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Thread: Ceroc Report cards

  1. #21
    Registered User LMC's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    in SPADES

    The first person who asks whether I have my blue card yet before they ask me to dance would get a "No" to BOTH questions.

    The trouble with a formal system and "qualified" assessors is that your 'report' could be based on just one person's opinion of your dancing. We all dance differently with and have different connections with different people, so however good someone is, there will still be some subjectivity in their opinion of what you need to improve.

    I have had some quite hurtful feedback in the past from someone who did not mean to be hurtful and had in fact put a good deal of thought and care into his feedback, which I appreciated. HOWEVER, I felt that he was wrong in his assessment of my ability. Unfortunately, although we danced more than once over a period of time, we purely do not connect well together. Whilst I respect his opinion/knowledge, and his feedback had some validity, if it hadn't been for the encouragement from others and some long hard objective thought on my 'actual' standard, then I would probably have given up dancing there and then.

    I haven't danced with him in freestyle for a long time, and in some ways I would love to - because I respect his knowledge and opinion and know he would be honest in his feedback. The fact that I was hurt by the last batch was 100% my problem, there was nothing wrong with the 'delivery'. However, because of 'past experience' I know that I would be nervous and not dance at my best with him - whether or not I had asked for feedback.

    Informal feedback is good and enormously helpful. Formal feedback on an informal basis and "up to the individual" - why not? - in fact, I would want this to be part of any private lesson and would very much appreciate it - because I would get to choose who gave me that formal feedback and it would be completely private and not part of any "system".

    But a formal scheme where feedback is recorded, and there will presumably have to be nominated assessors, reducing choice in who can give you "official" notification of your 'standard'? No, no, no, a thousand times no.

  2. #22
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Firstly, no-one jumped down anyone's throat, an opinion was asked for and it was given - we are allowed to have differences of opinion sometimes .

    Secondly, even now there has been further explanation, I still don't think it's a good idea and believe that it would be much better to take your own notes from lessons/private lessons/feedback from friends and dancing partners - and that a standard report card just doesn't fit into the way MJ generally and Ceroc in particular are structured.

    The reason I think this is because there is no set "right" way to dance modern jive.
    Everyone has their own particular style, everyone enjoys different things about dancing... so why should we try to put people in a box and say "you've only got a 'B' because you bounce too much" when in fact you might enjoy the 'bouncing' in your dancing and not wish to change it?
    Who decides what criteria have to be met for which grade? We don't even have 'medal tests' in modern jive because there isn't a set structure for moves - there isn't a right or a wrong, there's just dancing!
    This is one of the major reasons why I switched from ballroom to modern jive, I got fed up with people picking on me over my technique all the time. I go dancing to have fun, not to get told off or feel like I'm not good enough if my grades aren't high.

    IMO, if you want feedback then do as LMC suggests and seek it out in your own way from people you trust and respect, it's a fine ambition to be a 'better dancer' to be sure, and I would never discourage anyone from trying to improve. I, however, don't believe a 'report card' is the way to encourage people to improve, in fact I think it might have the opposite effect and put people off.

  3. #23
    Registered User Tessalicious's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    IMHO, although feedback from people you respect is always helpful, and one of the best ways to know how to improve, anything that increases the formality of this is a problem*. The reason being that dance is a creative art form, even if an ephemeral one, and as such is subjective in approval of it. A very very strict structure of what you are allowed to say is bad operates in similar creative disciplines, such as music and other dance forms, but although the teaching in Ceroc is strictly controlled, the whole point is that the dancing shouldn't be. The dance has flexibility in what can be done, and the fact that different things suit different people, and different people like seeing or feeling others doing different things, is what makes it an interesting experience. I wouldn't expect some of the more latiny teachers to approve of any hip-hop styling that I might (or might not) be able to do, for example.

    So, to make a report system work, without being seriously subjective (at which point people would only ask for reports from teachers they knew approved of their way of dancing, to avoid being ripped apart) pretty much anything that somebody, somewhere, can pull off well, would have to be something that couldn't be criticised. Who's to say where the line falls between people who have learnt, through WCS or otherwise, to syncopate their feet to make the dance feel funky, and people who just can't dance with their feet in time to the music?

