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DISCLAIMER: The following listing of non-profit dance organizations and private dance instructors is not an endorsement of any kind, accordingly they are listed here for information purposes only. You should do your own due diligence before signing up with any dance school, organization, or private dance instructor.
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In the partner dance world you have professional dancers, exhibition dancers, formal international ballroom dancers, and the club or social dancers. Professionals dance for prize money. With competitive ballroom, you dance for satisfaction and for recognition among your peers, and where you stand among them is ascertained by a panel of independent judges. With exhibition ballroom you do not dance for money or to be judged by an independent panel of experts, rather you dance for the audience. With social dancing there are less rules to follow, you do not have an audience, and there is no prize money to be given out, instead you dance simply to have fun with your partners and enjoy the moment. In fact, very few dancers actually compete in Jack and Jill contests or qualify to perform at Blackpool. This blog's targeted audience is not for the serious dancer but is for the average club or social dancer (which is the majority of us by the way) those that dance the more informal "American" style that you see at nightclubs and parties, etc.
If you are interested in formal "International" dancing there are other dance blogs that cater to that style of dance, however, it is not the focus of this blog. Both styles are distinct and are on opposite ends of the dance spectrum, its sort of like classical music on one end versus modern jazz or hip hop on the other. If you have been to the Palladium (International ballroom) and to a salsa dance club in town you will notice a definite difference in the music and dance style. Even the posture is different.
Age and athleticism are also factors that play a role in the style of dance that a person feels comfortable with. For example, if you should go to a Lindy Hop dance, the average age of the dancers are in their 20's and 30's, at salsa dances the average age is between 20 to 40 years old, and at the Palladium on the other hand where there is formal ballroom dancing, the average age of the dancers is generally older than that.
Dance styles that one ultimately pursues generally will come down to one's dance taste, music preference, dancing ability, and of course stamina level. Certain dances like the Lindy, Balboa, Hustle and Salsa require exceptional stamina while others like the Meringue and Rumba do not. If you are new to dancing it is therefore recommended that you expose yourself to all of the dancing music that is out there from the Argentine tango to the Country Two-step, or even line dancing if you would rather not do partner dancing. With this kind of dancing exposure, you will be better able to determine which dance style captivates your interest. Just as not everyone cares to dance to international Tango or the Quickstep, not everyone cares to dance to Salsa or the Lindy hop. If you have the time and interest, try them all as the more dance styles that one is exposed to, the more knowledge that person gains, the more versatile he or she ultimately becomes.
For more on how to get started in social partner or club dancing, see http://usadance.org/social-dance/how-to-get-started/.
What is the difference between the "American" style of dance versus the "International" or formal ballroom style of dance? The "American" style is sometimes referred to as "social style dances" in the dance course schedules. It is the style used by all of the club dancers and was made popular by Fred Astaire and the Arthur Murray dance studios. Very few club dancers dance to the International style for various reasons. First of all it with its progressive steps, it does require a LOT of dance floor space, thus the term 'ballroom" dancing. On the other hand with social, or club dancing, one must be very disciplined since they are confined to a relatively small space which they must share with other dancers on the floor, this is called being floor craft savvy, generally you must be able to dance within a 9 to 16 foot area (3 by 3 ft., or 4 by 4 ft.). Secondly, there is also a different look to the international style of ballroom dancing which is defined by its elegance and flair. As a veteran dancer who learned both styles of dancing pointed out, there are many affectations with the International style which although is very nice, they can at times be a bit too 'over the top' for the more informal style of dancing that goes on in clubs. The American style is much more casual, relaxed and informal, so long as you can move to the beat and can establish a connection with your partner that works for most people. This difference between these two styles of dancing is readily apparent even to the non-dancers. In terms of difficulty factor, the international style of dance is a bit more difficult to learn than the American style.
What is the difference between freestyle dancing and touch or partner dancing? It would not surprise me if most people who have danced before started out dancing freestyle (by themselves) instead of touch dancing. Freestyling does has many benefits, it teaches you how to move your body in a natural and not in pre-programmed way, and it helps you dance to the beat and to develop your own style and musicality, including the use of syncopation techniques. The body roll was probably started by freestylers, and if you watch the hip hop dancers, it is full of some very unique, creative and extremely athletic moves. You will definitely learn how to be limber when dancing freestyle.
Between the two styles (athleticism aside), touch or partner dancing could be a bit more difficult as instruction is necessary in order to communicate and dance harmoniously with a stranger. To be in sync with another person requires a common thread. Ideally, the common thread is for both parties to have an understanding of the structure of the particular dance and its underlying beat.
Prior to learning touch dancing I enjoyed freestyling for many years, however after awhile I felt that something was missing. What opened my eyes was watching a couple partner dancing at a club, I was spellbound and amazed by what I saw and decided that I wanted to learn how to dance like that. I approached this couple after the dance was over and asked them what dance style they were doing, they informed me that it was the West Coast swing, and it was the first time that I heard of that particular dance style. The following day I looked online for a West Coast swing class, unfortunately at that time there wasn't a class so I signed up for a salsa class instead. Ever since then I have continued to study, practice and learn various different partner dance styles. Some dances were easier than others to learn, and I even dabbled briefly in international ballroom but felt that it really wasn't for me, so I stayed with the American social and Latin dances instead. I also tried line dancing and it is really quite fun. Its just that it wasn't easy for me as there were so many different dance combinations to remember, depending on the music. I do give a lot of credit to all those that do this type of dancing as you need to have a very good memory. Incidentally, line dancing has a big following here in Hawaii, and also from a practical point of view you don't need to bring your own dance partner (which is a problem at times with most styles of partner dancing), I think this is why line dancing is one of the popular dance styles here in town.
Touch Dancing: The main reason why I think many dancers enjoy touch dancing is because of the 'connection' that is established from the start to the finish of a dance. With freestyling on the other hand, there is there really no connection with your dance partners (other than perhaps an occasional eye contact here and there, or if you are doing the bump from the 70's), in fact with freestyle you can dance by yourself, and many in fact do just that.
Its really difficult to say or express in words the exhilarating rush and joy that touch dancing gives you as one needs to actually experience this for himself, or herself. Perhaps by way of the following analogy one may get a sense of the joy and happiness that touch dancing brings. Lets say you are welcoming home a new puppy, in one scenario you can pet and play with your new puppy, even giving it a bath, but in the other scenario you can't touch your puppy at all. In the first scenario the puppy will give you immediate feedback, he will wag its tail, cuddle, and interact with you, this because you have developed a connection and bond, whereas in the latter situation there is no connection and as a consequence your puppy may be somewhat indifferent to you. So, if you are reading this blog, I do encourage you to get your feet wet and start now because you won't know what you may be missing unless you at least give it a try. When you are able to share a dance with someone else through touch dancing, the dance 'rush' that results is simply an out of the world experience and unlike any other. Watching others touch-dance inspired me as well as many other dancers, hopefully by watching others dance, or by watching youtube or Instagram, it may inspire you too.
One should start with taking basic dance lessons, as it is impossible if you just try to 'wing it'. It can be difficult and taxing for dancers, be it a leader or a follow, to dance with someone else if that person is not in sync with you and cannot follow the beat. In order to learn the basic steps and timing of a dance one should take lessons so as not to feel lost on the dance floor and to avoid stepping on your partner's foot or bumping into them, or into others. All experienced dancers started their journey by taking classes.
