Latest / ZoukNerds • Learn | Build | Belong / The Qualities of a Great Dance Teacher (S05 Ep53)

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The Qualities of a Great Dance Teacher (S05 Ep53) · ZoukNerds • Learn | Build | Belong

0:00
Dancers are looking for somebody that can make them feel good.
0:03
One thing that I'm looking for in a teacher how engaged they
0:07
are in the process of the students in my process.
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The biggest quality of a great teacher, in my opinion, is a
0:12
teacher who is a forever student a teacher that is great for the
0:17
community, is there for the community.
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A teacher who just shows up to class and see you later.
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They're known. A community person, the.
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Teacher is not only teaching you about the movement or the
0:28
pattern, but is making connections with other aspects
0:30
of life. As a great communicator in a
0:32
beginner class, you're going to end the class making everybody
0:35
feel like I can do this. I don't know if I'm going to
0:37
remember anything next week, but I feel strong and I feel
0:41
motivated to continue this. When a teacher talks about this
0:44
connecting to life force, the excitements that they have about
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what they're talking about comes out so intensely that for me as
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a student, that's so engaging and inspiring.
0:57
What makes a great dance teacher?
1:00
What sort of qualities and attributes do they need to have
1:04
to be considered a top tier teacher?
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Well, let's find out. Hello.
1:11
Hello everyone and welcome back to Zook Nerds.
1:14
In this episode, we are taking a deep look at the qualities of a
1:18
great teacher from every perspective.
1:22
What do students want? What should teachers focus on to
1:26
grow their reputation and credibility?
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And what qualities do community leaders look for when hiring a
1:35
teacher? Join us as we break down the
1:38
different needs and expectations to give you a full picture of
1:43
what it takes to be great. So let's go.
1:55
Hello, hello everyone and welcome back to another episode.
2:00
My name is Alison Sanji and let's welcome back our beautiful
2:03
Co host Deep. Prada.
2:04
Hello, Gee. Hello, Alison.
2:07
Hello, everybody. Welcome back.
2:09
Thank you once again for joining us, Gee, and everybody listening
2:12
or watching us. If you're watching us on YouTube
2:15
or also if you like to do the podcast style on Spotify, you
2:19
can actually watch the full video, but on the other
2:22
platforms, for some reason, it's only audio.
2:26
Just letting you guys know. So once again, thank you for
2:29
being here. And today we're going to be
2:31
talking about a very, very highly requested topic that has
2:36
been on top of our list. But there's so many other things
2:40
happening in the community that we're like always wanting to do
2:44
and never getting to do it, which is talking about what we
2:48
think makes a great teacher. Like what we always say on Zook
2:53
Nerds, there's no right or wrong when you look at the whole
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picture, right? It's the right thing for you or
3:02
the wrong thing for you. But we do think that in terms of
3:05
qualities, we think we can talk about that.
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And this episode is going to go in various lenses, putting it
3:16
from the denser lens. So how do you identify a great
3:21
teacher or as a teacher yourself?
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How to build that trust or how to build a reputation that you
3:29
are trusted by people and your presence, your name, your brand
3:34
is a strong one that as soon as people talk about that name or
3:38
that person, people know well, there is quality there, no
3:42
questions asked. And also in the community, you
3:45
know, what is a great teacher for the community?
3:48
Because we believe that those three, while they connect in
3:54
many ways, they also disconnect in some ways.
3:58
So let's talk about this for you, guy.
4:01
What do you think that dancers are looking for in a great
4:05
teacher, generally speaking? It's a very good question
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because I have right now several examples of people who are
4:14
starting Brazilian Zook, are really passionate about starting
4:17
Brazilian Zook, and are currently looking for a great
4:20
teacher. And when I talk to them, the
4:24
main thing is a guidance that's from, let's say, a guidance from
4:31
scratch. The people that I talked to, do
4:34
you really want someone that can show them really well the
4:38
foundations of the dance from zero?
4:41
Because they have been around seeing teachers here and there
4:45
and the thing they have been missing is OK, I'm learning all
4:50
these patterns, all the movements, but there's something
4:54
that I'm missing. I know that I'm missing
4:56
something because when I dance with other people from other
4:58
places, they have this thing and I don't know exactly what it is,
5:02
but I noticed there is something.
5:04
And recently they have been here in the US.
5:08
So they were watching our classes, they were
5:11
participating. The thing is they're like, Oh my
5:13
God, this is it that I was missing, which is this more
5:19
thorough guidance. So I think at first is what
5:23
people might be looking for because there is the fact that
5:26
they don't know what they don't know yet.
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And there was this part that happened to them.
5:31
They didn't know that there was a part of the dance.
5:34
They felt something, but they didn't know it was not being
5:37
fully or thoroughly or explicitly explained.
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And then when they realized it, they're like, ah, this is it.
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So I think this might be the first thing in my head right
5:48
now. What is it for you?
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For me, it's a good combination of good communicating skills,
5:56
like people in skills like we call it here, and a good
6:01
structure on how they teach and how they guide the classes.
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Like you said, not just each class but also the course and
6:11
the progression. So I think dancers are looking
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for somebody that can make them feel good, right?
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So a good communicator can embrace the room and make them
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feel like, yes, we're here, we're having fun, we're part of
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it. They can relate to people when
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they are answering questions instead of answering questions
6:33
at the level of a teacher, you know, you're teaching a beginner
6:36
and student who is asking, hey, how do I stay on time here?
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I'm finding it difficult. And maybe as a nerd teacher, you
6:45
might answer. Well, just listen to the one in
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the music. You see the strong beat here?
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Yeah. So keep dancing like this and
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pay attention to the phrase in the music.
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And then you look at the student and they're like, what?
6:58
So a good communicator will speak at the level of that
7:02
dancer's skill. Like we always say here, how I
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teach a basic step for a beginner, for an intermediate,
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for an advanced or for a professional is different
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because they have different level of awareness.
