Lazy Feet

A VERY common mistake for leads is LAZY FEET.

After a while they realize, they can get away with NOT STEPPING simply because they can.

But they don't realize it looks really bad and it doesn't help the follow keep the rhythm at all.

The most common lazy feet for beginners is the Enchufla step. Very often they don't step on count 2 and 6, result? They lose count and go on wrong foot!

For intermediate dancers, lazy feet often come in when they learn styling or moves where the lead does not need to move (or step). They will love it so much that some end up sliding all over the dance floor.

ANY styling, if done once is a while, can look nice, but if repeated ALL the time, it looks really bad!

So guys, don't be lazy, STEP!!

Bastard Moves

There is a type of turn pattern that is often referred to as Bastard moves.

Typically, these turn patterns will move the girls in very unconventional directions and counts.
Not only that, it also often involves CHANGING the direction of turn EVERY count!

Thus the girls need to be really alert in order to follow them nicely. Note --> NICELY

Why?

Coz, if the lead is a good 'planter', the follow doesn't really need to know what's happening :)
She'll be flyng and turning all over the dance floor executing moves that she doesn't even know about or have any idea what she looks like while under the control/guidance of the lead.

I've successfully used a series of such moves on beginners who knows how to shift their weight by the count (that's the only real requirement). But it only came with LOTS of practice!!

Also, bastard moves will feel less 'bastard' if the lead knows how to lead early. Those who lead too late will often fail or make it look ugly..

BTW, use such moves sparingly coz it can be quite a scary roller coaster ride for the girls :P

Practice-in-Secret Syndrome

There are many learner dancers who like to practise in 'secret'. They don't like people to see them being bad, and only want to show off AFTER they think they've mastered something.

Well, I'm not sure how this mindset came about. Is it Pride? Ego? Face? Whatever the reason is, it’s NOT a good thing.

Why? Unless the learner is so talented that he can spot his own mistakes, doing so would often lead him into practising mistakes to the extent that it'll take much extra effort to unlearn them later!

In some dance schools where the teachers are always around to watch and help, one should take advantage of this and dance right in front of them.

Also, sometimes all you need is just ONE small tip from the instructor to help you get a breakthrough at some points where you were stuck.

Old Articule: How do you define a good dancer? (With regards to a guy, playing role of a lead in salsa)

I wrote this some time back.... Angela sent it back to me for some comments/corrections before she publish it :)
So I'm posting it here for the records :)

By Wai Hwang, 19 January 2007

A friend commented to me (strangely, friend’s comments often trigger my inspiration to write) that someone we both knew (name not to be mentioned here for political reasons) seems like a very good dancer. Ironically, I’ve recently received feedback from a lady friend (a very good follow) that this same guy (who looked like a very good dancer) is a very bad lead that doesn’t take care of the lady.

How then did this guy create the impression that he’s a good dancer? Well, for one, he does have the style and attitude. You know, the confident air/aura that many good dancers have. As a result, people who watch him dance would think he looks really good. And if he only dance with very good follows (who can compensate for his not so good lead), it would make him stand out from the crowd without revealing his weaknesses.

In my personal opinion, as a lead, our 1^st priority should be the lady, so that she enjoys the dance, so that she looks good. (Some people may not agree though)

To me, the greatest compliment that I can get, would the happy face of a lady during/after the dance. Because of this, my focus throughout my journey of learning salsa so far, had been on leading. (I will be writing a separate article on this). Xenbar’s system had allowed me to progress in this area in a very interesting manner. Because I get to dance with a wide range of people with varying skill levels, I could actually tell whether my leading is “working as intended”. I have encountered a situation, where I’ve managed to help a 1^st time salsa dancer do a nice CBLT during her 1^st salsa class. She was so happy that she blurted out a comment “You’re very good, I could do this with you while I’m totally lost with XXX”. It was quite embarrassing for XXX, but this shows how important a good lead is to help the ladies follow and enjoy the dance. This is also why, the basic class in Xenbar’s system is so important.

While being a good lead is important, it is also important to look good while dancing. There is a need for balance, so that neither the lead nor the follow outshine the other too much. That is where styling, posture, etc. comes in. In terms of styling, again, my personal opinion would be that a lead should only go into styling AFTER he is able to execute the moves instinctively. In this way, he would not be sacrificing the follow’s experience of the dance for his own benefit.

While styling is important, there are a few important aspects to looking good. The often ignored part is what Justin would call how ‘clean’ move is executed. What is ‘clean’? My interpretation of this simplification of a very complex and abstract concept would be the precision of execution.

