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For Beginners
Teaching New Dancers B Y
J E R R Y
J E S T I N
Over the last few issues I have talked about how to teach beginners square dancing and the order that I use. I would like to talk about the last group where I used this method. Around Christmas of 2005 my wife came home from her clogging classes in a location where I do not call square dancing. She said that a number of her clogging ladies (and 95% of Janice cloggers are women) found out that I called square dancing and wondered what it would take to set up an introduction to square dancing for them and their husbands (significant others).
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ver the last few issues I have talked about how to teach beginners square dancing and the order that I use. I would like to talk about the last group that I used this method. Around Christmas of 2005 my wife came home from her clogging classes in a location where I do not call square dancing. She said that a number of her clogging ladies (and 95% of Janice cloggers are women) found out that I called square dancing and wondered what it would take to set up an introduction to square dancing for them and their husbands (significant others). Janice and I talked about this and decided that we would try a six week introduction and have them sign up ahead. We decided that we would need a maximum of 10 couples that wanted to do it. So Janice went back to her cloggers and explained what we had decided and when we were able to get the facilities and when I was available. It turned out to be a Sunday afternoon at 4:30. By the first week of January we found that we had almost 5 squares signed up. They were a mixture of local people living year round in Yuma, Arizona, younger new retires, and older retires. We were near the first introduction dance and I asked three experienced square dance couples to come and stand by if I needed anyone to make the squares even. At the first dance Janice and I were there meeting the people, having them sign in and giving out computer cards (a way of mixing the people up in the square formation). When it was time to start I explained how they would find their squares and explained that their partner would be on the boy’s right and each couple would form a
box or square of four couples. Immediately I put on music and ask them to join hands and circle left etc. (from my first two articles). I began by telling them that the dancers with their back to me and the couples facing them were called the heads. So I asked them what they thought the others were called and in unison the whole group called out “tails”. After being taken back I realized that normally this would be the right answer. I explained to them that we really called them the sides of the box but throughout all of our other dances we all chuckled about it. They even thought they should be called the “heads & tails dancers”. Another thing that my wife noticed was that the boys were very timid about putting their hands in a star. We had three marines in attendance. So I decided to help them feel better about the stars and taught the pack saddle star where the men reach out for the forearm of the man in from of him to form the box in the middle. After that boy the men loved making the stars. With such a diverse group I could see the friendships forming and we had some good organizational people in the group. So they wanted to have a get together after the last dance so we organized an outside dance and hamburger potluck. It was a great hit, and everyone wanted to know what would happen next season. We (the group and Janice and I) decided that we would start again with an introduction in the fall with new people and then start again in January allowing others to join in as some of the people taking part in our dancing. When we started up again in the fall of 2006 we did another six weeks of introduction dances. Some of the dancers from the previous year would not arrive until
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6/17/07
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Christmas so they were not there but we had others that were new people. Still the group was having the time of their life. Around Christmas we had two new couples (children of two of the dancers - in their 20’s) came to visit their parents. I had them arrive fifteen minutes early, and I reviewed with them what they needed to know. They danced with the group the rest of the night and their respective parents told us later that they had a great time. After our Christmas dance one of the couple had a pot luck get-together (complete with dancing and parlor games) at their house for everyone. What a neat thing to see this diverse group getting along so well. This bled over into the 2007 season where we had new people and the people from the spring 2006 dance sessions coming back to the dances. They started to go out for dinner after the dances. Others who had houses started inviting everyone over for get-togethers and games. It was such a rewarding feeling for Janice and me to see this group evolving so well. When dancers missed a dance we would contact them and come about 15 minutes early to review any new movements. This helped us to not lose those people. Along in February the Yuma Festival came. All the new dancers wanted to go and see what was going on. They came and wanted to see Janice and I dance and see the whole thing. We had about 110 squares with various levels, and vendors for clothes, shoes and badges. It was at an after party after the very next dance that
we were visiting and all of a sudden they realized that there was a “list”. It was quite a joke but they decided that they didn’t care as they were having fun with what they were doing. Now I see that I could make it even better if I take the good ideas from the ABC dance program. Having my dances set up so that the first half of each dance would be available for new dancers each and every dance night. This would also make it easier for those who may have missed a dance or two to feel that they could keep coming when they can. Then I would have the second half of each dance for those who had completed all three ABC dances (which have the same intro basic and some different moves) and dance the combined movements. This will be my goal next year. If some of these dancers want to go on into the “levels” of square dancing then I will send them to someone who is teaching the “level”. These people already know they want to do it and have a good basis in square dancing so they will not quit. Chances are they will still dance with my introduction to square dancing because it is fun. It turned out that we ended up with a nucleus of around 4 squares for the season. We had a few couples who did not keep coming back but the percentage was very small as compared to most “square dance lessons”. Remember that square dancing may not be for everyone. Remember, we need to give the people who attend, “the best time- EVERYTIME” they attend. Make it fun and it will run. Thanks for your time. Jerry Jestin
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