7:15
And the fact that people were looking for somebody that can
7:19
clearly let them know where they are, where they need to be and
7:23
what's ahead of them. You know, this is something that
7:26
I've always heard in the community and whenever I go and
7:30
work with people, they appreciate because they say,
7:34
wow, the way you look at things, it's like so connected and so
7:39
like ahead of where we are now and you can already talk about
7:44
what's happening 3612 months. And that's not because somebody
7:49
gave it to me. It's just because we've been
7:53
trying this for so long now that we've built what we believe on
7:59
this day to be the system that we apply.
8:02
But I'll tell you a secret, it changes every day.
8:07
You know, I cannot download everything that I have and send
8:11
it to you guys and you download because in one week, two weeks,
8:15
I'm going to have a different opinion on maybe one of the
8:18
things or multiple of the things.
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I might go to a workshop with a teacher who teaches slightly
8:24
different from me. And that slight difference might
8:28
make me rethink the entire thing of how I teach and implement
8:33
that, you know? So I think somebody who is good
8:36
at structuring, but at the same time, the best and the biggest
8:41
quality of a great teacher, in my opinion, is a teacher who is
8:45
a forever student to me. That's it.
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You know, a teacher that I know and I can tell that they're
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forever studying, looking for information, going to people and
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asking, trying and testing and being open to it.
9:04
We often say in class, hey guys, you know, this is something that
9:08
we're doing. I know some of you did this
9:10
class with us maybe six months ago and we're teaching slightly
9:13
different. We find that this is better
9:15
because of this and this and this and the other one is more
9:19
like a variation for maybe bigger dense floors, maybe
9:22
smaller dense floors and things that are more concurrent with
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the community that we have, the spaces that we have, and the
9:31
students that we have. So yes, all of that
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communication skills, structure skills, and forever student
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skills, I think those are the three that students really look
9:44
for and appreciate in a teacher. Yeah, the forever student one is
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something that I was thinking about that came into my head
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when I was thinking about the great teachers of my journey.
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And they were people who were always curious the whole time,
10:04
always researching and practicing and training.
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And there is a humbleness aspect to it that is very attractive to
10:11
me. When a teacher goes and becomes
10:15
a student in another teacher's class, you know, joins the
10:18
rotation is with everybody. Although we know that this
10:22
person has more knowledge than I do in this particular field,
10:25
like in the dance, I know that they are not superhumans.
10:30
They didn't become immortals in there in the Olympus of dancers.
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They're still learning or practicing.
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So another example is when a teacher in class in front of the
10:41
entire group will say, good question.
10:45
I haven't thought about that before.
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Look, give me like 5 minutes. Let me think about it.
10:50
Let's continue practicing and I'll come back to you with
10:52
something. But if not, maybe tonight at the
10:55
end of the class or next week I'll bring something to you
10:58
because love that question. Instead of just shutting that
11:02
down, going like, no, we don't do that or that's wrong or it
11:07
doesn't make sense, yes. To just shut off the whole thing
11:12
and stop it. There was actually recently a
11:14
situation. I was teaching a Sakada class, A
11:18
Sakada lab and I was doing at times crossing through the
11:23
Sakada and it ties not crossing to the Sakada.
11:25
And then the student asked why crossing or not crossing?
11:29
Like is this crossing better than not crossing anyway?
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Like he asked about the crossing aspects.
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Yeah. And I had no idea at the time.
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I was like, I explained why crossing and why not crossing.
11:44
Sometimes one is easier, sometimes the other one is not
11:46
easy. And sometimes because the
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momentum of the speeds, you choose one, you choose the
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other. And then he said, OK, I'm going
11:54
to research it. I'm going to look it up.
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And then I'll because has his very engineering brain, he
11:58
really wanted to understand. And I told him, man, tell me
12:03
your findings. Go do your research, tell me
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your findings later. And then two weeks later he
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comes. And then he said, OK, I did all
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the things, all the tests, and there's absolutely no difference
12:14
between crossing or not crossing.
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They both work. Well, he said, I realized in the
12:19
end of the day, it's just a choice that you make.
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And then said, yeah, it's a choice, you know it.
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So that whole exchange was really interesting because it
12:27
was an opportunity for me to allow myself to say, I don't
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know, I choose based on one thing or the other.
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But in the end of the day, it's still one of those things that
12:40
you feel, you know, like you have the intention words that
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Brazilian teachers use so much. You have the intention, you
12:47
feel, and you apply. It was really fun because
12:52
everybody was open. And that's I think another
12:55
aspect you the openness of the teacher when talking to a
13:00
teacher about a technique of another teacher bringing them
13:05
something that you heard somewhere else and combined with
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what is said now listen, not being completely shut off or
13:12
shut down, I never know. Either works for now.
13:16
In other words, 5 not being like, no, this is bad, this
13:19
doesn't work or anything like that.
13:21
How many times have we heard, oh, but I did the course of this
13:25
other person in the training, this other person and they talk
13:29
like this, they do like that. So this happens a lot in our
13:33
Zook worlds and I think any partner dance world actually
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that happens. So that's an opportunity as well
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for the teacher to show you directly and directly about the
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openness that they have and how they see all the techniques and
13:48
other dancers, You know, because I think it's very important for
13:53
us teachers not to put other teachers or other dancers in
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boxes, like these boxes inside of a fridge and think that
14:02
everybody's static, that nothing's going to change and
14:05
how they dancing, how they teach.
14:08
So I invite students not to put dancers in boxes inside of a
14:14
fridge. And for us teachers is also
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something that I find really important as well because I have
14:21
seen friends who are teachers really modify the way they teach
14:27
over time. So if I had put them in a box,
14:32
you know I would have completely closed my eyes to the changes.
14:37
Well, I'm probably one of those that you've seen me through
14:40
phases, you know, of how I taught back in 2019 and then,
14:45
yes, 2022 and now 2025, how I'm teaching because I just love
14:51
finding ways to do things better.