    So maybe your best bet is to approach either one teacher for a series of a few private lessons, on your own or with a partner if you must, and get some advice, some direction and some view on your progress as it goes on - or, for a different viewpoint, have several private lessons in one week with different teachers of different styles and see what feedback you get from that.

    On the other hand, there's nothing to stop you doing exactly what MartinHarper suggested - doing a homemade version and asking people you dance with socially for feedback. Just don't expect anything terribly useful to come out of it. People tend to be too nice, because they don't want to say anything that you might take offence to, or too harsh, because they see your potential and dump loads of suggestions for improvement on you at once - or just simply because you didn't 'gel' with that person.

    If you decide to try it, good luck!

    *Of course, DJ, before you say anything, that's not at odds with the idea of competitions, even though they are judged and marked, because that is about entertaining a crowd - not about being good to dance with. Obviously. Duh.

  4. #24
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Blimey, serious can of worms here

    OK, cover me, I'm going in...

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparkles
    Firstly, no-one jumped down anyone's throat, an opinion was asked for and it was given - we are allowed to have differences of opinion sometimes .
    Ash clearly believes there was a collective throat-jumping-down (and I agree with her), simply by the vehemence and volume of responses. And it's her opinion as the throatee that's relevant, not yours as the throater.

    (I'm now going to try very hard to get that image out of my mind... )

    Anyway, all credit to her for starting an interesting thread, with actual honest-to-God debate about dancing stuff.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparkles
    Secondly ... I still don't think it's a good idea and believe that it would be much better to take your own notes from lessons/private lessons/feedback from friends and dancing partners - and that a standard report card just doesn't fit into the way MJ generally and Ceroc in particular are structured.
    But it'll always be better to have private lessons than a large Ceroc class - does that mean no-one should ever try to learn at a Ceroc class? Also, "It's not the way we do it now" is just an argument never to make any changes.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparkles
    The reason I think this is because there is no set "right" way to dance modern jive.
    But there are definitely wrong ways to dance it - yanking, or doing aerials in crowded social dances being definite no-nos, I think we can all agree on. So that sort of thing can be caught and hopefully corrected, can't it?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparkles
    Who decides what criteria have to be met for which grade?
    Me. Obviously.

    And if we're talking about grades, I suggest moving this discussion to the "Dance levels" thread,

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparkles
    This is one of the major reasons why I switched from ballroom to modern jive, I got fed up with people picking on me over my technique all the time. I go dancing to have fun, not to get told off or feel like I'm not good enough if my grades aren't high.
    But wouldn't you like a system where yankers could be told they're yankers, and where gross mistakes could be occasionally corrected?

    And:
    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    The first person who asks whether I have my blue card yet before they ask me to dance would get a "No" to BOTH questions.
    I'm pretty sure that's not how it works in Australia - it's just another assessment, the idea being that you can progress and improve better with some structured feedback.

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    The trouble with a formal system and "qualified" assessors is that your 'report' could be based on just one person's opinion of your dancing. We all dance differently with and have different connections with different people, so however good someone is, there will still be some subjectivity in their opinion of what you need to improve.
    But, some people are better than others objectively - I agree there's a lot of subjectivity and differences of style, but there's also experience and skill. And if someone says "you're yanking too much", then that's good feedback, isn't it? And the yankers are often the ones who won't ask for feedback informally, or would discount it as being "just someone's opinion". Maybe the system could be 2-people - one partner and one observer?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tessalicious
    So, to make a report system work, without being seriously subjective (at which point people would only ask for reports from teachers they knew approved of their way of dancing, to avoid being ripped apart) pretty much anything that somebody, somewhere, can pull off well, would have to be something that couldn't be criticised.
    But it works in Australia. So "a structured feedback system" is not an inherently impossible system to implement, is it?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tessalicious
    So maybe your best bet is to approach either one teacher for a series of a few private lessons, on your own or with a partner if you must, and get some advice, some direction and some view on your progress as it goes on - or, for a different viewpoint, have several private lessons in one week with different teachers of different styles and see what feedback you get from that.
    Absolutely - but again, you need a lot of time and money and effort to do that. Which most people don't have.