Remember the popular child's novel the Three Little Pigs? Two of the pigs were not concerned about building solid homes, and instead of working on the structure and foundation for their dwellings, they wanted to play instead. One pig quickly built his home out of straw, while the other built his home out of sticks. The last pig, however, took the time to build a solid home comprised of bricks and mortar, and while he labored and worked, the other two were out having fun playing instead. Naturally, the only structure that withstood the onslaught of the big bad wolf was the solid home that was built out of bricks and mortar. Dancing is similar, accomplished men dancers know the structure of the dance, have solid basics, and can communicate appropriate leads with dancers of all skill levels, while accomplished women dancers can follow most leads because of their astute recognition skills.
What is the difference between freestyle dancing and touch or partner dancing? It would not surprise me if most people who have danced before started out dancing freestyle (by themselves) instead of touch dancing. Freestyling does has many benefits, it teaches you how to move your body in a natural and not in pre-programmed way, and it helps you dance to the beat and to develop your own style and musicality, including the use of syncopation techniques. The body roll was probably started by freestylers, and if you watch the hip hop dancers, it is full of some very unique, creative and extremely athletic moves. You will definitely learn how to be limber when dancing freestyle.
Between the two styles (athleticism aside), touch or partner dancing could be a bit more difficult as instruction is necessary in order to communicate and dance harmoniously with a stranger. To be in sync with another person requires a common thread. Ideally, the common thread is for both parties to have an understanding of the structure of the particular dance and its underlying beat.
Prior to learning touch dancing I enjoyed freestyling for many years, however after awhile I felt that something was missing. What opened my eyes was watching a couple partner dancing at a club, I was spellbound and amazed by what I saw and decided that I wanted to learn how to dance like that. I approached this couple after the dance was over and asked them what dance style they were doing, they informed me that it was the West Coast swing, and it was the first time that I heard of that particular dance style. The following day I looked online for a West Coast swing class, unfortunately at that time there wasn't a class so I signed up for a salsa class instead. Ever since then I have continued to study, practice and learn various different partner dance styles. Some dances were easier than others to learn, and I even dabbled briefly in international ballroom but felt that it really wasn't for me, so I stayed with the American social and Latin dances instead. I also tried line dancing and it is really quite fun. Its just that it wasn't easy for me as there were so many different dance combinations to remember, depending on the music. I do give a lot of credit to all those that do this type of dancing as you need to have a very good memory. Incidentally, line dancing has a big following here in Hawaii, and also from a practical point of view you don't need to bring your own dance partner (which is a problem at times with most styles of partner dancing), I think this is why line dancing is one of the popular dance styles here in town.
Touch Dancing: The main reason why I think many dancers enjoy touch dancing is because of the 'connection' that is established from the start to the finish of a dance. With freestyling on the other hand, there is there really no connection with your dance partners (other than perhaps an occasional eye contact here and there, or if you are doing the bump from the 70's), in fact with freestyle you can dance by yourself, and many in fact do just that.
Its really difficult to say or express in words the exhilarating rush and joy that touch dancing gives you as one needs to actually experience this for himself, or herself. Perhaps by way of the following analogy one may get a sense of the joy and happiness that touch dancing brings. Lets say you are welcoming home a new puppy, in one scenario you can pet and play with your new puppy, even giving it a bath, but in the other scenario you can't touch your puppy at all. In the first scenario the puppy will give you immediate feedback, he will wag its tail, cuddle, and interact with you, this because you have developed a connection and bond, whereas in the latter situation there is no connection and as a consequence your puppy may be somewhat indifferent to you. So, if you are reading this blog, I do encourage you to get your feet wet and start now because you won't know what you may be missing unless you at least give it a try. When you are able to share a dance with someone else through touch dancing, the dance 'rush' that results is simply an out of the world experience and unlike any other. Watching others touch-dance inspired me as well as many other dancers, hopefully by watching others dance, or by watching youtube or Instagram, it may inspire you too.
One should start with taking basic dance lessons, as it is impossible if you just try to 'wing it'. It can be difficult and taxing for dancers, be it a leader or a follow, to dance with someone else if that person is not in sync with you and cannot follow the beat. In order to learn the basic steps and timing of a dance one should take lessons so as not to feel lost on the dance floor and to avoid stepping on your partner's foot or bumping into them, or into others. All experienced dancers started their journey by taking classes.
Remember the popular child's novel the Three Little Pigs? Two of the pigs were not concerned about building solid homes, and instead of working on the structure and foundation for their dwellings, they wanted to play instead. One pig quickly built his home out of straw, while the other built his home out of sticks. The last pig, however, took the time to build a solid home comprised of bricks and mortar, and while he labored and worked, the other two were out having fun playing instead. Naturally, the only structure that withstood the onslaught of the big bad wolf was the solid home that was built out of bricks and mortar. Dancing is similar, accomplished men dancers know the structure of the dance, have solid basics, and can communicate appropriate leads with dancers of all skill levels, while accomplished women dancers can follow most leads because of their astute recognition skills.
Unfortunately, those that do not take lessons will not be able to fully tap into their their potential because proper training and dancing with others are the necessary keys if one is going to improve and learn to connect with all different types of dancing partners. If you have an exclusive partner then that is different, however if you want to be a 'social dancer', which is defined as those that will dance with many other dancers of all skill levels (and not just exclusively with one person) then lessons and dancing experience is critical in order to be able to accomplish this.
Some core movements: Lessons expose the new dancer to a variety of common movements that are used in a lot of the open position social dances. For example, after taking lessons for about a year or two you will eventually become familiar with doing spot turns (turning both clockwise and counterclockwise), including double or multiple turns, barrel rolls (one hand and two hands), wraps (one hand and two hands), cuddles or baskets, traveling turns, cross body leads (on both sides of the track), two hand and one handed hammerlocks (with the women's left hand behind her back and also where her right hand is behind her back), pretzels, grapevine, sombrero, neck wraps, frisbee spins, S turns, and dips. These movements are used with many of the popular 'open position' social dance styles today such as the cha cha, swing, hustle, and salsa, etc. If you are doing more specialized dancing then you would also become familiar with doing back spot turns (for salsa and hustle), tuck turns (for east coast and west coast swing), progressive cross body leads, or 180's (for salsa and hustle) and hand tosses (for salsa and bachata).
Dancers that have a passion for dancing want to explore the endless and possibilities that are out there, so for them they actually never stop practicing or learning new dance styles. They do this so that they may be able to dance to any song and with anyone, but more so in order that they can achieve musicality and freedom of dance expression.
HOW TO GET ASKED TO DANCE
How to Get Asked to Dance? ?\"Smile and look friendly and if you know what you are doing that goes a very long way and you will be asked for repeat dances".
NOTE: Ladies that are immersed in web surfing, texting, talking to their friends during a song, or sitting in big groups far away from the dance floor are usually going to be bypassed by most leaders. On the other hand, ladies who pay attention and groove to the music while standing close to the dance action will get the most invites. More so if they make eye contact, smile and appear to be friendly and interested in dancing. If a lady smiles while she is dancing, other leaders notice it and will likely approach her for the next dance.
Some core movements: Lessons expose the new dancer to a variety of common movements that are used in a lot of the open position social dances. For example, after taking lessons for about a year or two you will eventually become familiar with doing spot turns (turning both clockwise and counterclockwise), including double or multiple turns, barrel rolls (one hand and two hands), wraps (one hand and two hands), cuddles or baskets, traveling turns, cross body leads (on both sides of the track), two hand and one handed hammerlocks (with the women's left hand behind her back and also where her right hand is behind her back), pretzels, grapevine, sombrero, neck wraps, frisbee spins, S turns, and dips. These movements are used with many of the popular 'open position' social dance styles today such as the cha cha, swing, hustle, and salsa, etc. If you are doing more specialized dancing then you would also become familiar with doing back spot turns (for salsa and hustle), tuck turns (for east coast and west coast swing), progressive cross body leads, or 180's (for salsa and hustle) and hand tosses (for salsa and bachata).