Things like:

• Straight lines for the ladies,
• timing of the steps (to the music)
• Hitting the right notes during the styling (pops, etc.)
• Acute awareness of one’s posture, position of every part of the body (arms, hand, legs, etc. no dangling hands) etc.

There are many more. Just for example, all the 50 points in the Basic Class in the ACDance (and SalsaAcademy) certification system, they all contribute to this aspect of looking good while dancing.

How to achieve ‘clean’ moves? There is no shortcut, but practice, practice and practice. BUT, more importantly, we must not be practicing the wrong things! Otherwise, we’ll only be reinforcing mistakes. This is where classes (both group and private), performances and competitions can help. More specifically, doing a choreographed dance can help. Because the moves are choreographed, instructors know exactly what is intended. This will make mistakes very obvious and easily corrected. This is one of the reasons (there are other reasons) why Xenbar actively pushes all our students to take part in certification exams where one component is a choreographed routine. Participation in performances and competitions outside regular certification exams will also give additional incentive and motivation for students to push themselves to achieve higher standards.

I have digressed much into areas of how to improve one’s dancing. Back to the topic of what is a good dancer…… the one last important ingredient is the ‘attitude’, the air of confidence.

This attribute alone can often mask out many of the mistakes……. to such an extent that the audience might not even notice the mistake! (That's why that 'not so good lead' looke d like a very good dancer)

To summarize, my definition of a good dancer (lead) should have all the following:

• Good lead
• Confident outlook / attitude
• Nice styling

In that order of priority/importance. I might have missed out other factors, do feel free to add on from here as a discussion.

Alamak, I missed out one last thing at the end.

HUMILITY - We must not mistake the 'air of confidence' with arrogance. There is a huge difference here.

No matter how much we have improved, how many awards we've won, etc. We must remember to remain humble in order to continue to improve. There are always people who are better out there, or people who are improving faster. Nobody is good in everything. There will always be an area of weakness that needs improvement. Sometimes, even comments from a very junior newcomer can help one see our own faults.

"What can I do to get girls to want to dance with me over and over again?"

This is not written by me, but it's what I do as well (except the smell nice part, kekek, maybe I should start using those perfume/cologne that Deffy gave me P). Earlier posts by me (e.g. ladder of moves) can help to achieve some of the points listed too.

VERY useful tips for all leads. Written by Jocelyn (Addicted2Salsa) in response to an email query.

Jocelyn's:

When it comes to what a follow likes in a lead, I think everyone is different. With that said, here's a few things that I prefer:

• Quality over quantity. I'd rather do the 6 moves you really know than the 26 you just learned and haven't worked on yet. In every song, I think it's fair to throw in a couple of new moves you're trying out, but I want the lead to make me feel comfortable and relaxed, and that means being sensitive to what you can and cannot smoothly lead.
• Be gentle, but clear. I like a lead that is firm enough to be understandable (no spaghetti arms), but not so stiff that I feel like I'm being dragged around. I think the job of the lead is to indicate what moves he wants and provide me some stability, direction and sometimes momentum, not to force me through the motions.
• I like a lead who tailors the dance to what I am capable of. Especially as a beginner and intermediate dancer, I always hated it when leads tried to get me through combo after combo that I was clearly having trouble with. Push me a little (I like a challenge), but don't make me feel bad about myself because I stumble through all your moves.
• Dress simply. Neat, clean is all I ask, and please make sure whatever you're wearing doesn't hit me (gold chains, jackets/blazers that flap around, wrist watch...)
• Smell nice. Deodorant and a small amount of cologne, if you want.
• Leave some time for shines/footwork. A whole song of combo after combo can be tiring - let me have a few 8-counts to show my stuff and interpret the music the way I want, plus you get a chance to think of some more moves.
• Smile! Hey, this is fun, right?

Be well,



Jocelyn (addicted2salsa co-host)

Link to original post from FB here

Different types of follows

When you start to social dance, u'll realize there are many many types of follows. As a good lead, one should be able to adapt to the follow to make her dance more enjoyable.

This is a general list (hopefully wont over generalize) but definitely not exhaustive:

1) Loves to shine
There are some follows that loves to shine. These usually belong to the highly skilled dancers who are not shy and are confident about their dancing. When u let them go, they dont want to stop :P (but sometimes, they dont stop coz they dont like you lead...... so u've gotta evaluate and reflect after your dance)

2) Hates to shine
Most beginner to intermediate follows hate to shine. It's because they seldom get to shine, haven't learnt it, not enough practice, not enough confidence, etc. etc. When u dance with this type of follow, if u let them shine, they'll give u the pleading look (or annoyed look) asking u to resume partner work.

