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Lee Bartholomew
13th-June-2007, 11:13 AM
In a few weekes when moneys abit less tight, im considering getting private dance lessons a few hours a week.

Anyone else had private lessons? What did you make of them and were they worth the money?

Also what should be looked for in a private tutor?

:cheers:

Caro
13th-June-2007, 11:40 AM
I've had 2 so far, one last summer with Jordan after just a few wcs classes, the other in april with Robert Royston.

Both of them transformed my dancing, although I had a very, very steep and painful learning curve after the first one. But I certainly don't regret it, as they've both changed my dancing and my understanding of the dance no end. I've chosen leader teachers in both instances because I wanted to work on connection and how I feel as a (wcs) follow, but I will soon have a private with a follow teacher for styling (you've guessed it'll be Tatiana :D ).

I chose Jordan because he was the first pro I came accross, and now I will have other privates with him at some point because I believe his technique and teaching are amazingly sharp, and he is also such an inspiring dancer.

I chose Robert after attending a few classes at Weston, because he can explain the mecanics of dance and body movement in a way that I had never come accross before :what: . That suits my scientific brain and my need to understand the theory behind the movement.

I am considering a private with Kyle at some point, because amongs all the pros I have seen I admire his style the most, and having had one dance with him I thought he was the best pro I danced with (or the most compatible with me for now).

So what I'm looking for in a private is technique and inspiration.

However I found that it takes me several months of dancing (also because there's little opportunity for me to practice here) to really absorb all the points that were raised and fix some of them (I suspect a lifetime wouldn't enough to fix all of them :tears: ).

Lee Bartholomew
13th-June-2007, 11:47 AM
How I would love a private lesson with Jordan and Tatiana. If only they were based in Bristol.

:tears:

Caro
13th-June-2007, 11:52 AM
How I would love a private lesson with Jordan and Tatiana. If only they were based in Bristol.

:tears:

Why ? I thought you didn't wcs ?

In an MJ context, the top of my list is Amir (well I have a strong biais towards jango / tango too :D ) as he is able to teach and explain things in a unique way. I suspect David B wouldn't be far either, although I have never been taught by him yet (but this will be fixed in just a month).

Mind you, for some strange reason my knowledge of the top wcs teachers is much greater than that of the top MJ teachers.

Lee Bartholomew
13th-June-2007, 11:55 AM
Why ? I thought you didn't wcs ?

In an MJ context, the top of my list is Amir (well I have a strong biais towards jango / tango too :D ) as he is able to teach and explain things in a unique way. I suspect David B wouldn't be far either, although I have never been taught by him yet (but this will be fixed in just a month).

Mind you, for some strange reason my knowledge of the top wcs teachers is much greater than that of the top MJ teachers.

Would like to do WCS. What a way to start learning. A few months of weekly privates with J&T. Still guess I should try and get my MJ up to an acceptable level before learning a new dance.

Was thinking Amir as he has a good rep. I have never been fortunate to see him dance, but have a feeling his style would be different to what I want to achive. Will have to go to some of his classes to find out.

ducasi
13th-June-2007, 01:38 PM
I've been thinking a lot about taking private lessons to improve my MJ. I don't have such a strong desire to do private lessons for WCS, but if I begin to get more into it, I'll probably consider it.

One of the problems is that the particular teachers we (I'm dragging FH into it too) would like to learn more from are not based in Scotland, so we'd either have to travel south, or wait until they are next in Scotland.

Anyway, I've had one private lesson before, when I was just beginning my Ceroc career. I thought it was very useful. In this case the teacher approached me and made me a good offer. (Which makes me wonder if maybe a private or two in WCS might also be useful to me now.)

As I say, I think we've already decided who we'd like private MJ lessons from, but in deciding, we considered the teacher's style of dance, quality of teaching, and general attitude to see if they were compatible with us.

Lee Bartholomew
13th-June-2007, 01:42 PM
out of interest, who do you think you would want to do private lessons with?

Anyone make any suggestions for teachers in the South West?

Beowulf
13th-June-2007, 01:47 PM
Why not?

if I had the money perhaps I would find a couple of private lessons would benefit me greatly. I find I can't easily grasp the moves in class time and I don't like holding other people back, but in a one to one situation then any points I didn't understand could be explained in greater detail.