Dancers that have a passion for dancing want to explore the endless and possibilities that are out there, so for them they actually never stop practicing or learning new dance styles. They do this so that they may be able to dance to any song and with anyone, but more so in order that they can achieve musicality and freedom of dance expression.
HOW TO GET ASKED TO DANCE
How to Get Asked to Dance? ?\"Smile and look friendly and if you know what you are doing that goes a very long way and you will be asked for repeat dances".
NOTE: Ladies that are immersed in web surfing, texting, talking to their friends during a song, or sitting in big groups far away from the dance floor are usually going to be bypassed by most leaders. On the other hand, ladies who pay attention and groove to the music while standing close to the dance action will get the most invites. More so if they make eye contact, smile and appear to be friendly and interested in dancing. If a lady smiles while she is dancing, other leaders notice it and will likely approach her for the next dance.
To "know what you are doing" is also described in the following video, which is a nugget full of wisdom by the way. The concepts and techniques in this dance lesson points out the difference between a beginning or intermediate dancer, from that of an advanced dancer. So if you want to become a better dancer this is definitively one of those MUST SEE videos for all dancers. For ladies, please pay particular attention to the 5 minute 30 second mark, this is where the leader explains that the lady's "hands will stay there where he leads them". The failure to do this is actually a common mistake that a majority of lady dancers will make, even some of the experienced dancers who have been dancing for over 5 years are not familiar with this concept.
Another common mistake that intermediate dancers will sometimes make is when the leader does a spin, or shine, and the follower doesn't quite know what to do. Most ladies will quit doing their basic steps and will stop dead and freeze in their tracks when this happens. Actually, the GOLDEN RULE in this situation is as follows - Whenever in doubt as to what the leader is doing, never freeze and stop dancing, instead CONTINUE WITH YOUR BASIC STEPS. This is one principle that beginners can learn just from watching what the advanced lady dancers do in these situations.
DANCE FACT: Leave a good dance impression on your leaders or follows, as the case may be, and they will always willingly dance with you again.
NOTE: Although this is a salsa lesson, the concepts and tips in the following video apply to swing, cha cha, hustle, etc. and all of the open position dance styles.
LIST OF DANCE CLASS SCHEDULES. CLICK ON THE VARIOUS CLUB'S LINKS TO SEE THEIR DANCE SCHEDULE FOR THIS SEMESTER
1. Hawaii Ballroom Dance Association. Classes are held in Aiea as well as various chapter locations. See http://www.hbdahawaii.org. (Social dance offerings as well as international style).
- Chapters of the HBDA - Ala Wai, Aiea, Aliamanu, Ewa, Pearl Ridge, Kailua, Kaimuki, Kaneohe, Kapolei, Mililani.
2. Dance Hawaii. Dance Hawaii offers a lot of 'social' dance classes as the dance styles are American Social in nature (and not International Ballroom). I strongly recommend taking lessons from this organization if you are a beginner and want to get your feet wet in partner style dancing. Some of the Dance Hawaii classes have less than 20 students (as compared to some of the other dance organizations whose classes may have over 100 students), this smaller class size is actually IDEAL for learning any dance quicker as there is more individual attention and focus given to students. See, Dance Hawaii, Inc. in Facebook for their class schedules. Their new dance location is at the United Church of Christ Community Hall located in Waipahu (close to the bus terminal).
3. International Ballroom Dance Inc (classes on MONDAY nights at Palladium) http://ibdi.dancefeveroahu.com/ (Despite the name, American or social style dance classes are taught every now and then). Class schedule for the semester: http://go2here.wix.com/4ibdi#!lessons/c1t44
5. Pan Pacific Ballroom Dance (classes on SUNDAY afternoon at Palladium) http://www.ppbds.org/index.php/class-schedules
7 Aiea Ballroom Dance Assoc. (classes held at Aiea Intermediate school cafeteria on THURSDAY nights). (Social dance classes offered) http://www.abda-hawaii.com/
8. Dance Magic 808 (classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights at Hale Ikena @ Fort Shafter or Salt Lake District Park) http://dancemagic808.wordpress.com/
9. Kilauea Senior Dance Assoc. (Men and women over 50). Kilauea District Park. Wednesdays from 9:30 - 11:30 am. Contact: dspaffor@gmail.com
11. Hawaii Jitterbugs (Early era swing, Balboa, Charleston, Lindy hop, etc.) http://hawaiijitterbugs.org/ (classes are in Downtown Honolulu).
12. Country Dance lessons at Nashville (Aloha Tower) and Whiskey Dix (Aiea)
12. Country Dance lessons at Nashville (Aloha Tower) and Whiskey Dix (Aiea)
LIST OF SOME OF THE PRIVATE DANCE INSTRUCTORS/SCHOOLS IN HONOLULU
THIS IS NOT AN EXCLUSIVE LIST BUT ARE JUST SOME OF THE PRIVATE DANCE INSTRUCTORS IN HONOLULU THAT OFFER GROUP LESSONS
3. George V. Garcia (west coast swing, hustle, salsa classes) West Coast Swing Oahu https://www.facebook.com/westcoastswingoahu/; www.westcoastswingoahu.com
4. Greg Underwood (west coast swing, hustle)
5. Brett and Jenny (Argentine Tango) http://www.paradisetango.com/
6. Bruce and Yoko Wee (Argentine Tango). Monday nights at Polarity Studio in Chinatown. An ongoing class. For more on course description, times and other class information see http://www.honolulutango.com/learn/. Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HonoluluTango
7. Larry Biggs (Argentine Tango). Medici in Manoa. Tues nights. Larrybiggs51@gmail.com
8. Aloha DanceSport Center (Divino Ritmo Dance School) http://alohadancesportcenter.com/calendar/action~agenda/page_offset~1/time_limit~1403550001/
8. Aloha DanceSport Center (Divino Ritmo Dance School) http://alohadancesportcenter.com/calendar/action~agenda/page_offset~1/time_limit~1403550001/
9. Zouk http://www.islandzouk.com/. Also, see Honolulu Zouk.
10. Access Dance Studio in Waipahu. Sergio and Renna Villanueva. Email: danceappealstudio@gmail.com.
11. Samir of School of Salsa. http://schoolofsalsahawaii.com/
You can take dance lessons from private dance instructors or from any of the many non-profit dance organizations here in Honolulu. The non-profits offer a greater variety of dance styles than do most of the private dance instructors. For example, the non-profits offer dance classes in Cha Cha, Merengue, Samba, Rumba, Bolero, East Coast and West Coast swing, Jive, Waltz, Foxtrot, Social tango, Philippine tango, Quickstep, Nightclub 2 step, Hustle, Line dancing, and some other social dances. Bronze classes are for beginners, Silver classes are for intermediate level dancers, and Gold classes are for the more experienced dancers.
Dance Categories: "American Smooth" consists of the social waltz, Viennese waltz, social foxtrot and the American Tango. "American Rhythm" consists of the cha-cha, samba, rumba, east coast swing, bolero, and mambo. "Non-traditional ballroom dances" or "social nightclub dances" consist of Lindy hop, Balboa, Boogie, West coast swing, Nightclub 2 step, Country 2 step, Hustle, Salsa and Merengue. In a class of its own is the Argentine tango.
10. Access Dance Studio in Waipahu. Sergio and Renna Villanueva. Email: danceappealstudio@gmail.com.
11. Samir of School of Salsa. http://schoolofsalsahawaii.com/
Dance Categories: "American Smooth" consists of the social waltz, Viennese waltz, social foxtrot and the American Tango. "American Rhythm" consists of the cha-cha, samba, rumba, east coast swing, bolero, and mambo. "Non-traditional ballroom dances" or "social nightclub dances" consist of Lindy hop, Balboa, Boogie, West coast swing, Nightclub 2 step, Country 2 step, Hustle, Salsa and Merengue. In a class of its own is the Argentine tango.