14:55
And now I think we can move on to like what is a good teacher
14:59
from our perspective as teachers, from a perspective of
15:04
a teacher. I think that before we go on, we
15:07
should clarify that this is adding to what we already said
15:11
for the dances, right? So we're not deleting that.
15:15
We're not deleting the communicator structure, open to
15:19
learning and things like that. But adding on, I think a teacher
15:23
who is very adaptable right by the second, by the minute, as
15:30
things happen, they don't stick to their plan, but they actually
15:35
let the students guide how the class goes to a certain extent.
15:41
Of course, sometimes I enter a workshop and the workshop plan
15:45
is this. And I'm there as a student and I
15:48
see that the teacher is just going through the plan and I see
15:51
the students and I'm like, OK, let me see this until the end
15:57
because I have to stop judging as it happens.
16:00
Trust the process. We say this a lot, so I have to
16:03
repeat that to myself. Trust the process, Alison.
16:06
There must be a reason. And sometimes there is, but also
16:10
a lot of times there isn't it. It was just because that's what
16:13
they prepared for and they're not willing to change or they
16:19
don't have the experience to change, or they didn't even
16:23
realize it wasn't going well. Yeah, this is something I want
16:27
to talk real quick because recently we have been training
16:31
the teachers here in DC and recently, like last week,
16:37
someone was teaching and I was observing.
16:40
Yeah, I was observing, like just being the shadowing.
16:45
Exactly. I was there.
16:48
You're a family on the wall. I was a family on the wall and
16:52
after they're asking for feedback and the feedback that I
16:56
gave was exactly that. One was like, I think some of
16:59
the things that you mentioned, you mentioned by protocol, it
17:03
was like this is the order of stuff that we need to go
17:06
through. And then realizing that the
17:09
audience we had, the students we had in that class, we could have
17:13
skipped that part, you know, but because it was protocol, you
17:18
went through that part. So I think it's exactly what
17:22
you're saying, Alice. Only like he's noticing the
17:25
thing and looking at your plan is like, do I really need to
17:28
talk about this with this group? Maybe not.
17:31
Maybe yes. You know, So it's a form of
17:35
autopilot, especially if you have like a syllabus, if you
17:38
have like a structure that you follow very often and many times
17:43
you do follow the whole thing because people really need the
17:45
whole thing at times they don't. Yes, I've seen this a lot in
17:49
festivals when new teachers, they start travelling and I
17:56
should add, not only new teachers, but teachers who
17:59
mostly travel don't have regular students.
18:02
They tend to just have their plan, stick to the plan and move
18:05
on because whatever happens, it's a crash and they don't have
18:10
to deal with it. You know, I don't know if
18:12
they're conscious about it. You know, if it's my event, I'll
18:15
go and talk to them. I'll always go and talk to the
18:17
artist and ask them what do they think about the class and if
18:23
there was anything that they heard from the students or felt
18:26
in the class. Because usually I already heard
18:29
feedback from the students or from other teachers or from the
18:32
organization that the class didn't go too well.
18:34
Maybe I was there watching, maybe I wasn't there watching
18:37
and then I couldn't talk to them and I asked them almost all the
18:40
time. They didn't realize almost all
18:43
the time that this has happened in all of the events that are
18:45
organized. They didn't realize it was
18:48
happening. And this could be a lack of
18:51
experience or just could be a lack of awareness, just like
18:57
being aware and feeling the students in the room with you
19:00
instead of you like on the stage as if you were like a pre
19:05
recorded lecture and just deliver, deliver, deliver,
19:08
deliver, change partners. Yeah.
19:11
You know, and of course, look, there are times where as a
19:16
teacher, we already tell the students at the start of the
19:20
class. For example, in some events
19:22
we're invited to teach an advanced challenge workshop.
19:25
And at the very start of the class we say, hey guys, this is
19:29
what the class is about. This is what we're going to be
19:32
doing. We are going from here onwards.
19:36
So yes, we're sticking to the plan because the organization
19:38
asked us to make sure that that class is a challenge, an
19:41
advanced challenge. But we already give them that
19:44
warning and say, hey, if you feel like we're not covering
19:47
those other things, that's intentional, OK?
19:49
We're not not paying attention to you.
19:51
We see sometimes we're struggling, but we just have to
19:54
stay focused on the level of that class.
19:58
But even then, there's a lot of room for adaptability there.
20:02
It's not just teaching the combo.
20:04
Sometimes I see something that is happening in class and I'll
20:07
actually use it. I'll see that something is
20:10
happening pretty much with everybody and I'm like, well,
20:13
that's not where I was going. But since you're going there
20:16
naturally, let's explore that. Let's explore that because it's
20:21
something that all of the dancers or majority of the
20:23
dancers in the room feel good about and they are naturally
20:27
doing it. And then I'll stop and I mention
20:29
I said, look guys, there's this option, there's this option, and
20:33
there's that option. You guys are already doing this
20:35
option. So let's explore this one.
20:37
And then later I'll give you the one that I was planning.
20:40
And then we adapt and go with the flow because if everyone is
20:43
doing and it's a good option and everyone is having fun, why just
20:49
like tell them, no, it's wrong. You know, sometimes it's
20:54
actually better to adapt and go with that flow that naturally
20:58
they're going with then to stick to the plan that you had.
21:01
Because maybe by the end of it, it didn't work for that group.
21:05
Maybe I planned something that is more big and they like to
21:08
dance small. Yeah, I have a word for it.
21:11
For me, it's slightly different than awareness.
21:14
It's a manifestation of awareness.
21:16
I think the word that I use for what you have been describing is
21:20
engagement, like how engaged the teacher is in the process that
21:25
is happening in the class. Yes, in the out of pilots, your
21:30
level of engagement, I think it might reduce your level of
21:33
engagement because you are following the plan.
21:36
You're looking at people doing the things.
21:39
But I think you're looking like, you know, when you blur your
21:41
eyes and you just see like the whole and the whole looks fine,
21:47
you know, and depending on the level of engagement, you look
21:51
more precise. Your eyes change.