As it happens I'm not in a financial nor physical state to do private lessons at the moment , I've never seen anyone offer private lessons and don't know how one would going about booking private lessons.

I think , however, if your serious about your dancing as the previous posters on this thread definitely seem to be then why not. Go for it! It can only make you a better dancer in the long run.

Me? I'll stick to my methodical snail like progression for the time being :wink:

ducasi
13th-June-2007, 01:58 PM
out of interest, who do you think you would want to do private lessons with?
Don't want to say as they read this forum and I think it would be better to approach them privately, rather than here.

Suffice to say, it's someone well respected within the community.


Anyone make any suggestions for teachers in the South West? I hear Brighton's not too far from Bath... :whistle:

Twirly
13th-June-2007, 02:00 PM
I don't feel a desire to have private lessons on a regular basis (but I'm not looking to compete, and am not as frequent a dancer as many on here), but I've been thinking I'd like to do one when I go to Camber in September, if they're on offer. I think I'd benefit hugely, even from one session.

WF - does it have to be one of the "greats"? Weren't you admiring someone's teaching who runs classes near you on another thread? If you admire them, ask whether they do them and what it would cost. It might be a bit less expensive - then go for one of the "greats" later on maybe?

Lee Bartholomew
13th-June-2007, 02:02 PM
I don't feel a desire to have private lessons on a regular basis (but I'm not looking to compete, and am not as frequent a dancer as many on here), but I've been thinking I'd like to do one when I go to Camber in September, if they're on offer. I think I'd benefit hugely, even from one session.

WF - does it have to be one of the "greats"? Weren't you admiring someone's teaching who runs classes near you on another thread? If you admire them, ask whether they do them and what it would cost. It might be a bit less expensive - then go for one of the "greats" later on maybe?

Was thinking that. Richard (don't know surname) has a good style and is a great teacher. Would like to see what all the fuss is about with the others. Someone has mentioned 'H' and Viktor.

Any clips of either of these dancing?

Twirly
13th-June-2007, 02:07 PM
Was thinking that. Richard (don't know surname) has a good style and is a great teacher. Would like to see what all the fuss is about with the others. Someone has mentioned 'H' and Viktor.

Any clips of either of these dancing?

Rather than video clips to judge - why not do a workshop that they are teaching first? Then you get to experience the teaching style first-hand and see if it suits you without shelling out first. You could also make a personal approach at the end of the class and talk to them about their availability/charges etc. And see if they think they can help you too - since you can show them how you dance.

Lee Bartholomew
13th-June-2007, 02:09 PM
Rather than video clips to judge - why not do a workshop that they are teaching first? Then you get to experience the teaching style first-hand and see if it suits you without shelling out first. You could also make a personal approach at the end of the class and talk to them about their availability/charges etc. And see if they think they can help you too - since you can show them how you dance.

Thats a good idea.

Dont want to travel too far though.

Twirly
13th-June-2007, 02:14 PM
Thats a good idea.

Dont want to travel too far though.

Fusspot! :na:

David Franklin
13th-June-2007, 02:17 PM
out of interest, who do you think you would want to do private lessons with?

Anyone make any suggestions for teachers in the South West?The classes I've seen taught by Nelson Rose in Exeter have generally been excellent (the aerials class was too easy for us to find interesting, but that was more our problem than his). From his teaching style, I think he'd be great for privates, even if (as I think likely here) his particular dance style isn't something you want to emulate.

You might also find Mark Wilson (Cardiff) to be good - he is very inventive, great hip-hop/robotics dancer, and has won a few showcase titles. And he's a really nice guy too.

Lee Bartholomew
13th-June-2007, 02:31 PM
The classes I've seen taught by Nelson Rose in Exeter have generally been excellent (the aerials class was too easy for us to find interesting, but that was more our problem than his). From his teaching style, I think he'd be great for privates, even if (as I think likely here) his particular dance style isn't something you want to emulate.

You might also find Mark Wilson (Cardiff) to be good - he is very inventive, great hip-hop/robotics dancer, and has won a few showcase titles. And he's a really nice guy too.


Was Mark Wilson in the showcase at ceroc Champs this year?

Rhythm King
13th-June-2007, 03:37 PM
I have had several privates over the years, in different styles. All have been money well spent, and all have taken a lot of subsequent effort to incorporate lessons learned into my dancing. (After one particular lesson I left the room virtually unable to walk normally, let alone dance, because there was so much information to try and digest/apply).

