So We Made Some DVDs for Balboa Followers…

Kate and I recently put out some DVDs for Balboa Followers. I’m particularly excited about them because of what we tried to accomplish with them, which we felt was different than anything out there (and not just for Balboa followers, but for dance DVDs in general).* Here are a few thoughts on how we wanted these DVDs to be unique, as well as the opportunity, at the bottom, to —shameless plug— purchase them.

Technique for Balboa Followers

Often when we teach private lessons with followers on their own, they ask how they can get better without a regular partner. Leaders get a lot from learning patterns—after all, they’re expected to master a lot of them to dance. For followers, though, worrying or thinking about patterns can be detrimental to their dancing. For a follower to survive in the jungle, it’s much more important to have tools. That’s what we wanted this DVD to be, a tool chest and survival guide on how to use those tools, all wrapped up in one. So, in the DVD, Kate shows the most important tools she uses to react in the moment so that she can follow simple to extremely complex leads on the fly, without thinking about patterns at all.** I also include ways leaders can help or hinder the follower as she practices using these tools.

Aestethics for Balboa Followers

While the Technique DVD is for the art of following, we wanted to gear another DVD specifically to the way Balboa followers style and express their voices. Kate wanted to go from simple to advanced concepts on how and why her Balboa looks the way it does. But we didn’t want this to simply be a DVD about how to look like Kate Hedin. So we made sure that we discussed many different options followers have, not just the ones she’s chosen. Finally, we wanted to demonstrate how a styling and voice come together, and so this DVD offers some moves that demonstrate the themes of the DVD.

Since a DVD can be watched over and over again, we wanted to create both DVDs specifically for repeated viewing and soaking up all the information over time. We thought Technique for Balboa Followers would be place followers could come back to if they suddenly felt like something was broken in their following. Suddenly your turns are all off-balance? Simply go to the turning section of the DVD and go through the checklist to make sure all of those bases are being covered. Aesthetics for Balboa Followers, we imagined, would probably be revisited as skill level improves. After all, the things we teach in that DVD are not just how-to-look-good tips, but grand philosophies—and philosophies can inspire you in different ways based on where you are as a dancer.

Since these DVDs were mainly Kate’s hard work from years of developing her voice, I’m not bragging for myself when I say I think they’re pretty awesome, and we’re both very proud of them.

I’m including links here for those who want to purchase them.

BOTH DVDs, Reduced Price $70

TECHNIQUE, $40

AESTHETICS, $40

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* — It wouldn’t be too hard to do something not done before in Balboa follower DVDs. Aside from a Balboa follower camp video notebooks, we are, as far as I know, the first instructors to make DVDs specifically for Balboa followers. Let me know if I’m wrong about that.

** — This concept probably isn’t new to people who have learned from Kate in classes. Her entire approach to followers in the classroom is to prepare them for the social dancing jungle. The DVD however, allowed her to put a great deal of information into one spot.