Podcasts by Walk to work

Episode 80 - New Teaching Partner Checklist from 2020-02-08T16:56:38

Some things to think about when teaching dance with a new partner for the first time

Episode 79 - Are You Getting in Your Own Way? from 2020-01-17T14:18:23

How do we get in our own way. Why does it hold us back and how do we fix it?

Episode 78 - Doing nothing or not doing anything? from 2020-01-11T00:32:47

Musings on the art of not doing anything, rather than doing nothing or doing something meaningless.

Episode 77 - "X is a racist" from 2020-01-06T00:07:30

Describing someone as "racist" in a racist society is a bit meaningless. What can we do instead? (I don't actually have an answer to this one)

Episode 76 - How to solve a Rubik's Cube from 2019-12-27T05:28:37

Anyone can figure out how to solve a Rubik's cube. It only takes 3 key insights to develop your own solution!

Episode 75 - Live music and the wall of sound from 2019-12-19T07:15:22

Blues dancers can probably learn to like (and even enjoy) live music sets with a low dynamic and rhythmic range

Episode 74 - Cats and Dance Journeys from 2019-11-28T22:16:43

An extended metaphor to illustrate some of the difficulties of changing while being oneself. Featuring cats!

Episode 73 - Story Arcs and Partnering Styles (musings on teaching at Lil' Taste of Fusion) from 2019-11-21T22:56:11

Jess and I taught at Lil' Taste of Fusion : 3h each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with blues on the first day and fusion the other two. We tried to give the weekend a focus, while also creati...

Episode 72 - Codes of conduct from 2019-11-14T22:20:51

What purpose do codes of conduct serve, what should they include, how do they for into your organisation's wider safety strategy?

Episode 71 - Preparation Steps (and Anchor Steps) from 2019-11-08T12:14:35

In response to Basil's questions. A bit about anchors and a lot about preps.

Episode 70 - When is it step step vs triple step? from 2019-10-31T11:29:09

1) It doesn't matter much 2) it's simpler than you may think 3) why do we ask the question?

Episode 69 - Talking with Tara and Michael about their Experience Parenting Aroha (part 2) from 2019-10-25T00:43

Tara  and Michael treat their daughter Aroha like a person (because she is  one). We discuss the language they prefer to use to discribe Aroha, the first time Michael met Aroha, elimin...

Episode 68 - Talking with Tara and Michael about their Experience Parenting Aroha (part 1) from 2019-10-09T23:12:34

Tara and Michael treat their daughter Aroha like a person (because she is one). We discuss how they encourage people to seek Aroha's consent before interacting with her, how they respond to Aroh...

Episode 67 - White Fragility Self Test from 2019-10-03T22:42:16

CW: white dude discussing his white fragility - answering the questions asked by Ally Henny to reflect on one's white fragility. Listen

Episode 66 - Safer Spaces (part 2) from 2019-09-26T13:00

Why do we need to make our safer spaces intersectional? Why do dance spaces in particular need work to make spaces safer? What are the means by which we can go about making spaces safer?

Episode 65 - Safer Spaces (part 1) from 2019-09-19T13:00

Why do we need safer spaces? What kinds of issues are we trying to address?

Episode 64 - Talking with Stefanie Buller about Alexander Technique (part 2) from 2019-09-12T17:00

Stefanie is an Alexander Technique teacher who works with regular folk, but also elite athletes. We discuss how working with athletes is different from regular folk and how to make movement yumm...

Episode 63 - Talking with Stefanie Buller about Alexander Technique (part 1) from 2019-09-05T16:00

Stefanie is an Alexander Technique teacher who works with regular folk, but also elite athletes. We discuss her approach to Alexander Technique and how she came to work with world class rowers. ...

Episode 62 - Talking with Catherine Palmier about Private Escapes from 2019-08-29T17:14:20

Catherine Palmier teaches at/organises various events including Dancemode Immersions and Mountain Blues Camp. She is based in Puerto Rico, where she invites dancers to join her for a "private es...

