Don’t take “Yes” for an answer

Starting back in the 1970’s a subtle shift in our culture began with a well-intentioned objective. 

We saw that there was psychological value in recognizing people’s effort even if they didn’t achieve the top of the field. 

The goal was to build self-esteem, and that is admirable. 

Unfortunately, there’s an inevitable scope creep that comes from such initiatives. 

What started out with a very positive purpose has become something we didn’t intend as today; people are so afraid to offend that they will give everyone in the race the same level of recognition. 

Our desire to build self-esteem means we no longer tell the truth.

Why does this matter? Because if things continue down that path, our society will be so immersed in mediocrity that ultimately, we will no longer recognize or value quality in any area of life.

In the workplace, there are people who work hard and those who put in a mediocre effort. 

That’s just real life. 

Unfortunately, in today’s culture, people are no longer willing to call out those who don’t meet expectations. With this need to build everyone’s self-esteem, mediocre employees will be constantly told that they are doing great even when they aren’t. 

Even worse, those who genuinely want to improve will ask how they are doing only to be told “You’re doing amazing.” 

Nobody wants to tell them the truth! So, they are lied to and can’t see where they need to make changes. 

The athletic world, for the most part, operates a little differently. 

Athletes are able to see where they fall short, because there’s only one winner. 

In athletic competitions it’s not enough to simply participate. 

There’s one winner, and only one trophy… the truth is right there in front of everyone!

To achieve that first-place finish, athletes have to face the reality of where they are in terms of strength, skill and endurance and because they are able to compare themselves to the rest of the field, there’s a clear and obvious viewpoint. 

You can see with your own eyes that the first-place finisher is better than you and you either need to get better or accept your place going forward.

Taking this idea over to the world of dance, we also have a setting where the best are recognized as the best because of competition. 

We can see who we admire and work to match that quality and when we fall short, we have to be willing to admit that we aren’t there yet but, competition itself may not be enough! 

We’ve all seen many cases where dance competitors think they are amazing because they won an event in which they were the only couple. 

Many amateur couples jump levels years before they are ready, because they are too impatient to wait for that skill level to develop and, in a few cases, the end result is embarrassing, as couples put in performances that are cringe-worthy because nobody was willing to tell them that they are not at that level. 

They are told they are great because those around them don’t want to hurt their self-esteem by telling the truth. 

Nobody is willing to say, “No, you aren’t there yet” and they are surrounded by proverbial ‘yes-men’, which might even include their coaches.

Here are some ways you can help evaluate your own ability, so that you don’t just take yes for an answer:

1. Work on basics - You can never spend too much time working on the basic steps. They are the foundation of great performances. The best couples are continually working on the most basic technique, recognizing that this is essential to produce awesome complex movements.

2. Be open to criticism - Ask your coach to honestly assess your skill; to let you know if you’re dancing at a level worthy of the skill level you were competing in… they may say it’s still good enough to win, and you may but, be willing to accept a different answer.

3. Video yourself - Using video is perhaps the best way to evaluate your performance. By seeing where you need to improve you are able to continue to get better. 

Try comparing your technique on a specific figure by recording it from the same angle as someone whom you admire doing the same pattern. 

Watch those videos side by side to see where you need to do better. 

Don’t be discouraged by the comparison but work to get closer to the result you want.

4. Set goals - It’s hard to improve yourself if you don’t have some kind of clear goal that you’re working towards. It doesn’t have to be a big goal but there needs to be something ahead that you’re aiming for. 

Identify that and then track your progress to see yourself getting better. 

This will encourage you and help keep you focused.

“A good coach will make his students/athletes see what they can be, rather than what they are.” - Ara Parasheghian

I think no one will dispute the positive effect sport plays in the development of a person.  

In addition to improved physical health, active sporting has proven to lead to higher academic achievement, higher self-esteem, fewer behavioural problems and a better psychosocial outlook. 

Sports contribute positively to the five ‘C’s of; competence, confidence, connections, character and caring. 

All these are considered to be critical components for personal development while the many facets of playing sport like; the discipline of training, learning teamwork, following the leadership of coaches and captains, learning to lose, can provide lifelong skills for athletes. 

Additionally, sport stresses the positive effects of participation in learning the important life skills of goal setting and time management combined with enjoyment; the development of a strong sense of morality and the development of an appreciation of diversity.

Understanding the importance of sport combined with the fact that the majority of athletes see their coach as the number one influential element in their competitive experience begs us to look closer at the role and responsibilities of a coach.

It is the coach’s role to help their students to improve their skills, perform to their best ability, develop strong character and build confidence. 

They can maximize the positive value of sport and competition and they can enhance the intrinsic motivation to play sport. 

An athlete with the right intrinsic values of sport and the positive experience of mastery is more likely to apply fair play, good sportsmanship and is more likely to have a healthy attitude towards the sport, their fellow athletes and themselves.  

Unfortunately, when winning is overvalued it can create an environment in which unsportsmanlike behaviour flourishes and often breeds a mentality where one thinks that results justify the means.

Bad coaching can push the psychological, emotional, and physical limits of students to the point of harm, create a hostile and unfair environment and turn athletes away from sport forever.

Even coaches who love the sport and have respect for their students can lose perspective in the quest to win with this being especially true when coaches are under incredible pressure to produce winning results.

The role of coach is a complicated one. 

