Trainees...
Thinking about a
career change? How about FREE training?
Have you ever thought about becoming a Ballroom Dance
Teacher?
Learn the skills you need in our Teacher Training Program
We are the new breed of dancers and instructors; a cast of
committed professionals whose focus is on creating dancers
and making dreams a reality. Our staff represent a broad
spectrum of experience and diversified dancing backgrounds,
and we want to add to this diverse wealth of talent.
So, come along and take a look at the exciting positions we
have to offer. This is your invitation to explore who we
are and start on the road to making your own dreams a
reality at Absolutely DanceSport.
Absolutely DanceSport Auditions:
Auditions are held regularly. The company employs a diverse
group of artists with experience in singing, dance, acting,
musicians, and those who have played in bands. Variety and
specialty dancers in ballroom, tap, jazz, ballet or Latin
dancing may send resume to the address listed at the bottom
of this page. We encourage performers from all cultural
backgrounds to apply. Please call for next audition date.
Email
Absolutely DanceSport Collegiate Internship Program:
undergraduate \Un`der*grad"u*ate\, n. An underfed,
energetic and enthusiastic individual in the first four
years of higher education, cramming for finals while
exploring the realm of college majors.
If that describes you, fulfill your destiny with Absolutely
DanceSport where your talents will be given the showcase
they deserve in an internship or full-time dance
opportunity.
Absolutely DanceSport Collegiate Internship Program offers
interns experiences in both teaching and performing. If you
are interested in joining the program please Email
Apprenticeship:
The Fastest, Easiest, and Surest Way to Become Great at
What You Do . . . or What You Want to Do (Free if you
qualify)
For centuries, people have been learning marketable skills
by apprenticing themselves to masters. In a standard
apprenticeship program, there are three basic stages -- and
for each stage, there is a distinct way of learning and,
usually, a distinct master.
By putting yourself through these same stages today, you
can quickly and easily become truly great at what you want
to do, whether that thing is painting, dancing, writing
direct-mail copy, or getting rich through real estate.
Stage 1: Learning the basics
The novitiate stage is about learning the basics -- and the
best way to learn quickly is under the guidance of a master
teacher, not a master "doer." It would be a waste of time
to pair a novice with a master doer. The novice wouldn't
understand what the master had to teach him, and the master
probably wouldn't have the patience (or the skill) to teach
the novice.
The common denigrating adage "Those who can, do; those who
cannot, teach" is misguided. Why? Because a good teacher
isn't necessarily good at practicing the skill. He does,
however, understand it and know how to expertly communicate
that understanding -- something a master doer often can't
do. This is the reason it's usually a mistake to look to a
master when you know absolutely nothing about the subject
you want to learn.
If you want to become a master real-estate developer, for
example, start by taking a course on real estate by someone
who really knows how to teach it. Shop around and ask for
recommendations. Spend some extra time locating a great
teacher or a great teaching program. Don't settle for less.
If he or it costs more, pay it. Don't go to Donald Trump --
even if he is your uncle -- for the ABCs of real estate. He
won't want to bother to explain fundamental things like
negative amortization to you, and you'll waste your time.
Stage 2: Becoming competent
Once you have learned the basics -- and that should take
about six months for most "financially valuable" skills --
it will be time to move to the next stage. I don't know
what this stage was called in the past (if it had a name at
all), but it is a process that many of the great masters of
the past went through -- and one that I highly recommend to
you.
This is when you learn the things that most teachers cannot
teach you -- the "how-to" secrets that are largely
invisible to outsiders. This is the period during which you
move from "understanding about" a skill to becoming
competent at it.
Becoming competent in any complex skill takes about 1,000
hours. You can do it faster than that by attaching yourself
to a good teacher or teaching program in Stage 1 and then
by learning the "how-to" secrets in the most efficient way
possible.
Everything I've done or seen done points to only one way to
do this. And that -- to put a noble name on it -- is called
"mimesis," or the process of copying. In other words, in
Stage 2, you copy the work of masters in your field.
