MJ Dance club: videos,choreography and teaching

Tishri1 · #31 20th May 2012, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by MessianicMommy

Only if it's overly sexual or bawdy.... well, I take that back - I did like all three Step Up movies, LXD season 1 (haven' seen season 2 yet) Burlesque and Honey... so... nothing "too" bawdy iykwim. There's a point where it becomes less about dance and more "hey, find a room!"

I love ethnic dances. They really tell a lot about a culture, it's music, stories... history.

I always wanted to be a dancer when I was little, but we were the lower end of the income bracket and my mom felt that ballet was overly sexual and it was off limits, even if we did have $. I took about 1 yr of adult basic ballet training and it was a very fun, hard-working and wonderful workout that I enjoyed. It fizzled out after a while, not being cost effective enough for the teachers to be teaching 2 students one on one.

I've been looking out for cost effective classes (Zumba, ballroom, line dancing -- yep. there are line dancers here -- anything!) here since I moved, but not much has turned up... most classes are for couples and run around 200€ per person each month. YIKES!

We didn't have a lot of money either but I grew up in California with its awesome communitee collage system and had enough credits for two dance degrees in about 3 years time.....I had to give some back when they found out that I had accumulated to many lol but it was great and very inexpensive, and I learned with some of the best teachers/ choreographers around.

My son went to preschool at the college (they had a teaching preschool for the students learning early childhood education that was outstanding)and so I danced 4 hours per day while he was at school and also taught in the public elementary schools in after school programs where he took classes in art and music and sports while I taught dance.....I had no over head at these schools (no outside expenses except gas) and so I made sure all my classes were very inexpensisve(how does $3 per class sound?) and all my classes were Completely full (20 students per class)which was very good pay for me and good for my son and for the students , who stayed in my classes for years

Those were great years, sadly it's not quite the same with studio work, and IMO not as creative or lucrative for teachers either who get paid per class only 1/4 th what I made and yet the students pay up to 5 times more......most of the time never expanding their talents beyond the few same teachers each year.....I was always being given new opportunity at the college to expand on my choreographic portfolio and style so my students learned soooooo much more in my classes... and the class was designed much the same way I choreograph now with all my work building on previous work so that they could learn faster yet keep up with steps learned in previous shows....we went at a much faster pace this way than a studio class yet it was easy and fun , with the foundation always strongly set in the kids who had taken from me before and the new kids able to follow with no problem learning new key steps and phrases that were sure to follow them in future classes if they continued....and they usually did

Wow in two posts I gave a background of my history in dance

Well there you have it!

Gxg (G²) · #32 23rd May 2012, 03:36 AM

Originally Posted by Tishri1

I like congregational dance more than presentations or performances, but that's only because my background was in presentation and it's a lot of work that takes me away from family, even if I pick up dances fast the rest of the group needs me at all practices and that is a big turn off as my family misses me

The funny thing about presentation dances is that each group is different...and some groups pick up quickly on dances, requring far less work (and having a LOT more fun) than others where it feels like only a few can get it and more time is needed that can take away from family. The spontaneous kinds are always a blast when it seems people looked like they choreographed something even though it was the case that people all were in sync with one another....like a musical.

Congregational dance is soooo much fun and I can jump in at a moments notice I don't need to practice , I can just follow till they repeat the steps a few times then I know it

Thankfully you're able to adapt quick and jump in, as it can take awhile for others to pick up on certain step movements and rythmic patterns. Perhaps culture can make a difference, as some places it seems EVERYONE can dance (much akin to how people in black culture often do with things like step lines/step teams) and thus all can join in...whereas in other places, some may find it more difficult...and thus, you may end up hearing from some that "the people in front are not wanting all of us to participate" (as if it was the case others forced people to sit in the audience/not move however they felt led to express worship unto the Lord).

Choreographing congregational dance is more fun too as it make me extreamly happy to make dances that can be picked up fast by almost anybody

I use common steps or phases everyone can pick up in a few minutes and throw in key new signature moves......I build on those moves in future songs as folks become familiar with them , building the groups strengths in a steady stream of new choreography that is easy and fresh and that most visitors will have no problem following if they already dance in their own Synagogue

To be able to jump in and pick up steps quickly is both my joy and my goal and what I love about MJ dance

Great goals to have when it comes to grooves for the Lord