  5. #25
    Registered User El Salsero Gringo's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames
    But wouldn't you like a system where yankers could be told they're yankers, and where gross mistakes could be occasionally corrected?
    We have a system like that already. It operates every time you ask people to stop yanking your arm. No need for report cards.
    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames
    But it works in Australia.
    It works in Australia, for Australian Ceroc. Since we're not in Australia, and we don't have the social/competitive/cultural background that Australian Ceroc has, I'm not sure that tells us anything.

  6. #26
    Registered User LMC's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    *tries desperately to ignore Blazing Saddles quote*

    What we actually need is a McDonalds badge system with the little spaces for stars. One star for being able to lead/follow beginners' moves in freestyle without yanking, gripping or (for followers) backleading. Another for being able to do safe dips/seducers. Another for aerials. Another for being able to do the "opposite" role. And one more which I can't be bothered to think of right now because I'm just being silly.

    The Oz card system may not be "supposed" to work in the way that people ask which card you've got before they ask you to dance, but I bet it actually does work that way for some people.

    The stuff about yanking, gripping, not doing aerials on a crowded floor can be corrected on an individual basis within the existing "system" - and should be. Why does there need to be some sort of "proof" that "I don't do that"?

    Even if you can't afford private lessons, there are many many good dancers and teachers who are happy to do 5-10 minutes here and there to focus on a particular problem - pick someone you respect and ask 'em! - as I said earlier, you can always write whatever-it-is down yourself.

    Unlike Sparkles, I've never done formal dancing, but I agree that part of the 'joy' of MJ is its freedom and flexibility.

  7. #27
    Dickie Davies' love-child Cruella's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Well i always tried to hide my report cards from school!!!
    Although thinking about it, they did often contain the phrase ' Diana is easily led'

  8. #28
    Not a spoon! Lou's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    *What we actually need is a McDonalds badge system with the little spaces for stars...... And one more which I can't be bothered to think of right now because I'm just being silly.
    Hey. There's nothing silly about the stars idea...

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames
    But there are definitely wrong ways to dance it - yanking, or doing aerials in crowded social dances being definite no-nos, I think we can all agree on. So that sort of thing can be caught and hopefully corrected, can't it?
    But I get the feeling that Ash wanted feedback on less fundamental problems. I doubt she yanks or throws her partner in the air. Maybe there should be a series of workshops for experienced Intermediate dancers, with a system of properly structured feedback?

  9. #29
    Lovely Moderator ducasi's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Here's a few things that might be on a follower's report card... each given a mark from A down to F...
    • Following ability – how well does the dancer follow a lead?
    • Timing – how well does the dancer dance in time with the music?
    • Anticipation – how well does the dancer wait for the lead?
    • Smoothness – do they give a smooth dance?
    • Connection – do they connect well with their lead?
    • Musicality
    • Extra footwork
    • Overall style

    While some of these will vary depending on who the dancer is dancing with, I don't think it's so hard to rate these factors objectively, and provide a simple comment on where improvements could be made.

    I don't think that anything I've listed would stop people developing their own style – funky, latin, hip-hop – whatever...

    Obviously if you have a particularly latin style, you're not going to go to a hip-hop teacher and ask them how you might improve...

    EDIT: just remembered another one I wanted to add: floorcraft.
    Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story

  10. #30
    Registered User LMC's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi
    HORRID stuff - sorry ducasi but it is. All that just reminds me forcibly of the misery experienced in a UK education system that has not fundamentally changed for the last 200 years.
    I would be appalled at the thought that someone was marking a card for me on all those things, whether I knew or not that the marking was happening. Not only appalled, but extremely ungrateful. It's all very well saying that a system would be voluntary, but these things are important to some people (evidently, from the discussion here). However, I wouldn't want to participate in a hobby which "grades" me in such a mechanical manner.

    After exams, I used to leg it out of school at the speed of light to avoid post-mortems. I can hear the post-assessment post mortems in my head now "oooh, did he lead that hatchback on you, how many spins did you manage" "I know I had my hand at the wrong height leading that manspin" etc etc etc

    And then "I got a B for my overall style, what did you get?"

    IMO, the only point of a formal feedback system is so you can compare yourself with others. And I don't see the point of that in MJ.

  11. #31
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by El Salsero Gringo
    We have a system like that already. It operates every time you ask people to stop yanking your arm. No need for report cards.
    Umm, I don't think it works very well judging by the number of yanker-horror-stories we see...

