| General
Grade Examinations
Performance of Figures Solo to Music
The essence of Latin American dancing is the relationship
of a dancer to their partner; how they respond to each other,
not only in terms of leading and following, but also within
the character of each of the dances. The ‘language’
a couple use to communicate these things also creates a response
in their audience; there is a shared experience of the ‘musical
mood’ that the dancers create together.
Why then, is solo dancing such an important part of our new
examinations? The first reason is a practical one; we cannot
partner our pupils as we might in their personal lessons and
of course, we need our eyes on everyone in the class to be
sure they are performing correctly. The second reason is that
the pupils need to know and understand the syllabus figures
in their own minds.
Their repetition of these figures, while dancing solo also
helps them to develop the feeling of their own ‘centre’
both within stillness and movement. This is a fundamental
that is the basis of every performance, developing this skill
early will help dancers to move with balance and control when
dancing the more challenging choreography at the higher grades.
Of course, some of the more advanced figures are difficult
to dance without the connection to partner, but if a performance
level of sixty or seventy percent is achieved, then there
is a higher probability that their performance with a partner
will be closer to the perfection we all strive for. Through
imaginative teaching they can be made aware of how and when
changes of shaping and use of body tone to give and receive
leads will happen when they dance together.
I have found as I am training my own pupils, that this is
one of the most challenging areas of the examination. With
care, the dancers will be trained to dance their figures with
self-assurance in their examinations. Here are some pointers
to help you as you prepare your pupils.
• Select music
with a clear rhythm, preferably without vocals, which your
pupils can move confidently to.
n For the faster dances, choose slower ‘practice’
tracks of a tempo similar to our set music. There are lots
of CD’s now available with these tracks included.
• For the purpose
of this section of the examination, always teach the figure
as in the chart, even though you may dance an alternative
that is listed in our technique books.
• In the examination
it helps if the candidate shows the hold they would be dancing
in, so always remind them the hold in which they will start
and finish a figure.
• In the Samba
and Paso Doble, the Examiner will give the starting alignment
when requesting a figure, so again it is important to include
this in your class work. Make sure your pupils can easily
tell the Examiner which Line of Dance they are using and that
it isn’t directly in front of the Examiners table, causing
them to stand up and peer over the top!
• When asking
for the figures, the Examiner will keep things as clear and
simple as possible. The full names of some figures can be
confusing for girls taking the examinations, and this has
been borne in mind. For example, the Examiner will ask for
two New Yorks, and the candidate then has the choice of which
foot to commence with. Similarly, in the Samba, They would
ask the candidate for ‘a Travelling Volta to your Left’
when speaking to the candidate.
• Finally, remember
that the Examiner can give the candidate a second opportunity
to perform a figure if they didn’t get it quite right
the first time and that the candidate also has this option
if they feel they would like a second try.
Teaching these figures at your weekly classes could easily
have a feeling of learning ‘by rote’, but there
are many ways of introducing and having fun with it; here
are a few ideas:
• One child in
the class would demonstrate the first figure, with the child
who names it correctly taking the next turn.
• You might get
the children working in pairs, alternately naming the figure
their partner is dancing. The girls might ‘catch the
boys out’ if they don’t recognise the girls steps,
and hey presto, through a ‘class room game’ knowledge
of the opposite role is developed.
• Once again working
in pairs, they might have to ‘add on’ to the figure
their partner has danced, by dancing another figure from the
grade syllabus that would follow it, continuing until all
the figures have been used. This would be a good choreographic
exercise and you might be surprised at what they come up with!
More candidates are now being entered for Grade examinations,
and teachers are telling us how much their pupils enjoy preparing
for them. Remember that if you have any queries about any
aspect of the work, please get in touch with a member of our
committee.
Marion Lane
|