3) fly all over the place
This can be due to several reasons. Some can't control their turn and direction. Some fly all over coz u threw them all over :P You challenge would to be hold them in check, control and make it easy for them to maintain their poise and position.

4) back lead
This often happens to follows who just started to learn how to lead. You can tell that their brain is not 'clear' and some often try to anticipate too much. As a result, they will back lead, giving too strong a feedback, or worse, force you into doing move u didn't intend to do. Such a type of follow also tend to be very heavy to lead. In general,.... don't try to fight them, u'll only waste your energy. You've gotta to very CLEAR and FIRM in your lead in order to control them. If they don't react as expected, just let them be (i.e. let them do what they want) and the dance will feel nicer and look better too.

5) ATAS (look down on you)
If you meet this kind of lead, don't be intimidated by them. Just do your own stuff, be confident and try to be as ATAS as them :P I've met follows who are like this and even made some excuse to leave the dance floor after only 3 counts of eight simply because they didn't think I could dance (I wasn't dressed like one and I'm kind of rounded in shape and I started with really simple moves). Well, it's their loss :P :P :P

6) Patient and laugh at every mistake
This is the '2nd best' kind of follow in my opinion. I was fortunate enough to meet quite a few who ALWAYS dragged me onto the dance floor whenever they see me. LOL, they were the ones who gave me the confidence to social dance after attending so many classes. They focus on having fun and enjoying the experience rather than stupid mistakes. You will always remember these follows. (why only 2nd best?)

7) Very tall girls (taller than you, with long long arms)
It's difficult to dance with such girls. Due to their height, it's very easy to hit their head. It's also difficult to spin or control them simply because you do not have the leverage. Their long arms also reduce the room for error in complex moves (but make certain moves easier, e.g. sexy titanic).

8) Those who gives very accurate and good feedback
Here comes the BEST follow in my opinion. They can know what went wrong with you execution of a turn pattern and often help you figure out the problem. These follows also can compensate for your mistakes and make you look good. Even when u throw them around, they usually can maintain their own balance. They are usually instructors :)

Shines (and Sabor)

Sabor means 'flavour'.
Why learn shines?

There are many good salsa songs that have sections which are simply not suitable for turn patterns. There will typically be parts where you "have to" do Afro Rhumba moves, or shines.

If course, u can still ignore it and do turn patterns, but it just doesn't feel right musically.

This is especially so when you've developed your dancing to be able to interpret the music and know what musicality is about.

Thus it is important to learn shines.

Beside the above, shine also gives Leads a VERY good way to improve their styling. Subconsciously, their body movement learnt from shines will creep into their posture, etc. when doing partnerwork. This will make them look a lot better when doing patterns!

Breaking in shines is also another level of leading, which goes beyond hand contact.... it's goes into play with music, visual contact with your partner, etc. Stuff which are really hard to describe with words, you simply gotta see it with your own eyes to understand.

If I can find a suitable video, I'll post here to illustrate this point.

Static (Noise)

There are people who loves to move their body to the music, swinging their arms, etc.

Well, this is fine is you are not leading.

As a lead in partner dance, even a flick of the wrist can be a signal to the follow.

Thus excessive movements would make it confusing for the follow to pick up which is actually a lead and which is not!

It would take a very experienced and fast follow to be able to read leads that have too much unnecessary movements.

I personally advocate that leads (for salsa) keep their arms and wrists relatively still (note that 'still' does not mean stiff) while not leading any moves (e.g. when doing basic). The results are very obvious.... there were many many follows who complimented me for being very clear in my lead and easy to follow, after their 1st dance with me.

On the same note, one VERY common mistake that leads make, is to 'row' their arms while moving :) They might think it FEELS cool but most don't realize it can LOOK comical if not done 'properly'. (Many Cuban style movements rock their arms in a way but that is a separate story)

Geeky-Awkward--Silly -> Cool-Sexy

That's a damm cool phrase I learnt from Meech during the WCS workshop.

Basically, we must have the guts to embarrass ourselves and DO the moves while looking Geeky, Awkward and Silly..... before we can reach the final stage of being Cool and Sexy.

