Ombailamos

the latest incarnation

Yesterday was the first episode of "Dance Your Ass Off" on Oxygen. This show is a combination of "The Biggest Loser" and a dance competition. The contestants do the workouts and nutritional changes for weight loss, while at the same time they are training with a dance instructor for a weekly performance.

I have to say, I really like the concept. It's kind of painful to see a 350-pound white guy doing hip-hop, but at the same time I love that these contestants are being given an opportunity to really enjoy doing something new with their bodies. I'd venture to say that there are not many people who love working out for its own sake - I certainly don't. Giving these contestants the chance to begin using their bodies in new ways that are fun, that they can take back into regular life, I think is a great way to make the getting-in-shape part more fun and less of a slog.

One of the reasons that weight-loss clients fail is that the process is just no fun. It's well documented that an overweight client is often uncomfortable in the gym environment, surrounded by mirrors, with hard-bodied fit freaks pounding away on the treadmills or heaving giant weight bars. The client may well want to be that fit freak one day, but seeing it in direct comparison to their current condition can be depressing rather than inspiring.

The fitness industry is constantly trying to develop new approaches to fitness, that will keep things interesting and entice clients to stay in the gym. Recently a number of celebrity dance instructors have developed dance-based fitness programs for home study, and some gym chains are adding dance-based group classes like Zumba. I like this approach myself; dance is basically my workout, with yoga providing the flexibility and strength component.

So to me there's a touch of genius in "Dance Your Ass Off." The contestants still have to do the weight-loss work, but they get the immediate payoff of being able to perform a dance routine, in costume and makeup, under the lights with an applauding audience. They get to feel day by day how the weight-loss work they are doing results in noticeable improvement not just in how they look, but in how they relate to their body.

Their body is now helping them do something fun - it's not holding them back. The inherent sexiness of dancing gives them that extra boost, using their physicality in a creative and expressive way.

It's one of those situations where you kind of wish nobody had to go home, that they could all stay and continue dancing through the competition even after elimination. But then, I feel that way about all the dance shows!

making it official

I've written here before about the DVIDA teacher-training course I took in 2008. This past Saturday I did my first certification examination, with Teresa Shiry down at the Regency Ballroom.

Since finishing the course, I've been studying with one of my classmates, the lovely and talented Maria Torres. We got together about every ten days and practiced reciting the theory, performing the figures, and generally discussing how best to respond to various teaching questions. During our practices we worked out problems we were having with leading or following, and worked on making our theory answers concise and specific.

The exam was very much as described in the DVIDA "Getting Certified" manual and DVD. We had one theory question for each of the figures in each of the dances (seven figures in each of Rumba, Cha-cha, and East Coast Swing, and five figures in Bolero) included in the Junior Associate exam. Then we had nine teaching questions, and we each danced a combination of all the figures in each dance as both leader and follower. Teresa made the whole process very painless. It was great for me to be able to do the examination with Teresa, who has actually judged me in amateur competition before.

It's a relief to have crossed this first hurdle. There are eight more dances for me to be examined in before I receive my full Junior Associate certification, so I have plenty more studying to do. But having done the exam now, and received Teresa's feedback, I'm confident that my preparation method is working, and I'm looking forward to completing the process.

In Practice

There is a common misconception among newcomers to partner dancing, which is that a partner is needed to practice.  This notion can seriously delay a dancer on the road to proficiency, so it's worth talking about.

In partner dancing - specifically ballroom - the leader and follower each have a part.  Lead/follow is important in social dancing, but in order to do either well, the dancer must understand his or her part.  By that we mean that the dancer understands how to execute the figures used in dancing.

Figures are a combination of steps.  For example: a box, commonly one of the first figures taught, is six steps: left foot forward, right foot to the side, left foot closes to right foot; right foot back, left foot to the side, right foot closes to left foot.  Each step is a weight change.  Once the dancer understands this combination of steps, he or she can dance a box.  Every other figure can be understood the same way, and every figure can be danced independent of a partner.

Over the past ten years, the information available to beginning dancers has expanded considerably.  Not only are there more dance classes, studios, and instructors; there are more instructional DVDs, manuals, and other learning resources.  The beginning dancer, once well and truly hooked, should consider investing in some of this material to enhance the instruction received in class.

Every student learns differently.  Some students learn by listening to the instruction, some by watching, some only get it through physical repetition, and some (like me) have to write things down.  A beginning dancer should try to be aware of how they are best at processing the information and find ways to reinforce the instruction.  Use a digital voice recorder in class; watch DVDs; write down what was covered in the class.  Use whatever tools work for you.

Every hour of independent study and practice is worth two or three hours of group instruction - not necessarily by adding new material to your repertoire, although that can be done as you progress, but because the repetition will help you internalize the material.  Practicing on your own can also help you identify the real problem areas, things you just aren't getting, so that you can ask your teacher.

