By Stanley Mc Calla Last month, after conducting a medal examination for a few students at a studio, one student, with an inquisitive look, approached me and asked: “Excuse me Mr. McCalla, Do you think that doing the medal test is going to make me become a better dancer?
“Well absolutely” I replied. “How do you feel now that you have done the test?”
She said: “ I feel that I understand and have a better grasp of my elements”
She went on to tell me that she came from a ballet background and that she had to learn so much of the technique through a relentless series of exercises, before even experiencing the joy of moving to music. She added that by going through studying the medal test at Fred Astaire, she had experienced some similar technique as the feet position, even though the feet do not turn out as much in Latin and not at all in Ballroom. She also learned, at the same time, the different body positions as close, promenade, fallaway, open and parallel position etc…
So I said: “Miss C., you’re absolutely right! Not only that you are educating yourself in the proper Ballroom and Latin technique, but you are also learning to dance on your own two feet , action that will make the partnership between you and your teacher or any other leader more agreeable. For when you perform either in a showcase or a competition, you will pleasantly dazzle your audience and command attention.”
I personally think that Miss C. is on her way to becoming an outstanding dancer partly due to her pursuit of technical knowledge. I also think and strongly suggest that all of you should study and take your medal test regardless of your level. By doing so, I can guarantee that you will improve faster on becoming the dancer that you want to become.
If you haven’t done one medal test yet, I recommend that you ask your teacher about training for one.
You belong to a great Fred Astaire Dance Studio and organization that provides the best certified instruction in the world. You should go ahead and avail yourselves of one of the great benefit that your studio and teacher has to offer.
Until next time, happy dancing.
Stanley McCalla
Fred Astaire Dance Board Member & Examiner
National coach and adjudicator
Fred Astaire National Champion
No comments:
Post a Comment