I have not held a summer class since 2014. Unlike the past 5 years, I now find myself with a great deal of motivation: there are three - not just one, nor only two - but three dancers in my class who are going with me this summer to Stockton Folk Dance Camp! I will not be driving alone. (Nor will I be able to pick up fellow campers at Stockton airport for a ride to camp.) It's going to be a whole new experience for the three of them -- AND being there with them will be a new experience for me.
I vividly remember last summer at Stockton... every day, I would have an interesting experience and say to myself, "wow! Kay would absolutely love it here!" Somehow, I've encouraged Kay, Nancy AND Lorie to come to camp. I cannot wait to share this experience with friends! Countdown #2 on my phone is set for Stockton: 9 days and 12 hours.
So I'm teaching class again this summer. And again, I can admit that I teach folk dance for selfish reasons. Usually I tell folks in my class that I teach because I'd prefer to have people to dance with. Dancing alone is okay, but not as much fun as with a group. And now I'm holding summer class this year because I want to be in good dance shape for camp! I can do many things by myself to get in shape for dance camp, but I'd really prefer not to dance alone.
Summer class has brought some new folks my way. The summer started with an evening of minimal teaching. I learned that this was not the preference of some folks. So I've been teaching throughout the evening. I envisioned the summer would be more like a party than a class, so I want to incorporate SOME dances without teaching them first. It's another skill that can be learned at a folk dance class -- giving dancers the opportunity to learn by standing behind the line. When we go to Stockton, we're going to have MANY opportunities to stand behind the line of dances we haven't yet learned. So although the summer series is more than half over, I'm still honing the format of the class. Content is based on dancers' requests.
I vividly remember last summer at Stockton... every day, I would have an interesting experience and say to myself, "wow! Kay would absolutely love it here!" Somehow, I've encouraged Kay, Nancy AND Lorie to come to camp. I cannot wait to share this experience with friends! Countdown #2 on my phone is set for Stockton: 9 days and 12 hours.
So I'm teaching class again this summer. And again, I can admit that I teach folk dance for selfish reasons. Usually I tell folks in my class that I teach because I'd prefer to have people to dance with. Dancing alone is okay, but not as much fun as with a group. And now I'm holding summer class this year because I want to be in good dance shape for camp! I can do many things by myself to get in shape for dance camp, but I'd really prefer not to dance alone.
Summer class has brought some new folks my way. The summer started with an evening of minimal teaching. I learned that this was not the preference of some folks. So I've been teaching throughout the evening. I envisioned the summer would be more like a party than a class, so I want to incorporate SOME dances without teaching them first. It's another skill that can be learned at a folk dance class -- giving dancers the opportunity to learn by standing behind the line. When we go to Stockton, we're going to have MANY opportunities to stand behind the line of dances we haven't yet learned. So although the summer series is more than half over, I'm still honing the format of the class. Content is based on dancers' requests.
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