Cost for Dance Lessons:
Dance classes usually last an hour. You do not have to sign dance contracts nor does it cost you a lot of money when you take group dance lessons. With most of the private dance instructors you either pay as you go or depending on the teacher you can sign up for a course class card which you can use whenever you go (usually at a discounted price), each class may cost anywhere between $20 per class, or more. There are usually between 10 to 12 classes per semester. Private or one-on-one instructional lessons are also available for an hourly and higher fee, but if you can follow the group lessons, you probably won't need to take any private lessons, if however, you are having difficulty with dancing, a private lesson for some can be most beneficial. For those on a budget, the non-profits are generally less expensive than private dance instruction. For most of the non-profits each class will cost around $5 to $10 per group class, depending on which particular organization you take lessons from.
There are some private dance instructors in town that are highly qualified with impressive resumes, with the non-profits, there are also some incredible dance instructors (some are competition or exhibition dancers). Amazingly, the non-profit dance instructors are all non-paid volunteers. Your decision whether to take lessons from a private dance instructor or from the non-profits will probably come down to the class being taught, size of the class, location of the class, the time and day the class is being held, and for some dancers, who the dance instructor is.
Can I take videos of the dance lesson? Unfortunately not all dance organizations allow videotaping of their group lessons, however with many of the dance lessons now available on youtube (many of the lessons in this blog are similar to those that you will get when taking a beginner's class) it may no longer be as important to have a videotape of your class lessons.
How important is the class size and do I need a partner to take a class? Class size varies at the Palladium as some dances are more in demand or popular than others. You do not always need a dance partner. For some of the more popular dance classes attendance is between 100 to 140 students so usually there are some singles that you can partner up with. The problem with these bigger classes, or "dancing with the masses" is that you cannot always see the instructors footwork as there are just too many students crammed into one space vying for a view (sometimes even hearing the instructor can be a problem even though they are miked). Naturally, because of the huge class size, it would be unrealistic to expect that the teacher would stop everything and help you out if you are struggling...you either sink or you swim with the larger classes. So, if you have a dance partner, or if you are a first-time dancer you could benefit more if you took a class at one the satellite dance locations instead, this because the class size is often times much smaller (some classes have as little as 15 students). With some of the smaller classes, the teacher will also dance with his or her students, this is the best way to get instant feedback on how well you are doing with your lessons.
A smaller class is less intimidating and because there is more individualized attention, your technique will improve and you will learn the dance much faster.
Finding the Ideal Class or Practice Partners: If you have an opportunity to match up and take class lessons or practice with someone outside of class, ask yourself the following:
- Is he or she focused, determined, motivated? Is he or she willing to put in the time to practice not because they have to, but because they want to? If your practice partner shows no interest in practicing or learning new movements then you will not learn or improve, as it really does take two to tango.
- Learning a new dance can be difficult but it should also be a fun experience, so find someone that compliments your personality and has a good, positive and encouraging attitude. Your dance experience will not be enjoyable if your partner has a negative attitude, or is a perfectionist that constantly looks for faults and criticizes or nitpicks every move that you make.
- Lastly, your practice partner does not have to be exclusive. I have had different practice partners over the years while learning the different dance styles, this because not all ladies are interested in learning certain dance styles.
Why most people quit dancing - Unfortunately, just taking lessons alone will not get you there, the main reason why dancers fail to learn is the failure to practice on their own.
Taking dance lessons is essential for any the new dancer, however, to translate what is learned from class unto the dance floor while the music is on is a quantum leap for every new dancer. Most men students will tell you when they first went out dancing their mind went blank as they forgot most of their leads and dance movements. This occurrence is more common than you would think, so if it happens to you don't feel like you are alone in all of this. In order to bridge that gap and get the dancer on the floor as soon as possible, the male leader needs to master enough individual movements (not patterns) through CONSTANT practice and REPETITION. This requires practicing at home, or shadow dancing. It really does take weeks or even months before one particular movement that lasts for about 5 seconds on the dance floor feels comfortable for the leader, this because good dancing is not just about steps, but it is actually about muscle memory and having the right technique for a particular movement. For men this requires developing good 'dance communication' or leading skills. This is why dancing does and will take time to learn as taking lessons alone is never going to be enough. All experienced leaders continue to practice in order to be comfortable with their leads. Once the dancer has enough movements in his shirt pocket, he can then comfortably string them together as he sees fit, this is when you begin to learn how to dance to the music without really having to think about it. "Failure to practice is a major cause of frustration for all dancers. That which is not practiced will not be remembered. Studies have been done on this. New material should be practiced within ten minutes of learning. Then practice again within two hours of a lesson. More practice must be done within twenty-four hours to ensure retention. Then, weekly practice is needed to maintain the material and advance the skill. This schedule of practice is only a minimum amount. It is just enough to make us remember.... Learning is hard. Practice is essential". Source: https://www.adancersvoice.com/Why_Beginners_Quit...html. "Becoming a good dancer always includes three key elements; expert instruction, practice and frequent use of what you are learning. If your training program does not include an appropriate amount of all three you will be wasting much of your time and money." Source: see http://usadance.org/social-dance/how-to-get-started/.
WORDS OF WISDOM FOR BEGINNING DANCERS FROM PRO DANCER BRIAN FORTUNA of Dancing with the Stars fame: "... it is important to stress that you don't always need a partner. To start with you'll learn your own individual steps, so you don't dance with a partner straight away. it is important that you get your own steps and timing right first, before you try to put the dance together with a partner." "You're not training to become a world champion, you're not training to go on a Broadway stage, you're learning how to social dance. A lot of people see ballroom dancing on television, they see waltz in a beautiful wonderful frame, everything stretched out. In a real life scenario, you are not going to use that so I don't want you to worry to much about the frame. I want you to do what is comfortable for you, if its comfortable for you and you can get through the steps, then its worth it" http://www.danceclass.com/partner-dance.html
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In a nutshell for all beginning dancers to learn any new dance you must first learn the steps, timing, and some of basic movements that are germane to that particular dance. Thereafter once you feel confident with that aspect of the dance then you must learn the proper techniques. Lastly it is gaining actual social dancing experience with as many other dancers as you can, this in order to 'fine-tune', tweak and adjust your techniques based upon the reactions that you get from others.
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WORDS OF WISDOM FOR BEGINNING DANCERS FROM PRO DANCER BRIAN FORTUNA of Dancing with the Stars fame: "... it is important to stress that you don't always need a partner. To start with you'll learn your own individual steps, so you don't dance with a partner straight away. it is important that you get your own steps and timing right first, before you try to put the dance together with a partner." "You're not training to become a world champion, you're not training to go on a Broadway stage, you're learning how to social dance. A lot of people see ballroom dancing on television, they see waltz in a beautiful wonderful frame, everything stretched out. In a real life scenario, you are not going to use that so I don't want you to worry to much about the frame. I want you to do what is comfortable for you, if its comfortable for you and you can get through the steps, then its worth it" http://www.danceclass.com/partner-dance.html
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In a nutshell for all beginning dancers to learn any new dance you must first learn the steps, timing, and some of basic movements that are germane to that particular dance. Thereafter once you feel confident with that aspect of the dance then you must learn the proper techniques. Lastly it is gaining actual social dancing experience with as many other dancers as you can, this in order to 'fine-tune', tweak and adjust your techniques based upon the reactions that you get from others.
