Westie Bootcamp Canada is unlike any other intensive experience out there. With levelled classes, one-on-one time with your instructors, limited to 70 dancers across the whole camp, role-balanced, and a focus on technique, you'll be a completely different dancer when you leave.
Class levels
On the first day of camp, you'll be assessed throughout your first three classes of the camp. The instructors will get a sense of your connectivity, spins, and musicality as you participate in class; they will even dance with you in rotation! Based on your abilities coming in to camp, you'll be assigned to levelled classes for the remaining four days.
Assigning levels sounds like an easy job, but it actually takes the whole first morning. Instructors also keep an eye on dancers throughout the camp and recommend level changes, both up and down. This ensures that you're not judged on a short audition, but have a chance to really show what you're capable of.
Depending on your particular needs, you may be assigned different levels for different class types. This ensures that you're getting the right content in each particular area, and won't be in classes that are too easy or difficult for your stage.
Assigning levels sounds like an easy job, but it actually takes the whole first morning. Instructors also keep an eye on dancers throughout the camp and recommend level changes, both up and down. This ensures that you're not judged on a short audition, but have a chance to really show what you're capable of.
Depending on your particular needs, you may be assigned different levels for different class types. This ensures that you're getting the right content in each particular area, and won't be in classes that are too easy or difficult for your stage.
Coached practice
Coached practice is one of the unique features of dance camp. This scheduled time consists of about an hour of social dancing, twice a day, but with an agenda: you'll work on applying what you learned in your most recent lessons.
WE DON'T SOCIAL DANCE FOR FUN AT BOOTCAMP - GASP!
Campers help one another out - unlike regular social dances, you're encouraged to tell your partner what you're working on and ask for help noticing your habits. You're also encouraged to share what you notice when your partner asks for help. The instructors will circulate throughout this time to watch you in action, talk to you about what they see in your dancing, and remind you what they'd like you to work on.
That's right - the pros will be watching you dance and giving you feedback in real time. It's. awesome.
WE DON'T SOCIAL DANCE FOR FUN AT BOOTCAMP - GASP!
Campers help one another out - unlike regular social dances, you're encouraged to tell your partner what you're working on and ask for help noticing your habits. You're also encouraged to share what you notice when your partner asks for help. The instructors will circulate throughout this time to watch you in action, talk to you about what they see in your dancing, and remind you what they'd like you to work on.
That's right - the pros will be watching you dance and giving you feedback in real time. It's. awesome.
Mini-PRIVATES EVERY DAY
Another unique feature of camp are your ongoing mini-private feedback sessions scheduled with one of the instructors each day. This is your opportunity to bring questions, get updated feedback, hear what each one of the instructors would like to see from your dancing, bring video of yourself to review, dance with a partner and have a live critique... how the learning happens is UP TO YOU!
You'll hear from each of the instructors at least once through the weekend, so make the most of this opportunity for one-on-one attention!
You'll hear from each of the instructors at least once through the weekend, so make the most of this opportunity for one-on-one attention!
Classes
Westie Bootcamp Canada is different.
You'll spend five days focusing on the quality of your dancing. Not on learning new patterns (although you will learn some), but on improving the quality of your movement, connection, timing, musicality, and partnership. When you leave camp, you won't be the same dancer who walked in the door.
Classes include things like:
You'll spend five days focusing on the quality of your dancing. Not on learning new patterns (although you will learn some), but on improving the quality of your movement, connection, timing, musicality, and partnership. When you leave camp, you won't be the same dancer who walked in the door.
Classes include things like:
- Adjusting patterns and styling to different levels of musical intensity.
- Practising dance drills
- Setting up breaks in the music
- Bringing emotion into your musical interpretation
- Body isolation focus
- Working with energy to create new ideas
Daily schedule
You can expect to dance for two to three hours between breakfast and lunch, four to five hours between lunch and dinner, and three to four hours after dinner. Your classes will include topics like quality of movement, musicality, connectivity, spins, foot articulation, and whatever else the instructors dream up.
You'll have a mini-private scheduled each day, as well as two coached practices. There are areas of the building where you can relax, take a nap, or practice between classes, so you're able to dance as much or as little as you like between your scheduled times.
You'll have a mini-private scheduled each day, as well as two coached practices. There are areas of the building where you can relax, take a nap, or practice between classes, so you're able to dance as much or as little as you like between your scheduled times.
