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The Balboa Experiment

Why The Balboa Experiment Helps You To Become A Better Dancer

04.05.2012 by Chris

First of all, I don't get paid or receive any benefits for writing this blog post. This article represents my personal opinion. 😉

Balboa Experiment House

A highly intensive Balboa workshop

Quote from the website:

The Experiment is a highly intensive Balboa workshop built around the model of small, select groups of participants spending a week together with top dancers of our generation in an extraordinary live+work+play environment.

My first contact with The Experiment

It was back in Summer 2008, I was attending the Studio Hop Summer Camp, when I heard the first time about The Experiment. Mastermind David Rehm, who was teaching there, was handing out flyers about the event. He was painfully mysterious about the event. When we asked him what The Experiment is, he always redirected us to the website.

Balboa Experiment Practice SessionAs a matter of fact, the first Experiment in 2009 was very exclusive. Only one week, only 24 students. You can imagine the high competition between the appliers to get a spot.

I was hooked from the beginning. In that year, I knew I can't apply because of my dance level but I also knew that I wanna go there as soon as possible.

One year later, the event was advertised again, and this time with 2 weeks with 24 students each. I applied and to my big surprise I got accepted. I was excited and terrified at the same moment!

In this year (2012), I attended The Experiment already for the third time. The event has meanwhile grown to three weeks with 28 students each.

What didn't change over the years is the fascination and the concept of the event.

What Is So Unique About The Experiment?

I have already written about this last year in “A Day At The Balboa Experiment“. Let me summarize one more time, what distinguishes The Experiment from all the other camps and workshops:

Sessions instead of lessons/classes

Usually, there is a morning session and an afternoon session. Some of these sessions have specific topics, chosen by the staff, and some are open (without a topic) and free to use. Examples of sessions are: watching old clips and try to copy what you see, Ask & Tell, feedback session after competition, etc.

Instructors act as coaches and mentors

Some sessions are created and led by specific instructors but mainly they are coaching and mentoring. As a student you have to be pro-active, though. In other words, you have to ask them for feedback.

Driven by the students

The primary goal is, that the participants teach, inspire and give feedback to each other. The students are all high level dancers (advanced/advanced plus/masters). It's simply amazing how much knowledge and experience comes together in such a place. It would be a big waste, if there wouldn't be a possibility to share and exchange that knowledge.

Combination of practicing, living, socializing, playing, …

Balboa Experiment Playing Rock BandYou know that from your own experience. You spend hours with the same people again and again at workshops and events but basically, you don't know that much about them unless your common passion for the dance.

Here, everything is happening at the same place, means: in the Experiment House. Sleeping, eating, working, playing, hanging out, social dancing, etc.

There is plenty of time to get to know your peers better and in a different way.

Feedback

I don't know any other place where I get honest feedback about my dancing from my peers. This fact helped me the most in the last few years to grow and to become a better dancer – and also a better dance teacher!

You Should Apply As Well

If one or more of these points resonate with you, then you should apply for the next Experiment.

Even if you're not an advanced dancer so far and you are interested in such a learning environment, apply! Who knows the future, maybe there will be a Balboa Experiment with 4 weeks!?

Filed Under: Dance, Education Tagged With: Balboa, The Balboa Experiment, Workshop

A Day At The Balboa Experiment

06.04.2011 by Chris

For many Balboa dancers, The Balboa Experiment is still a mystery. I'm one of the lucky attendees and I would like to give you an insight in the daily life at The Experiment.

The Balboa Experiment Beach HouseWhat is The (Balboa) Experiment?

The Experiment is an intensive Balboa workshop for high-level dancers from all over the world who spend one week in a beach house, where they live, work and dance together.

Mastermind David Rehm (co-host: Nick Williams) launched the workshop in 2009 with one week and 24 students. Meanwhile the event has grown to three weeks with 28 students each week in this year.

The Balboa Experiment at Topsail BeachSo, what's so special about this workshop? The concept is unique so far. It doesn't exist a “normal” teacher-student setup like in regular classes and workshops. It's rather an environment where students teach and inspire each other and where international teachers such as Kate Hedin, Laura Keat, Marie Nahnfeldt Mattsson, Bobby White and Jeremy Otth act as mentors and coaches.

New for this year are visiting special guests such as Head DJ Kyle Smith and others. Kyle for example will hold additional sessions/lectures during free time about balboa music and DJ'ing.

Sessions Instead of Strict Timetables

The day is usually structured as follows:

  • 10h breakfast
  • 11h morning session (usually feedback session) 90 minutes – 2 hours
  • 13h lunch – afterwards free time for dancing, discussing, hanging out
  • 16h afternoon session 2 – 3 hours
  • 19h dinner – afterwards free time for dancing, gaming (Rock Band!), resting
  • 21h social dancing until 2h (some nights include competitions)
  • 2h hot tub 🙂

As you can see, there is no strict timetable for lessons, it's all about sessions with flexible endings, they simply last as long as necessary.

Feedback is King

Competitions are a part of The Experiment because most of the attendees do competitions from time to time, but the main goal is not to elect the Experiment Champion, instead it's all about practising competing in a kind of secure environment and about feedback.

That's the most important part about The Experiment: giving and receiving feedback from fellow dancers. I've rarely got any feedback for my dancing, I actually had no idea where I'm standing within my peer group. The only hint has been maybe a ranking in a competition.

So, this is completely different at The Experiment.

How Giving Feedback Works

The Balboa ExperimentDuring the competion each couple dances a spotlight in front of judges (who are the coaches) and all the attendees. Everything get taped on video. The dancers who are not competing are writing down pros and cons for each couple.

During the morning sessions on the next day, we watch the videos in small groups and discuss about the performances of each couple. At the end, every single person has a video, lots of comments and written down pros and cons from more than 20 fellow dancers.

How great is that!

Bottom Line

Like I wrote before, feedback is everything. I hope, that the session concept will also be used more in classes. I know, that's not always possible,  because of lack of time or/and because many students just wanna learn new moves.

But this is another discussion.

Related Posts:

  • Dance Teaching Idea: Ask & Tell

Filed Under: Education, Most Popular Tagged With: Balboa, The Balboa Experiment, Workshop

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Welcome, I'm Christian Bossert. Since 1999, I‘ve been passionate about Swing dances as well as their culture and history. I‘m a Swing dance instructor and international Swing DJ Chrisbe, based in Zurich Switzerland. Read More…

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