[Sportsandrec] dance lessons

[Haben Girma]

Hi Ashley, I think I may have answered this question before, and I think 
you were mainly asking newcomers, but I just cannot help myself from 
answering you again. I LOVE dancing, and I especially love ballroom! I, 
too, have trouble processing a lot of verbal directions, and on top of 
that I am hard-of-hearing.

Most dance instructors teach by providing demonstrations. The instructor 
will pick a student to help do the demonstration, and then the other 
students watch and learn. The best thing for you to do is to ask the 
instructor to always use you for demonstrations. If you are up front 
doing the demonstration with the teacher, you learn the moves by feeling 
the tactile messages from the teacher. For instance, when the teacher 
steps forward you automatically know to step backwards because the 
teacher's arms will sort of push you to step backwards. There are two 
roles in ballroom, there is the lead and there is the follower. To be a 
god follower you have to listen to the directions in the arms and hands 
of the lead. So, when the instructor is teaching students how to follow 
she will play the lead while a demonstrator follows her. By always beign 
the follower in demonstrations you can learn all the moves in a dance. 
In time you'll be really good at picking up the subtle directions in the 
arms and hands of your dance partner. It's really fun, and I sincerely 
hope you take the class.

Haben

Ashley Bramlett wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Since new people have joined thought I'd ask this.  If you have taken dance, private or class, what accomodations did you have?  
>
> I want to take ballroom dance and once again my parents don't think its doable.  It would be in a class.  Private lessons are expensive!  Anyway, they think I'll be lost because its taught visually.  I said the instructor would verbalize the steps.  My mom pointed out that likely won't be enough and I need hands on guidance and cannot get individual attention in a class.  The thing is that they may describe it but it may be brief and fast.  That is why we think it may not be enough.  I have trouble understanding lots of directions at once if its not slow.  So what do you all think?
> I think its worth trying but I cannot seem to convince my folks.  I am a young adult and don't work yet which is why they have influence on me.  Its unfortunate that I am not encouraged to try.  Those of you on the list who were active as kids are the minority and you are so lucky.  Parents generally think if you cannot see it you can't learn it.
>
> I think that's why partly many blind adults and kids are inactive.
>
> Happy holidays!
>
> Ashley H Bramlett
> Undergraduate Student
> Marymount University
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