Unless you are a dance genius or a very seasoned dancer, u can't skip the earlier steps :)

Think of how you want the girl to move (when learning new moves)

After teaching salsa for so many years..... I've come to realize, ... the biggest mistake most learner leads make, --> is to focus on what are their own steps rather than focusing on what should the follow be doing :)

Why so?

These leads become so obsessed with their own moves, they forgot their primary role,... to lead. Without learning how to get the follow to do what they want, these leads will not be able to execute the same moves on the dance floor! They might think they have learnt the moves because it seems to work in class, but little do they know that it's because the follows already know what they are supposed to do in class!!

I've tried my best to teach the patterns in a way such that the leads will have to decide what to do and lead (by giving multiple options to exit a move). But that is still not really sufficient in most cases.

When I learn a new move, this is my sequence of thoughts
1) What steps are the follows doing (turn which way, on what count, on the spot or traveling?)
2) What are the cues to make the follow go that way?
3) What do I do while executing those cues?
4) What are the potential points where I can hurt the follow?
5) What are the styling that can be done while executing those moves (for both lead and follows)

Notice that styling comes last? Yah, no point trying to style when you can't even do the move properly :)

As most people agree that guys can't multitask very well, it's best if the guys practice their basic (own footwork, etc.) and build such a solid foundation there that they do not have to think of their feet. In this way, they can then focus on all the other things mentioned above :)

(PS: I wrote the above article after one session with a student... when I told him to focus on the girl's steps, he suddenly had that 'Eureka moment' and his progress started to accelerate from that point onwards)

Quote - If you hurt a girl, she will remember you forever (For the wrong reasons)

Yah, the point of this post is already in the tittle. Simple to understand right?

But many guys just don't get it.

I've said this countless times, take care of your partner on the dance floor. But I have never thought of it the other way (coz such notion is inconceivable to me)..... what happens if you hurt your partner?

Well, one girl asked me to tell my students, and I can say that it's a quote, 'anonymous' of coz, that "If you hurt a girl, she will remember you forever" (and siam* you forever as well).

This girl happened to be quite good looking AND very patient. She don't mind dancing with guys who are new and still learning.

Unfortunately some guys just try out all sorts of complicated stuff which they cannot handle (maybe they were trying too hard to impress?) and ended up yanking her all over, arm/finger twisting, etc. Simply bad. Worse, they don't even realize they are hurting their partner. I'm quite sure many were puzzled why they kept being rejected by the girls after one dance.

So guys.... if you want the girls (who dance) to like you, learn to dance properly 1st. It'll make your buaya-ing attempts more successful :P :P

Focus on the dance then the girls, this has a higher chance of success than the other way round (girls then dance). LOL (this is also quoted from her, kekekek)

(PS - I'm not advocating guys to buaya hor, :P :P :P)
(PS - For non Singaporeans, 'siam' means avoid, and 'buaya' means crocodiles but we are usually referring to flirts/flirting)

Relation between Driving and Dancing

While teaching salsa, I've come to use quite a few driving techniques and terminology for analogies.

They are quite fitting too. (some of these .... were taught to me by Justin)

1) Power steering vs Autopilot
For the followers, we want POWER STEERING -> Feel where the lead(driver) wants u to go, and assist by moving in that direction!! The result? You will feel VERY light to him!
Do NOT AUTOPILOT, that is.... move on you own against the wishes of the lead. This will result in 2 people dancing on their own rather than together.

2) Braking technique - smooth. Squeeze hard at start, release the force slow and reduce it gradually towards a stop

Mathematically, this is the relationship: As Speed-->zero, BrakingForce --> zero
Or... Dy2/Dx2 = zero, rate of change of acceleration = zero,

Now if that don't make sense to you (e.g. if you hate maths), the idea is to CUSHION the force such that your follow do not feel the brunt of the impact when you need to change directions, stop, quickly, etc. etc.

This is very important when executing bastard moves (moves with quick and fast direction changes).

One other example to illustrate this is... imagine if you hare holding a swinging pendulum. You want the Pendulum to stop PRECISELY at a particular point. How do you do it? If you use too much force, it will swing back, if you use too little, it will continue moving! Thus you need to ADJUST the amount of force such that it is JUST enough at the RIGHT time to stop the movement.

Musicality and Vocabulary

Many dancers talk about playing with the music, musicality, etc.
In order for that to happen, one has to do a few things:

1) Knowing the music, using the accents. How does one know the music? Keep listening to the songs! The more you listen, the more you know! Pay attention to the structure of the songs and the different types of instruments, music style, etc.

