isa::dance
page_alias::WCS
Some of my frovorite videos (all improv):
Why I dance WCS specifically:
Iāve done Argentine Tango a while back, which I enjoyed, but it had some things I wasnāt happy about - itād be danced to a specific music that Iād usually not listen to by default (though there are a bunch of songs that I like as a consequence of doing Tango), and it made me feel a bit stuck in the past (thereās Tango Nuevo, but itās almost its own new style)
Iāve tried Salsa (though far more briefly) and havenāt felt inspired by it (for partially similar reasons).
Then I saw someone dance WCS at a party and became curious because it looked great, and they were dancing it to āmodernā music.
That's how I discovered WCS exists
To sum it up: I like how it looks & feels, and I like that it can be danced to the most music youād hear.Ā š
Other styles that share some of those properties are:
Zouk (I just like WCS more š)
Fusion (or Blues Fusion) (curious to try it sometime! I think the common wisdom there is that you want to be comfortable with at least one other dance before going there as it combines aspects of many dances)
Modern Jive - looks interesting, but doesnāt seem to be popular in US
Finally, a context where I can apply Deliberate Practice in a clear and uncomplicated way (vs Software Engineering or Research)!
I thought, but haven't found a program that I'd be super happy with so far.
So this is where I'll post some notes on ways I found it helpful to practice
General notes
Keep track of what you learned and what you want to practice
Record recap videos for the lessons you're taking
For each practice session/social dance (Deliberate Performance) - have specific thing you want to focus on.
Schedule practice sessions with fellow students
A more relaxed practice environment where you can focus on working on a specific thing and get feedback from your partners and peers.
It removes the pressure of trying to do your best, which I often feel on a social dance floor and allows you to focus on improvement.
In this context it's ok to do a certain figure many times, experiment with variations, and generally try things that have a high chance of failing, but that would make you better in a long run.
Feedback
They will know more/different things then you
Or sometimes they can point out when something feels weird even if they don't exactly know what's wrong
Prepare specific questions you can ask a teacher at the next lesson
During a practice or social dance the questions would often arise for me:
I'm not quite sure how to perform a particular technique right
When I lead a pattern X - the followers find it confusing - what am I doign wrong.
It's good to record them and ask them next time you have access to a more experienced dancer.
Skill tree
Not something I've managed to find so far
Some things are clearly foundational (e.g. basic patterns, good connection)
But I would love to see what comes next and also nuts and bolts explanation of them
For example for wcs/connection I've benefitted a lot from
Where to practice
Dance Better Now - 6 Places to Practice Outside of Dance Class has some good ideas