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The other half of the equation that is never told. The reason why some men quit learning how to partner dance while others don't give up is that those that LOVE to dance and have a PASSION for dancing are the ones who will stay the course. I remember when I first was learning salsa (and I am still learning) I sat out more than several class lessons because it was totally confusing, extremely difficult, and way over my head. Whenever I would visit a dance club with a fellow student, we were totally intimidated and sat on the sidelines for several months. I recall saying to myself, "I don't think I could ever learn to dance" (my fellow student quit by the way), however rather than quit I stayed the course because dancing fascinated me and I was determined to learn despite the obstacles and frustrations.
To be quite honest, learning how to touch dance is not going to be easy for men as it does take commitment, dedication, study, and effort. Just like building a home out of bricks and mortar, it will take time to build a solid foundation not only through class lessons but more importantly, through social dancing experiences. Although some leaders can learn to dance within a year, it would not surprise me if most leaders need more time than that before they become completely confident when dancing with strangers.
Unfortunately, leaders have a daunting task because they are in charge of 'leading'. Those that dance today learned to swallow their pride, they developed a thick skin and were not deterred by the rejections and the frustrations that came along with it. In the end, however, it will be well worth the effort. It may not resonate with any new dancer at this point, but once you learn how to social dance and have fun, it is extremely addicting, and you will never look back.
TIP: Because learning to dance will be difficult, rather than give yourself a time limit to learn a new dance style (which would put more pressure on yourself and be more frustrating), you may be better off it you just put in the time that you have available and let learning a new dance style play out its course.
Rejection 'defined'. Every new dancer will experience rejections. Thus a section on this area should be discussed so that you understand that you will experience or suffer this fate from time to time. If you ask a stranger to dance and he or she declines, this may not be a 'rejection'. He or she could have declined because they honestly don't know how to dance and are on the sidelines just to observe and watch how others are dancing for the evening.
I think rejection for a leader is when a lady declines to dance with you after you have asked her to dance more than several times. All leaders experience rejections, even consummate leaders experience it from time to time. You will never be able to please everyone when dancing. Some ladies expect a certain level of dancing expertise, others may not care for your dancing style, a few are there to meet Mr. Knight in shining armor to sweep them off their feet. Some ladies will only dance with the elite or advanced dancers. The good news for leaders, is that there will always be more ladies then men at dance clubs, so just move on and find someone who is friendly and understanding. My take on this is that as a new leader just getting your feet wet, don't try to please everyone because you simply can't and you won't, the bottom line here is that you don't let a stranger ruin your night. Just move on if you get a rejection as there are tons of other fun lady dancers out there that want to dance and who don't expect expertise from their leaders.
Looking back at things, if I had let every lady who declined to dance with me affect my motivation towards learning how to dance when I first started, I would have quit many years ago. I do believe that this has had a effect on other men because only about 10% to 15% of the men that I met in my beginning dance classes, continue to dance today.
NOTE: Although there are no general rules, some leaders will say that after 3 times of striking out with the same person they will finally close the chapter and move on to other more receptive dancers. Naturally, if you strike out 3 times with everyone then it could be time to go back to the drawing board and work on your brick and mortar building. Rejections can and will be avoided if you know the basics of dancing and if you know what you are doing.
Building your own 'dance partner' to practice with (it really does work) For leaders, having a partner to practice with, whether it be a live person or not, will definitely help to develop the much needed muscle memory which is really the key if one wants to learn how to dance. See this amazing practice session where the leader built his own dance partner to practice with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozwdYKzYNtw.
This practice partner will aid leaders for any open position dancing, unfortunately, it is may not be as beneficial for follows since they need someone to lead them into the movements.
Dance Tip: Learning to dance will come faster to those that are patient and diligent and will work on their own to master one movement at a time and commit it to 'muscle memory' before moving on to the next one.
To be quite honest, learning how to touch dance is not going to be easy for men as it does take commitment, dedication, study, and effort. Just like building a home out of bricks and mortar, it will take time to build a solid foundation not only through class lessons but more importantly, through social dancing experiences. Although some leaders can learn to dance within a year, it would not surprise me if most leaders need more time than that before they become completely confident when dancing with strangers.
Unfortunately, leaders have a daunting task because they are in charge of 'leading'. Those that dance today learned to swallow their pride, they developed a thick skin and were not deterred by the rejections and the frustrations that came along with it. In the end, however, it will be well worth the effort. It may not resonate with any new dancer at this point, but once you learn how to social dance and have fun, it is extremely addicting, and you will never look back.
TIP: Because learning to dance will be difficult, rather than give yourself a time limit to learn a new dance style (which would put more pressure on yourself and be more frustrating), you may be better off it you just put in the time that you have available and let learning a new dance style play out its course.
I think rejection for a leader is when a lady declines to dance with you after you have asked her to dance more than several times. All leaders experience rejections, even consummate leaders experience it from time to time. You will never be able to please everyone when dancing. Some ladies expect a certain level of dancing expertise, others may not care for your dancing style, a few are there to meet Mr. Knight in shining armor to sweep them off their feet. Some ladies will only dance with the elite or advanced dancers. The good news for leaders, is that there will always be more ladies then men at dance clubs, so just move on and find someone who is friendly and understanding. My take on this is that as a new leader just getting your feet wet, don't try to please everyone because you simply can't and you won't, the bottom line here is that you don't let a stranger ruin your night. Just move on if you get a rejection as there are tons of other fun lady dancers out there that want to dance and who don't expect expertise from their leaders.
Looking back at things, if I had let every lady who declined to dance with me affect my motivation towards learning how to dance when I first started, I would have quit many years ago. I do believe that this has had a effect on other men because only about 10% to 15% of the men that I met in my beginning dance classes, continue to dance today.
NOTE: Although there are no general rules, some leaders will say that after 3 times of striking out with the same person they will finally close the chapter and move on to other more receptive dancers. Naturally, if you strike out 3 times with everyone then it could be time to go back to the drawing board and work on your brick and mortar building. Rejections can and will be avoided if you know the basics of dancing and if you know what you are doing.
Building your own 'dance partner' to practice with (it really does work) For leaders, having a partner to practice with, whether it be a live person or not, will definitely help to develop the much needed muscle memory which is really the key if one wants to learn how to dance. See this amazing practice session where the leader built his own dance partner to practice with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozwdYKzYNtw.
This practice partner will aid leaders for any open position dancing, unfortunately, it is may not be as beneficial for follows since they need someone to lead them into the movements.
Dance Tip: Learning to dance will come faster to those that are patient and diligent and will work on their own to master one movement at a time and commit it to 'muscle memory' before moving on to the next one.
Even the experienced dancers are constantly practicing and learning new things every day. There are endless possibilities in any dance form, and no one knows all of the movements, let alone all of the dance styles that are out there. There may be some benchmarks to aspire towards, but there is no destination, so enjoy the journey. Your dance growth will slow down when you think that you know it all or have no further desire to learn new movements, trends and techniques. In fact, and sad to say, this is when the dance becomes repetitive and a bit boring. To keep the excitement and spark alive, you need to learn new movements and dance with strangers.
At some point in one's dance evolution, does one still need to take dance lessons? It depends. For a majority of the new, beginning and even intermediate dancers, lessons are definitely recommended. There will come a point in time however whereby some dancers, who also have the right dance partners and where both have a lot of dance experience, are able to sort and figure things out, thereby learning any new dance style on their own.