2) After you know the songs, u need to find moves to fit the music! How to do that? Learning dance moves is like learning a language, e.g. English. U need to start from Alphabets and build from there!

Learn English, Alphabets -> words -> sentences -> essays -> Poems

By the time u reach the state of being a poet, it's like being able to play with the music at will on the dance floor :)

3) For leads who worry about not having enough vocabulary (patterns), don't worry, because the girls don't really care even if we repeat some of our moves! (yes, the girls told me this). As long as you do not keep repeating it over and over again in the same dance. Mix it here and there, Repeat a few sets in different order to keep them fresh :)

Planting

My style of lead, had been called 'planting' by my dance kakis.

Why planting? Coz I literally 'plant' the girl's foot at where I want it to land.

What's so good about 'planting'? Well, for one, you need to be VERY precise in your control.

It gives the girl NO DOUBT on where she needs to go. She in turn don't have to worry so much about guessing what u wanted her to do --> Thus she could spend more of her time thinking of how to style and look good!

This skill is also needed to execute quite a lot of advance moves, (some often classified as bastard moves due to changing of direction/momentum every count).

Planting also looks more assertive and macho in my opinion, and definitely looks better on stage and performances.

What's the opposite of planting? In my opinion, it's the soft guiding style. Just guide the girl,... and let her decide where she wants to go :) It has a very different look and feel. I've tried it out, definitely nice and smooth and very flowy. But.... usually works (well) only with advance girls.

This brings fore another advantage of planting,... it's amazing on beginner follows. They would suddenly be amazed why they can do so many wonder patterns and spin so many rounds and do such wonderfully straight traveling turns :) Get it right and all those follows will be asking you for many many more dance.

Unfortunately, planting doesn't work with one kind of follow.... those who simply want to do their own stuff :P If you meet such follows, just use the guiding style and let them do what they want, kekeke.

Now the important part... how to do 'planting'? Kekeke, I'll write that in another post :P

Spinning the girl - Start, Stop, Counter

A good lead can spin their follows beyond what they thought they could achieve :) And in the process, actually help their follows improve their spins!

What Xen teach during basic class forms the foundation of spinning. The Halo, the hook. But... unfortunately, simple as they might sound, it's often not executed properly.

Most lead still like to 'stir' with their wrists rather than drawing circular halos. Stirring works for two or perhaps 3 rounds, but it relies on the follow being good at spinning.

Anything beyond 3 rounds will be difficult. Xen's technique make it easy to spin girls for 10, 20, 30, watever. Stunt/Tricks like the coffee Grinder is NOT possible without proper technique.

The lead should also know how fast can the follow spin. Pace the speed of your spin to her comfort level (or perhaps push a bit if you are training her).

Ok, spinning girls is one thing, the other important part which many leads dont realize, is STOPPING the spin.

It's important to know HOW to stop and WHEN to stop.

We need to TIME our stop to coincide with the suitable point of music.
Also, we need PREP the follow to stop. Give her AMPLE TIME to to know that that we are stopping. Thus SIGNAL as early as you can.

For myself, I normally start to TENSE my arm at the LAST ROUND.
She will feel the difference and naturally start to tense up and prepare herself.

Stopping sharply takes skill and practice. Every girl's spinning ability is different and you'll need to understand her strength and weaknesses.

I normally do not go about spinning the girl multiple rounds right off the bat.

Start with 1 round. See how she styles (if she doesn't, probably not a good idea to go more).
Go with 2 rounds. See if she adapts to the increase in pace. Still good?
Go with 3 rounds. Still good, WHAHAHA, time for major spinning session :P

Back to stopping. When you stop the girl, PLEASE HOLD HER STEADY.
The KEY to looking good when spinning, is not just the spin alone! An important part of looking good, is to make the spin look EASY.

So when the spin is completed, she must look like she is VERY STABLE, very relaxed and READY for the next move!

The lead can do a lot to help the follow achieve a good stop when spinning. That is what STEADYING the follow at the end of spin is supposed to achieve.

Ok, besides spinning...... we should always remember, a good lead takes good care of his follow. When you turn the girl one direction for many rounds, PLEASE COUNTER SPIN the girl to help prevent her from getting dizzy!

E.g. After multiple right turns/spins, do a CBLT (which is a left turn) to counter.

Vary your patterns such that you do not keep turning in one direction :)

Ok, that's all on spinning for now :)

Choreo Tips - Disguising the prep for Big Moves

Borrowing from what I've learnt when I was judging Figure Skating.....

