This has been the last session ... more of the same, one or two new moves, a string of old ones put together in sequence, with music and changing partners. Familiar format.
It may not look particularly proficient but it works.
What was new however was a sense of of 'class bonding' which came to the fore when the proposal was made to add a few extra sessions before Christmas to reinforce what has been learned and to build a bridge to the next level course starting in January 2009.
This is peer learning at its best, with the entire group wanting to move forward together.
Three cheers to the tutor for forming such as coherent bond - and for moving us from extrinsic towards intrinsic motivation.
Friday 28 November 2008
Saturday 22 November 2008
The end is in sight
There are now only three sessions left before the beginners class will come to an end and we have now reached the 'consolidation phase' of our learning.
We all try to string together the individual moves we've learned in previous classes, perfecting them in the process and then trying to speed up with the faster beat of the music.
Over and over again the teachers point out the importance of the 'man leading' and at this stage although I can appreciate it I am unable to implement it in any particular shape or form - there are clearly still limits on what has been learned but that is fine.
So what were the expectations and what has been learned?
Admittedly from the outset I would not have learned Salsa dancing without the formal requirement of the MSc course module - which clearly points to extrinsic motivation for getting started. This fact however has been adjusted by the fact that the entire experience has been a positive one, the relaxation part, the socialising element of it, the good music and the achievements observed, even if they may appear miniscule at this stage.
A noticeable shift towards intrinsic motivation of dancing in general and Salsa dancing in particular is now detectable and evidence for this comes from me enrolling on another dancing class (on another day), this time in 'ballroom dancing' and there is also a likelihood of moving up to Salsa intermediate level in the new year.
This does not necessarily mean though that I have become an autonomous learner (as I am for example in Djembe drumming) but at least it will point in this direction.
And this in itself is not a mean feat.
We all try to string together the individual moves we've learned in previous classes, perfecting them in the process and then trying to speed up with the faster beat of the music.
Over and over again the teachers point out the importance of the 'man leading' and at this stage although I can appreciate it I am unable to implement it in any particular shape or form - there are clearly still limits on what has been learned but that is fine.
So what were the expectations and what has been learned?
Admittedly from the outset I would not have learned Salsa dancing without the formal requirement of the MSc course module - which clearly points to extrinsic motivation for getting started. This fact however has been adjusted by the fact that the entire experience has been a positive one, the relaxation part, the socialising element of it, the good music and the achievements observed, even if they may appear miniscule at this stage.
A noticeable shift towards intrinsic motivation of dancing in general and Salsa dancing in particular is now detectable and evidence for this comes from me enrolling on another dancing class (on another day), this time in 'ballroom dancing' and there is also a likelihood of moving up to Salsa intermediate level in the new year.
This does not necessarily mean though that I have become an autonomous learner (as I am for example in Djembe drumming) but at least it will point in this direction.
And this in itself is not a mean feat.
Thursday 13 November 2008
Rollercoaster ride continued - obtaining new momentum
After the somewhat despondent posting last week this week's entry is much more upbeat, precipitated by a very intense dancing session.
There were several changes which resulted in matters brightening up considerably
First we did change partners less than we normally do and I had the pleasure to dance with someone who's roughly at the same level and this made it much more enjoyable.
Secondly we also learnt a couple of new moves which were challenging but were also explained very well, not only by the teacher but also by an advanced dancer who has joined the class recently to provide extra support.
Finally we were, for the first time asked to string together a series of moves we've learnt in previous sessions, initially 2, then 3 and so on until there was a total of about 8 or so. This was cleary developing into a proper dance and although it was exceedingly challenging to remember the sequence of those moves it worked remarkably well, apart from the fact it was physically very exhausting.
For the first time though one could feel the sensation of real Salsa dancing and the affirmative looks of the teacher confirmed that real tangible progress has been made.
I think we're approaching the main learning outcome.
There were several changes which resulted in matters brightening up considerably
First we did change partners less than we normally do and I had the pleasure to dance with someone who's roughly at the same level and this made it much more enjoyable.
Secondly we also learnt a couple of new moves which were challenging but were also explained very well, not only by the teacher but also by an advanced dancer who has joined the class recently to provide extra support.
Finally we were, for the first time asked to string together a series of moves we've learnt in previous sessions, initially 2, then 3 and so on until there was a total of about 8 or so. This was cleary developing into a proper dance and although it was exceedingly challenging to remember the sequence of those moves it worked remarkably well, apart from the fact it was physically very exhausting.
For the first time though one could feel the sensation of real Salsa dancing and the affirmative looks of the teacher confirmed that real tangible progress has been made.
I think we're approaching the main learning outcome.
Saturday 8 November 2008
Momentum and Motivation
This has been a long wait - two weeks without proper Salsa dancing...
And somehow it shows - it is very difficult not to remember the steps but to keep the pace and the get a feel for the rhythm.
And for the first time the sense of impatience, the lack of progress if not stagnation sets in. I'm still a novice of course but one would expect some progression. What's holding me back I wonder?
1. Motivation - I would assume that the positive spirit is still there but may be the incentive if not purpose is fading away - why am I doing this? - what is it for? and what benefits do I get out of this? It does not feel like enjoyment any more.
2. Peer learning - or the lack of it. Dancing is the ultimate group learning activity - you need a partner not only to practice but also to learn from. And the motivation and dedicationn of your partner is at least as important as your own.
During the lessons the partners are rotating, so every few minutes you have another person to dance with which is fine as you learn to adjust to different individuals.
However I've now come to realise that too many of the dancing partners are not particularly good at it, mainly when dancing at higher speed. They do realise this of course but state that they did not have much time practising etc.
Unfortunately I interpret this as them denying me the opportunity to move forward in this lesson, and this causes a fair bit of anger and frustration. The one or two dancers who are good allow you to develop further but this is far too little.
I've now decided to join another dance class, which specialises on ballroom dancing, both classical and Latin, just to see whether a different peer learning experience will provide the impetus required. Getting another perspective to learning to dance may do the trick?
And somehow it shows - it is very difficult not to remember the steps but to keep the pace and the get a feel for the rhythm.
And for the first time the sense of impatience, the lack of progress if not stagnation sets in. I'm still a novice of course but one would expect some progression. What's holding me back I wonder?
1. Motivation - I would assume that the positive spirit is still there but may be the incentive if not purpose is fading away - why am I doing this? - what is it for? and what benefits do I get out of this? It does not feel like enjoyment any more.
2. Peer learning - or the lack of it. Dancing is the ultimate group learning activity - you need a partner not only to practice but also to learn from. And the motivation and dedicationn of your partner is at least as important as your own.
During the lessons the partners are rotating, so every few minutes you have another person to dance with which is fine as you learn to adjust to different individuals.
However I've now come to realise that too many of the dancing partners are not particularly good at it, mainly when dancing at higher speed. They do realise this of course but state that they did not have much time practising etc.
Unfortunately I interpret this as them denying me the opportunity to move forward in this lesson, and this causes a fair bit of anger and frustration. The one or two dancers who are good allow you to develop further but this is far too little.
I've now decided to join another dance class, which specialises on ballroom dancing, both classical and Latin, just to see whether a different peer learning experience will provide the impetus required. Getting another perspective to learning to dance may do the trick?
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