Before spending your hard-earned, consider why you want the lesson and what you're hoping to achieve. There is little point going to some fabulous dancer/teacher and paying a lot of money and then saying "teach me something/anything".

This will also affect your choice of teacher. Are you hoping to learn something of their style, or technique, or looking to get coaching towards a particular objective, eg; a competition, or musicality, or general improvement in a particular dance style? As has been suggested, watch them dance, go to some of their classes/workshops and get a feel for what their teaching style is like - you may find you don't like it. I had a conversation with someone last night about one particular teacher, whom I hold in the highest regard, yet my friend doesn't care for, because of their very pernickity, incisive teaching. Whereas my friend likes things a little more relaxed and light-hearted, I thrive on the technical details.

When you do have a lesson, make sure to take comprehensive, legible notes or ask if you can make a video note, because you will never remember everything that is said and while some things will make an instant difference, some of it will take weeks before you digest it and can apply it.

But to answer your question simply, yes, a good private is worth every penny.

robd
13th-June-2007, 04:40 PM
Was Mark Wilson in the showcase at ceroc Champs this year?


Yes, quite early in the day. I think his partner froze a wee bit at the start of the routine and that put them off their stride for the remainder.

As to privates, I have had a 1:1 with Amir and been part of a group private with Jordan and a separate group private with Tatiana. I took the Amir private to be able to gauge my progress at Jango basics after attending his monthly workshops for a few months. He was able to provide a number of pointers that I feel have improved my leading ability. The group privates were very different in feel - cheaper, obviously but with less personal attention though Jordan did do a brief critique of all of us involved as well as provide some useful info on general WCS basics. Tatiana had a different focus and showed us a couple of useful variations and how to mix up our step patterns.

I will definitely look at doing more privates but I would say don't rush into too many at once (weekly privates for instance...) as you may not be able to take on board everything and put it into practice before you are on to the next lesson.

Astro
13th-June-2007, 04:47 PM
Amir Giles and Nigel Anderson are recomended a lot on this forum. Both are in London though.

Andy McGregor posted somewhere that you should never pay money to someone who says they will teach you moves, but you should pay someone who promises to teach you how to move.

Minnie M
13th-June-2007, 05:00 PM
Before you spend your money - decide exactly what you want from your private - maybe an area of your dance you want to improve or somethng new to add to your style - then choose the teacher you know can help you in that area.

Nelson Rose, is very technical and a good all rounder.

H (Humphrey) is good on body movements

Viktor incorporates lots of salsa in his dancing and has some complicated moves he could share.

Not so sure about Mark - his cabarets are awesome, but not sure where his strengths are in teaching

James (as in James & Bridget) very good at styling and improvisation

not sure who else is in and about your area

Or you could save your 'private' money and have privates at weekenders.

By the way, I saw Robert Cordoba (WCS God) teaching how to spin your partner (cork screw spins etc) to James Geary a few years ago - and James is a great dancer and teacher, yet he could still learn from Robert (Robert Cordoba will be at Southport in September)

johnah
13th-June-2007, 10:33 PM
Anyone make any suggestions for teachers in the South West?

You could try Nelson Rose [Exeter] or Sherif Uthman [Bristol].

marty_baby
13th-June-2007, 11:50 PM
Anyone make any suggestions for teachers in the South West?


For competitions - it got to be Simon and Elaine! People spend so much time, effort and money on competition day. IMHO the best £50, or whatever it is, you can spend for competitions - is that expert 121 session - which will get you into that next round, or into the final, or that elusive win.


No bull, their coaching have produced wins for the west!

Martin

Minnie M
13th-June-2007, 11:55 PM
For competitions - it got to be Simon and Elaine!

:clap: :worthy: :respect:

And such a lovely couple too :yeah: :hug:

JonD
14th-June-2007, 10:17 AM
There's some very good advice on this thread about private lessons. I find it takes me several weeks to begin to assimilate everything I learn in a private lesson - sometimes it takes me several months. I once arranged a series of 3 privates at one week intervals and don't feel that I got much benefit from the last one as, while I understood what I was doing wrong, I hadn't had the opportunity to practice it sufficiently to be able to get it right. I'd suggest leaving 6 - 8 weeks between private lessons as a minimum; 3 months seems to suit me better.