Many experienced dancers watch, learn and get fresh ideas from watching Instagram and Youtube. How to watch these dance videos in slow motion. Watching any dance video, be it a lesson or a live dance in real time is difficult to "take notes", however when the movements are broken down in slow motion or frame by frame it is much easier to comprehend and practice. The following tips will for for your smart phone (android). If you go to the setting tab on Youtube you can slow down the video speed by 50%, or 70%, etc. If you want to slow it down to frame by frame then the following link will be quite helpful: See, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5U-Rp5jTkg. For instagram you will need two apps, one is called "Repost for Instagram" and the other is called "Film Maker", once you learn how to use Film Maker you can either watch the dance lesson in very slow motion, or frame by frame just by sliding the bar below the video. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPUvTdrpeeI&t=7s.
Many experienced dancers watch, learn and get fresh ideas from watching Instagram and Youtube. How to watch these dance videos in slow motion. Watching any dance video, be it a lesson or a live dance in real time is difficult to "take notes", however when the movements are broken down in slow motion or frame by frame it is much easier to comprehend and practice. The following tips will for for your smart phone (android). If you go to the setting tab on Youtube you can slow down the video speed by 50%, or 70%, etc. If you want to slow it down to frame by frame then the following link will be quite helpful: See, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5U-Rp5jTkg. For instagram you will need two apps, one is called "Repost for Instagram" and the other is called "Film Maker", once you learn how to use Film Maker you can either watch the dance lesson in very slow motion, or frame by frame just by sliding the bar below the video. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPUvTdrpeeI&t=7s.
There will come a point however where the student must actually experience dancing if he or she is to really learn how to dance: No amount of time taking classes will actually make you a good dancer, "that transformation happens doing the real thing with real people on a real dance floor. That's where the refinement and neuro-muscular programming happens." http://latindancecommunity.com/the-biggest-mistake-in-dance-class-ban-the-back-lead/.
Learn how to dance faster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM9RYopTHSo&t=186s.
Bolero - A bit like rumba, salsa, and the waltz combined. Some find it more fun to do than the rumba and can be used in lieu thereof. Learn to do exquisite leg lunges.
Waltz - A classic and must learn dance that is timeless and exquisite. Ladies love it. A soothing flowing dance with its rise and fall movements and graceful rotations. Posture is important for this dance. Dancers will learn to develop great foot skills (like rolling the weight through their feet to do the rise and fall), balance and body control, in fact, good footwork and coordination is a must or someone may fall down if the dancers are not in sync. Dancers will dance in one direction or counterclockwise around the perimeter of the ballroom. Like Argentine tango, men will learn to lead with their core since it is a closed position dance.
"Learn more than one dance because they all relate to each other one way or another. You can learn great concepts of connection through Latin, you can learn great leg control, feet control through ballroom. You learn really cool like moves and feelings through salsa....if you only working on swing you're picking up only what you see in front of you for that lesson and sometimes its great, sometimes it's not, but learn a little bit of everything..."" From All Dance Champion and owner of Starlight Dance in San Diego - Michael Kiehm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mYGRPLAQPM
Every dance does offer its own unique benefit and dancers that are conversant with many different styles become much more versatile in the long run because they are exposed to a variety of different movements, footwork and techniques. For example, someone who learned the cha cha would be exposed to the lockstep, this takes great balance and foot control, especially when walking backwards. In waltz they would learn how to gradually transition their weight shifts gracefully as well as roll through their weight through their feet as they rise and fall. They will also learn to lead with their core. In the 3 count hustle, they will learn syncopated steps. In bachata, they would learn how to accent their hip movements. With the Argentine tango they will also learn to lead with their core, do leg projections as well as master the exquisite tango walk. Rather than be one dimensional or a one trick pony, the more dances one knows, the more it is that he or she will be able to bring to the table.
Here are just some of the popular dance styles:
Here are just some of the popular dance styles:
Salsa - Let's get dizzy! Salsa is playful and exciting and has universal appeal. It is big in Australia, Japan, U.S and in Europe, not to mention in all of the Latin countries. Salsa is the MOST POPULAR dance style here in town bar none. Like the Lindy and the Hustle, most of the dancers are younger in age as compared to the other dance styles, this because of the speed of the dance and the energy that is expended. Salsa dancing is very aerobic and requires good cardio, stamina, flexibility, agility, balance, and spinning ability. It is not a dance for the faint-hearted. Staying on the beat and filling in the music is probably the biggest challenge for most beginning dancers as the music is quite complex, tempos change constantly, and beats are hard to 'find' for the new dancer. It is also very fast so leaders need to know what they are doing as there is very little room for error. If anyone tells you that salsa is easy, it is definitely not, especially after you see how the advanced and creative salsa dancers move on the floor. Adding to some the confusion, some teachers in town teach salsa on the "2" while others teach it on the "1". Men will be exposed to many creative moves and the most unique leads in all of the dancing styles. For follows, it gives them good recognition skills and exposure to many complex open position dance movements. Dancers will learn to develop slot awareness and proper spin techniques.
BONUS POINT: There is never a shortage of leaders or followers at any of the popular salsa dance clubs here in Honolulu, so you don't need to bring your own dance partner in order to be assured of a dance.
BONUS POINT: There is never a shortage of leaders or followers at any of the popular salsa dance clubs here in Honolulu, so you don't need to bring your own dance partner in order to be assured of a dance.
East Coast Swing- Good first dance to learn for a beginner, handy dance style to know if you will be dancing at clubs to faster music. The basic steps are repetitive which makes it an easier dance to learn than the more complex West coast swing.
West Coast Swing - A very beautiful and flowing dance with the anchor step being the common tip-off as to what kind of swing dance a couple is doing. Although the counts are generally always even (i.e. six, eight, ten, etc.) the counts vary depending upon the movement and the music, thus this dance is much more complex and harder to learn than the east coast swing with its repetitive steps. It also doesn't have the bounce that you see in the jive and east coast swing, instead, the better dancers look like they are gliding on the floor. Like Salsa, this dance is playful and interactive, it is a dance that helps one to develop musicality and to have fun with the timing as one learns syncopation techniques. A versatile dance that can easily be fused with other dance styles. Useful for a variety of tempos, including R and B, funk, blues and jazz. Like salsa, the advanced dancers will add improv aspects to this dance.
West Coast Swing - A very beautiful and flowing dance with the anchor step being the common tip-off as to what kind of swing dance a couple is doing. Although the counts are generally always even (i.e. six, eight, ten, etc.) the counts vary depending upon the movement and the music, thus this dance is much more complex and harder to learn than the east coast swing with its repetitive steps. It also doesn't have the bounce that you see in the jive and east coast swing, instead, the better dancers look like they are gliding on the floor. Like Salsa, this dance is playful and interactive, it is a dance that helps one to develop musicality and to have fun with the timing as one learns syncopation techniques. A versatile dance that can easily be fused with other dance styles. Useful for a variety of tempos, including R and B, funk, blues and jazz. Like salsa, the advanced dancers will add improv aspects to this dance.
Rumba - Dancers will learn heel weight movements. Stresses the Latin hip movement and how to settle into one's hips.
3 Count Hustle - Having been exposed to many of the different dance styles over the years, I have found Hustle to be one of the more exciting dance styles around. It is perfect for 70's disco music and even bachata tempos. It may not be for everyone, however, as the pace is very fast and it is not an easy dance to learn for leaders because of the speed involved. Like salsa, this dance requires tremendous cardio, stamina, athleticism, and leg strength. It is basically a 'non-stop action' dance and can be more demanding than salsa, aerobic wise. There are also many fast turns and spins in this dance. The basic steps are harder to learn than the 4 count hustle (see below) because they are syncopated. Offshoots of this dance are the New Style Hustle, and the Latin hustle. Very popular with the younger generation of dancers in Europe.
