Steven Carr
The first partner dancing I ever did was in my school years. This included a few classes in Rock & Roll and even fewer Ballroom.
My real interest in dance didn't start until I was shown Modern Jive by a good friend a few years ago (15 give or take). Even then it took a few more years before I actually ventured to classes in March 1999 (at the young age of 36) and I haven't looked back since.
Classes soon went from once a week to two to three times a week with dance parties thrown in to make it four. Slowly but surely, with the help of some very talented people, my Modern Jive evolved to an advanced level. Although, I am sure like most dancers, I feel there is still a lot to learn.
About 4 years ago I was asked if I would like to teach. This was a definite step outside of the comfort zone, being a rather quiet person, and takes your thoughts of how and why you do things to a higher level. Thankfully I had a great teacher in Rob Pearce and support from friends to help with the transition from dancer to a teacher. Since starting I have taught classes from Beginners through to Advanced levels in Modern Jive and have been fortunate enough to be asked to teach workshops and classes from Christchurch to Auckland.
My first taste of West Coast Swing (WCS) was watching Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollmann's routine from "30 Seconds to Fame". Absolutely amazing! Next we had Robert Cordoba and Deborah Szekely come to New Zealand in 2005 to do a demonstration at a dance competition and to teach five workshops. In preparation for this Louisa Alix (a WCS dancer from the States and now living in Hamilton, NZ) was asked to teach us the basics of WCS. It was great fun and a huge learning experience. Between Louisa, Robert and Deborah I learnt so much which helped explain more about the hows and whys which make dancing not only look great but become even more fun. After this classes and workshops were run in New Zealand to help keep the interest going. A lot of this was thanks to Louisa Alix's dedication to going anywhere she could to teach and encourage. I organised for Louisa to come to Auckland a few times which kept the hard core going.
In 2006 a small but excited group (Natalie Perry, Dave Palmer, Norma Gibson and myself) attended Jordan and Tatiana's workshops in Australia. It was an amazing experience to meet and learn from the best and we came back keen to carry on learning and improving.
Some of us were meeting to practice together on Monday nights and soon it was decided to try and expand our group by teaching. In October of 2006 Jared, Tina and Allan's enthusiasm and drive to help bring WCS to others helped create swingFX based at The Loft. Being part of the swing FX team meant taking another step outside my comfort zone to teach WCS. Since then I have been back to Australia to learn more from Robert and Deborah and am looking forward to further travels to improve and expand my knowledge.
Over the last 2 years we have had three lots of International teachers visit and take time out of their holidays to teach us! It seems New Zealand & Australia are becoming hot destinations for WCS dancers
My views on dancing say it is something to be enjoyed and it seems the more I learn the more fun I have, although this often involves some hard work.
I have expanded the styles I have enjoyed to include some Salsa, Jazz Ballet, Latin and Ballroom.
My highlights so far:
First Modern Jive class
Winning the BOP Challenge Trophy in 2004
Dancing WCS with Tatiana (The Worlds Best!)
Performing the Smooth Attitude routine with the swingFX team 2007
Teaching WCS and Modern Jive
Watching students enjoying learning what you are teaching
Finalist Sea to Sky Novice Jack & Jill
But by far the best thing is the people you meet and the friends you make. I have been lucky enough to dance with people from all around the world, it is nice to know dance is a universal language.