Episode 61 - Talking with Jenny Sowden about Be-Bluesed (part 2) from 2019-08-22T08:19:43

I sit down at Mountain Blues Camp to talk with Jenny Sowden about her experience teaching at Be-Bluesed (which I previously discussed in episodes 27-29 and 31)

Episode 60 - Talking with Jenny Sowden about Be-Bluesed (part 1) from 2019-08-12T18:08:51

I sit down at Mountain Blues Camp to talk with Jenny Sowden about her experience teaching at Be-Bluesed (which I previously discussed in episodes 27-29 and 31)

Episode 59 - Teacher activities and talking from 2019-08-08T17:00

Discussion of different teacher activities borrowed from Kira Emslie and SwingStep, with a little extra in depth on the kinds of talking we do

Episode 58 - Cultural appropriation is a thing (part 4: ...and it's not about *you*) from 2019-08-01T17:00

More myths about cultural appropriation: a) sourcelanders and diaspora have different perceptions of racism and cultural appropriation b) the question is not "is lindy hop cultural appropriation...

Episode 57 - Musical Notation and European Traditional Music from 2019-07-26T08:16:33

Semi-rant about how Western musical notation shapes our assumptions about what music "is".

Episode 56 - Guided Exploration of Postural Improvement from 2019-07-18T17:00

Let's get physical! Explore how different approaches to posture have functional impact on your body.

Episode 55 - Talking with Samuel Tinguely about Posture from 2019-07-11T18:38:16

We revisit my weak muscle chain fallacy episode to discuss how training muscles for strength and flexibility across their whole range of motion is key to postural improvement

Episode 54 - The Shoulder from 2019-07-04T17:00

The shoulder is very multifunctional and has surprisingly complex movement to help move the arms.

Episode 53 - Juneteenth from 2019-06-27T23:36:59

Juneteenth is a holiday to celebrate the end of slavery in the USA and commemorates the announcement of freedom of slaves in Texas on June 19th 1865.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Article on PBS...

Episode 52 - First Annual Review from 2019-06-21T08:13:29

A review of a year of podcasting.

Episode 51 - Cultural appropriation is a thing (part 3: three more myths about cultural appropriation) from 2019-06-13T16:00

In part 3 I cover a) "you can choose to be offended" b) "mixing of cultures is enrichment" and c) "This one Black person says it's OK" and "You're not black, so why should I listen to you?"

Episode 50 - You can't learn the same thing twice from 2019-06-06T22:53:57

Musings about my experience with Alexander Technique and how the goal is not to find a new, better way, but get comfortable with always finding new ways.

Episode 49 - Turn taking, self-expression, self control (Part 4 - Black and White Styles in Conflict) from 2019-05-30T14:00

Part 4 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in   Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the third part of   describing classroom modalities...

Episode 48 - Struggle is necessary for discussion (Part 3 - Black and White Styles in Conflict) from 2019-05-23T23:51:13

Part 3 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in  Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the second part of  describing classroom modalities of partici...

Episode 47 - Grounding from 2019-05-16T18:48:39

Grounding is a physical and mental state that can be used for practical and aesthetic purposes. I talk more specifically about what (psycho-)physical grounding is.

Episode 46 - Cultural appropriation is a thing (part 2: myths about cultural appropriation) from 2019-05-09T17:00

Myths? Poorly thought out arguments? Let's talk about them!

Episode 45 - Cultural Appropriation is a thing (part 1) from 2019-05-02T17:00

Fueled by recent events, I discuss why cultural appropriation is a thing and how it relates to racism and colonialism.

Episode 44 - Flow: more on leads being intimidated by follows from 2019-04-26T07:33:04

Bringing together the idea of flow, male leads being intimidated by women follows (and black american gender roles)

Episode 43 - Black debate is mistaken for hostility (Part 2 - Black and White Styles in Conflict) from 2019-04-18T15:00

Part 2 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the first part of describing classroom modalities of participation in Bla...

Episode 42 - Recognition of Black Culture (Part 1 - Black and White Styles in Conflict) from 2019-04-12T00:29:08

Part 1 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the introduction and the recognition of Black american culture as a Afric...

