BREAKING NEWS: I’ve finally found a home for my classes. In January, I’ll offer Beginner Partnered Charleston and Solo Vernacular Jazz & Charleston at Legacy Studios in Durham, NC. See my website at MustDanceSwing.com for more information. Hurray!
This occurred to me some time after I completed my first session of KMI: The way my practitioner looks at me brings to mind a sculptor studying a statue as it emerges from stone. Said Michelangelo, “In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.” Or, more concisely, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” (more…)
Most people would agree, no amount of education or training guarantees a teacher will do a “good” job or impact their students. On the first day of Anusara yoga teacher training, we were all asked to ponder qualities that we saw in our favorite yoga teachers. We then looked at our list to identify which qualities we already possessed and which we would like to cultivate. As a group, we shared our findings. The most overwhelming trend was leaning towards qualities like patience, encouraging, presence, challenging, and playfulness. Everyone agreed that knowledge and experience were necessary qualities, but that they were not the most important and certainly were not synonyms with expertise or quantitative experience. It is most important to embody authenticity and a genuine compassion for students rather than having all the answers, accolades, or certification. To teach for the love of the practice; now that makes a good teacher.
After this third session, all I can say is: WOW, this is truly fascinating work. In a mere three sessions, I feel a dramatic transformation. I am attuned to the fact that my body is re-learning how to do habitual activities as it is moving and shifting. It is truly hard to find words to describe my experience, so I offer a photo from anatomytrains.com to illustrate.
Why do some people learn to dance more quickly than others?
A question I’ve been exploring for ages. I am referring to innate characteristics most likely determined by genetics and movement patterns learned in childhood. The question has personal roots and professional implications.
Through school I’ve learned many new tidbits about how our bodies learn and store the information that, when recalled and put together, produces movement recognizable as “dance.” In truth, however, all movement is generated in the same fashion, more or less beautifully and efficiently depending on the individual.