Body School™ the "HOW TO" of Ballroom Dancing!
Learn who created it, how and why...
Whether you have heard of the amazing "HOW TO" system called the Body School™ for Ballroom Dancing or not, this will give insight to its creation.
The Body School™ of ballroom dancing was created by me, Maja Servé. My main teacher Benny Tolmeyer taught me a series of principles use to create good dancing. The principles of the Body School System™ of Ballroom Dancing are based on the scientific disciplines of anatomy, kinesiology, physiology (including walking and healthy movement), science, and social psychology, as well as philosophy and energy work.
When I first started taking lessons from Benny, it soon became clear to me that there was rhyme and reason to the way Benny was teaching. I started asking questions to find the system that guided his teachings. Finally, one day I found the courage to ask him. Benny laughed and told me there was no system, he just taught what he felt was needed
What was this illusive "HOW TO" system?
Benny Tolmeyer, the father of the "HOW TO" system of Ballroom dancing also known as the Body School™ was an intuitive teacher and therefore always saying the right thing at the right time.
I was trained in the understanding of the higher faculties of the mind. I understood that Benny was talking about using the intuitive factor. He had developed it to such a level that he was unconsciously using it to be one of the best teachers of his time. It was developed to such a level that he just knew, with no conscious thinking, the right thing to say at the right time. When I realized this, I knew that I wanted to understand the “system” he was using. I wanted to be able to develop that skill of teaching, using the intuitive factor as the guiding force.
Benny was definitely teaching things different than other teachers of his time. Go to the blog about the Schools of Thoughts to learn more about the other ways that dancing was/is taught.
Benny Tolmeyer's philosophy on Ballroom Dancing.
The Body School™ is built upon the bases of Benny's philosophies, which are clearly listed below...
First philosophy...
Benny believed that the best way to learn was to keep things simple and easy. He would implement daily activities into his teachings. Walking on stairs, walking with a shopping cart and sitting on a chair are just some of the daily activities he used to explain dancing. Benny believed that by the time a person was 7 years old, they have done all the moves that was needed in ballroom dancing. Benny had a strong opinion that dancing should not be difficult. He felt that trying to make it difficult was just wrong and a disservice to the industry. He would say again and again “it’s easy”.
Second philosophy...
Benny also taught me that throughout history people have taught/learned from stories being told. He therefore felt it was important to tell stories to get a point across. He actually insisted that there should be several stories to get the same point across. Benny encouraged me to find/create stories of my own to get my students to improve.
Third Philosophy...
Another point that was important to Benny’s philosophy was the health. He believed that if you did the technique correctly that there should be NO pain in doing the action/s. If you felt pain, you were doing it wrong. He would often say the saying “No Pain, No Gain” was wrong when it came to the physical activity. Benny insisted that if you felt pain, to stop what you were doing and ask for more guidance from your teacher.
Fourth Philosophy...
The fourth point that is a big part of Benny’s philosophy is the importance of a “HOW TO’ way of teaching rather than an “END RESULT” based teaching. He believed that the technique books are all “END RESULT” books and it would be almost impossible to learn good dancing from them. He told me to always tell my student the fact of how things were actually created, the ‘HOW TO”, and not teach my feelings or the “END RESULT”.
Fifth Philosophy...
Benny felt strongly that great dancing was when two people were moving in harmony with each other, with ease, and enjoying it.
I have many examples of his philosophy showing up in his teachings. I want to share one example of this:
When I first turned professional, I didn’t have good footwork. I would ask Benny to work on my footwork and he would proceed to work on my body actions. I was sure he didn’t hear my request and would ask again in the next lesson. This went on for a while and finally I asked him “Why are we not working on my feet? Everybody is complaining about my footwork”. He smiled and said, “Your footwork is better now that we have worked on your body actions”. It was then I realized that those that had complained about my footwork no longer did so. Benny had worked on the “HOW TO” and not on the “END RESULT”. He had worked on the body that created the footwork rather than on the feet.
How was the Body School™ of Ballroom Dancing born?
It took a while to organize all the principles and rules, however they came together and created a full and rich "HOW TO" system.
I started writing down everything that Benny taught me and my partner, Glenn to do. It soon developed into many notebooks. In the evening, when I was done with practice, I would read through the notes. I spend many hours organizing the insights that I was given, and I started seeing a patten of information and rules jumping out from the notes.
After a couple of years of learning and teaching, I had found enough of a system that I was able to present a rough draft to Benny. He was surprised to see his intuitive thoughts being put on paper into an organized system. I asked him what he would like his system to be called. His first response was that dancing came from the body and therefore the word “body” should be in the name. We agreed to call it the Body School™,
I have continued working on putting more of the rules Benny had shared with me during my many lessons into the system. I worked hard organizing it so it was in harmony with Benny belief of simplicity. After having worked on the system for 15 years, I felt it was clear, simple and organized enough. I felt I was now able to share it with those of my students that wanted to teach the system. However, like everything that is alive, it still keeps developing and growing as time passes.
How many levels and rules are there in the Body School™? What defines a good dancer?
The Body School System™ spans over 7 levels of expertise. Each level has rules that are specific for their level. There are 20 Basic Rules. On the 3rd level there are little over 400 rules and on the 6th level there are over 8000 rules.
It is important to know that one doesn’t need to execute or even know all the rules to be a great dancer. A Novice dancer may execute about 50 rules. An Open level dancer may execute about 100+ rules. A world class dancer may execute about 250+ rules. A great teacher should know at least 1000 rules so that they can help their student climb the pyramid (learn more about the pyramid in Body School online Lecture Series)
Where is The Body School™ of Ballroom Dancing today...
I am working on several online programs. This should help get more dancers, both teachers and students, using the system. It is also my hope that we will certify more Body School™ teachers.
The Body School has, today, developed into an entity of its own. It has teachers and students that use the system for dancing and every part of their lives. There are 14 certified Body School System™ teacher though out the world. There are also 4 honorary members of the Body School™. Most of the certified teachers are located in the US.
Click here… to enquire name/s of certified teachers in your area.
Happy dancing!
If you want to learn more about the Body School™ and the principles taught in the Body School System™ as well as the other Schools of Thought.
Click below…. for recorded lessons, teaching the principles and rules of the Body School System™