While I agree that it's often wise to "direct" a teacher toward a specific issue with your dancing it can also be quite interesting to give them "carte blanche". Sometimes Julie and I ask teachers to watch us dance a track or two and identify what the teacher(s) perceive as the biggest issue to address. We tend to do that with teachers we know and have worked with before. Thinking back over the many private lessons we've had, my most valuable insights and improvements have come from that kind of lesson. It can be quite depressing though; the last 3 times we've done that in AT lessons we've always ended up working on the way I take a step!

David Bailey
14th-June-2007, 10:26 AM
There's some very good advice on this thread about private lessons. I find it takes me several weeks to begin to assimilate everything I learn in a private lesson - sometimes it takes me several months.
:yeah:
It very much helps to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, to write notes during / after the class, and to practice what you've learnt, soon after the class. If you have a video camera, it's also very useful to get the teacher to video you during dancing so you can study specific aspects.

If you don't do this, then a lot of the benefit is wasted I think.

Lory
14th-June-2007, 11:18 AM
I'd recommend videoing the lesson or at least a synopsis of the lesson at the end, to act as a reminder. :)

David Bailey
14th-June-2007, 10:02 PM
Anyone know how much private lessons are on average?
Depends.

The least I've paid is £25 / hour - special circumstances, with the Dance God Korey Irelancd :worthy:

The most I've heard anyone charge is £60 / hour (Bianca of rojoynegro).

I think MJ teachers are usually around £40 / hour, plus any venue hire costs if appropriate.

I wouldn't pay much more than £40-odd for the teacher alone (excluding venue costs), unless it were a special occasion.

Ghost
15th-June-2007, 01:55 AM
Anyone know how much private lessons are on average?
£30 to £40 - though that's London so it may well be cheaper elsewhere. I'd recommend asking Minnie M as I understand she "sells" privates at weekenders and I think she's down your neck of the woods. Alternatively look for their webpage and email them, or if they're a forumite pm them.

Raul
15th-June-2007, 03:26 AM
The most I've heard anyone charge is £60 / hour (Bianca of rojoynegro).



£59 to be precise, but this includes the hire fees.

Other equally good if not better AT teachers charge only £30 / hour, also inc hire fees.

I agree with you, that the fees are on average £30-40 / hour in London for dance classes but i would expect this to include hire fees.

If the teacher is exceptionally good and in great demand, I would expect to pay a bit more of course.

Spin dryer
16th-June-2007, 04:11 PM
I pay £37 per hour for argentine tango, latin and ballroom lessons. If you compare that with the hourly rates for any other professionals, then it's very good value.

David Bailey
16th-June-2007, 06:40 PM
I pay £37 per hour for argentine tango, latin and ballroom lessons. If you compare that with the hourly rates for any other professionals, then it's very good value.
True - I think it's just that we're so conditioned to the cheap-and-cheerful approach of Ceroc / MJ, that we don't like paying more, to learn to dance.

Caro
17th-June-2007, 07:09 PM
True - I think it's just that we're so conditioned to the cheap-and-cheerful approach of Ceroc / MJ, that we don't like paying more, to learn to dance.

Privates in a Ceroc environment aren't cheap in my experience... at Blaze they were offered for 50 pounds (:eek: ), whoever teacher you chose... (i.e. but I'm assuming it also included Ben and Carla, for which it is probably close to their normal rate anyway).

I paid a relatively cheap 80 dollars (40 pounds) for Robert Royston, and 80 (55 pounds) euros for Jordan.

I had one private in AT by Jenni and Ricardo, and paid 40 pounds for both of them. Jenni revolutionised the way I was dancing within the first minute: she put her index on my center, and said 'lift it'. That alone was worth the money. Amazing the difference it made, and not just in AT but even to the way I was standing and walking. Why teachers don't show you that more often, I have no idea. :confused:

frodo
17th-June-2007, 08:54 PM
Privates in a Ceroc environment aren't cheap in my experience... at Blaze they were offered for 50 pounds (:eek: ), whoever teacher you chose... (i.e. but I'm assuming it also included Ben and Carla, for which it is probably close to their normal rate anyway).

On the other hand, at weekenders, you don't have any additional transport costs, either in money or travel time.

