SOUL LINE DANCING: HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR ART?
Written by Aline Goodman
There has been a lot of talk in the dance community about certification. What does it mean? Do I have to do it? Is it needed? Or more importantly, why?
Please let me lay out a few facts for everyone:
WHY THE NEED FOR CERTIFICATION OR CREDENTIALS?
Line dancing is taking the country by storm. This we all know. But the industry is changing! For the good or for the bad, I’m not sure. But what I do know is that because of the attention line dancing has gotten over the years, it is currently being lump in with group exercise and/or low impact aerobics. Because of this classification, different businesses are asking for credential or certification. If you apply to a gym or some recreation centers or a big company that has a health and wellness program for their employees, they are asking for some type of credentials.
Some folks have even said why should we let other people dictate what we do? And in some respect you are right, but, being privy to some of the things that are happening to them, I use this information as a barometer for what could be just down the pike for us. This gives us a heads up on what to expect.
For example, I recently applied for a grant for health and wellness using line dancing as the spring board. The amount of the grant was $15,000.00. I was turned down. Why? Because I had no credential as to what I was doing. I was told that although I had a pretty impressive resume, I had nothing to back it up. No insurance, no waiver (I did have one and provided that, but that was the only thing I had), no music licensing agreement and more importantly, no CPR. So no, according to their guidelines and the criteria that had to be followed, I was ineligible for the grant. That was an eye opener for me. When I questioned them about their criteria and their guidelines, they replied: the person would need a dance certification or group instructor certification, CPR, Waiver, Insurance and music license agreement (to guard against copyright issues). I told them that there was really nothing out there for us, and they replied, again, if there is nothing out there for you, then develop your own program. This is what we did. We asked ourselves, what would we want to learn and developed the program from there.
This certification program is by no means mandatory. WE WILL NOT BLACKLIST ANYONE WHO DOES NOT TAKE THE CERTIFICATION. This program was developed as a way to improve ourselves in order present ourselves to other businesses and to certify dance instructors. But will we advertise ourselves to organizations such as Big Brother and Big Sisters when they are having an event? Absolutely! Will we advertise with the different cities Chambers of Commerce, again, absolutely!
If you are a person who only wants to continue to teach in Churches, recreation centers, reunions and bridal showers, then this program is probably not for you.
But, if you are an instructor and you want to go after some of the money that is out there for health and wellness, then this program is what you need.
In an article from Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman, Lifestyle Entrepreneur Coach and Life Coach of the Brownstone Workshop, she recently asked “What is your side hustle?” For many of us, it is our line dance classes. The income that we generate from our classes comes in very handy. Yasmeen points out: “Having a side hustle should be a part of the “norm” from this point forward. Are you working a full-time job but the zeros just don’t match the bills that are accumulating right now? Having a side hustle means that you have found a “niche” that will allow you to being in extra income or perhaps, lead to another career path. For example, if you are a stay-at-home mom, start a home-based business.”© “The Brownstone Workshop”.
Line dancing can be your side hustle, and maybe your new career. The program we developed will help you turn your line dance class into a business, will offer legal information on many levels and teach you how to count music so that we, as instructors and choreographers, respect the music and understand what we are teaching. Haven’t you ever wondered why when you are doing a dance, the music ends before you start the dance over? It’s because we don’t understand beats and counts and things of that nature. At least, I don’t. That is one of the course we offer, is how to understand the music. I always believe that before you choreograph a dance, you should listen to your music until you can’t stand it and then listen some more. Let the music talk to you, your dance will come to you much easier.
THE REASON OR THE CASE FOR CPR.
What would you do if one of your students faints in your case? Besides dialing 911, what would you do? A lot of organizations are requiring that you know CPR. This is the main reason. Many of us have health issues or know of someone who is dealing with health issues, and we do not have the knowledge or understanding to help them if something happens to them in public or in our presence. If nothing else, whether you take the Certification Program, get your CPR certification, you will be happy that you did.
I hope this answers some of your questions or concerns. Again, we are not looking to stop anyone from teaching their classes. We are just trying to stay ahead of the game providing information to our dance community.