"Is Your Halo on Straight?"

 

Angels? 

 

Heavenly beings? 

 

Angels at holiday time are pictured bringing good news to earth. 

 

Angels in Square Dancing are a little more down to earth.  They are the wonderful people who attend beginner's classes to help new dancers learn more easily and quickly.  They come to lessons because they

want to share the pleasure and enjoyment of dancing and their

enthusiasm kindles the same spark in new dancers.

        

The best way Angels can help is to make sure that there are experienced dancers in each and every square.  When it is time to square up,

get a partner (new dancer or experienced) and get in the squares right away.  If you all wait until the last, all the Angels

will end up in the same squares. 

 

By squaring up quickly, you will encourage the new dancers to do the same

 

          •    Remember your name tags.

          •     Keep smiling - greet the folks in the squares before the music starts and

               visit with them during the breaks.

          •   Allow the students to listen during instructions. Resist the temptation to

               teach.  If students are listening to you, they can't hear what the instructor  

               is  saying.  You may offer a gentle, guiding hand, but try not to pull or push

               the dancers into the right position.  Let them make their own mistakes,

               they'll   learn fast.  You can point and/or gently direct.  The sound in some

               facilities is a little different and if there is talking going on at the same

               time, someone is bound to miss something important.

          •   Let the caller do the teaching.  If there is a problem, call the caller's

               attention to it and let him correct it in his own way.  Angels may point this

              out to the caller quietly between tips or ask a general question during

              teaching  time.  Chances are that if one square is having difficulty with a

              figure, others are also having trouble and the caller may need to explain

              a bit further to the class as a whole.

          •   Being an Angel requires infinite patience.  Be extremely careful not to

              embarrass any dancer by correcting him or by the way com­ments are

              made. Say "We're not getting this or that at all;' rather than "He's having

              trouble" or "She doesn't have that right."

          •    If new dancers ask for help on a simple point such as twirling the girl at

               home (as they often seem to), show them between tips, not while the

              caller is explaining something else.

         •    If a couple is having particular difficulties, it is sometimes helpful to ask

              them to exchange partners - but don't push them into this too often. 

              Some couples feel very insecure if  they are separated - and their 

              continuing may depend on how this helpful suggestion is made.

         •    PLEASE, PLEASE dance the figures as you were taught. being

              especially careful to use the prescribed number of beats. Swinging

              do-sa-dos, bumps, etc., are all gimmicks that do not maintain timing

              and flow.  If there are flourishes you like to include in your club dancing,

              forget them at class.  Angels owe it to their callers, as a courtesy, to

              refrain from teaching their pet gimmicks to these new dancers,

             especially when it is a move that could cause a new dancer to lose his

             place or direction.

         •   Don't be afraid to admit that you goof, too. This makes the learners less

              tense about their boo-boos.

 

         THE PERFECT ANGEL - that's what you'll be!  In fact, by

putting these ideas into practice, club dancing could

become much more heavenly, couldn't it?

 

 

This commentary was originally submitted by Claudia Amsbury of Spokane.  She says it has been handed out prior to the classes she & Bob teach and it is well received. It is a good way to make sure the "angels," who are so neces­sary to what we do, know the ground rules and expectations prior to getting involved.

Subsequently, it has been modified to be more appropriate on this Web Site