Teaching Tips

1. While a solid structure should show how a student will progress, it also can get tedious to go into class and go through the same process every week. It's important to be resourceful and re-package the material.
2. Beginner's face doubts about themselves and are generally reserved. Some ideas to break this: have them reshuffle positions and introduce themselves to each other in shines and introduce themselves in partnerwork, empathize, learn their names and engage them directly, make guarantees that they will progress and reinforce the syllabus, underline the importance of smiling, counting and breathing, show enthusiasm for the music.
3. Must have fun if you want your students to have fun.
a. "clear as mud"
b. "ready to do some splits into a double backflip"
c. "I don't bight....I just kick"
d. "my next victims"
e. "yes or yes?"
f. Let me tell you a secret, a trick of the trade.....shhhhh don't tell anyone. g. Does it burn? I'm not a pyromaniac but I like to make light your let's on fire. I. Ballet dancers are constipated 4. When doing more complicated material, split it into sections and have student names be a reference for sections.
5. Feeling the dance, "sabor" comes after your body being coordinated. your limbs and body must be coordinated for you to be able to start feeling the music with your body.
6. Stefan must dance with all girls in class and emily with all guys, often. in order to give feedback and be able to assess their levels and how our syllabus is working.
7. Host practice parties for students (even though HI salsa scene is at a really low level prac parties also help foster camaraderie between students and helps us focus on dancing with them all and feeling out where people are in their dancing)
8. Demo the material you're going to teach before and after you've taught it. It's worth getting the wow factor before and it gives people a general framework to work from.