dance for non-dancers
i wish there were more dance classes that were genuinely welcoming to non-serious dancers, or even non-dancers. i was talking with some coworkers the other day about this. one of them was dancing around while talking, and i made a joke about her being a dancer at heart. she responded by saying that while she loves to dance, she can’t really enjoy classes because she “doesn’t pick up movements easily.” the other one chimed in and said “yeah, i’m not good at that either, so it winds up being a bummer because the class then becomes about me feeling like an idiot because i can’t do the moves.” or something like that.
what struck me was that both of them thought they just happened to be, unfortunately, the type of person who’s slow to remember choreography. i’ve heard lots of people say that, actually–as if they have some defect so that only they aren’t able to get the phrase quickly. but of course, they’re totally wrong: very few people are able to quickly remember movement and repeat it. most of us have to learn that skill the hard way, through lots of time and practice.
people like my colleagues, however, don’t particularly need or want to spend all that time learning how to pick up choreography; they just want to move. i think this is especially true for guys, who don’t seem to enjoy all the small details that go into a technique class and all the things they have to keep in mind. my question is, why aren’t there classes out there that are clear enough that anyone can follow, help people get in touch with their bodies and allow them to feel good about what they’re doing?
maybe it’s not possible, somehow. but i think it’d be a worthy thing to try to develop; it would give truth to the phrase “dance is for everyone.” right now i recommend contact improv to a lot of folks, since you definitely don’t need to be a “real” dancer to do it, but contact isn’t actually for everyone, unfortunately.