Amongst those that are so against the Blue card system, there seem to be some rather flawed assumptions.
1. That having a blue card means that you'd be less likely to want to dance with non-blue card holders in freestyle.
I can't see why this would be any more likely with the system than without it. All the arguments we have about hotshottism, would apply equally. There can be no more justification for not dancing in freestyle with a non-blue card holder solely because they don't have a card, than there is for not dancing in freestyle with a less good dancer solely because they're a beginner or deemed not as good.
I think James hit the nail on the head when he said
The other assumption seems to be:Originally Posted by JiveBrummie
2. That for a non-blue card holder to get better requires dancing with blue card-holders in the I/A class.
What usually happens in a difficult class that is significantly beyond the ability of several of the attenders is the following:
- The guys that can't get it, limit what the girls (that can get it) can get out of it, since they can't provide the lead that the girls need.
- The girls that can't get it make it impossible for the guys (that can get it) to achieve more than the basic "getting through the routine" aspect, since they are incapable of following the more subtle aspects that usually depend on a good connection, frame and balance.
Now none of this says that there is no benefit at all to gain from doing a class that's beyond you, just that it's a very inefficient way of learning, and people would be much better served by classes that are only a little bit beyond what they're able to achieve.
I've been in classes where I've learned a difficult routine with someone that could get it - and later been much better able to lead it with someone that couldn't (and help them with the bits they were finding difficult), than I would have done if I'd done the class with people that stopped me learning it properly.
So not only was it a benefit to me to do the class with someone that could get it, it was also a benefit to those I danced it with in the following freestyle.
In general, I think the level of MJ teaching in UK is often very poorly matched to the level of its students, and we'd do well to address this.
Whether the separate rotations in the normal class is the best way of achieving this, I don't know. I think if we in the UK were to move to a more formal assessment system, it should start where there are currently advanced classes on offer.
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