Check You Out
Checking out of any level in dance can feel like a daunting challenge so we wanted to break it all down and cover the key questions we get asked all the time.
Learning to dance is an ongoing journey and while milestones like events and checkouts are a key part of your progress, they are not the be all and end all. It’s never worth rushing to get to a check out or letting them overwhelm you with stress, it’s far more effective to enjoy the process and take in every bit of knowledge along the way. We always recommend taking your learning at your own pace and doing a checkout when you feel truly ready. Along those lines, the most popular question we get is…
How do I know when I am ready for a Check Out?
Every person is a little different and the way you approach your dancing plays a key part in this question. If you are taking lessons for fun social dancing and don’t want to get bogged down in too much technique, we totally understand and can personalise a Check Out to suit you and your goals.
Many of our dancers love the technique though and want to get the most out of each level so ideally here are the check points we recommend to build the strongest layer by layer foundation in your dancing.
You are ready for a Check Out when:
You have learned and can dance confidently every step in your level. Every pattern teaches you a different skill so it’s really important to cover all your bases. The steps also get longer as you progress through the levels. Learning every step develops your memory and like a muscle, it gets stronger and stronger so you are ready for more challenging material. Be patient and leave no stone unturned.
You feel confident with dancing your School Figures solo. Dancing by yourself is a key element of any Check Out. It develops your balance and control, shows you understand the material and allows us to see where your technique is at without any influence from a partner. Practicing solo figures is a great way to warm up for a lesson, practice technique and if you do it regularly, will be a breeze when it comes to Check Out.
You get the lingo. Everyone forgets a step name here or there but generally knowing the names of the steps is really important in dancing. We share a common language and as the steps get longer, it makes it so much easier to teach longer steps when we can name the components within them. Followers often especially struggle with this step as they are often focused on following skills so be sure to take note of the steps in your book as you go and practice naming them along the way.
Level appropriate technique. Each level has its own set of techniques to master. You’ll find them in your book and they are an essential part of getting your dancing to look and feel the best. For example. if you nail your heel leads and toe releases in Bronze 1, your driving and swinging techniques in Bronze 2 will settle in much easier.
This is the most common hiccup in layering the levels. Most people get impatient when they know all the steps and don’t always take the time to apply the technique before moving on. The good news is you can always take a break in learning patterns to develop your technique and catch up, just chat with your teacher to make a plan if you feel like this might be you.
What are the expectations for each level?
All the answers to this question are in your book. There are handy points of technique to keep you on track, along with a paragraph about each individual dance at every level and what core skills it is designed to develop. Take a little time to read through your book next time you are in, to get a clear picture of where you are at.
Generally, we like to think of building from the ground up. Footwork is the key focus in your beginning levels and we work up through the body as we go. There are some factors like posture that are always important but approaching your technique this way, helps to layer the concepts on top of each other (quite literally).
What kinds of Check Outs are there?
Medalist Check Out
This is a checkout in six or more of your core dances. For most of our students that includes Fox Trot, Rumba, Swing, Waltz, Cha Cha and Tango. You can checkout of additional dances but it’s important to note you must do School Figures in all of the dances you are checking out of. When dancing you need to show a range of steps and might be asked to show a particular one after dancing to check your pattern knowledge.
Specialty Check Out
This is a great option for anyone mid-way through a level in their core dances. You can do a Specialty Check Out in three or more dances in the same genre. For example, a Smooth Specialty Check Out might include Argentine Tango, Milonga and Peabody.
These Check Outs are structured a little differently as there is a lot of open and interrelated material involved and they are often not in the core dances of our students. With these you only need to show one School Figure in each dance, which is the last one in the level you are checking out of, along with dancing a range of level-appropriate material with a partner.
Can I come to Medal Ball even if I don’t Check Out?
Every one of our students is welcome at Medal Ball and we really appreciate our whole community getting behind our graduates. It fosters an amazing supportive energy that makes for a great night. There is social dancing, food and drink, plus the opportunity to dress up, which we are always a fan of!
Whatever path you decide for this Medal Ball season, you are exactly where you are meant to be in your dance journey. Enjoy the process and everything you have achieved and lets celebrate together on the dance floor!