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More than just Dance
Dance instruction isn’t just about teaching fancy footwork. Instructors introduce students to a whole new way of life.
by CHONG ZI LIANG
| FROM ISSUE # 158 (February 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE | |||
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Think of dance studios and cheerful images of bright windows stretching from the ceiling to the floor, together with upbeat music in the air comes to mind. But it was with a degree of trepidation that I climbed the stairs to the dance studios of the Salsa Dance Academy. After all, I had been tasked to take a Salsa lesson for this article and the last time I embarrassed myself on the dance floor, the video of my two left feet haplessly trying to move with the music had ended up on YouTube. 
But meeting Binayak Das Shrestha put me at ease immediately. He welcomed me into the class of more than 30 energetic people raring to go for their taste of Salsa. "Dancing is about transferring weight from one leg to the other," Binayak says to the class, "and we already do that everyday – when we walk – so dancing can be as natural as walking." He quickly gets us pacing up and down the studio floor, becoming more aware than ever how the simple act of putting one foot in front of another is an act of constant balance.
With this realisation we soon proceed to Salsa itself. "Everybody starts from basics," Binayak booms to the class, and with that we are moving along in the basic steps of Salsa. 1, 2, 3… 5, 6, 7… Fast, fast, slow… Fast, fast, slow… Hey, I think I just discovered where my right foot had been hiding all these years.
Later in the day, I observe as Katia Verreault, dance partner of Binayak, takes an advanced class through its paces. It is a whole different ball game with students already effortlessly executing perfect turns. Katia spends her time spotting the minor mistakes each couple makes and coaxes even better moves out of them.
The number of students learning to dance is increasing and becoming steadier, possibly due to the popularity of Salsa. "Salsa has reached a level of fame that's quite amazing," says Katia.
Because of this, dance instructors are in demand and auditions are held to select potential instructors. Binayak and Katia also observe their teaching skills before making the decision to hire instructors.
"Patience is important in dance teaching," Binayak says. "It's about making students understand the steps so we must have more than one way of teaching the same thing. Being adaptable to different learning styles helps."
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"I want to show my own style and teach my students that," Rohit says. "Different people can do the same step but with different styles. I am happy when students are coming up with their own style."
Besides just being a place to practise your moves, Katia sees the dance studio as a clean and safe environment for people from different backgrounds to hang out and social barriers are breaking down. "Dance has no hierarchy," she says. Indeed, many teenagers from different walks of life flock to dance schools after their School Leaving Examination to learn a new skill and have some fun in the process.
But this also causes a big turnover in the students. Many take lessons for six months during the holidays and then leave for college. Some even go overseas for further studies. Binayak and Katia often advise them to continue dancing even when abroad.
Recently, a former student currently in Australia contacted Katia, telling her that he was continuing his dance lessons Down Under. Visibly heartened by the news, Katia says: "It was such a great feeling to know that!"
More than just personal enjoyment, continuing dance lessons give people more options when they eventually return home. If they are good enough, they can find jobs as dance instructors.
It is a long way before someone like me can even begin to dream of such a possibility, but at the very least, I've found that moving my left foot in rhythm with my right isn't so hard after all. And I can also heave a sigh of relief there won't be any mortifying videos of me on YouTube.