21:54
And I remember I always use this example, and I'm going to use
21:58
names because it was one of the most cute and endearing
22:03
exchanges that I had was when I was there in Taipei.
22:08
And at the other, they were doing their Lambada Weekender.
22:12
I think it was the Friday. Yeah.
22:13
They were doing a class before the weekend for the group by
22:16
Lalu, and they started their class.
22:19
Did they warm up Papa? And they were going with the
22:22
plan. They're following the protocol.
22:26
And then you and I, we were there and we were watching like,
22:32
let's see what happens. Because guys, they were teaching
22:36
stuff and people there in the workshop, they were crushing it.
22:40
They were doing perfectly well, but they were not complaining.
22:44
They were just going with it super like, you know, super
22:47
nice. And then it's going, it's going,
22:50
it's going. And I'm laughing internally
22:52
because every time they add something new, they just crush
22:55
it. And then at some point they were
22:58
practicing and that he outcomes to me.
23:00
And then he said they're good now.
23:06
And I said, my friends, you can skip the whole thing that had in
23:10
mind and go way ahead. And he's like, yeah, I think
23:14
we're going to need to change the plan.
23:16
And I said, yeah, I'm really good.
23:18
So then he got Latisse and went to the corner.
23:20
And then they started like thinking of option D&E&F because
23:26
ABC, they got it very quickly, you know, so I don't think they
23:30
were expecting the group to go that fast.
23:34
And that was the thing. I think that shows the level of
23:36
engagement. There's a perception that people
23:39
are doing really well and they still have like an hour left, so
23:45
they need to pivot, you know. So I found that a really
23:50
endearing example because of the way that he approached me and
23:53
talked about everyone talked about the students, but it shows
23:57
engagement. And that's what I think is
24:00
another quality of a grading structure is how engaged they
24:05
are in the process of kind of like every student.
24:10
I remember back in my both sister days, both sister, we
24:15
talked about this before in the podcast Football Sister is the
24:19
scholarship holder of the dance studios in Brazil back in the
24:24
day, this exchange, we dance with the students and we learn
24:27
for free. Quick, quick explanation.
24:30
And it felt so incredible when the teacher would come to me
24:34
like full class, how many people in class and the teacher would
24:37
come to me and say, try like this now try going this way, you
24:41
know, So out of all these people, they were seeing me,
24:45
they're seeing what I was doing. And I would see them walk around
24:49
and do similarly travel students, you know, So like this
24:54
interest in knowing their names, their interest in knowing a
24:57
little bit more about them, this interest in realizing, oh, they
25:02
got this thing. Let me give them a challenge to
25:04
keep them engaged. Oh, they're having a hard time.
25:07
Let me give them a little bit of piece of feedback because how
25:10
many times I listen, I think to start this true sometimes the
25:13
teacher explains play the music for people to practice and turn
25:18
around and turn backwards, you know and.
25:22
So many times. Talk to each.
25:23
Other, but they are not looking at the people practicing.
25:27
That drives me a little crazy, you know.
25:32
But we know there might be so many reasons why that's
25:34
happening, so many reasons why the level of engagement slow.
25:37
But that's one thing that I'm looking for in a teacher, how
25:42
engaged they are in the process of the students, how engaged
25:44
they are in my process. And I was really inspired by the
25:48
teachers who were engaged in that way.
25:50
And I think this is a great tip for anyone who teaches classes
25:55
that have mixed levels. What I mean by that is sometimes
25:59
when you're doing your level ones or your beginner courses or
26:02
maybe open classes, you have people who are coming to support
26:05
and come to learn maybe the opposite role.
26:08
And you feel like, you know, I'm not giving enough for them to
26:12
feel like they need to be here or they want to be here.
26:16
And that's exactly what you can do.
26:18
What Gee said. You can just go to them and say,
26:20
hey, great Villa ginga, but focus a little bit more on your
26:24
grounding step and on your swiveling technique.
26:27
Because this person specifically is already maybe a Level 3 or a
26:31
level 2. You can talk to them in a few
26:34
words and give them like very specific technique to work on
26:37
while they are in a beginner's course where we're not going to
26:40
be talking about the grounding, the swiveling and all of those
26:43
things. But you can just like give them
26:46
a little poke of like, hey, great turn, but just focus on
26:51
opening your chest because you're kind of like letting your
26:54
head drop a little bit and they will be coming back.
26:57
You'll go like, oh, I love when I go to your level one class
27:00
because yes, I know all of the movements, but you always giving
27:03
me little extra things that normally I would have to maybe
27:09
do a private lesson to get that feedback.
27:11
So for all of you who have the difficult, very difficult job of
27:16
pleasing various levels in a group, try to do something like
27:20
this. For those people who can do more
27:22
or less, and I'm not saying tell them to do a different move
27:26
that's probably not going to work out in a beginner's course,
27:30
for example, because they are still learning the basics.
27:33
But it can tell them to maybe try a different direction, maybe
27:37
try a closer hold or if they're very close and maybe a more open
27:42
hold or feedback in a personal level of what they're doing with
27:48
their body, more hip motion, more relaxed knees, more
27:53
straighter back, all of those things.
27:55
I think it's very, very, very useful.
27:58
And when I see a teacher doing that, I'm like, oh, yeah, you
28:03
are hired. My teacher, you are hired.
28:08
You are hired. Because I can see that they're
28:10
engaged. I can see that they care.
28:13
I can see that they're also thinking about the fact that
28:17
this person would appreciate that little extra piece of
28:22
information. Yeah, In our curriculum here in
28:26
Washington DC for District Zook, the latest level that we have,
28:30
it's called study group. So when people complete all like
28:34
the regular curriculum syllabus, set courses, they go to the
28:39
study group. And the study group, because
28:42
it's going on for some time now, is starting to have this
28:47
phenomenon that you have people that have been the study group
28:50
for a couple cycles and people who are coming in brand new.
28:53
And the people who are coming in brand new to the study group,
28:56
they are a little bit behind in technique in certain aspects to
29:01
the people who are already there.