In many cases that would easily outweigh any difference in price.

frodo
17th-June-2007, 09:10 PM
Another issue with private lessons, what do people who don't otherwise have or want a regular partner, for other purposes, do with private lessons.

Is it a good idea to find a dance partner for this purpose, with whom you can share costs / transport / focus and practise what has been learnt.

Or is it better to go without a partner and dance just with the teacher, especially if they dance the both roles.

Or is it better to find a 'dance dummy' to take along for the lesson - you pay for the lesson, and it focuses on you, but the dance dummy will likely get some benefit.

Caro
17th-June-2007, 09:26 PM
On the other hand, at weekenders, you don't have any additional transport costs, either in money or travel time.

In many cases that would easily outweigh any difference in price.

but why would you have to go through ceroc to book a private with one of the teachers present at the event? Look at Southport, you can approach teachers directly, with no intermediate fee to jiveaddiction (unless I'm not aware of those...). Surely organisers should realise that one of the advantages to bring in international teachers is that some people will want to attend the event in order to book a private with them...


Is it a good idea to find a dance partner for this purpose, with whom you can share costs / transport / focus and practise what has been learnt.

Or is it better to go without a partner and dance just with the teacher, especially if they dance the both roles.

Or is it better to find a 'dance dummy' to take along for the lesson - you pay for the lesson, and it focuses on you, but the dance dummy will likely get some benefit.

Personally I think that it's a big favour to be asked to be the dummy in someone's private. You get to listen to very detailed technical advice and therefore develop a better understanding of the dance. I've done it in 2 occasions and can't wait to be asked again (:whistle: ).

When I get a private, I also ask somebody to be my dummy to take notes while the teacher is speaking... there's so many things you need to concentrate on, that you don't want to be thinking about memorising everything as well...
Plus teachers tend to prefer when you bring somebody with you so that they can watch you dance as well. 2 reasons for that, your dancing can change a lot when you are dancing with 'a pro', and also there are things easier to notice when they can watch you from some distance.
Ideally, I'll tend to ask somebody who's better than me, because when the teacher is watching you, it's better to make sure that stuff that go wrong are your faults only rather than your partner's or you compensating for his/her mistakes. Easier said than done obviously...

NZ Monkey
17th-June-2007, 09:35 PM
I've been fortunate enough to view a reasonably significant number of private lessons in WCS from the sidelines before classes in Twickenham (thank you for not minding Lory :flower:) thanks to the inconviniences of public transport. I have no doubt that it helped me hearing more specific technical advice than you'd be likely to get in a class, even if it was aimed at someone else.

Being the dummy would be even better than just listening I expect :D

nebula
17th-June-2007, 09:41 PM
£30 to £40 - though that's London so it may well be cheaper elsewhere. I'd recommend asking Minnie M as I understand she "sells" privates at weekenders and I think she's down your neck of the woods. Alternatively look for their webpage and email them, or if they're a forumite pm them.
£40 for AT private, too, plus venue costs.

Franck
18th-June-2007, 12:03 AM
but why would you have to go through ceroc to book a private with one of the teachers present at the event? Look at Southport, you can approach teachers directly, with no intermediate fee to jiveaddiction (unless I'm not aware of those...). Surely organisers should realise that one of the advantages to bring in international teachers is that some people will want to attend the event in order to book a private with them... Ceroc only help organising the timetable of bookings, making it fair and easy to book your private lesson without having to know the 'cellular number' of the celebrity teacher. Ceroc do not take any fee for arranging the private lesson, and the full fee goes to the teachers.

Caro
18th-June-2007, 11:13 AM
Ceroc only help organising the timetable of bookings, making it fair and easy to book your private lesson without having to know the 'cellular number' of the celebrity teacher. Ceroc do not take any fee for arranging the private lesson, and the full fee goes to the teachers.

thanks for clarifying Franck, I guess I'm just surprised all the teachers were that expensive then... I just didn't know the fees I suppose. :flower:

Lee Bartholomew
18th-June-2007, 11:16 AM
Anyone think It would be a good idea to rotate whome you have private lessons with.

ie.

Is it worth doing an hour a week with one teacher for a month before then doing an hour a week for a month with another etc.

David Bailey
18th-June-2007, 11:24 AM
thanks for clarifying Franck, I guess I'm just surprised all the teachers were that expensive then... I just didn't know the fees I suppose. :flower:
The revenue from private lessons is a significant inducement for many teachers to come along in the first place - along with the opportunity to market their niche products of course.


