You've just finished lessons for a new Challenge level. Now what?

If you're like everyone else, you can't wait to get out on the dance floor and try out the new calls and concepts that you've learned. But, where do you go? Well, that depends.

Lessons are concerned with one thing - getting you introduced to the calls and concepts of a new level. But, how comprehensive are those lessons? Not very comprehensive at all compared to what you will experience out on the dance floor. Your lessons are just an introductory to the new level. There is no way that you can learn enough in the course of your lessons to cover many of the possibilities that will engulf you on the dance floor. For example, at C1 you have learned Scoot and Plenty but most likely have not done that call from T-Bones. At C2 you have learned the Once Removed concept but have probably not seen Once Removed Peel Off from ocean waves. At C3A you have learned both Plan Ahead and the Split Phantom concept but not In Your Split Phantom Lines Plan Ahead from lines facing out. You will see these situations and many, many more. How do you learn them? Practice, Practice, Practice.

Dancers are often not aware that all C1, C2 or C3A dances are not the same. Their difficulties may and do vary. And you have no way of knowing the difficulty level of a dance from the advertising. You have to ask somebody. Callers will often tell their new dancers, at any level, that they should get as much floor time as possible. Callers do not tell their new-to-the-level dancers that some dances are too hard for them. Some callers will call a dance at a new level and deliberately make the dance easy so that their new-to-the-level dancers can succeed. That's very nice, but if that dance is usually a difficult dance, then the regulars at that dance are being cheated. And the call is not doing the new dancers any favors either.

It is not easy to break into a new level. It is frustrating and often takes a lot of time to accomplish. Dancers who learned the new level from tapes also have a problem with this. There is no one to advise them.

The recommended steps for dancers who are new to a level are:

• Workshop as much as possible.
• Go to local dances where available for a while before going on weekends. Weekends are generally more difficult than local dances. Festivals and conventions are generally easier than weekends. Special dances are often the most difficult dances.

Many dancers want to go the special dances because of the perceived status that these dances, and therefore the dancers, seem to have. Being the weakest dancer on the floor does not provide any status. It just gives the weaker dancers a "poor dancer" label.

• Don't give up dancing at your previous level. You still need to know that level and all levels below it. You'll hear many dancers who say they are concentrating on the new level and don't have time for the old. These people use this statement as an excuse for not dancing at a lower level.
• Talk to experienced dances who have been dancing a level for a while. Get their opinions and recommendations. Be careful who you talk to, also.
• Don't expect the experienced dancers to be happy to see you at a difficult dance - they won't be. If you think they will be happy to help you - they won't be. The dancing is difficult enough for them as it is. Helping you just makes the dance harder for them.

Some dancers take these comments to heart and will not go to weekends and difficult dances until they are satisfied that they will not embarrass themselves or be a disruptive influence on the dance floor.

A warning about tape workshops. Tape workshops can give you a false sense of accomplishment in that you can redo the material until you get it. You can't do this with a live caller - you must be able to do the material as it is called.

You must recognize that you have a responsibility to the other dancers in your square to know and be able to execute the calls. It is inconsiderate to depend on the others in your square to pull you through. They are there to dance and enjoy themselves as you are. You must not go to a dance hoping to find stronger dancers who will pull you through the figures while you stumble your way through figures that you don't know or fully understand. If you do this, you will be soon labeled as a "bad dancer" and the label will stick even if you eventually do learn the material.

Challenge dancing is not casual dancing. It requires a sense of dedication to the art of square dancing and a commitment to learning what the techniques of square dancing are all about.

Leave your ego at the door. Be prepared to accept help when it is offered but don't expect that it will always be there. Learn to dance on your own. Don't depend on others as a crutch.

Remember that your dancing ability is not judged by the level at which you dance, only by how well you dance.