Friday, October 18, 2013

Teaching at Parks & Recs

Just a little update about myself.

I've just recently started teaching a few group classes at parks and recreation departments in my area.  So far its going well.  The people are all enjoying themselves.  One thing I have realized is how difficult it is to manage time during class.  The problem is the large difference in skill levels of the students.  Some require a lot of time and attention, while others require less.  As a teacher, I would like to give everyone equal time, but that isn't always possible like I said, everyone has different needs.

I found a good way to make time for everyone.  You have what I would like to call 'practice time' during class, and during this time, you make everyone practice a specific figure individually, and then you walk around fixing issues and giving out encouragement.

It's been interesting, and I hope I can continue teaching far into the future!

-Aaron Mullen

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Promenade Vs. Promenade

What is this?  How can a thing be different from itself?

Let me clear up this confusion.

Despite what one may think, Promenade and Promenade are not the same thing.

Still confused?  If you are, then this is rightly so.  If you already know what I am talking about, then good for you!  You're a step ahead of me!

Now, on to the actual difference.

There are two kinds of Promenade.  The first kind of Promenade is a dance position.  Essentially it is when the man "opens" the lady.  The man turns about 1/8 of a turn to his left, and the lady turns about 1/8 of a turn to her right.  This means there is a 1/4 angle between them, or 90 degrees.  Less turn would be ideal, but for the purposes of this blog, 1/4 is a good amount.

Then there is Promenade in American Foxtrot.  Promenade in American Foxtrot is simply a dance figure in which we use the Promenade POSITION as I outlined above.

Confusing huh?  Don't ask me why someone thought it would be a good idea to name a step after the position, as it can cause some confusion.

This confusion could be overcome by calling Promenade Position another name, which is Open Position.

In the end, it is simple just to remember one refers to a step, and the other to a position.

Hopefully I helped clear up some confusion!

-Aaron Mullen