Another benefit of practicing alone is that you can work on things like your posture, balance, footwork, and frame - things you may not want to concentrate on when you are practicing with a partner.  You might prefer to use that time to practice leading/following, or specific combinations of figures that you've learned in class.

Because each dancer has their own part, successful dancing is a product of study.  No matter how much natural rhythm or style you may have, if you do not know your part, you will not be a successful dancer.  As a leader, if you do not dance recognizable figures, your partners will have trouble following.  As a follower, if you don't know the figures, your partners will find you difficult to lead.

Partner dancing is a skill that can deliver great joy throughout a dancer's life.  There is no end to what can be learned.  Make your dance education progress faster by studying and practicing on your own.  You may be surprised by the feelings of accomplishment and delight that come with true confidence on the dance floor.  These are feelings that many of us don't get enough of; they are worth working for.

shaken, not stirred

I have just read three of the original James Bond novels by Ian Fleming.  I've always enjoyed the Bond movies, but these books are So Much Better, it's shocking.  Now, the two most recent movies were really excellent and much closer, in tone and realism, to the original material than the previous incarnations - and I say that despite my longstanding (and shared by millions) crush on Sean Connery.

The books: Live and Let Die; Moonraker; and Diamonds are Forever.  First of all, they are tightly constructed, neatly plotted, and convey a remarkable sense of 1950s life.  The stories are true-to-life, involving gangs, smuggling, and Nazis.  Bond himself is smart, skilled, self-aware, and resourceful.  He has a wry sense of humor, is capable of deep friendships, and loves trains.  He is also not quite the misogynist he's been cracked up to be. 

Fleming was, in a sense, James Bond.  He was an intelligence professional during WWII, and as such was probably hyper-aware of the extraordinary changes in society that resulted, with women stepping out of the home and into positions formerly the domain of men.  In particular, Fleming would have firsthand knowledge of the invaluable contributions of women to the war effort and its aftermath. 

Bond's female counterparts in these books are intelligent, courageous, trustworthy, and able to take their licks.  Bond himself clearly respects them as, if not equal partners, at least valued colleagues.  He is susceptible to romantic impulses, is chivalrous, and even entertains thoughts of love.  Naturally, he is also not above seduction - but it's worth noting that not every girl is seducible.

Penguin publishers have created a new centennial package of all the Bond books, in trade paperback editions with great pulp-styled covers.  I am looking forward to reading all of them.

the learning curve

This week was the first "competition" week of So You Think You Can Dance - as if all of the auditions were not sufficiently competitive.  I don't know how the production handles the dancers in between selecting the top 20 in Las Vegas, and opening the show; I'd like to think that they get some preliminary training in the various styles they'll be attempting on the show.  It seems that I remember in Season One, the dancers got a one-week "boot camp" with the show's choreographers.

This week I thought the producers were a little more merciful than in the past: the dances assigned were pretty closely aligned with the specialties of the male dancers.  Why this is merciful is that they could work with a dance vocabulary they already knew, and thus concentrate more on the new (to most of them) challenge of partnering.

Of course, this meant that most of the women were working *outside* their specialties.  But when your leader is confident, that contributes a lot to the ultimate success of the partnership.

Which provides me with a segue to a teaching observation.  Leading, in partner dancing, is a terrifically challenging skill.  Mastering the individual movements required to indicate a lead to your partner is only a small part of it.  The larger parts are mastering general floorcraft, and thinking ahead.  No matter how correct your leading actions may be, if you lead at the wrong moment, the lead will be unsuccessful 99% of the time - because the follower knows the timing is off and does not respond, or she has to force herself (or be forced) through the indicated movement, or she moves too early or too late, and thus compromises the next intended action.

The primary responsibility of a leader is to make the follower comfortable.  The leader must first assess the technical skills of the follower and essay a few experimental leads to see how responsive she is.  He must then maneuver around the dance floor while keeping a good connection with his partner and simultaneously projecting ahead to the action(s) he wants to lead.  He must understand what his partner has to do - when and where and in what manner - in order to follow the lead.  And of course, he must lead correctly, with hands and body and by moving himself.

Learning the basic mechanics of dance figures is much less difficult than learning all of the above.  The follower must also know the basic mechanics and how to recognize basic leads, but ultimately her job is to do her part - execute the figures, maintain her balance, and support her own frame - and to follow.  Once a leader doesn't have to think about how to physically execute the figures, his job just gets harder: the learning curve starts to go vertical.

Lest anyone be discouraged, just remember that there does come a time when peak learning effort has been expended, and the proficient social dancer is truly past the point of having to consciously think of every aspect of his leading.

And fortunately, as a ballroom dancer, he really does not have to worry about being assigned Bollywood next time out.

