Morocco's Juneau workshops are set to begin this week (she's arriving today!) and I
wanted to share a few pointers that have been helpful to me in previous
workshops.
First, yeay! I'm glad you've decided to take a workshop! Workshops are a great opportunity to gain inspiration and kick you out of a dance rut: they can be a fantastic hot house to grow your dance in new and marvelous ways. You'll never know until you try.
GET READY. Remember, a workshop is an extended class (2
- 5+ hours) on (usually) a specific topic.
So make sure you have everything you might usually take to class:
- Class/workout gear
- (some kind of dance shoe
can be nice for extended days, even if you usually dance barefoot)
- Water bottle
- Protein snack
- Towel (in case you get
sweaty)
- Hip scarf (aim for something
quiet or silent that isn't shedding!)
- Props (finger cymbals,
veil, or anything identified in the description)
- Notebook and pencil/pen
Extra things to consider bringing:
- Money (the instructor may
have items for sale, like a CD with the choreography music, or some
workshops have other vending also)
- Video camera (see more
below!)
- A friend! If you signed up with a friend, you'll be able to help each other remember more. But don't worry if you didn't, hopefully you'll make new ones at the workshop.
Other things you can do to get ready for a workshop:
- Get to know the instructor -- visit their website, try to
find performance footage, or borrow any instructional dvds they may have
produced, etc. Getting familiar with the
way an instructor communicates and moves will help you during the workshop. (Everything won't be as new, so you'll be able to concentrate on the main material.)
- Talk to other dancers or check out online discussion boards to see what previous students have to say about their workshop experiences with the instructor.
- If you're working with a new prop, take some time to play
with it before the workshop so it begins to feel comfortable, or at least familiar.
WHAT TO DO. Your regular classroom rules apply here too:
- Arrive a few minutes early to get ready and check in. If you come late or need to leave early, do it quietly.
- Turn off cell phones, etc.
- Don't wear strong scents or perfume... people need to breathe.
- Participate in the lesson. Don't make it a habit to sit out!
- Pay attention. You
paid money to learn from this instructor and this may be the only time
you have the opportunity.
- Be respectful of your teacher and your fellow students.
- If you need to have a
conversation and it isn't during a break, take it outside the room.
If you're new to taking workshops, don't worry... everyone there
has had a first time too.
If you're a "baby
dancer", remember you paid just as much for the workshop as the other
attendees and you deserve to have instruction as well.
However, if you signed up for a workshop that
you know (or have found) to be beyond you, you should consider moving to one
side so as not to be an obstacle to your fellow attendees.
Try
to keep moving but if you're having trouble processing a movement, step
to the side and just watch, listen, and analyze. Remember to start
with the feet and work up to build the movement.
Don't be afraid to ask the instructor
for clarification; chances are someone else has that question too. Don't ask your neighbor for instruction, they're trying to learn too and they may not understand the full technique being taught. (Plus, remember the note above about having conversations?)
TAKE NOTES.
Granted, this can depend on what kind of
learner you are, but I've found jotting down notes can really help my retention
and memory of what was covered.
I
especially recommend transcribing your random scribbles into fully thought out
sentences
the same day.
If I let it sit for more than, say, 3 days...
I've already lost a lot of the extra context of what was being
said or demonstrated.
Don't even get me
started about my first workshops when I didn't review my notes for more than 3
months!
Keep in mind, for your first few workshops you're still
working out what works for you. Some people have remarkable movement memory,
etc, and can cue off a few words, others need more descriptive paragraphs!
If you ask your
instructor (and the workshop organizer) in advance, he or she may permit you to
take a video of the material at
certain times during or after the workshop.
Not all instructors will say yes, and that is their right (so don't get offended
or upset if they say no) as it is their image and livelihood and they may not
want it spread for free over the internet.
You may be personally
responsible about it, but others in the world aren't. Alternatively, team up with a friend and
video them doing the combinations, techniques, or choreography. Make
sure you ask before videoing someone.
And don't put it up on the internet (even "privately") without their permission!
Some instructors provide handouts with their lessons (for
the workshop contracts that Daughters of the New Moon hosts, we always try to
include a section specifying that the instructor will provide a handout). These can be enough for some and a good
starting point for others.
WHAT YOU TAKE AWAY. Take from each workshop what you can,
and sometimes that is
learning what you never
want to do again -- which is just as important as learning how to do what
you do like.
If you only take away a few
new ideas --
even one or two, be it a new move or combination, concept or
technique, then you can consider your workshop money well spent.
(One piece of knowledge can trickle down and influence everything after or redefine everything you knew before -- sounds trite but it's happened to me.) Your dance isn't going to change over one
weekend, but you can be so inspired that you will want to work to change and
incorporate changes that will grow you in your dance.
In addition to writing out your notes, remember to practice what you learned a few days after the workshop to keep in fresh. And periodically thereafter too... with your (new) friend(s)!
