.
In between workshops and divisions,
there is plenty of social
dancing....and after the
competitions and shows are over, the
social dancing continues sometimes
until sunrise. The real
magic happens after midnight!
Q - Aren't group
classes enough?
A - There are 3 parts to the
training of a successful dancer:
Group Classes, Privates and Social
Dancing. Becoming a proficient
dancer requires all three.
Group classes are for vocabulary and
technical exposure, Privates are for
the personal tweaking that are
impossible in a group setting and
Social Dancing is for the natural
trial-and-error process that every
dancer must go through before things
just start to feel normal. One
of the best places for Social
Dancing is at a Dance Event.
Q - Would I have to
compete?
A - You definitely do not have to
compete. In fact you can take
workshops in many dances and watch
some of the light-hearted
competitions and social dance.
Social Dancing is such a big part of
the Dance Event weekend that many
people stay on the dance floor until
sunrise. If you are interested
in competing, you don't even have to
bring your own partner...there are
random-partnered divisions called
"Jack & Jills" that are high-fun and
low-stress.
Q - Will my dancing
improve if I go to a Dance Event?
A - Dancing improves
exponentially after a Dance Event!
I'm not talking about a slight
improvement....we're talking about a
noticeable change in your
lead/follow skills, repertoire,
styling and timing in 3 days.
Why? Because of the time
you've spent on the social dance
floor, your attendance at workshops
taught by some of the finest
instructors/dancers on the planet
and exposure to the most amazing
talent you've ever seen. This
is exactly why I started going.
Q - What Dance
Events would Erik recommend??
A - There are many
events...sometimes more than once a
month if you are ready to travel.
There are some great events in the
North East...please email me or see
the home page of this web site to
see events that Erik will be
attending.
|