29:03
And I'm having the chance to do what my teachers did to me,
29:07
which is really nice, which is when someone rotates with me to
29:12
do with me, I say, very good. Now let's try a little bit
29:17
bigger or let's get out of the comfort zone a little bit.
29:21
Let's push a little bit further. Let's try to go a little bit
29:24
more. It has been really interesting
29:26
to do that because when I tell that to a student, to a
29:31
follower, they react like, oh, can I, oh, can I do that?
29:36
I said now, now yes, I think now you understood your body can
29:41
execute the thing really well in this really safe, contained way
29:46
that it feels really comfortable.
29:48
Now let's try to push a little bit to stretch a little bit
29:51
more. And the reception has been
29:55
amazing. So Michaelison said if you are
29:58
in this very difficult job of having a class with all these
30:02
different levels, there are different ways that you can do
30:05
that. The way that I use is join the
30:08
rotation. I mean the rotation with the
30:10
students very consistently. There's a moment of the class
30:15
that is sacred for that part. And the students know already
30:19
when they rotating, to me, they know it's going to take a while
30:23
for the class to move on in a way because I am going around
30:27
with each person. And that's sometimes their
30:29
favorite part of the class. There is that one and there is
30:33
the one that you are outside watching people and maybe see if
30:39
you can watch 1 by 1 because you can have that sights that you
30:43
see everything and then you can spot, you know, stuff here and
30:47
there. And there's also the way that
30:49
you can go 1 by 1, do one time for me to watch, and then if
30:53
everything is going well, give that little tip, you know, So
30:56
there are ways to engage in the end of the day, engage.
31:00
I think that's the thing. Or notice how engaged the
31:05
teacher is if you are the person looking for the teacher.
31:09
So Gil, what else do you think that could go on to that level
31:15
between like teacher to teacher, what maybe a feedback that we
31:18
can give to some of the teachers out there, things that we see
31:22
and we're like, come on, we can do better.
31:26
Yeah, there is one thing, the music I don't think we realize
31:30
when we get to teach. So for example, if you are not a
31:35
teacher, if you're not an instructor and you are required
31:38
to do that, I think we don't realize the music part.
31:43
We don't realize sometimes that the music that we thought would
31:46
be nice is actually a little bit too fast or has a long intro or
31:51
has this giant break in the middle.
31:54
That if you're training with the beginner students and rely so
31:59
much on a very clear rhythm and there's this giant silence in
32:02
the middle, you're like, Oh my God, let me, let me you know.
32:05
So I have to keep changing the music.
32:07
And it's a class that maybe you're teaching like basic step
32:10
side basic and basic on the spot.
32:12
Like you need something with constant beat the whole time.
32:16
Exactly. So do not underestimate the
32:20
music parts. Yeah, I think that's really
32:23
important to prepare a little bit to see a library of music
32:27
and listen to the music you have.
32:29
We still fall into that trap of listening to music one time in a
32:35
social Shazam. It find it.
32:38
Oh, I'm going to use it in class, but I don't listen to it
32:40
before. So when you're playing class,
32:43
oh, shoot me the long intro. So get the music ready in
32:48
advance. Depending on the class that
32:50
you're going to teach, change the music a little bit.
32:53
And this is my people. My people talk very quickly.
32:57
My people get an app to change the BBN, Get something that you
33:02
can control the speed of the song because that's the most
33:05
powerful tool that we have as a teacher of dance is the ability.
33:11
2020. Five yes, the ability to change
33:15
the speed of the song. Guys, don't rely on Spotify
33:19
forever. Please don't rely on the
33:22
original speed of the song because you don't need to.
33:24
You can, but you don't need to. If you have the opportunity to
33:27
change the speed of the song, why wouldn't you?
33:30
You know, he's so liberating, he's so freeing when you can do
33:34
that. I think Spotify is the worst
33:37
when teachers using it for warm up or for music in class, unless
33:42
they have a very, very, very, very well curated playlist of
33:49
like slow tempo, good beats from start to end, maybe 1015 songs
33:56
that they know they can play any song on that playlist and it's
33:59
going to be great. But how many people do that?
34:02
They don't They go through whatever music is there.
34:05
But one thing that we personally do a lot key and I and we highly
34:11
recommend is for you to get DJ sets.
34:15
So go on Mixcloud, go on SoundCloud, go anywhere, find
34:19
DJs with sets that you think, Oh my God, this would be great for
34:23
a beginner class because sometimes there's a 10 or 15
34:27
minutes at the beginning in the middle or somewhere in the set
34:30
that if you start here and you end here, gives you a 15 minutes
34:33
great beat, great something. Or maybe if you're doing a
34:36
musicality class or if you're doing a more like feeling body
34:40
movement class, you can use that and you can contact the DJs and
34:45
buy it from them and say, hey, would you mind if I do use this
34:49
in my classes? And again, still you're still
34:53
going to need the app to change the speed that's forever.
34:57
Like the one that we use is called any tune pro, like any
35:01
anything tune like song music pro, like professional, any tune
35:07
pro. And I believe it's available on
35:09
both Android and Apple devices. So if you guys want that.
35:15
But also there is the free one, Virtual DJ.
35:19
Download it. It's free.
35:20
It's free, guys. Download it, download the set,
35:24
put it there, and then know the ones that you use for beginners,
35:29
the ones that you use with more texture and dynamic when you
35:34
want to play a little bit more. But yeah, doing a like 10
35:39
minutes warm up and every end of song having to play another one,
35:43
to me it breaks the flow, it breaks the atmosphere, it breaks
35:49
that thing that you've been building over the last three
35:51
minutes because they're like reset, OK, let's start again.
35:56
I like to have everybody like in a trends for 15 minutes.
36:00
They're just like they warm up trends, you know.
36:05
So that is something and couple of technicalities.