4 Count Hustle (aka Modern Jive, or Ceroc in Europe and Australia) - A very easy and natural way to dance with its 4 count beats, thus it's a great first dance to learn for any new or beginning dancer. The 'difference' between the 4 count Hustle and Modern Jive, is that the hustle uses more 'traditional' leads whereas the Modern Jive or Ceroc is more of a fusion dance as it incorporates swing, salsa, and other dancing elements into the dance.
Night Club 2 step - The NC2step is sort of like a waltz in that it is a beautiful flowing dance and one that is so rhythmic. It helps dancers to soften their body movements to create that relaxed, fluid and flowing motion. Dancers will also learn lateral dance movements (side to side) in this dance.
Bachata - Another sexy dance like salsa and a must learn if you will be going to salsa clubs. The advanced footwork variations give the dancers unlimited possibilities and help to develop musicality. Advanced dancers will syncopate, pause, speed up, slow down, and play with the rhythm in so many different ways. Ladies will develop nice sensual latin hip movements that are the hallmark of this dance. Like salsa and West Coast swing it is a great dance to improvise off of. The basic steps are quite easy to pick up for follows.
Bachata - Another sexy dance like salsa and a must learn if you will be going to salsa clubs. The advanced footwork variations give the dancers unlimited possibilities and help to develop musicality. Advanced dancers will syncopate, pause, speed up, slow down, and play with the rhythm in so many different ways. Ladies will develop nice sensual latin hip movements that are the hallmark of this dance. Like salsa and West Coast swing it is a great dance to improvise off of. The basic steps are quite easy to pick up for follows.
Bolero - A bit like rumba, salsa, and the waltz combined. Some find it more fun to do than the rumba and can be used in lieu thereof. Learn to do exquisite leg lunges.
Waltz - A classic and must learn dance that is timeless and exquisite. Ladies love it. A soothing flowing dance with its rise and fall movements and graceful rotations. Posture is important for this dance. Dancers will learn to develop great foot skills (like rolling the weight through their feet to do the rise and fall), balance and body control, in fact, good footwork and coordination is a must or someone may fall down if the dancers are not in sync. Dancers will dance in one direction or counterclockwise around the perimeter of the ballroom. Like Argentine tango, men will learn to lead with their core since it is a closed position dance.
Cha-cha - A must learn dance if you will be dancing at clubs since a lot of songs have cha- cha tempos. Most dancers already know the cha-cha steps, or if not they can pick up on it rather quickly. Many of the movements are interchangeable with the social Rumba.
Argentine Tango - A intimate closed position dance that requires a strong core, good leg strength, and great balance. Since it is a closed position dance men will learn the importance of leading with their core and not their arms. Ladies will learn how to wait for then respond to leads. Dancers will learn the well-known tango walk and how to project movements with their legs.
Fusion - A way to dance that is influenced by other dance styles described above done to the particular music and tempo at hand. It is a way to dance for those who seek alternate and creative ways to express the music. Learning more than one dance style is necessary in order for one to be able to dance fusion, in fact, the more dance styles one knows the more he or she will be able to bring to the table. Many that dance to jazz, for example, will use fusion techniques and improvise since prescribed steps or one particular dance style is usually not compatible with complex jazz tempos. Rhythm recognition is one of the key components to dancing to fusion and because dancing involves teamwork, both partners must have a firm grasp of this for the dance to mesh and flow with the music. It is basically emotion based and is improvisational dancing at its finest. Dancing this way cannot be taught, but it is the culmination of years of dancing experience to various dance styles and movements, being able to listen and play with the music, letting it all go and being able to fully express yourself.
To get a sampling of some of the popular club dance styles (foxtrot, waltz, cha cha, salsa) see the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsKBuvgA7I
If you want to begin your journey by learning the easiest dances first, and if you don't care what dance style it is then I would suggest that the new dancer starts with either the Merengue, Country two-step, 4 count hustle, or the Modern Jive (Ceroc). With all of these dances, the footwork can be learned in less than five minutes. Since many songs in clubs are swing based, a class in the East coast swing would also be quite useful.
The unfortunate real-life problem with learning some of the more 'specialized' dances - You may have a hard time finding a club that plays your kind of dancing music, or you may have to bring your own dance partner. Although the Nightclub 2 step and the Samba are very beautiful dances, there are no clubs in town that will exclusively play or cater to these types of dancing music. The sad part of it all is that if one does not regularly dance to a particular style he or she soon forgets it, so if you want to learn a club dance that is popular and has the biggest following you might consider learning all the Latin dances, like the Salsa, Merengue, Cha cha, and Bachata. With the Latin dances, one can find a place to dance at least four or five times a week. As there are between seventy to over a hundred dancers at any given time at a salsa club, you also don't have to bring a dance partner. With most of the other dance styles, and especially at the smaller sized venues that are off the beaten path, you often times must take a chance whether there will be someone there who you can dance with, either that or you will need to bring your own dance partner in order to be assured of touch dancing with someone for the evening.
The second most popular club dances would be a tossup between Country dancing and the Argentine Tango. There are two dedicated Country dancing clubs in town where you can dance several times a week (a third club is in Pearl Harbor military base), and as for the Argentine tango, there are several weekly dances here in town.
Although extremely popular on the mainland with the younger generation of dancers, West coast swing dancing here in Honolulu has not yet been able to garner the same kind of interest and popularity. It is such a beautiful dance, and is also very versatile, so the lack of its popular adoption here is somewhat of a mystery. In fact, it was watching a couple dance the west coast swing many years ago, that inspired me to take lessons and learn how to touch dance. Perhaps the difficulty factor is the main reason why it hasn't been met with popular mass appeal, like the Argentine Tango it is not one of the easiest dances to learn. If you have ever seen an advanced West Coast swing couple dancing and improvising along the way, you will definitely be hooked and mesmerized by this beautiful, fun, and playful dance.
Early era swing dancing like the Lindy, Charleston, Balboa, Jitterbug, Jive, etc., has its own following and is quite popular with the younger generation of dancers. There is a weekly dance event at the new Ong King Dance Center on Fort Street Mall, close to Chinatown in the old Blaisdell Hotel (ground floor). There is a good turnout at these weekly dance events.
Dance class conduct, etc.
Argentine Tango - A intimate closed position dance that requires a strong core, good leg strength, and great balance. Since it is a closed position dance men will learn the importance of leading with their core and not their arms. Ladies will learn how to wait for then respond to leads. Dancers will learn the well-known tango walk and how to project movements with their legs.
Fusion - A way to dance that is influenced by other dance styles described above done to the particular music and tempo at hand. It is a way to dance for those who seek alternate and creative ways to express the music. Learning more than one dance style is necessary in order for one to be able to dance fusion, in fact, the more dance styles one knows the more he or she will be able to bring to the table. Many that dance to jazz, for example, will use fusion techniques and improvise since prescribed steps or one particular dance style is usually not compatible with complex jazz tempos. Rhythm recognition is one of the key components to dancing to fusion and because dancing involves teamwork, both partners must have a firm grasp of this for the dance to mesh and flow with the music. It is basically emotion based and is improvisational dancing at its finest. Dancing this way cannot be taught, but it is the culmination of years of dancing experience to various dance styles and movements, being able to listen and play with the music, letting it all go and being able to fully express yourself.
To get a sampling of some of the popular club dance styles (foxtrot, waltz, cha cha, salsa) see the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsKBuvgA7I
If you want to begin your journey by learning the easiest dances first, and if you don't care what dance style it is then I would suggest that the new dancer starts with either the Merengue, Country two-step, 4 count hustle, or the Modern Jive (Ceroc). With all of these dances, the footwork can be learned in less than five minutes. Since many songs in clubs are swing based, a class in the East coast swing would also be quite useful.
