Lesson Notes

Why does Cool Cats go to the effort of creating lesson notes? It's simple - working to a defined structure helps establish consistency of method rather than an undirected or ad hoc teaching approach. This allows for the consistent reinforcement of common principles and skills across different styles of dance for students of all proficiency levels.

Our goal is to help students Take the Next Step and not only improve their execution and presentation, but also understand their dancing better. Comprehensive and descriptive lesson notes are one way that we can assist this process.

Tier 1: Fundamentals

Tier 1 represents not only the core content that students new to dancing or a particular style need to know, but also the key elements of better dancing for students of all levels of experience. The Tier 1 notes therefore provide information relevant to mechanics, pressure, timing and harmony. While each course may focus more on a specific element, it remains important to address all components when considering the fundamentals of a dance style.

Kick-Step R'n'R           4-Beat Blues*            Rockabilly            Swing / Lindy-Hop

*currently under revision.

Tiers 2/3: Progression & Introduction to Concept

The content covered in Tier 2 of each course is selected to provide a clear progression from fundamental figures or skills, focusing on the chosen element of each course. The lesson notes are written in a manner to highlight the relevant skills and concepts applied.

Tier 3 content is selected to demonstrate how skills and principles introduced in Tiers 1 and 2 develop and are implemented in more advanced dancing. Students are not expected to tackle this content in class, but may do so at their discretion. Consequently, Tier 3 lesson notes are provided primarily to assist ongoing practice and revision of content that is introduced in a preliminary form during the course.

Tier 2/3 lesson notes are in continued development - notes that are relatively complete are available upon request as pdf documents to students completing the relevant course. A summary of Tier 2+/3 content that may be learnt in any general class or private lesson is provided for all styles here.

Short Courses: Insight & Focus

Triples Rock 'n' Roll

Teaching elements addressed in class will vary according to the composition of students in a given course. Consequently, the information provided in these short courses goes beyond what we can cover in the scope of a regular lesson. Unfortunately, due to inconsistent class attendance, these courses are no longer offered on a weekly basis. However, general classes and private lessons provide the opportunity to work on this content and to follow the structured course approach to further improve your dancing.

Basic (& Progressive) Aerials

The Basic Aerials course is not just about running through a series of simple lifts, drop, and slides - rather it is designed to provide dancers with the essential skills to progress into more complex, sensitive, or physically demanding aerials both safely and confidently. The Basic Aerials short course (or equivalent content in General Classes) must be completed successfully before we teach dancers more advanced lift-work and technique.

There is a lot of important information to cover concerning Aerials and we want to make sure we get it right. In short, these notes may take a while :)

Lead/Follow

While we place a lot of emphasis through our structured courses and the general classes on leading and following, consideration is often specific to those figures or actions being examined. In this course we explore how the various components of leading and following may be brought together into a coherent and consistent system, with concepts and principals relevant to all nostalgia dance styles.

This course is designed to aid students in the development of their overall lead/follow skills, while also providing a deeper appreciation of the restrictions, needs, and issues pertinent to the other partner.

Timing & Technique

Many people find timing difficult, particularly in conjunction with the performance of various actions to lead/follow certain figures. In addition, as a dancer it is important to appreciate the ability to "play" with the music (musicality) and understand how variation to basic actions may be used to match and emphasise the light and shade in each song.

This course is designed to examine basic principals for good timing, build upon skills and concepts introduced in the Lead/Follow short course, and provide further background and insight on musical patterns, dance construction, and the relationship to footwork and body movement.

Footwork & Body Movement

Each dancer should be encouraged to develop their own style. This is achieved in large part by the selection of footwork and body movement variations (unique to the character and musical interpretation of each dancer), while maintaining good partnership connection and the fundamental structure and presentation of each dance style. In other words, everybody should be able to put their dancing together a bit differently to get the most enjoyment from it.

This course will review a variety of common footwork changes and body actions that may be used to match the music or alter the flow of dance. The course is also designed to explore how and when changes to the basic dance actions are appropriate and effective. It will therefore consolidate elements of the Timing & Technique and Lead/Follow short courses as footwork and body movement actions are examined as tools for timing and control.

Workshops

Variety on tap...

Understandably, workshop content varies in accordance with the needs of each group for which the workshop is developed. However, if you have recently attended a Cool Cats workshop, our standard workshop programs and routines are in development and there is a good chance that you can find similar content in the documents linked in the side-bar. Otherwise, please don't hesitate to contact us to obtain relevant notes.