A wide range of activities has been used to promote team-building, leadership, and cooperation in the workplace and in schools. From paint-ball contests to wall climbing, these physical, group activities are challenging and enjoyable. The stress relief and shared fun they provide certainly build cooperation and productivity. But none of these offers the level of team-building that can be achieved through Latin Music and Group Dancing Activities.
In modern times, many of the skills that are important for business and professional success are also ones that foster good relationships. To be effective in today's highly interconnected world, people must learn to cooperate and communicate with each other. So it's no surprise that many organizations arrange team-building activities to foster better relationships and open communication. After all, these skills translate into productivity.
According to Margaret Wheatley in her seminal text, Leadership and the New Science, "The era of the rugged individual has been replaced by the era of the team player." She goes on to say that "leading an organization requires attention to the web of relationships through which all work is accomplished."
Teaching Salsa at an outdoor event
Teaching Salsa to the Ravens Cheer
squad
I teach Salsa Rueda which is a "group" form of Salsa dancing. It is basically a team dance which blends the joy of dance with the spirit of a team sport. The interactive nature of the dance makes it a dynamic way to achieve bonds of trust and cooperation. To see Salsa moves being taught on Fox 5 News (live on TV), click on the link below.
In Rueda, dancers form a circle and do Salsa moves in synchrony, with frequent partner exchanges. It's a little like square dancing; but the music and steps are far livelier! (It's no wonder that Salsa is the most popular dance world-wide today!)
If someone in a Rueda circle is confused, the flow of movement is slowed. So the dancers typically try to help each other since everyone benefits. This activity is similar to the team challenge in which everyone must climb over a wall and the group can only manage by helping each other.
Workshops can also be provided that involve "musical rhythms" recognition. Participants are divided into small groups that work together to identify (and clap or move to) the underlying rhythms of Latin songs. Members of each group confer and then provide a single "group answer."
Salsa Rueda
Indeed in the dance-related programs, the stronger participants naturally lend others a hand in all these activities. Sometimes the group is divided into pairs of "buddies" that work together which is rewarding. Everyone has fun and learns a lot; and groups typically bond as friends. In fact, in the Rueda dance activities, a "group consciousness" develops when Rueda circles are moving smoothly which is a joy to be part of. So groups have an obvious incentive for working together!
Moreover, when I come into a workplace, these activities sometimes creates a "shuffling" of the workplace status quo. This enhances everyone's appreciation of each other's skills which is also helpful for a group's long-range productivity.
Another feature of the dance workshops is that most issues are very clearly interactive in nature. In other words, when a move does not go smoothly, there is usually some contribution to the problem from both the leader and follower, or from a number of people in a Rueda circle. So understanding how you affect each other is crucial.
This interactive quality which is true in many dimensions of life including the workplace, but it is easier to see in dance. Thus, team-building dance classes are conducted to maximize the group's understanding of how much each person affects everyone else----a valuable lesson.
Finally, Latin music and dancing are enormously popular world-wide. So this activity not only has great benefits for the workplace, but it provides participants with a wonderful new social skill, not to mention a tremendous amount of fun.
Note that the dance activities can be done as well in groups that have a heavier mix of one gender. Some organizations have mostly women while others have mostly men. A Salsa dance program can be provided for any gender mix. There is also no limitation on the size of the group, either, although obviously more workshop leaders will be needed to work with a large group. Also, these programs can be run with students ages 12 and up, in addition to adults.
Students give each other a "High Five" as part of a team building program at an Alexandria, VA high school. June 07
I believe that I am uniquely qualified to head the workshop programs described above, as I have both strong academic and dance credentials. I hold a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Maryland's College of Education. In addition, I have competed and performed an array of Latin dances, and I've been teaching Salsa for years.
I produced and performed in a show at the Kennedy Center, one of the country's most prestigious stages. You can watch the entire one-hour long show, which featured Salsa and Rueda dancing, by clicking here.
"Casino Rueda" performance at the
Kennedy Center show featuring Salsa/Rueda
Below is another video link to a short clip of a Salsa and Rueda show done at the Verizon Center. This is a 20,000-seat indoor sports arena in Washington D.C. I produced a show with seventy Salsa and Rueda dancers who performed together on the court between quarters at a Washington Wizards (NBA) game (See below.). For a short video, click here
Performing at the Verizon Center in
Washington, DC
On April 4, 06, Holly Morris, a newscaster from Fox Five, interviewed me and featured my dance group on her Washington D.C. Morning News segment. I taught her a few very basic moves so she could join the group in a beginner's Rueda circle. And we also demonstrated more advanced moves later in the show.
It was great fun. The newscaster, Holly, enjoyed herself as we bantered together on the air. To see a video clip of Holly learning Salsa moves on live TV, click on the link below.
Anyone who is interested in a Latin music/dance program for their organization to build team-work and cooperation is welcome to contact me, Barbara Bernstein, by phone or email. Note that activities can range in length. The minimum program is ninety minutes long, and there are also full- or half-day options.
All the workshops feature team-work and/or small-group work, involve Latin music or dance, and are designed to enhance connection and cooperation among people who work together. The music and dance activities are just the vehicle used to achieve this.
A few people who participated in a team building dance program at a government office pose afterwards. 7/07
The workshop activities are organized in a "warm" environment to set everyone at ease. We start with the basics assuming no prior experience. (However, if a group has some experienced dancers, they can briefly be shown some more advanced steps just for fun if they are interested.) Programs are flexibly designed to suit the goals of each organization. They can involve one or more workshop leader, as appropriate for the size and needs of the group.
If you click on the buttons on the left, there is further information including a more detailed biography, testimonials, comments on the expanding role of team-work and cooperation in the modern workplace, and historical information on Salsa music and dance.
Thank you for your interest in the Institute for Team-Building, Leadership, and Cooperation Through Latin Dance, where working cooperatively was never more fun!
Sincerely,
Dr. Barbara Bernstein, Director
The Institute For Team-Building, Leadership, and
Cooperation Through Latin Dance
www.TeamBuildingThroughLatinDance.com
BarbBtalks@aol.com
301-4646244 office 301-9806043 cell
Copyright 2003 by Barbara Bernstein
