I don't really know what the fuss is all about. In any other dance form you would have to spend hours/ months/ years practising exercises to acquire the techniques to enable you to perform well and look good on the dance floor, I don't see why MJ should be any different. It seems to me that 5 minutes of basic skills/ technique practice is a pretty pathetic prerequisite for turning a shambling, unfit, uncoordinated slice of Joe Public into the kind of smooth, elegant, sophisticated type of dancer that we are all hoping to get to dance with. In fact, if I had my way we'd all have a good hour of gruelling training before the main business of the evening got started! That'd see off the yankers who are only there to pull.
Having got that off my chest, unaccountably I seem only be able to recollect being in attendance for one essentials session.
That was Alex Faulkner, who did some footwork before the beginners lesson and then incorporated it into the routines. It worked really well - anybody who has watched beginners / low intermediates struggle to coordinate shifting their weight from foot to foot in any kind of smooth and balanced way could hardly doubt that it was time well spent.
I think basic skills should be practised solo before incorporating them in to the partner section of the class. Many beginners find working with a partner when they are not used to it quite stressful, so there is a benefit to be had in working through the material without that stress. I love dancing solo anyway and think it's useful for developing skills that can be applied to partner dance.
People who come to Ceroc with a good grounding in any physical activity that requires fitness, coordination and balance might find the Ceroc essentials a bit basic - but that is not the case for the majority of Ceroc punters.
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