    Quote Originally Posted by El Salsero Gringo
    It works in Australia, for Australian Ceroc. Since we're not in Australia, and we don't have the social/competitive/cultural background that Australian Ceroc has, I'm not sure that tells us anything.
    It tells us that such a system is possible, not impossible. It certainly doesn't say such a system is practical or desirable, but neither does it say (which was the original point) that such a system would be Hell On Earth. Unless that's your view of Australia of course

    And I'm sure you (if nobody else) will note that I've not said such a system is desirable or practical - I have my doubts. But I do think it's worth considering and debating.

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    The Oz card system may not be "supposed" to work in the way that people ask which card you've got before they ask you to dance, but I bet it actually does work that way for some people.
    I have no data, but that's a heck of an assumption to make. None of the Australian dancers I know have such an attitude - maybe you could ask in the Ozzy forum?

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    The stuff about yanking, gripping, not doing aerials on a crowded floor can be corrected on an individual basis within the existing "system" - and should be. Why does there need to be some sort of "proof" that "I don't do that"?
    I'm hardly suggesting a requirement to show an ID cards before being allowed to dance socially. Also, how do you suggest that the current system deals with yanker / gripper / aerialists? Because from what I can see, it doesn't deal with them at all.

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    Even if you can't afford private lessons, there are many many good dancers and teachers who are happy to do 5-10 minutes here and there to focus on a particular problem - pick someone you respect and ask 'em! - as I said earlier, you can always write whatever-it-is down yourself.
    So why would you ever bother going to classes at all then? Why not just follow good dancers around, pen and pad in hand, video them, and get all your information like that?

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    IMO, the only point of a formal feedback system is so you can compare yourself with others. And I don't see the point of that in MJ.
    No - it's to compare you with you - to find out what you're doing wrong and develop a routine to fix it. Same way as gyms do for exercise programmes - no-one expects all gym-goers to be fit immediately.

  12. #32
    Registered User LMC's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames
    No - it's to compare you with you - to find out what you're doing wrong and develop a routine to fix it.
    In which case, you can record your progress informally in any way you want to, if you have the motivation to do so.

    Just as you can tell people that they are hurting you by yanking or gripping, or behaving dangerously if you have the motivation to do so (and if you feel you can't tell the dancer direct, then there is always someone else 'in authority' to tell).

    Individuals *can* make the existing system work for them. It sometimes just takes the courage to open your mouth and ask for something, or tell someone that they are hurting you. A grading system won't stop yanker horror stories, because there will always be people who haven't learned yet not to yank.

    Same way as gyms do for exercise programmes - no-one expects all gym-goers to be fit immediately.
    There is a definite right and wrong way to use a gym machine. Dancing is far more individual.

    Even if an assessment system is supposedly optional, there will be too many people who attach far too much importance to it as a 'measure'.

  13. #33
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    I would be appalled at the thought that someone was marking a card for me on all those things, whether I knew or not that the marking was happening. {snip} However, I wouldn't want to participate in a hobby which "grades" me in such a mechanical manner.
    Good points being raised throughout this thread, and I can see the pros and cons of each side of the debate. I don't think I really have formed an opinion about whether it would be entierly good or bad (Fi gets out the wood to make a nice fence to sit on)...

    .. but in terms of 'grading', do you not think is is going on already? Every time I go to a dance event, other people's pro and cons are discussed:

    - Oh dance with him, he's a brilliant lead
    - avoid that guy, he nearly broke my finger off while gripping
    - that person there has amazing style, make sure you dance with them

    etc etc.

    IMO I don't think that creating a report card system will really increase the amount of 'grading' that goes on - we're all doing it already on some level. It will make it a bit more formal, and has the potential to upset those wanting the 'feedback' - but wouldn't that be the risk you would take anyway when you ask for feedback in the first place?

    (Oh I agree with LMC that I wouldn't like to think I was being graded in something I am doing just for fun - not to say that the occaisional compliment here and there wouldn't be nice )

  14. #34
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    The Oz card system may not be "supposed" to work in the way that people ask which card you've got before they ask you to dance, but I bet it actually does work that way for some people.
    actually I think it does work the way it is supposed to – the only time I have been asked what colour card I have has been in discussing competitions as if you hold a blue or gold card you are required to compete at certain levels.