36:10
Make sure that you've got your cables, your adapters, make sure
36:14
you've got your waters, make sure you've got your shoes, make
36:16
sure you've got your chargers. I've got every festival I'm the
36:20
adapter, charger and cables provider because I always have
36:24
it in my bag. Adapter for iPhone for USBC
36:28
cables and chargers. Because teachers will show up
36:32
literally on time for the class or even late.
36:36
And like, does anyone have an adapter?
36:39
And I have no mercy at that point.
36:41
And I'm just like, oh, welcome, Is this your first class?
36:45
Have you taught before? Because like, where is your
36:48
adapter? Why aren't you ready?
36:49
And they laugh, but I mean, like, it's a burn.
36:52
It's a burn. If you're not prepared, at least
36:54
tell somebody 30 minutes early at the teacher's room or the
36:58
organizer. Hey guys, I'm going to teach in
37:02
30 minutes. I'm looking for an adapter.
37:04
Anybody has it, sometimes we lose it.
37:06
Sometimes we give to other people to use.
37:08
They don't bring it back. All the things happened.
37:11
Be prepared with those small things as well, because again,
37:14
we're talking about great teachers here.
37:16
We're talking about teachers who are in the room before their
37:20
class is supposed to start. They're already there.
37:23
They're ready anytime. Tell me and I'll start the
37:26
class. Not like rushing into the room
37:29
when you're supposed to start and you don't have your things
37:32
together. They're good to go.
37:34
Yeah. I think we could have like a
37:36
starter kit or Survival kit that includes A USBC to SPC cable, a
37:42
power bank, you know, at least one speaker.
37:46
Guys, you never know if the sounds going to work or not.
37:50
There is a chance that it has happened to me that the sound of
37:55
the room that we rented is not working.
37:57
But because I had my faithful, you know, I had my faithful yes
38:03
with me. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
38:06
I taught a giant class of people with a JBL chart three that is
38:12
like, I don't know, seven years old, you know?
38:16
Yeah, it happens that sometimes the organizer just booked the
38:19
studio, but they've never been to the studio.
38:22
Or they book the studio. They've been to the studio, but
38:24
they haven't checked how to connect to the sounds.
38:26
And then you show up there, everybody's there.
38:28
We teachers go connect to the sound and we're like, hi, hey,
38:31
guys, how do we do this? It's locked.
38:34
Like there's no cable, nothing here.
38:37
Or like the power is not working and it's time, guys, have your
38:42
speaker ready. Put it down.
38:44
Let's go. Oh, maybe we can even get into
38:47
the studio. OK, let's start here in the
38:50
corridor. Let's do something.
38:52
Let's go down to the lobby. Let's go to the car park.
38:55
We're going to make it happen. Don't worry.
38:56
We. Find a way in there.
38:59
So have your like, your little kids or your survival kits ready
39:03
to go. You know, like we normally use
39:06
the iPads or the Mac or the computer for the music, but the
39:11
phone is always the backup. Yeah, guys, everything ready to
39:14
go? Ready if you think something
39:17
could happen make that as a checklist.
39:20
You know, make sure that you have your teaching checklist and
39:24
if you have a dance partner who happens to be one of those that
39:28
forget things, make sure you double check with them because
39:32
it might not be you, but it might be your dance partner.
39:34
So look out for them, help each other.
39:37
And now I think we can move on to the organizers.
39:41
Looking as a community leader, as an organizer or as a
39:45
promoter. What is a great teacher?
39:49
In my opinion, a teacher that is great for the community is a
39:54
teacher that is there for the community.
39:58
I think that makes it very simple to explain, but I'll go
40:01
deeper. A teacher who wants to be around
40:06
the community, not just their paying students.
40:09
A teacher that goes to socials that is organized by their
40:13
school or by other schools, go to workshops that are organized
40:18
by other people, shows up just for the sake of wanting to be
40:23
part of the community and listens to the community.
40:27
People who are wanting to do something like this or wanting
40:30
to do something like that, offer you help.
40:33
Maybe you cannot organize like I often cannot organize something
40:37
new for people. But whoever wants to organize
40:41
it, tell them. They say, hey, let me know
40:44
whatever you need. Just let me know and I will tell
40:48
you. I'll help you.
40:49
I'll give you some shortcuts on how to make it happen.
40:53
Hopefully it'll make the job easier on you because I don't
40:56
have the time to make it, but I have the experience to at least
41:00
share, you know? So yeah, being part of the
41:03
family, I think it's a big thing that as an organizer or as a
41:07
community person, that's what I want to see.
41:12
A teacher who just shows up to class and see you later may be
41:16
the best teacher in town, but only in class they're known a
41:23
community person that can exist. And like we've said that in
41:28
episodes before that there is a space for that.
41:31
We're not saying these people should be deleted from the
41:34
community. There's a space for that, but
41:37
you know the fuller package that you can have, the better it's
41:41
going to be. Yeah, when think about ideals,
41:45
the aspect of curiosity comes to mind, but expressed in a
41:50
different way. For example, bringing a new
41:53
teacher to the community is the curiosity of the teacher to know
41:57
how things have been running for a while.
41:59
So instead of arriving ready with changes that they wanted to
42:03
implement right away, spend some time observing how things are
42:07
being done and ease their way in.
42:11
And I think that's a very important and respectful thing
42:15
to do because it shows to people who have been there already,
42:19
recognizes the work, recognizes that the thing only exists.
42:24
And I'm only coming there to teach there because someone did
42:27
the work. And we might not fully agree
42:30
with how it's done, but it's important to acknowledge how
42:34
it's done, understanding how it's done, and then bring things
42:38
in slowly. So sometimes spent observing,
42:42
sometimes spent learning about how things run.
42:46
And that openness, openness to adapt in the sense of I teach
42:52
this way here, but they have been learning this way for such
42:55
a long time. Can I find middle ground here?
42:58
Can I find a way to bring the way that I would like to teach
43:02
combined with the way that they learn already, you know, just
43:05
this thing so not to cause unhealthy disruption, that the
43:10
disruption is healthy is like, oh, something new is coming.