There are big moves that look impressive. And usually these big moves needs some Prep (preparation) and wind ups.

The difference between skaters executing the same moves often lies in how well can they disguise the prep and surprise the audience for Maximum impact.

i.e. slow slow slow... steady pace and regular moves.... suddenly.. BOOM, one huge move right in your face. And Audience get WOW-ed coz they didn't expect it.

The same can apply to salsa. Both in Choreo and regular dancing. Don't pack your whole dance with one big/complex move after another. It makes the dance look boring and ordinary even when the moves are advance level moves.

It's always a good idea to do simple stuff (and style), enjoy the music, until some key points in the song (so called accents or strong melody segments), then BOOM, throw in the impressive looking complex move to fit the music. Once the move is completed, don't forget to MILK IT by POSING properly (usually on count 8 if you're dancing On1).

The overall contrast by doing so can make the dance much much more dynamic and interesting to look at and more fun as well!!

Treat Every dance like it's a performance

Every dance I do, I put in 100%. If I can't do 100% (like very tired), I'll politely reject the request to dance, coz it'll not be fair to her and myself.

But... why so serious?

Reason is simple, I do not ever want to 'practice' the wrong thing.

No slacking, lazy habits, etc. Otherwise, when I go on stage, if I ever forgot, or tense up or lose concentration, I'll revert to the 'slack habits'. But if every dance is 100%, then the habitual reaction will be 100% level of performance.

Another reason why I want to do this is.... personally, I enjoy watching people dance, more than dancing myself :)

Thus, when I dance, I would assume there might be people like me, watching.... so it would be good to make someone's day by putting up a nice show? hehehe.

I also enjoy pushing my follow to her limits, while making her enjoy the experience :) and make her look good at the same time, LOL. (yes, it can be done.... related to this are stuff like ladder or moves, planting, spinning techniques, pacing, musicality, etc. Now sure if I've written on them, but if I haven't it would be on this blog sooner or later)

Speed

It's important to be able to move FAST!

Only when you can move fast, will you be able to make the dance look easy and effortless (rather than a mad rush).

How do you move fast? PRACTICE! Kind of like saying the obvious right? Yah, it is.

EVERY move... if you do it many many times, u'll soon be able to execute in your sleep. But at what speed?

The key is... how do you practice? Simple... use fast songs! LOL. Another stating the obvious :P :P :P

Anyway, these days, with sound editing being so easy..... one good way to practice .... is to SPEED UP THE SONG.

This is in reference to learning a choreography. In Xen, the CD players allow us to change the pitch on the fly (i.e. adjust the speed). But nowadays people use MP3, so the speed changing will need to be done using software.

If you are practising a choreography, the best way to be able to execute it smoothly, and fast enough, is to practice to an increased speed version of the song. Once you are able to do the who choreo at a higher speed, suddenly everything will feel SLOW (sometimes agonizingly so) !! So slow that you have time to ...
A) See how is your partner doing, help her dance better or take care of her
B) Sneak glances at other couples (to ensure u are in sync with them and also adjust your position) - this refers to group performance
C) Interact with the audience or judges! :) This requires another skill.... facial expression! (which is another important topic to be covered separately)
D) Watch and clean up your mistakes (if you are practising in front of mirrors)

BTW, size is not a barrier to speed. I've seen very heavy dancers (heavier than me) move at amazing speed. So don't let your size/weight become and excuse. Just go for it.

speed up the song to practice a choreo.

Make best use of the system

Many a times, Singaporeans expect things to be spoon fed to them. A lot have the attitude that being paying customers, they deserve certain amount of 'service', etc. etc.

Well, it's not exactly wrong. And that is kind of expected in most places in the service industry.

BUT.....

In Xen, due to the way things are 'structured' (or 'unstructured' depending on how u look at it), some people could not get the kind of 'service' they expect, and often end up feeling unhappy or short changed.

Such a pity really.

The beauty of Xen's system is,.... it's up to one to use it to the fullest to push yourself as fast and as far as you can go (often beyond what you once thought was your limit).

Take the initiative. Don't wait for others to push you. If you have questions, ask the ever present instructors or senior fellow students. So much space, lots of nights with social practice opportunities,.... STAY AFTER CLASS and dance!

I see so many people disappear after class. Such a pity. When the facilities are there, and dance partners are there, they don't use it.

If you want to be a good dancer, you've gotta have passion and make it happen. Use the system and facilities in Xen to the fullest.