Surveys show that coaches serve as instructor, teacher, motivator, disciplinarian, substitute parent, social worker, friend, manager and therapist. 

Ideally, coaches should understand the developmental stage and limits of their students in order to tailor practices and learning appropriately and in addition to these expectations, coaches are expected to have an in-depth knowledge of the sport they are coaching; including the rules, the skills and techniques needed to play the sport. 

At more advanced levels of competition, they need to understand basic kinesiology, sport psychology, nutrition and basic first aid. 

It has to be said that at a higher level, athletes are more likely to work with a team of specialized coaches and to have access to better support teams.

This is partly an excerpt from “True Sport Report – Psychological and Social Benefits of Playing True Sport” and if you want to know more, can read the full article at http://www.truesport.org

If you’re like many, you love seeing those tangible indications that your dancing is noticeably better than it was before. 

The concept of improving or advancing your dance skills is satisfying, shows how far you’ve come, and gives you something to brag about but, what criteria might we use to separate the different ‘levels’ of a dancer?

What makes you a dancer?

1. What you do: You enjoy music and moving to it. That’s it! 

Don’t listen to those cynics that say you need to take lessons to be a ‘real’ dancer. 

Of course, you may want to refine your abilities if you want others to dance anywhere near you…

2. How it shows in your dancing: It might be messy on the outside but you don’t care, because it just feels good to move and groove to what you hear. 

You leave silly things like ‘structure’ and ‘cohesion’ to the pros on Dancing with the Stars!

What makes you a DECENT dancer?

1. What you do: You’ve decided to take some group lessons from a dance professional…maybe you practice sometimes or social dance once and a while but, it’s all pretty relaxed and just for fun. 

You know you’d like to get better but so far, it’s not as important as other life priorities.

2. How it shows in your dancing: You know the basics…well enough so that people watching can actually tell what dance you’re doing. 

You can connect with your partner and, more or less push each other across the floor. You’re still a novice in the eyes of the wider dance community but at least you score some points for trying.

What makes you a GOOD dancer?

1. What you do: You’ve recognized that you have a long way to go to really stand out and now you want it bad enough to start pulling for it. 

You’ve moved from group classes increasingly into private lessons and pay much more attention to those boring technical tips then you did in previous levels. 

If you go out social dancing, you are now considered a ‘regular’ and you may have started to dabble in the competitive scene.

2. How it shows in your dancing: You’ve started to catch the eye of other dancers. 

Your movements feel a lot more fluid and controlled, balance is no longer a problem and maintaining connection is second nature. 

You’ve probably started to play with arm styling and other embellishments. 

It’s increasingly fun to dance with you and you start to receive smiles and compliments from your partners.

What makes you a GREAT dancer?

1. What you do: You might not be the best but, you’re good and you know it. 

How many steps you know is now less important than how you dance them. 

You may be in the competitive circuit by now…not because you can’t be a better dancer without it but simply because it’s the only place you can dance full-out anymore. 

You are king or queen of the social dance floor and may find yourself looking around for partners talented enough to challenge you.

2. How it shows in your dancing: You are what lower-level dancers look at when they say to themselves ‘I want to move like that.’ 

Guiding/responding to different combinations is so easy now that you start to improvise some movements…like you used to, only now you know how much you can get away with! You don’t lack dance partners at a social but are happiest when dancing with your regular partner, because they can connect with you on a whole new level.

On every level there are many who decided they are satisfied where they are so, if you decide to move past that, remember not to look down on them. 

Each level requires sacrificing time and money to move forward…the only difference between you and them is that for you, it’s worth it!

We have some rather strange names for figures in our Ballroom and Latin dance syllabi. 

How did these names originate? 

Here are three examples, the origin of which are, I think, fairly well known. 

The “Telemark”: British dancers, skiing in Norway in the 1920’s, saw the “Telemark Turn” used in skiing to quickly change direction. 

They named the dance figure “Telemark” as the manoeuvre reminded them of the skiing turn. 

The “Double Reverse Spin”: Why double? It is only one full turn or less, however, the originator; Maxwell Stewart, always danced two consecutively, hence “double”. 

The (Waltz) “Wing”: I have always wondered how the Wing got its name and references by Josephine Bradley (renowned dancer, teacher, competitor and examiner and creator of the heel turn) provided the answer. 

She explained that the figure was so named because the followers part resembled a large bird (e.g., seagull) folding it’s wing into its body…and instilling this mental picture into the student’s mind may achieve results. 

The description below is more in keeping with the original style of the movement which can be seen on this old film record (at approximately 3.15 into the clip) and not how it has developed to its current execution.

Starting in P.P. with the lady’s head turned right, ask the lady to turn their head and torso strongly to the left between 2 and 3, thus creating the bird’s folding wing effect. 

This strong body turn should ensure that the lady does the desired foot swivel on the R.F. between 2 & 3. Remember to use the earlier Rise and Fall, viz “Commence to rise e/o 1; Continue to rise on 2; Up. Lower at e/o 3”. 

You should then see the executed “wing” effect. 

When the figure was created in the 1920’s, I’m quite sure that like many other figures, it occurred quite by chance. 

Most likely, a couple found themselves in promenade position, blocked by another couple and the man led his partner around to his left side to avoid a collision. 

Doubtless, they would think “that was nice” and then set about refining it.