43:14
Something new is being brought. And it's not like a slap on the
43:18
face. You know, it's a nice kind of
43:21
disruption. And I bring again an example of
43:26
a friend who is really keen in starting a scene or really keen
43:30
in getting the scene to a new place in where they live.
43:35
And they have been scouting teachers, making calls, talking
43:40
to people. And it's really interesting to
43:43
see already just in conversation, the level of
43:46
openness, or I mean how close or how open they are.
43:50
So for example, there was one conversation that they had with
43:54
a couple of teachers and they were talking about the teaching
43:59
standards that they would like to follow, like to follow these
44:03
teaching standards here. I like the way that they build
44:05
things. The syllable is nice.
44:07
And then the couple teachers said, I don't think we need this
44:12
because we already doing this other one.
44:14
And then when they told me about this conversation, I said, oh,
44:18
interesting. It might be a point you observe
44:21
there because you might be showing a level of closeness.
44:24
They might not be open to the way that you'd like.
44:28
So observe or talk more or ask more questions, see how it is
44:33
going. But I think this interest in
44:37
knowing how things are happening and bringing the new thing in,
44:41
being open to the suggestions is a very, very important aspect
44:46
for me when I'm thinking about the community leader wanting a
44:50
teacher, wanting a good teacher, finding a good teacher, a great
44:53
teacher. Yeah, we've had this situation
44:57
happen multiple times. For example, when I moved to DC
45:01
and when I moved to Taipei. Now we had that dating process
45:06
and did the dating time that we're getting to know each
45:08
other. And just before recording this
45:10
episode, I was talking to Guy about this, how the beginning
45:13
when I moved to DCI was like, am I doing a good job?
45:16
Does people like my thing? Like, is it OK?
45:20
Am I pleasing the students? Are the students happy?
45:23
Are the other teachers happy? Are the directors happy?
45:26
Because like, I wanted to make sure that everything was
45:30
integrating well. I understand that sometimes you
45:34
just want the teacher to come in and you trust the teacher and
45:37
you're like, no, no, just just just teach your way.
45:39
Yes, thank you for the respect. But no, guys, we need guidance.
45:46
And if those teachers are not willing to get guidance from the
45:49
local people, that's not a good sign because those teachers
45:53
should be asking questions, should be asking like, hey, how
45:58
are the warm ups here? Do you think we can do a little
46:01
longer? I normally do longer warm ups
46:02
and they're like, oh, we never did it.
46:04
OK, so maybe I'll start with, you know, not super long ones
46:08
and get them used to it over time instead of just come in and
46:12
just plan my way of doing things and 'cause this whole thing in
46:16
the school and the community because bro, there's so much to
46:21
adapt. Today I had a meeting that went
46:24
for I think 4 hours and on Friday we had another meeting
46:28
that went for about an hour or so with the school here that I
46:32
teach with because I told them like hey guys, can we meet?
46:38
I want to really know what has been going on in the classes so
46:42
far and what we want to do in the future.
46:46
Because I was here on and off for the last year and a half and
46:50
then I've been here full time since April, end of April, and
46:54
I've been teaching classes the whole time.
46:56
But. Like.
46:57
Those are not my students, you know, and they've been dancing
47:01
some of them for 1234 years. And I've been trying my best
47:06
over the last year and I have to kind of learn how they do things
47:10
here and then implement the way I do things and see which ones
47:14
work, which one doesn't. But there's so much to learn.
47:17
Just last month I discovered that, you know, there are a few
47:20
things that we were doing in the classes that it was not working.
47:24
We didn't know until we went to each person and asked.
47:29
Because you might think everything's OK guys.
47:32
And I'm talking from teacher to teacher here.
47:35
You might think that things are OK, but it might just be because
47:39
the students respect you and they're not going to question
47:43
you. But you don't know that.
47:45
You don't know what's going on inside.
47:47
You don't know if they're feeling overwhelmed or they're
47:50
feeling underwhelmed, if they're feeling beyond their limits or
47:55
they're feeling not challenged at all.
47:57
You really need to ask and talk to the students.
48:01
Maybe have some spice, you know, maybe one of the students or one
48:06
of the people in the community that likes to talk to everybody.
48:10
They can pass on some information anonymously.
48:14
That works too. You know, that works too.
48:16
But be interested in becoming part of the family and
48:20
understanding the family dynamics.
48:22
I learned so much teaching here. I learned so much teaching DC.
48:27
Anybody who knows my teaching before I moved to DC and now
48:31
cannot deny that I have learned so much teaching in DC.
48:34
These are the kind of things that for all of you out there
48:37
who wanted to listen to this episode and kind of find out
48:42
what should I be aiming for if I want to be a teacher or what
48:48
should I be looking for If I want to learn from a great
48:52
teacher as an organizer or a school owner?
48:56
What should I be looking for when hiring a teacher or
49:00
accepting a residence? Because there's a lot of
49:03
teachers out there traveling now and saying, hey, can I come for
49:06
two months? Can I come for three months?
49:08
Have multiple dating video calls, not just one.
49:13
I don't care if they are 5 million people on Instagram or
49:17
whatever, have multiple video calls because it is going to be
49:22
like, I wouldn't say a marriage, but it's going to be like an
49:25
engagement for those two or three months and it's kind of
49:29
like moving into each other's house, but you don't know if
49:32
this is going to work. Date a lot before this happens a
49:35
lot and have contracts. People have contracts.
49:40
Everything ready, everything written, everything spoken.
49:45
No TS left uncrossed please. Yeah, I was thinking on like
49:51
parting words. You know what would be the first
49:55
thing for people? Either the student who's looking
49:59
for the grade teacher, the teachers look for the teacher,
50:01
the community leaders looking for the teacher.
50:04
What would be this first thing that they could observe?
50:07
To know a little bit more or to know a lot more is one thing for
50:12
me. Like I said, the spy, I think
50:14
you can ask a spy question is ask them what they think or just
50:21
to see how they would talk about another teacher.
