Strictly Come Learning

I am a Strictly Come Dancing enthusiast; it is always colourful, dynamic and feels like the beginning of a run up to the Christmas festivities. My main attention is not for sequins, flat thumbs, or bota fogos but the creativity and learning journeys.

All the professional dancers are fantastic however some of the very best have never won, not because of their footwork and flamencos, but because of their ability to affect their celebrity partners. The complexity of learning a dance process, like many in the workplace, is based on engagement, patience, organisation, and discipline from the leader coupled with fearless exploration and total abandonment of inhibitions and preconceptions from the pupil.

Establishing mutual trust is the foundation of any learning process – understanding that you are safe, and any mistakes will be treated as part of development is essential for genuine progress. Building relationships and creating fertile, interesting environments are crucial to both initial and lasting success of any training or coaching exercise. The ability to engage while also maintaining discipline and respect is a fine balancing act. Planning and preparation enable structure, supporting this with good materials, equipment, tools, and appropriate setting are valuable to the learning process. Credibility, unquestionable in the professional dancers, can also be a prime element; the instructor doesn’t necessarily need to be an expert but should always be plausible, adept, and prepared.

The incremental improvement is my personal hook. Sometimes it is astonishing but not unbelievable as with the correctly tailored, energised teacher and a committed, disciplined pupil there are no boundaries to development.

Finally, I cannot be alone in willing the BBC to continue their engagement with Bez, of Happy Mondays infamy, after his glorious appearance on Celebrity Masterchef. Signing our maracas man up for Strictly 2022 would not only make for stunning viewing and the ultimate test for even the best of these brilliant instructors but also give myself and many Generation X contemporaries a sequence we can all join in with – double, double good!