Requests!

I'm always happy to hear requests from my dancers - and that's lucky, because I get a lot of them! This week, for instance, I've had nine different requests across all my classes, either in person or through some other means (and I always ask for them in a written form, because they will have fallen out of my brain within moments.) Requests are valuable to me because they tell me what you like - the level, style, music that you are enjoying and want more of. And I do try to include your requests as best I can.

However, I can't often accommodate your requests in the short term. To explain why, I thought you might like to look "behind the scenes" to see what goes into what I call "lesson planning" for you - the work I do to plan the dances and teaches we'll be doing.

The first thing to know is that I generally work at least two weeks ahead, and I have an "arc" in my head, knowing where I'm hoping to get us to. So you might find, for instance, that if I teach a new and popular chart dance, some of the steps will be the ones you already know, because you danced them in something much easier a couple of weeks ago. I do flex the plan, but I usually have an overall mission in mind.

Secondly, particularly with new beginner classes, I try to build up your confidence using dances which have a lot of repetition, are fun to do, and teach one new step at a time. Wtihin that, I aim for some variety within the plan, so that dances are not too "samey".

Thirdly, I look at the plan for the week and I try to ensure we've got a mix of music; I aim for "something for everybody" and in practice, that often means something with a pop sound, some country, perhaps a golden-oldie tune or something that sounds a little Irish. I aim to include popular modern dances alongside "old classics" and "dances that every line dancer knows" (more on this topic in next week's blog.) I don't always teach the "next big thing" on the line dance scene, I take a much more cautious approach. I look at dance charts - but I don't follow them slavishly.

I try not to teach anything that includes rude words - just because I don't think these sound good at 100 decibels. (It's not a judgemental thing.)

I try to pick dances that have a generally positive vibe; I'll include the occasional "breakup song" ("Stripes" is a good example: "You were lieing there with nothing on, but a goofy little grin and a platinum blonde....") but on the whole, I want the vibe to be happy; to quote a song by Trace Adkins, it's "about loving, and living, and good-hearted women, and family, and God...." I want you to feel positive about life as you walk out the door, with a smile, and an earworm that will keep you smiling and - to borrow a phrase from one of you - "lock-stepping down the aisle at Waitrose"!

The dance has to fit the music nicely, and be fun to do - like you, I'm put off if there are enough tags to make a baby blanket, and more monkey-business than Bristol zoo. I'll sometimes pick something more challenging for my improver class, (3 Tequila Floor, Damn! and Storm & Stone, for instance) but always mixed in with easier dances.

Sometimes I'll see a dance being danced "out" on live music dance floors on a Saturday night, and that sways my decision making. Part of the joy of line dancing is being able to go out and enjoy yourself with your friends, dancing to live country music - and this is an area where line dancing really scores well against other "exercise" classes.

I'll stop now, because I hope you've got the picture! There's a lot that goes into planning classes, I put hours into it every week (and those hours are a joy, don't get me wrong!) And that's why, I love hearing your requests... and I try to include as many as I can... but it might not be very soon.

Before I go... The exception to all of this is Request Night (or Day). This is where I don't make a plan at all, you're in charge, and you can request anything the class knows. it's often chaotic (because I won't have practiced anything! You'll see the difference) but it's also really good fun. We generally do these at the end of "term", a couple of times a year. Wish me luck!

If you were able to request just one dance, which would that be? Please feel free to comment!