The DSAH Teachers Everyone has nothing but praise for all the teachers who have taught online classes this summer. Here are some of them. They describe the challenges they faced when planning their lessons. Andrew Timmins, Central Germany Branch The only set-up issue was with Zoom, as I was unable to read any previous chats, the dialogue boxes or the icons. I chose Glasgow Regatta because it is a 2-couple reel which can be danced within a two square metre area and it has a poussette, so I could focus on the change of feet for the men. For me, warm/cool-downs are more important than warm-ups. They stretch the muscle back to its length prior to the exercise; improve muscle and joint range of movement; and help remove metabolic waste from body tissue, ie lactic acid.
Atsuko Clement, Edinburgh and Japan I was stranded in Japan as my return flight was cancelled. It was a challenge as I did not have a music player, and I had few books with me. My biggest problem was my lack of knowledge of technology, and it had to be recorded with the time difference – 7 in the evening in the UK was 3 in the morning for me! As I had very limited space, I chose The Threesome Reel, which can be easily danced alone and it was a good way to introduce Highland steps as Scots used to use. We know this from the comments of Captain Edward Torpham who visited Edinburgh in 1774/5.
Graham Donald, Gran Canaria Setting up the class needed a lot of thought, and trial and error. I tried out a practice session with Zoom to make sure that all of me could be seen on-screen and to get the laptop positioned correctly to show my feet, but not cut my head off. I also checked that the music and my voice could be heard. I just chatted away as though people were in front of me. It was great that dancers were chatting online while I was teaching, but I couldn’t keep up with the number of comments coming in. As there would be many wine-drinking non-dancers, I wanted music which would be great to listen to. Muriel Johnstone’s Dancing Fingers 2 provided wonderful waltzes, which I used for warm-up stretches to start with. Jim Lindsay always has arrangements which challenge tradition. His arrangement for Bonnie Geordie’s Wig from the Book 49 CD is a particular favourite. Comments from dancers attending previous online classes included requests for an intermediate level of class, so this dance was perfect. I focused my lesson on foot transitions between pas de basque and skip change of step, use of hands for hands across and for rights and lefts as well as correct positioning of the body in anticipation of the next formation.
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Diana Hastie, Sydney Branch I was thrilled to be asked to lead a class and Angela was keen for me to cover some step dance repertoire. Blue Bonnets (Dancie Reid 6/8 version) is one of the easier dances in the St Andrews Step Dance Collection, so I decided to use its first two steps as a taster for those who had never tried Scottish Step. I started out fairly basic and worked up to a more advanced level. I ended up having to record it twice as there were issues with the sound quality of the music and the timing. We worked out a plan for me to pause at certain times to let Angela chat and answer questions. I had to wait a couple of days after it was aired to see the catch-up video and finally get to read the comments. I hope a few people will seek out step dancing lessons as a result.
David Queen, Ribble Valley Branch Teaching the online class was certainly an experience! It involved a lot more planning than a normal class due to the time constraints, the use of recorded music, and the different style of teaching required. I decided to teach step transitions – achievable for a solo dancer and accessible for all standards, and to build on step technique already taught in previous classes. I finished with an easy dance Jig to the Music from Graded Book 2. I made a decision to involve the audience and generate interaction through the chat feature by getting them to make dance suggestions for the transitions being taught. This worked well, but meant that I needed to include a lot more information, so I needed prompts and had paper stuck all over the kitchen! I was lucky in having my wife Cathy to operate the music and assist in prompting.
Trish Nicholls, Sydney Branch The offer to teach the online class initially prompted the ‘fight or flight’ reaction in me! I chose the flight option first, then Angela gently persuaded me to do it. The most difficult aspect was setting up the correct camera angle from my iPhone: too far back and I may not have been seen nor heard; too close, and my feet wouldn’t have been visible. As I live in Sydney, the class needed to be pre-recorded. I recorded it in three parts: the warm-up, step/transition section, and the dance/cool down. I taught Espie McNabb as it contains all the quick-time steps, basic formations, and several transitions. I thought this would revise and build on David Queen’s class from a couple of weeks earlier.
