|
|
|
| What Is LeRoc?Basically it started as a French form of Jive. When the British and the Americans stopped Jiving and Rock 'n' Rolling with the advent of The Twist in the early sixties, the French kept going. Over twenty years it developed its own style and was imported into the UK around 1980 and to Bristol in 1985. Since when it has been developed still further into a nationally recognised form of dance. Le Roc is danced to a wide variety of music including current chart hits in the Elmgrove classes and events. Who Goes?From a survey conducted in the summer of 1994, we discovered that by far the most popular age of our dancers was 29. Although at the extremes we get 16 - 80 year olds, 70% of dancers were between 25 and 39. When Can I Start?Any time. The Beginners and Intermediates classes are not courses, so you can begin at any appropriate class in any week. Really and truly there is no need to bring a partner, as many people arrive on their own. Unlike a lot of other types of dance classes, the balance of men and women is usually very good. The numbers vary from class to class and week to week. How Long Will It Take To Learn?It usually takes at least ten classes for women and around fourteen for men to reach Elmgrove LeRoc's Intermediate level. The reason for the difference is two-fold: women have often been to dance classes before and so have more dance experience; secondly the men have to lead the dance which entails a more thorough understanding of the moves. Where Can I Dance LeRoc?Outside the classes there are an increasing number of dances to go to - usually at least one a week. We usually have leaflets available on the door of many events that are coming up. What Is The Format Of The Classes?Our philosophy is that there is little point in learning moves if you don't have time to practice them. So the format at Beginner level is that we teach 3 moves in 45 minutes (Beginners Part 1) followed by Beginners Part 2 where you practice the 3 moves and are taught a fourth move to complete the routine. This is followed by a one hour general session where you can practice all the moves you have learnt. With the Intermediates class of 45 minutes we aim to build a core set of moves for social dancing. There are some 50 core moves and we add others to make interesting routines. When we had 200 or so moves at this level we found that we were teaching some of them just once a year. This wasn't much use to anyone. Having a core set of moves means that dancers will actually get to know them and be able to dance them properly, and the other 200 moves are put in the routines to add variety and interest. What Will My First Class Be Like?Two thirds of new dancers confess they are worried about their (in)competence in their first class. When you get there, you may think everyone else knows what they are doing. Don't be fooled by this apparent expertise - the teaching strategy in Beginners is to get people mobile and pay attention to style points later. Remember that dancing is about having fun - so it doesn't matter if you make a few mistakes. It is the custom for LeRoc classes to move everyone around every few minutes. This makes it sociable and stops arguments between couples. It also means you can have a change of face throughout the lesson. If you are new to dance, you may wonder why your coordination deserts you during your first lesson! This is quite normal. It comes back after a few lessons, so please persist. We expect, and get, complete beginners at every class, so you should be among company in your first lesson. It may appear that most people in the class already know each other, this is because LeRoc is highly social, to some extent this is true, but equally that doesn't mean you are about to be excluded. We encourage people to exchange names in the class, even though we know it is hard to remember them all. The teachers are actually in the worst position because everyone knows their names while they only get to know some of the dancers' names! But the teachers do regularly chat and dance with most dancers. What Do I Wear?Clean clothes! LeRoc is surprisingly energetic once you get going, as energetic as squash. This means that it's a good idea to wear loose casual clothing, even in winter. As for footwear: initially the women do more spinning than the men and so slippery shoes (that stay on) are preferred. Trampolining shoes are cheap (around £3.50 from some sports shops) and recommended. The use of trainers is not encouraged because they stick to the floor too much when turning and may cause a knee injury. MiscellaneaPunctualityWe aim to start classes on time so it helps if you can arrive five minutes or so in advance, particularly if you are new. It gets a bit chaotic if there are lots of people still coming in as we start to teach. Dance Floor Etiquette
Private Classes And FunctionsSome of our teachers are available for private classes and functions. Please ask or phone for details.
|
