I feel very lucky to have found Groovitude Dance. Mandy and Lisa teach many different styles of…read moredance, although I personally take Tap 2 and Tap 3 with Mandy and Lyrical with Lisa.
They are both wonderfully talented teachers and choreographers. Their choreography is creative, interesting, and so much fun to learn. But what impresses me even more is the way they teach. They have such genuine enthusiasm for teaching and such warmth toward their students that sometimes I actually feel touched by how much energy and heart they put into every class.
And they really know HOW to teach.
When we learn choreography, they don't simply teach one section, move on to the next, and assume we can put everything together. They constantly go back to what we learned before, then have us practice the transition from one section into the next. We repeat those connections again and again until the separate pieces begin to flow together and the whole dance becomes smooth. I really appreciate this. Sometimes you can know every individual section perfectly well and still get completely lost when you have to connect them!
They explain movements clearly, break them down step by step, repeat them patiently, and somehow make complicated choreography feel learnable. There is a real technique to the way they teach.
Another thing I really appreciate is that their choreography always feels fresh. I've taken classes at other studios where, after a while, I sometimes feel as though I'm learning variations of the same choreography--different song, but many of the same combinations--and eventually the class can become a little boring.
I never feel that way with Mandy or Lisa. Of course dance has its vocabulary, so naturally some movements will be familiar. But they are so creative in the way they put those movements together--the combinations, transitions, musicality and little surprises--that somehow even familiar movements feel new. I never feel like I'm just learning the same dance to a different song. There is always something new to discover, and that keeps the classes interesting and keeps me wanting to come back.
Except for the tap classes, where we are separated by level, students in a class don't necessarily have the same amount of dance experience. Yet Mandy and Lisa somehow make it work. More experienced dancers can still be challenged, while those who need a little more time can follow without feeling left behind. That is not easy to do, and I think it takes a very special kind of teacher.
And did I mention that they are FUNNY? There is so much laughter in their classes. They are playful, spontaneous, and never take themselves too seriously, even though they take their teaching seriously.
I grew up in a rather conservative culture, so expressing myself freely doesn't always come naturally to me. But dance is about more than remembering steps. Sometimes you have to let yourself go. Mandy and Lisa's energy is contagious, and somehow they can bring that side out of me. I find myself becoming more expressive, more playful, and a little less inhibited. I love that. They don't just teach me how to move; they make me feel comfortable enough to really dance.
I take dance classes at other studios too, so I do have something to compare them with. I have had many good teachers, but I have to say that, so far, Mandy and Lisa are the best teachers I have found.
You can see how much people enjoy their classes simply by looking at how many students keep coming back. I haven't personally taken all the other styles they teach, so I can only speak from my own experience with tap and lyrical. But I can certainly understand why so many dancers want to learn from them.
For me, a good dance teacher can teach you the steps. A great dance teacher makes you want to dance.
Mandy and Lisa do that.