Episode 41 - Combining teaching of blues idiom dances and partnering technique from 2019-04-04T15:00

Why I no longer want to teach partnering technique in isolation/out of context. A podcast version of http://gregdyke.github.io/2017/12/08/combining-idiom-dance-technique.html

Episode 40 - Dance Learner Psychographics from 2019-03-28T20:11:23

I borrow the idea of psychographic profiles from Magic The Gathering design, where Tammy/Timmy, Jenny/Johnny and Spike describe the player who likes to win big, the player who likes to win quirk...

Episode 39 - How to Lead and Follow Anything from 2019-03-21T10:30:51

Leading is moving our body. Following is tracking our lead's body and moving our body in a way that matches somehow. This breaks down into weight/axis shifts, steps and pivots, and shaping (and giv...

Episode 38 - Dancing on the Head of a Femur from 2019-03-15T00:03:28

"How do I know if I'm on my femur heads?". I was asked this question in a private and have some answers, including what femur heads are and why we would want to be on them.

Episode 37 - Posture and the Weak Muscle Chain Fallacy from 2019-03-07T17:31:57

Postural issues are often diagnosed as "x muscle chain is too weak/loose and y muscle chain is too strong/tight". But this is typically the symptom, not the root cause. We also shouldn't try to ...

Episode 36 - Men are not actually interested in having awesome dances ... from 2019-03-01T09:59:17

... they are interested in having dances where they are seen as awesome! This explains why followers get less popular as they improve whereas leaders get more popular. (It's also both clickbait,...

Episode 35 - Blues Idiom Dances from 2019-02-21T17:00

Blues dance is an umbrella term covering a multitude of blues idiom dances. What are they, and how are they relevant?

Episode 34 - Perceptions of dance vs gender roles from 2019-02-15T00:20:26

Although dance roles don't have to be related to gender, in mainstream culture they are. Seeing how men (those who are also primary leads) perform "following" may tell us what they think it mean...

Episode 33 - Why race is relevant to blues and lindy hop from 2019-02-08T00:06:03

1) Because black people tell us it is! 2) Because there are reasons these dances are no longer popular with black people. 3) Because without understanding black values and their ties to oppressi...

Episode 32 - BE-BLUESED part 5 (lessons learned for teaching) from 2019-02-01T17:04:57

Last in the 5 part series. More lessons learned and wrapup!

Episode 31 - BE-BLUESED part 4 (lessons learned - teaching team) from 2019-01-25T08:46:30

The first set of lessons learned from be-bluesed is that the format works, especially if you have a great teaching team

Episode 30 - Fusion from 2019-01-18T14:43:19

My approach to fusion is that intrinsic musicality and cultural musicality define a range of appropriate movement to a given music. This is the approach I take with fusion music/dance, but it's ...

Episode 29 - BE-BLUESED part 3 (Sunday classes) from 2019-01-10T23:00

Sunday classes from BE-BLUESED 2018

Episode 28 - BE-BLUESED part 2 (Saturday classes) from 2019-01-03T22:54:58

Saturday classes from BE-BLUESED 2018

Episode 27 - BE-BLUESED part 1 (an immersion based workshop concept) from 2018-12-28T09:58:32

BE-BLUESED is an annual blues workshop weekend held in Bern (Switzerland). The past three years, the organisers have hired teachers to teach in an immersion based style: all 4 teachers dance at ...

Episode 26 - The Foot from 2018-12-21T01:43:36

The foot cycles between lever mode and raft mode at every step. It's super important to allow it to do that to protect your knees and to allow the rest of the leg spiral to work. Barefoot shoes!...

Episode 25 - Respect and Meaningfulness from 2018-12-14T08:36:45

The dances and musics I do are all cultural practices that exist outside of their culture of origin. How can cultural practices find respect and meaning in such situations?

Episode 24 - Revivalism and Diaspora from 2018-12-07T10:51:35

Revivalist and diasporic dance communities have in common the attempt to try to recreate cultural practices outside of and in limited/proxy contact with their cultures of origin

Episode 23 - The Pelvis from 2018-11-29T23:08:16

The pelvis plays a major role in force absorption and restitution. Learn how to use it to protect your back and your knees!

