Introduction

Circle Dancing is no longer ‘simply’ about putting your feet in the right place. Working with a group is much more than ‘simply’ getting everyone to move together in the right direction. Teaching a dance holds more challenges for the teacher than ‘simply’ remembering the pattern of steps.

We have come a long way since Bernhard Wosien introduced the dance at Findhorn over fifty years ago. Some of us now earn a living from teaching, other teachers supplement their income from teaching dance with other modalities, an increasing number of us use dance in conjunction with other activities such as yoga and many more teach maybe one group a week. But the thing which enables us all to continue at whatever level, is the fact that people choose to spend their precious leisure time dancing with us - and what is more they pay us money to do so! I believe we therefore have a responsibility to be as professional as we can be.

There is more than meets the eye to running a successful group! How do we learn a new skill? How do we help people make the step change from being a beginner to becoming proficient in a skill? How do we look after the energy of a group? How do we, the teachers, stay centred amidst all that potential emotion? What does a 7/8 rhythm mean? What exactly is a Pravo Oro or a Syrtos? How do we accurately record a dance? How can we improve our own dancing skills? And perhaps most importantly of all, how can we, the teachers, keep learning and developing?

This course will look at these and many more questions. Amidst the hard work, I hope that you will find it to be fun, stimulating and rewarding. I know it will provide you with a solid foundation to step out into the teaching world.

The process of learning as a teacher never ends and this foundation course will open some doors and give you a toolbox of skills to use when you teach. However, in a short time, we can only scratch the surface of knowledge which is why further training weekends will be made available for those of you who wish to go deeper into different aspects of teaching Circle Dance.

We WILL be working hard, but there will be lots of laughter in the process- as well as timetabled free time where you have the opportunity to do just as you please - more dancing, sleeping, being…….

The information here should provide you with any answers you may have. However, should you have any further questions, or simply want to discuss the training in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to learning and dancing with you