On the other hand, at weekenders, you don't have any additional transport costs, either in money or travel time.
The same "convenience" factors apply for the teachers, surely? But I don't think they lower their prices based on that.

robd
18th-June-2007, 11:33 AM
thanks for clarifying Franck, I guess I'm just surprised all the teachers were that expensive then... I just didn't know the fees I suppose. :flower:

I thought the flat fee was set by Ceroc whether they take any part of that fee or not? I know someone who taught a private at a Ceroc weekender at the proscribed rate but whose usual fee for a private is £20/hr.

David Franklin
18th-June-2007, 11:36 AM
Anyone think It would be a good idea to rotate whome you have private lessons with.

ie.

Is it worth doing an hour a week with one teacher for a month before then doing an hour a week for a month with another etc.My feeling is you are better staying with one teacher until/unless you feel your classes with them have reached a plateau and you are no longer learning very much. In that way you can build a proper partnership, where both sides learn the strengths and weaknesses, how you learn, etc.

But it also depends on what you want to learn. If, say, you wanted to work on aerials and spinning, then you would probably need two separate teachers. (The only person I can think of to teach both would be Nigel, but given your other posts about Mr Anderson I can't see that working somehow...)

If you have the time and money, my gut feeling is the best of all worlds is having a regular class with a top "all-round" dancer, and then seeing other people for specialist areas. Your regular coach can then help you integrate the specialist work into an overall package.

JonD
18th-June-2007, 11:44 AM
Is it worth doing an hour a week with one teacher for a month before then doing an hour a week for a month with another etc.
Once you find a teacher you like then I'd certainly try to do a series of lessons with them so you've got the time and continuity to almost put together an extended "programme".

I wouldn't try and do a class a week though - it's too frequent and won't allow you time to practice and ponder enough between lessons. As I said earlier, I wouldn't have more than one lesson every 6 to 8 weeks. The amount you can cover in a single private lesson is enormous and you tend to focus on things which are quite difficult to get right - particularly if have to "un-learn" bad habits. Whenever I've had a series of private lessons over a short time frame (typically in Buenos Aires where we've only had 3 week "windows" to cram in the lessons) the later ones have turned more into "coaching" sessions - not having had the time to fully assimilate the first couple of lessons we end up working on the same things we covered in the first privates. That's really valuable but is quite an expensive way of correcting faults.

I remember a class with Ernesto Balmaceda & Stella Baez where, toward the end of the 90 minutes, I was trying to remember the 8 things they had me working on plus all the stuff that had fallen out of 4 lessons with Nahuel & Noelia Barsi; I was in a complete daze! (And we'd been practising for a few hours every day and social dancing almost every night so we'd had a fair bit of time to work on stuff).

Lee Bartholomew
18th-June-2007, 11:51 AM
But it also depends on what you want to learn. If, say, you wanted to work on aerials and spinning, then you would probably need two separate teachers. (The only person I can think of to teach both would be Nigel, but given your other posts about Mr Anderson I can't see that working somehow...)


This is what i was trying to cover. A great teacher of aerials might not be great on style.

Also with Nigel, Im sure most people see his dancing as great, for me it just wasn't my style which leads to the other thing of finding someone who teaches a style you like. Is it worth going to a ballroom specialist if you are in to the more funky style?

Raul
18th-June-2007, 11:55 AM
If you have the time and money, my gut feeling is the best of all worlds is having a regular class with a top "all-round" dancer, and then seeing other people for specialist areas. Your regular coach can then help you integrate the specialist work into an overall package.

:yeah:

It is a very good idea to keep en eye over overall progress to ensure that you are developing in the direction that you like. You could do that yourself, but it is better coming from somebody who can see further and who has the overall style that suits you.

ElaineB
18th-June-2007, 12:20 PM
Simon and I have had lessons with Amir, David and Lily and Nigel and Nina and have found all three invaluable.

As I said in my PM to you - (did you receive that by the way?), it depends on what you want to work on. If you are soley looking at competitions, then you need to be a master of all styles, not just one. You need to be able to demonstrate the ability to interpret the music and funky to latin, or latin to funky will not impress.

Of course, if you want to compete in aerials, then suggest experts such as Nigel, David and Lily or David Franklin (not sure if David teaches though).

Elaine