Episode 22 - Franklin Method from 2018-11-23T10:33:28

Franklin Method is a posture/alignment/body mechanics modality that focuses on changing the mind in order to change the body

Episode 21 - History of European Folk Dance (part 2) from 2018-11-15T11:00

Revivalism from WWI to the present day and some key takeaway points for revivalist and diasporic practices

Episode 20 - History of European Folk Dance (part 1) from 2018-11-09T10:47:14

From circle dances through chain dances to partner dances, quadrilles and the end of peasant society in Europe.

Episode 19 - Metaphors of leading and following from 2018-11-01T13:00

Navigating and driving a car? Drawing and colouring in? Having a conversation? How do these metaphors affect our perception of leading and following?

Episode 18 - Narrative Equity from 2018-10-26T07:58:59

This one time, in dance class... Narrative Equity is a term borrowed from game design. It's the capacity of a game to generate stories that you can later tell. In this episode I discuss it's applic...

Episode 17 - Epistemological Frames from 2018-10-18T13:00

Learning is not just about knowledge and skills, but also about values and identity. Together they make up an "epistemological frame". (Towards the end of this episode I mention going to Berlin for...

Episode 17 - Epistemic Frames from 2018-10-18T11:00

Learning is not just about knowledge and skills, but also about values and identity. Together they make up an "epistemic frame". [I incorrectly refer to this as "epistemological frame"] (Towards th...

Episode 16 - European dance vs African-American dance from 2018-10-11T11:00

African-American dance is often described as "unlike European dance, which is upright and with a strong downbeat...". This is description that is othering and plays into poorly understood stereotyp...

Episode 15 - Taking privates from 2018-10-04T23:08:49

Why don't we take more private dance classes? (and why we should!)

Episode 14 - Alexander, agency and attention from 2018-09-27T17:30:09

My Alexander Technique teacher makes the difference between attention and awareness. This distinction ties in to some ideas about consent and agency.

Episode 13 - ZPD, Scaffolding, and Interleaving from 2018-09-21T07:58:22

Three learning-related concepts that have in common the improvisation/execution demands that they place upon teachers

Episode 12 - Trad and folk aesthetics of Bal Folk from 2018-09-08T00:53:25

French folk dancing is not oriented around conservatism vs progressivism but around culture vs social cohesion

Episode 11 - Alexander Technique from 2018-08-30T23:49:20

I describe some of the principles of Alexander Technique and how I feel I've benefitted from it

Episode 10 - Learning, prior knowledge, and transfer from 2018-08-23T19:17:20

In which I talk about learning (including "what does it mean to have learned something"), the importance of prior knowledge, both to avoid cognitive load and to create the cognitive conflict that a...

Episode 9 - Lines in African Dance Class from 2018-08-17T07:32:17

I talk about a formation common in West African dance classes that many people are not familiar with. Although my "swiss" interpretation of it is a bit too rigid, it makes class very hard for me wh...

Episode 8 - Starting with the Basics? from 2018-08-13T17:22:03

Do we need to know the rules before we break them? Yes, but also no!

Episode 7 - Connection, Counterbalance and Stretch from 2018-08-03T08:25:54

A mostly controlled mini rant about the differences between connection, counterbalance and stretch. These three concepts often go together but they don't have to!

Episode 6 - Body Mechanics for Partner Dancing, Part 3 from 2018-07-27T08:05:36

7-10 of 10 ways working on body mechanics can improve your dancing

Episode 5 - Body Mechanics for Partner Dancing, Part 2 from 2018-07-20T01:00

4-7 of 10 ways working on body mechanics can improve your dancing

Episode 4 - Body Mechanics for Partner Dancing, Part 1 from 2018-07-13T01:00

1-3 of 10 ways working on body mechanics can improve your dancing

Episode 3 - Dance philosophy and the Magic colour pie from 2018-07-06T07:00

Magic the Gathering is a card game featuring 5 colours. Each colour has a philosophy. And this relates to dance, somehow.

Episode 2 - Dancemode Immersions from 2018-06-29T00:28:01

Why are Dancemode Immersions the best thing to improve your life and your dancing? What expectations should you have if you sign up for one? Next one in Europe is in Berlin, Oct 8th-14th!

Episode 1 - Beginner Dance Classes from 2018-06-22T22:15:50

Why a podcast? Some thoughts about beginner dance classes