Dance Math.

Hall of the Above Party this Sunday

Hello Dancers,

Hope it’s adding up for you.

What are you doing this Sunday? Come dance at the Hall of the Above. Lesson at 4:15 then live music with El Tren.

Here are 3 Dance/Life Math Concepts to ponder.

Math #1. Inspired by an Instagram Post called the Math of Bachata vs Salsa.

You need 90 moves per song? I don’t agree with this paradigm.

I wrote a newsletter about when my ex-partner Viola danced with someone and came back halfway through the dance with a puzzled look.

I ask what happened and she said, “It was so weird, he just stopped dancing and said, ‘I am sorry, I ran out of moves,’ and walked off the dance floor.”

This could never happen in my Pedagogy because all I am doing is working with 6 Basic ideas. Nothing to remember, nothing to forget.

This is what I teach in Foundations. Reach out to sign up.

Math #2. How long until I get it?

I was talking to Seth at The Son Party and he mentioned he was learning ChaChaCha with Roberto and I said, “That’s great, everyone should learn Chachacha from Roberto.”

He said ChaChaCha is difficult and I said to stick with it.

I know a Lindy Hop teacher that always told his class, “In dance, it takes 5 times longer than you expect to get it.”

That’s a nice rule of thumb. Just knowing it will change your expectations.

But a big factor is what does “Getting It” mean? In the case of Foundations I never “get it,” I am always looking to refine.

Math #3- Wise Math.

I heard the author of The Chicken Soup for the Soul books discuss E + R = O

That’s brilliant math on and off the dance floor.

In one 5 minute social dance there are countless Events and Responses.

How do you react when your dance idea comes out differently than your expectation?

When you ask someone to dance and they decline?

And, insert countless daily examples of events + our reactions.

This is the daily Math Homework I am working on, it’s tough.

It’s what I hope my kids grasp one day because it’s exponentially more valuable than the common-core math homework they bring home.

It’s something that needs to be constantly worked on, like your Basics.

Cheers,

Happy Dancing,

Garry