May 19, 2007
I found another Salsa blog - this is pretty good one. His opinions and advice seem pretty sound - common sense stuff really and repeated over and over by many quality instructors yet ignored by many.
Of his 18 posts thus far, some advices I would have given to many Cambridge Salsa dancers are under following headings:
Lead Adjusting 101 - Patterns
Lead Adjusting 101 - Physical
Friends Don't Let Friends Dance Big
Ignore Beginners At Your Peril
This one is debatable but might be worthwhile.
Blacklisted!
I might add that it is probably not a good idea to get into giving advice business unless you are pretty sure that he or she won't mind constructive criticism.
I wasn't too impressed with what I sampled (only a few) among his favorite videos though. Not bad but nothing earthshaking. Of course, the point might be to show accessible things.
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I started this blog after struggling with salsa for almost five months thinking that documenting my lessons may help me improve faster. It morphed and mushroomed into all kinds of things I saw and learned about Salsa - not just the dance and music but also the people and community. It is now a relic - a ghost of a time past - and for indefinitely occasional posts of the aftermath.
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6 comments:
Thanks for the kind words on my new blog.
Constructive criticism is an art and part of the package if you are an instructor. Feel free to let me know what you like, dislike and what you want to see in the future.
My blog is new and I have over 15 articles in the wings, with titles and draft versions, waiting for polishing and publishing. I have much more material but it will take time to get it on the site.
Side note: I don't love most of the video I find on YouTube, and I want to add a section on my blog where I list not only the video, but why I find it interesting. Just having the links isn't enough, but it's a starting point.
Just like dancing, blogs should constantly improve over time, and I'm just getting started.
All feedback welcomed!
Constructive criticism ideally should be always welcomed. The fact is many people even when they say they welcome constructive criticism will feel hurt when they hear that they are not as good as they think they are. Many will be hostile about getting an unsought constructive criticism. The problem gets even worse when the person making the suggestion is not perceived to have big enough authority (a big time performer or teacher, etc) even if the suggestion itself has merit. Even when the criticism comes from someone you trust and like, it stings. With some people cumulative effect of criticisms could make them timid and full of self-doubt. With some people a minor suggestions for improvement could lead them to give up altogether. To tell people who may not be very good at giving advice to tell their friends to fix this or that (e.g. in your dancing big post where you give an otherwise sound advice) is a dicey proposition.
Generally I like what you've written so far and look forward to seeing more.
I didn't fully understand your original comment.
You're right, some people will fold or quit with any criticism, but sometimes friends really should open a friends eyes, even if it's uncomfortable.
I don't think it would be appropriate to beat him up in front of others, but pulling him aside in a PRIVATE conversation makes sense to me.
When I have bad breath I hope my friends let me know before I chase off all the good looking women!
Maybe that is just me...
I'm always looking for feedback and feel free to call me out when I miss something or you have a different point of view. All input is welcomed!
I don't think we're that far apart in our thinking.
Consider how well you know your friend (and vice versa) before giving out advice, and give the advice in a way to make sure that you remain friends.
As a follow-up. When you wrote this original blog I had 18 articles and yesterday I posted my 30th.
I still have another dozen in draft form, so you can expect new articles two or three times per week on average.
It's easy finding materials since I'm in the clubs dancing 3-4 nights per week, plus taking dance classes myself (and teaching). Feedback is always welcomed!
I've been checking your blog regularly. I think it's great - well written and and full of excellent advice. Many of the approaches you advocate are things I already agree with, which is really nice too.
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