    The cards are more a competency based thing – either you can do the thing required – ie dance on beat, spin on balance and with control - or you can’t – if you don’t manage it you are provided with advice on how to improve it.

    It’s an optional thing which is there for those that want it. *shrug* horses for courses really – I’ve got my blue card – but haven’t gone for my Gold Card :$

    The great thing I see in the blue/gold card system is that it lays out fundamental techniques as a foundation for peoples dancing

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    The stuff about yanking, gripping, not doing aerials on a crowded floor can be corrected on an individual basis within the existing "system" - and should be. Why does there need to be some sort of "proof" that "I don't do that"?
    because IMHO the ad-hoc method doesn’t always actually work – because the guidance isn’t always consistent or from a respected figure



    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    Just as you can tell people that they are hurting you by yanking or gripping, or behaving dangerously
    and how many people feel comfortable doing this?!?!? not many juding by the number of times the question of how to tell someone that they are hurting you comes up on this forum

  15. #35
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    In which case, you can record your progress informally in any way you want to, if you have the motivation to do so.

    Just as you can tell people that they are hurting you by yanking or gripping, or behaving dangerously if you have the motivation to do so (and if you feel you can't tell the dancer direct, then there is always someone else 'in authority' to tell).
    Which almost never happens now, so that's clearly not working. Relying on someone's motivation to improve is a poor teaching method in all situations; you need support structures to do this learning stuff. Similarly, I don't think the current system of relying on people having the guts to tell a yanker that they're a yanker is working well.

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    Individuals *can* make the existing system work for them. It sometimes just takes the courage to open your mouth and ask for something, or tell someone that they are hurting you. A grading system won't stop yanker horror stories, because there will always be people who haven't learned yet not to yank.
    I've never said it would - but it may (just may) help reduce them.

    Quote Originally Posted by LMC
    There is a definite right and wrong way to use a gym machine. Dancing is far more individual.
    Actually, I think the analogy still holds. Look at weight machines - you can definitely hurt yourself by doing it wrong, and you can hurt your dance partner if you do wrong things in dancing. And you may want different things out of weight-training; stamina, muscle-building, toning etc., so you'd use different machines and techniques.

  16. #36
    Commercial Operator jive_me's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    I think I see where Ash is coming from. It's exceptionally hard to get any sort of feedback (or is this just me?). 99% of the time someone asks me for a dance, they dance, they say thank you and then they move on. I think the view is that it's a dance, it's for fun, so what if you missed the lead on one particular move etc.

    I think feedback is a good idea, but how to implement it? Recently managed to find myself a couple of pleasant blokes who will tell me if I've done something wrong which has been amazing for my dancing.

    Maybe 'report cards' could be reserved for those who specifically ask for them? D'you think it would be the more 'serious' (I'm not sure serious is the right word to use) dancers that would want them ie. those who might want to compete or teach or taxi in the future? That might be useful...

    xXx

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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    I'm not really in favour of encouraging any formal grading system, but I'm definately in favour of encouraging more feedback from teachers. I'm not sure it applies so much in MJ, where the style is very loosely defined, and moves are generally designed to require very little in the way of technique - but as an example I've been to 2 lindy classes in Nice, and had maybe 5-6 different suggestions made already. They are mostly fairly small things, like being too close or far from my partner, or hand-holds/frame - but they are significant enough to make a difference. They're not just picking on me because I don't understand most of what they say in the classes, other people get similar treatment. In the UK, teachers seem to be much more reluctant to give advice without being asked - but most of the time I can't see that I'm doing something wrong, even if a move seems difficult.

    Sean

  18. #38
    Registered User El Salsero Gringo's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames
    Umm, I don't think it works very well judging by the number of yanker-horror-stories we see...
    The reason the current 'system' fails is because people aren't interested to 'use' it. In which case a system "...to compare you with you - to find out what you're doing wrong and develop a routine to fix it.." isn't going to make a hap'orth of difference to those people. Develop a system that's more formal, and you won't change people's attitudes (they're not 4 year-olds), you'll just change the set of people who attend, primarily by weeding out the ones who don't want to be assessed. So yes, we'd have better, more Australian Ceroc. But much less of it.

