8/10/14
This was a pretty exciting week! On Thursday I met with Denita at MMA with four
more 8-counts to add to the Mi Bongo choreography. First we rehearsed what we had
put together last week, and we had both forgotten certain aspects, so I was glad I had
taken a video. When we danced the first ten 8-counts to the music, we had to alter
some things because of how fast the music was. Denita altered a one and a half spin to
a half spin, making that transition a lot smoother. Once we had adequately rehearsed
last week’s choreography, I showed Denita the four 8-counts I had come up with this
week. The idea is that every week I would create more 8-counts for the dance as I
become more familiar with how the dance is progressing and how to come up with
choreography that continues to perpetuate our motifs. The rock forward-back-Suzie Q
we’d used earlier in the choreography appeared again in my new 8-counts, but altered a
little so that we went in a different direction. Denita noticed this and said she liked that
I had turned it into a motif, a point of consistency in the dance. I hadn’t even realized I
was doing it, but I’m glad it ended up making sense! Rehearsing everything together was
a whirlwind, but it was really fun as well. I definitely felt a rush from practicing a dance
that I had helped create and making it come together.
On Saturday I accompanied Denita to Madison, where she taught a couple of
workshops to a studio called Eastside Salsa LLC. Our day started early (about 5am), as
we had to make the 3 hour trip from Chicago. I had never been to Madison, and I
thought it was a great way to visit the city, while getting an inside look at how Denita
coordinates one-off gigs. Denita had met the director of the studio, James, at a salsa
congress in Chicago, and he had liked her style of teaching enough to bring her out to
Madison for the occasional workshop. I helped out in the ways that I could, helping
Denita rehearse her lesson combination, taking photos of the class in action, and filling
in as a follow or a lead when needed. The mambo class was much less advanced than
Denita had prepared for, so she had to restructure her lesson plan on the spot. The cha
cha workshop that came right after ended up being much easier for the class, as all they
had to do was add in a cha cha step. I got to lead during this class, which was very
exciting, and toward the end I got so comfortable with it that I didn’t even have to think
about the combination anymore! This left me wanting to learn more combinations as a
lead.
It’s clearly important for a professional instructor to know and practice both
follow and lead, but I really respect the fact that Denita has no problem transitioning
between the two while out social dancing. I also appreciate that she makes sure to
devote equal time to leads’ steps and follows’ steps. The problem with classes in which
the man does all of the talking and the woman hardly says anything about the follow’s
steps or movements, is that it implies that the follow should dance passively, that
nothing she contributes is of value to the dance. If a woman has paid the same amount
for a class, she should be getting as much technical expertise to help her improve as a
follow, as a man is getting to improve at being a lead. I teach salsa classes at the
University of Chicago, and watching Denita teach has made me realize that while I like
to assert my presence as a female teacher, I sometimes overlook the actual follows’
steps, going through them but insisting that they “fall naturally.” I think I tend to do this
because where I place my feet while dancing has felt natural to me for ages, and
because it feels like it depends on what my lead does. I’ll know to break down follows’
steps more carefully when I start teaching again this fall.
