Swing Dynamite Blog
Thoughts and news about swing dancing in Ottawa
Balboa Performance Project 2011
Posted by byron on 09.04.11 5:25PM under Balboa, Getting Good at Swing Dancing
For the first time ever, Ottawa dancers have a chance to learn an advanced Balboa choreography and perform it–all in just 6 weeks!
Preparing for a performance is something that can have a very special impact on your dancing. It means not just learning but perfecting movements. And it means learning to dance more difficult moves at an overall higher level.
The Balboa Performance Project offers dancers an opportunity that has never before been available in Ottawa, and may not happen again for years. It’s the chance to get an entire six weeks of coaching at a higher level, and to work on material that’s much more advanced than we usually get a chance to share. It will be hard work but also some of the most excitement and fun you’ve ever had in a dance class.
We’re very lucky to have Travis & Natalia teaching this special class. Both are multiple-time 1st place Balboa winners at the Canadian Swing Championships as well as holding a number of other competition titles. They’re also amazing teachers. Natalia is a founder of Swing Dynamite and Artistic Director. Travis is the most senior Swing Dynamite team member, having joined in 2006 literally months after the studio was founded, and with years of experience teaching guitar as well as dance.
Although the choreography is based on lead/follow Balboa movements, you’ll need to sign up with a partner. This ensures that you can work at your own pace, and that you have someone to practice with outside of class if you need to. We get contacted regularly by people looking for a partner, so feel free to contact Natalia if you’re looking for a partner!
Got questions? Here are a few answers:
- I’m not much of a show-off or performer, is this really for me? It’s really not all about showing off (although if you like performing, obviously this class is a great choice). You’re not even required to do the performance. Preparing for a performance primarily just provides a goal to help motivate you to focus, learn, and achieve your potential. If you’ve never done a performance before, you’ll find that you’ve never mastered things so quickly as when you have an objective and a deadline.
- Will choreography really help my social dancing? The routine is really just a collection of lead/follow Balboa movements at a high level. Natalia explains:
“At one our Balboa practices, Travis and I started putting together some of our favourite moves into challenging combos. After a while, it started to turn into a longer piece of choreography. That’s when we had the idea of sharing this choreography with some of the Ottawa dancers who want to push their dancing to a higher level.”
- I might miss a class — will I be able to keep up? Probably. The key is that you’ll probably need to practice with your partner to make it up, but if you’re otherwise keeping up and have solid Balboa basics, missing one class shouldn’t be a big problem.
Make sure you sign up for the Balboa Performance Project by Monday, September 5th to ensure you can participate! Register here!
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