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames
    But I do think it's worth considering and debating.
    I've considered it, and I'm firmly against. Put me down to oppose the motion.

  19. #39
    Registered User David Franklin's Avatar
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    I think there are at least three different topics here. I'm giving my thoughts on all of them, but I think a lot of confusion is due to people trying to stick all 3 together when there are quite different issues involved.

    Correcting fundamentally bad dancing: That is, problems with the basics - yanking and grips of death.

    It seems to me the immediate responsiblity here falls on the taxi dancers (and/or teachers dancing with them) to provide correction. You want to be fixing this right from the first lesson, so unless you were planning to do the report card that early, I'm not sure it would help this scenario much.

    Correcting bad behaviour: By which I mean things like bad floorcraft, inappropriate dips/drops/aerials, sleazy moves, etc.

    Difficult one this - I can't see a solution other than someone stepping in and saying something. Much easier if it's someone with authority such as a teacher or taxi-dancer. Again, the report card doesn't really help much, because if someone's being "graded" they're going to be on their best behaviour. Though some people may not even be aware they're behaving badly and so find the feedback useful.

    Getting feedback to improve dancing, style, etc: (I think this is what the original poster was talking about). This is quite a wide classification, as you could be talking about anything from someone struggling with starting intermediate classes to an Open champion trying to improve still further.

    I think the general idea is a good one, but I'm unconvinced a particular formalisation such as report cards will work.

    Now possibly at the lower levels you could get something useful from a "report card" and 3-5 minutes of time from a teacher. But I think most of the people actively looking for feedback are quite a way beyond that and so you're really talking about a mini-private lesson, at the least, if not more. Does a report card make sense here? Not really, IMHO - you need much more detailed feedback than you're likely to get from a fixed format, and you probably need hands on instruction from a teacher as well.

    And as many have said, the higher your expectations, the less likely you can find a single teacher who can really help you in that area. You also have the problem that you probably need "grading" from an opposite-role teacher, but advice/correction from a same-role teacher.

  20. #40
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    Re: Ceroc Report cards

    The basic thing behinds Jazzs’ initial question seem to me that she is asking the questions that some people that want to make the transition to being dancers ask.

    WHAT am I doing wrong? (which is different from doing it right in a different way)

    HOW do I go about stopping doing it wrong and doing it right?

    WHERE/HOW do I find the teachers that will help me?

    How do I VERIFY that I am now doing it absolutely right rather than nearly right?

    This forum is littered with threads where people have been talking about all sorts of things that they regard as faults in other people – yankers, bouncers, grippers, being off time, poor floorcraft, not being able to do drops well, etc.

    The first problem seems to being able to identify what is a fault because, it seems, that one persons fault is another persons feature. There is just no consensus on the subject. No definite set of things that you should not do as a dancer that everyone can agree on. If you cannot have a particular behaviour identified as a known fault (and why it would be considered a fault) then you cannot even examine yourself and say “oh dear – I do that. I didn’t even know it was a problem”.

    Once you have identified that something that you do is a fault you are then faced with the problem of how you go about unlearning the bad habit that you have and training your mind and body to do it in the new way. It is at this point I have turned to more experienced dancers and to specialist teachers and tried to find a number of different ways of achieving the same ends. One way of learning these new skills does not fit everybody and you just have to hunt around until you find a teacher and a method of learning that fits with your own natural way of learning. Fortunately I have found that there are many ways that you can train yourself that doesn’t require the presence of a partner.

    Once you have found a method and a teacher that suits you, how do you verify that what you ARE doing is the same as what you THINK you are doing? Nearly right is not really right. For me that has meant going back to my teachers and getting their feedback and the use of their critical and analytical eyes. I also videotape myself and/or partner and looking at the footage frame by frame and that helps me compare what I see my instructors doing with what I am actually doing. It is an iterative process.

    There are a large number of ways of identifying your own faults, finding the right instructor and method of training, and verifying that the results needed have been obtained. The particular combination of these that works for you is likely to be as individual as you are.

    A few years back I was introduced to a Chinese saying by my then girlfriend.

    When the student is ready to learn they will seek the teacher.

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