To go back to our real-estate example, say you've finished
your six-month study of the basics. You know the major
concepts, you understand the power of leverage, and you
know how to get loans, negotiate commissions, and budget
your acquisitions. Now, it's time to put what you've
learned into practice.
But instead of doing that by actually spending your money,
you do it by imitating the masters. You study the great
real-estate deals of the past. You read biographies and
talk to brokers. You interview real-estate developers and
study the newspapers. You imagine yourself doing everything
that has been done already -- and, bit by bit, you
internalize the process.
The purpose of this step is to put yourself through actual
real-estate transactions without subjecting yourself to
financial risk. By imitating the masterful work of those
who went before, you will begin to understand what they did
at an intuitive level. You will develop your own instincts
about what to do and what not to do -- which you can't
always learn from a teacher.
Speed is your enemy during the mimesis period. Take your
time and do everything right. Make sure every practice step
is a perfect one, and you'll never have to worry about
making the big mistakes in actual practice.
Step 3: Developing mastery
Only now, after you have learned the basics of your subject
and have practiced the skills . . . only now that you have
achieved a level of competence . . . are you ready for a
one-on-one relationship with a master. By stepping into the
shadow of someone who practices your skill at a world-class
level, you have the opportunity to advance your skills much
more quickly than you could do otherwise -- and to learn
tricks and techniques you might not discover on your own
for decades.
Ironically, and unfortunately, just when most people get to
the point where they'd benefit most from the guidance of a
master, they try to go out on their own. Since they are
already competent, they make the mistake of thinking that
they can begin working immediately and independently at
this point -- and having put six months into a study
program and 1,000 hours into imitating the masters, they
are understandably eager to get going.
But if you ignore the master-apprentice stage, chances are
you will spend the rest of your life practicing your skill
as a "B player." By putting yourself at the feet of a
master, you can make that extra leap -- from good to great
-- and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of being a master
yourself.
If you want to enjoy the reputation of being great at what
you do . . . if you would like to know that your work is
really astounding . . . if you want to earn great money and
be in charge of your career . . . you absolutely have to
take this third and most important step.
Being an apprentice requires both humility and confidence.
You are already good at what you want to do. Naturally,
you'd like to think you are as good as the best. But if you
can recognize that the great practitioners in your field
are doing something more . . . if you can humble yourself
to recognize that you are not that great . . . then you
will be able and even willing to apply for an internship in
the right way: by getting down on your knees and begging
for it!
Begging for an apprenticeship takes humility . . . but
believing that you will be able to benefit from the
experience takes confidence. Think of it this way: The
master knows something that you don't. If you could learn
it, you could do what he can do. Maybe even do it better,
since it's possible you know something he doesn't. As an
apprentice, your job is not to show him what you know or
impress him with the extra knowledge you have. Your job is
to learn his secret and how to apply it. And the best way
to do that is to happily provide him with whatever menial
work he wants from you . . . anything (washing his windows,
bringing him coffee, etc.) . . . and be extremely and
forever grateful for what he gives you in return.
What you give him -- however much it is -- will only make
his life a bit more comfortable or productive. But what he
will give you -- the otherwise invisible secrets you'll
learn from him -- will change your life
In short:
1. Make an objective assessment of your current skill
level. Are you a beginner, an intermediate, or someone who
is already competent?
2. Advance your learning by selecting the learning method
that matches your stage. If you're a beginner, don't make
the mistake of thinking that a master can or will help you.
3. Work smart till you become competent -- and then resist
the urge to strike out entirely on your own. Remember, the
time you really need a master to help you is precisely when
you think you already know it all.
P.S This was the method I used to become the dancer I have
become today!
My sincere thanks to all my coaches, teachers and masters.
I am forever grateful.
Are you ready to get started? Then give me a call! and
arrange for a individual audition and please be sure to
mention that you learned about us online.
Dancingly yours,
William Valencia



