I first met Leon Turetsky around 4 years ago when he was a guest instructor for Suzanne Hamby*, teaching International Latin (cha cha, samba, rumba, paso double, jive). I was struck by his poise and leadership in group classes. He focused on correct technique, breaking down each movement into tiny sub-components: where is your weight, hip position, foot placement, pressure on what part of the foot, rib cage, spine, and so on. By the time I met Leon, I had been taking group social ballroom classes with Suzanne for a few years, so I knew basic steps to waltz, tango, foxtrot, swing, bolero, and the afore-mentioned Latin dances. It felt good to be dance literate and be able to follow most partners on the floor at dance parties.
Before long, Leon seized an opportunity to open his own studio, and thus began Leon's Dance Center. With a small amount of encouragement and the enticing notion of wearing sparkly dresses, I decided to train to compete in Latin dance at his brand new studio in Newton, MA. Hey, I've got a little experience, right? This should be pretty easy. Just learn some choreography, shimmy into a sequined frock, and I'm good to go...
Reality check: private lessons aimed at getting a dancer ready to compete are a whole new ballgame, especially when you've been used to hanging back as one of the crowd (cracking jokes with certain friends) during group instruction. Suddenly, all the attention is on you... and your bad habits (a partial list of mine: that weird elbow jutting thing, the hunched shoulders, the swiveling feet when they should be planted on the floor, the claw-like hands). No, it's not bootcamp, at least not with Leon. He has great skill in knowing exactly how much a dancer is ready to understand and execute. He never pushes me to a point where I feel hopeless; rather, he quietly, patiently, and methodically executes a training regimen that builds the foundational skills for Latin dance, and then expands from there.
I didn't have a clear idea of how the mechanics of dance worked and Leon helped me understand (almost on a cellular level) what that means and how it looks and feels (not that I can execute this stuff flawlessly, but I usually know what should be happening inside my body at any given moment within the choreography.) I can honestly say that working with Leon has transformed my body and brought me more joy than I thought possible. I intend to stick with Latin dance lessons for a long time to come.
Leon and his beautiful and talented wife, Kim**, teach group and private dance lessons in a variety of dance styles (not just International Latin) to kids and adults of all ages. You don't need to train to be a competitive dancer to increase your skills on the dance floor. In fact, I've seen Leon successfully work with many couples who are practicing their special dance for their wedding day, as well as young kids just taking their very first dance lessons. If you aren't nearby, he also has a website, Passion4Dancing.com, where you can get video dance instruction. I just happen to be lucky enough to get the live version!
* A fabulous dancer and teacher who merits her own separate blog post
** Ditto
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