Will Rogers State Beach, June 9

weekend double feature

This weekend we watched a double feature of "Blazing Saddles," one of my top ten favorite comedies, and "Cinderella" - the version made by Disney a few years back, starring Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Whitney Houston, the delicious newcomer Paolo Montalban, and a delightfully color-blind supporting cast.

As a movie-lover (and one partial to musicals), I really have no complaints about this "Cinderella."  The romantic leads are cute, Whoopi is simultaneously dignified and funny, Bernadette Peters is absolutely perfect as the wicked stepmother.  The Rodgers & Hammerstein songs are beautiful and the production design, strongly Art Nouveau and referencing Klimt throughout, is stunning.  The costumes, meanwhile, are a brilliant and colorful combination of south Asian and Baroque.

As a dancer, though, what strikes me is the fabulous staging of the Prince's ball.  The ballroom continues the Klimt theme in pastels and gold on a background of golden white and palest sunset pink.  In this setting, twenty or so couples dance a Viennese waltz - and not just a few seconds of a waltz.  They dance, and dance, and dance.  The women are all costumed in purply blues, ranging from lavender to ultraviolet, while the men are all in deep sapphire or amethyst.  The dancers themselves are a work of art.

I think it is worth noting that the dance numbers in this made-for-TV film were choreographed and staged by Rob Marshall, who went on to direct "Chicago" and "Memoirs of a Geisha."  He clearly cast real dancers and gave them a real dance to do.  As a dancer, I appreciate that.  That it is so beautiful to look at is another gift.

I would be the last person to say that the "modern" dance films we've seen in the past few years are less satisfying than classic Hollywood musicals.  Some of those films have sharp writing, good performances, and quite inspiring dance sequences.  But there's something about a handsome young man in a white and gold suit waltzing with a lovely girl in sky blue (and glass slippers!) that's just perfectly made for film.

Plan B

I just finished another book I've had on the shelf for quite some time. The full title is "Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble," by Lester R. Brown of the Earth Policy Institute.

This is not the sort of easy reading I, being lazy, typically do, but I'm glad I got it and got through it.  Mr. Brown has essentially compiled several decades of environmental, energy, population, health, and technology studies to identify what his institute considers the major challenges facing Planet Earth.  The first half is very scary indeed.

The second half is concerned with achievable projects or policies, using known technologies - many already underway in some countries - that could address each of the major challenges.  Mr. Brown estimates that worldwide commitment to a strategy of ecologically sound social planning would cost about one-sixth of the 2005 world military budget.

The alternatives really don't bear thinking about.  If you are concerned with health, the economy, the environment, or the possibility of a better life for your children, I recommend this book.  Just read it in small, digestible doses, and remember he gives you the hard stuff first.

Many of the Earth Policy Institute publications can be downloaded for free at their website, www.earthpolicy.org. 

ABCs of Rhythm

It is week 4 of the current session and we are still working on the Bolero combination we began last session. Attached is a video of a walk-through that Sonny and I did to set the choreography. This piece features basic actions of Bolero - turning basic, left side pass, right side pass, crossover break, etc. - combined with more advanced elements including syncopations and checks. We've used this combination to work on lead/follow, connection, musicality, compression & leverage, rise & fall, rotation, and other important rhythm dancing techniques. Download Dancing 001

To Boldly Go

I didn't have cable TV until after college.  My pop-culture education thus came from a couple of network channels, bounced through local bush stations, and a PBS channel.  The latter provided me with a great background in Hollywood musicals and Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, while the former ensured a steady diet of "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," "The Wonderful World of Disney," and an annual viewing of "Gone with the Wind."  I barely heard of "Star Trek" until I moved in with a movie/TV geek in grad school.

Well, I was instantly a fan.  I still haven't seen all of the episodes of the original series, but I've seen bits and pieces of all of the series, have read all of the books based on the original series, have seen all of the feature films.  I think the concept was intelligent, all of the various iterations have fostered pieces of great writing and moments of great performances, and of course, the original series created some iconic characters.

So it was with some trepidation, but nonetheless with enthusiasm, that I awaited the release of the new movie.  And I loved it.

One of the challenges facing the producers, in restarting what (of course) they hope will be a new series of films featuring the characters from the original series, was whether or not to address either the orthodox history of the characters (as laid out in TV episodes and movies) or the various histories created in storylines in the books.  Rather brilliantly, they chose to do neither.  Instead, they have rewritten the history and given themselves a fresh new starting point with enormous potential.

They have also opened up the sexiness of the Spock character, which has been explored quite imaginatively both in the authorized books and in fan fiction.  I consider Spock one of the great characters in all of the fiction I've read (which is considerable) and thus my only complaint with the new film series is that I will have to wait longer than I'd like to see the next one.