OK....... please excuse my ignorance, but can you give a couple of examples from the literally thouse of possible dance styles - which are partnered dancing and allow young teenagers to participate within 20minutes (approx) drive from Amersham ?? (and not ballroom0
In fact - forget about the location, what are they ?
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
I don't think they have youngster Salsa classes, Lindy, possibly - but none in his area.
not sure the boys would like folk & country dancingdefinitely wouldnt like the music
Which makes me think, regardless of DB thinking it is not 'proper' dancing - it is taught to modern music which appeals more to youngsters - AND - in my opinion, dancing is dancing and to get young boys to dance at that age, should we be worrying about the dance style ????
AND .......... some of the UK's best dancers came from a Modern Jive background - didn't do them any harm
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
OK, you've slightly narrowed the goalposts there with those caveats...
Well, there's 500-odd listed here to get started with.![]()
Which is why I asked, what are you trying to achieve, right at the start?
For example:
- Are you trying to get them interested in dancing (any dancing)? If so, sure, MJ is fine.
- Are you trying to teach them to dance (that is, they're already interested)? If so, MJ is a bad option.
Sorry, but I find that extremely hard to believe.
Yep - frankly, most boys may be more interested in that sort of dance than partner dancing anyhow.
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
I still think that ballroom lessons would work well for under 16s. I really do think it's wrong to dismiss this option, especially when there's so much poor teaching of MJ from poor teachers with no dance background or qualifications. The 'nearest' class for MJ might be one of self-selected, self-elected, expertsthat infest MJ. On the other hand, most ballroom and Latin teachers have been through a rigorous process of training, examination and on-going asessment.
Also the great thing about ballroom and Latin lessons is that they are just one hour long. They fit in with term-time life. On the other hand, MJ is a whole dance experience which includes a lot of freestyle - this 3 hours of lessons and dancing suits adults, but doesn't suit children, especially on a school night.
There's a great deal in common between MJ and the Latin American dances. After a few terms of Ballroom & Latin and a few medals exams they'd be fabulous dancers with great poise and posture - now that would really impress people at MJ weekenders!
In terms of getting involved with Dad's hobby, why can't Dad (and Grandma) do a few months of ballroom & Latin? It's still partner dancing and great fun.
N.B. MJ is obviously seen as great fun by ballroom dancers. Over the last year we've a full-time ballroom dancing teacher attending our lessons and workshops. She said she'd "tried LeRoc a few years ago" but stopped very quickly when the teacher couldn't answer a simple question about the footwork! We also have a full-time ballet teacher attending our lessons for quite a few years who has said very similar things.
Being a forum it isn't just Minnie M that may be looking. Pointing out the alternatives may benefit others.
And it is worth challenging statements that don't seem plausible.
It might be worth looking into college/university dance classes. For some university classes you don't have to be attending the institution.
I dont wish to offend anybody but these are young lads with a liking for modern music and they have had a taste of MJ.
Why on earth do they want to get involved in doing quicksteps,foxtrots and waltzes.
It isn't modern and it certainly isn't cool.
Come off your strictly structured dance teachers fence and look at it from the modern world of todays teenager.
Yes you are right, but most of the posts DB had written were actually directed to me
OK.......to start with I believe even Ryan Francois started with MJ (as per the 'Jive Bunny' vid) he is rated as UK's top Lindy Hop teacher and dancer. AND the Barkers (David & Lily) are UK & International champs in more than one style of dance
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
There's more teenagers doing ballroom dance than MJ, loads more. The UKA alone has about 10,000 teachers - I understand that a huge proportion of their students are under 18. And there's loads of other organisations who have plenty of full time teachers. Don't get the idea that ballroom is for old fogeys. Follow this link for the Junior Championships timetable - there's nothing like it in MJ!
Our responsibility as adults is to ensure that our brood get a good education. Preferably a well-rounded education. Do you send your children to a dance class where the teacher is questionalble or sub-standard in terms of dance knowledge or a class where the teacher is trained, measured, etc.
Some MJ classes are run by teachers who have a fantastic background in dance. Other classes are run by people who stand still like non-dancers and get worse with every step they take and every move they make. There is no quality control in many MJ classes and it shows. Don't run the risk that you will saddle your young with their bad habits. A good grounding in proper partner dance techniques will be fabulous for anybody who wants to enjoy MJ - and starting young means they've plenty of time to do it all. When they're young you can influence them - saying "my friend Andy (the sexy dance God) thinks that 24 hours of ballroom and Latin classes will make you one of the best MJ dancers in the UK" might tip the balance
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Last edited by Andy McGregor; 6th-June-2011 at 07:11 PM.
You can try, but most youngsters today know what they want and what they want to do - as a father of 3 beautiful and intelligent girls, you know thatOriginally Posted by Andy McGregor
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--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
There are salsa classes for kids, e.g. http://www.cubashe2.co.uk/salsaforkidz.htm
Check out www.salsajive.co.uk for lists of salsa classes on their map.
SpinDr
P.S. A quick google and they even have their own weekender http://www.childrenteensalsacongress.com/
Last edited by spindr; 6th-June-2011 at 07:56 PM.
Quite funny actually, Leo teaches and has dances in my area (Hove) and I have trying to find out more info about him - so thanks for that. However, no good for my grandsons, even if they were interested in Salsa, as they live over 80 miles away from Hove.
Have checked out your site for modern jive classes their area and have actually found a class in Hemel who are prepared to take on 14year olds, so thanks again SpinDr, just got him to let the 12year old go too.
PS: I went to Leo's classes about 5 years ago - great teacher, unfortunately I only did about half dozen classes, as I got hooked on lindy at the same time
Last edited by Minnie M; 6th-June-2011 at 08:13 PM.
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
--ooOoo--
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)
Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
That date is recognized as her official birthday.
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