50:24
Oh yeah. Yeah, bro, I think that would be
50:28
a good way to start. You know, like what do you think
50:31
of this teacher here? What do you think of their work?
50:33
And just observe. I think that would be like a
50:37
good way for you to measure several of the things we talked
50:41
about here, especially the aspect of curiosity, the aspect
50:46
of openness, the aspect of interest.
50:49
You know, I think this particularly the curiosity 1, it
50:53
might come out in the way that they express about the teacher
50:56
or you just asked him about. Another one, I think it's very
51:01
used in the corporate world in terms of like drop interviews
51:06
and things like that. I think we need to pay attention
51:09
and I do this all the time. Every single event, every single
51:14
time I'm around people, I'm watching it.
51:16
Help people react with each other because I don't care what
51:20
you say in front of my face. I've already seen enough of how
51:24
you treated somebody in the parking lot, how you treated
51:27
somebody in the bathroom, how you treated somebody in the
51:30
class, how you came into the school and you're just like on
51:35
your phone. You didn't say hi to anybody,
51:37
You didn't say hi to the receptionist.
51:39
I don't care. They're not paying your bills.
51:41
They are a person. They are part of the community,
51:43
so please treat them nicely. I'm watching all of those
51:46
things, and I think this is part of just who you are.
51:50
You know, like I got you an Uber, you're getting out of the
51:54
Uber, and you just like, get out of the Uber.
51:56
Don't say anything. Slams the door.
51:59
I've seen it. I've seen it, and I cannot
52:01
forget that, you know, you're getting out of the Uber.
52:04
Hey, thank you very much. Have a great day. close the door
52:07
nicely, walk away. Just that little interaction
52:10
changes everything in my mind, honestly, because you can be the
52:14
nicest person to me and to my students that are paying
52:18
something. But if you're not a nice person
52:21
in and out in any circumstance, not Gucci.
52:26
Not Gucci. Yeah, not.
52:28
Gucci. So I think that's a great way to
52:31
identify immediately, like watch that person in class outside of
52:36
the class anywhere. Some of us are introverts, OK.
52:40
So yes, if you see us on the street, we might just not be
52:44
talking to anybody because we're introverts.
52:46
But when they have the opportunity to interact with
52:49
somebody, how does that go? You know, is it very
52:53
transactional or is it very warm and welcoming?
52:56
I think that has very much to do with the person.
52:59
Yeah, I think so too. And there is actually one last
53:03
thing that I wanted to mention, and that is something that
53:06
resonated with me very strongly as a student and that I also try
53:11
to bring as a teacher. That can also be like a matter
53:15
of preference to, which is the storytelling aspect of teaching
53:20
in the sense that the teacher is not only teaching you about the
53:25
movements or the pattern, but he's making connections with
53:28
other aspects of life. He's making connections with
53:31
other aspects of moving your body, like everyday things, the
53:35
connections that can be created between dance and life.
53:41
And the teachers who did that were the ones that got my
53:44
attention the most. Jaime, of course, Yeah, sitting
53:50
at the top of the chair. And several teachers in
53:53
Argentina, the way that they would talk about tango, like the
53:57
way they talk about dance, they were not just talking about
54:00
dance. You know, there is something
54:02
behind and you could feel in their voice, in their tone.
54:07
So when a teacher talks about dance in this way, connecting to
54:12
life, to life force, the excitements that they have about
54:16
what they're talking about comes out so intensely that for me as
54:20
a student, that's so engaging and inspiring as well.
54:25
I remember leaving class really inspired, wanting to dance
54:29
better and wanting to become a better person because I was
54:32
dancing better. So the aspect of inspiration
54:36
that comes from the way that they present the content and the
54:41
the life force that they bring behind the words that are coming
54:45
out of their mouths. It's something that has inspired
54:49
me for so long and it still does inspire me.
54:52
It's one of my greatest models when it comes to teaching, you
54:56
know, So one of the things here with the team of people who
55:01
wants to become instructors, you need to see we make this
55:04
invitation to how does this thing that you talk about
55:09
connects with things beyond the pattern, beyond the technicality
55:13
of the movements? How can you connect with people
55:15
in a different way? But it's you talk about the
55:18
Villa Gin and De la tear out the bones, you know, to engage
55:22
people, to inspire differently. There has been something they
55:25
always call my attention. And it might be, you know,
55:28
something that calls your attention to either if you are
55:32
of student, a teacher or a community leader.
55:35
They're storytelling, the life aspect of teaching dance.
55:40
Then it falls into one of the first qualities that we talked
55:44
about, which is being a great people person, being a great
55:48
communicator. You know, as a great
55:50
communicator in a beginner class, you're going to end the
55:53
class making everybody feel like I can do this.
55:56
I have no idea what happened in this class.
55:59
I don't know if I'm going to remember anything next week, but
56:02
I feel strong and I feel motivated to continue this.
56:06
That's exactly that. You know, somebody that can make
56:09
you feel that way. They can teach you a whole new
56:12
dance that doesn't exist and you're still coming back every
56:14
week. Honestly, it won't be Brazilian
56:17
Zoo. It won't be anything, but you're
56:19
going to love it because that teacher is going to make you
56:21
feel that great. And that's how it goes.
56:25
So with that in mind, we want to say once again, thank you for
56:29
being here, everyone. Hopefully this was another
56:33
episode where we can help you, give you little things to think
56:37
about either for your now or your future, or share with
56:43
somebody that you think this could be very useful to.
56:46
Yeah, maybe your teacher, maybe another community person.
56:50
Tell them, hey, you know, I think this episode is going to
56:53
be very good for you to help you in the community or as a
56:58
teacher. And with that, thank you so much
57:02
for being here once again. And please help us, support us,
57:06
follow, subscribe, share, do all of the things on YouTube, on
57:10
Instagram, Tiktok, wherever you are seeing us so we can continue
57:15
doing this great work in the community, Coco.
57:20
So thank you once again, Pages, pages, Abrasus and Ciao.
57:26
Tell people see you next time.