The unfortunate real-life problem with learning some of the more 'specialized' dances - You may have a hard time finding a club that plays your kind of dancing music, or you may have to bring your own dance partner. Although the Nightclub 2 step and the Samba are very beautiful dances, there are no clubs in town that will exclusively play or cater to these types of dancing music. The sad part of it all is that if one does not regularly dance to a particular style he or she soon forgets it, so if you want to learn a club dance that is popular and has the biggest following you might consider learning all the Latin dances, like the Salsa, Merengue, Cha cha, and Bachata. With the Latin dances, one can find a place to dance at least four or five times a week. As there are between seventy to over a hundred dancers at any given time at a salsa club, you also don't have to bring a dance partner. With most of the other dance styles, and especially at the smaller sized venues that are off the beaten path, you often times must take a chance whether there will be someone there who you can dance with, either that or you will need to bring your own dance partner in order to be assured of touch dancing with someone for the evening.
The second most popular club dances would be a tossup between Country dancing and the Argentine Tango. There are two dedicated Country dancing clubs in town where you can dance several times a week (a third club is in Pearl Harbor military base), and as for the Argentine tango, there are several weekly dances here in town.
Although extremely popular on the mainland with the younger generation of dancers, West coast swing dancing here in Honolulu has not yet been able to garner the same kind of interest and popularity. It is such a beautiful dance, and is also very versatile, so the lack of its popular adoption here is somewhat of a mystery. In fact, it was watching a couple dance the west coast swing many years ago, that inspired me to take lessons and learn how to touch dance. Perhaps the difficulty factor is the main reason why it hasn't been met with popular mass appeal, like the Argentine Tango it is not one of the easiest dances to learn. If you have ever seen an advanced West Coast swing couple dancing and improvising along the way, you will definitely be hooked and mesmerized by this beautiful, fun, and playful dance.
Early era swing dancing like the Lindy, Charleston, Balboa, Jitterbug, Jive, etc., has its own following and is quite popular with the younger generation of dancers. There is a weekly dance event at the new Ong King Dance Center on Fort Street Mall, close to Chinatown in the old Blaisdell Hotel (ground floor). There is a good turnout at these weekly dance events.
Dance class conduct, etc.
- STUDENT CONDUCT IN CLASS. Be courteous and respectful towards your classroom partners. Abstain from criticizing or trying to teach your fellow students, and do not argue with or scold your dance partners. Most new students have a hard time as it is and they do not need for other students in the class to confuse them or to add fuel to the fire by shattering or tearing apart their confidence. Always allow the teacher to work with your fellow students. Whenever you take a class please understand the role of teacher and student. If you should usurp your teacher's authority you may be asked to leave the class as no teacher wants to lose students because another student's conduct or attitude makes others feel uncomfortable in the class. It does not matter how good or experienced you are, or what your intentions are, if you are a student it is not your class to teach. Students that try to 'teach' other students in class are viewed as being disruptive by their teachers. On the other hand, if you are a new student you will also have to learn to develop a thick skin because you will inevitably encounter a number of 'buzzkills' not only in class, but also when you begin to dance socially with others.
- Finding the Ideal Dance Instructor for you: All over the United States there is no requirement that one must be dance certified before he or she is able to teach others how to dance (or open up a dance studio), it is, therefore, an unregulated industry, so in reality anyone can hang up a sign and say they are a dance instructor. This is not to say a certified teacher is always better than one who is not certified, but to become certified one must pass certain rigorous tests and meet certain milestones before a panel of highly skilled judges. For more on teacher certification see http://www.dancestudiolife.com/tag/dance-teacher-certification/. A good dance instructor is able to communicate, observe, and give helpful instructions to their students in order that they may learn, grow and develop into dancers. Anyone can teach you the dance steps or patterns (which you can get from youtube for free by the way), but great teachers will help you to build a solid foundation. Look for dance teachers that will teach you the essential core basics in an organized and easy to comprehend manner, the more organized instructors usually have a syllabus before the semester starts so you know what to expect before each class. I know several beginning students that have quit dancing out of frustration because their instructors taught them choreographed patterns that they were forced to repeat in exact sequence, not only was it hard to retain anything when dancing is taught that way to beginners, but no one really dances to scripted choreography in clubs (unless it is an exhibition dance). You can find a good dance teacher by asking the experienced dancers whose dance style you like, who they took lessons from.
- Find an instructor whose class demeanor and dance lessons you enjoy, most importantly find a teacher who is patient. Dance teachers should also have good interaction skills with their students. Unless you intend to enter dancing contests, avoid instructors who take themselves very seriously or who don't make the learning experience fun for you. I once took a class where the teacher mimicked mistakes that some students made in class, not only was it embarrassing but it showed an insensitivity on the part of the instructor, needless to say, I never took lessons from that teacher again. Over the years of dancing I have noticed that some instructors are more popular than others, one common thread with these popular teachers is that they all have established a 'dance or street cred'. What I mean by that is that they not only teach, but they also either do performance dancing, dance socially, or are popular on youtube. These teachers showcase their talents through their dancing, as they 'walk the walk' (and not just 'talk the talk').
- If the teacher has reserved open practice time after the lessons are over, then try to take full advantage of that time to practice the lesson with different partners from your class, in this way you will be able to practice until you feel totally comfortable with the new move. Not all teachers will set aside practice time after their classes are over, so if you consider it to be important for your dance growth then ask the teacher that before you sign up for classes. For the novice or beginning dancer, having this extra practice time is invaluable for your dance growth.
- Good teaching is good partnering. Those that love to teach genuinely care that their students learn to dance, they should be observant and perceptive enough to see what their students are getting and what they are not getting. Some will allow questions during class, others will ask you to come up to them later and ask, but those that care will not ignore your questions and will make every effort to answer them for you.
- Good teachers are observant and will modify their lessons if the class is not getting it. Students take lessons because they want to learn to dance, they need feedback and a nurturing instructor that will help guide them through the many hurdles and challenges that any beginning dancer faces. R. Powers (Stanford Dance Instructor) was asked what percentage of the time he follows a lesson plan, he replied, "I improvise all the time, 100 percent, based on a solid lesson plan with several backup plans. In other words, his highest priority is watching the class if they are getting it, inserting unplanned details to fix any problems, and skipping over details which they obviously already have and don't need to be pointed out. The key he says is to be 100 percent prepared with your lesson plan, then 100 percent observant of how the class is really going, and spontaneously ready to change the plan as needed. Once you find yourself a good dance instructor who you are comfortable with, stay the course and your dance should grow by leaps and bounds.
- Good teachers know the difficult moves that will pose challenges for their students and will make more of a concerted effort to explain and teach those moves, spending more time on it so that the students will get it. They should be patient and understanding. They teach the dance, through a beginner's eyes.
- For more on how dancing is miss-taught and what you should really be focusing on when learning to dance, see: http://www.eijkhout.net/lead_follow/teaching_misteaching.html
- Teaching is like an art, it takes more than dance knowledge to mentor others. It is the imparting of that knowledge through viable communication techniques that are most important. Some students learn by watching, others learn from audible instructions, a good teacher recognizes that each student obtains and synthesizes information in different ways. Some students have dyslexia, and if a teacher says to turn clockwise they will not be able to synthesize that in terms of actual movement. If however, the teacher shows with his arms the direction that he wants the dancers to turn or rotate, then that message will get across to everyone in the class. For more on what to look for in your next dance instructor, see this extremely helpful article by Stanford Dance Instructor Richard Powers (with over 30 years of dance teaching experience): http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/teaching_tips.htm
- If you are frustrated and cannot learn the dance, and are thinking of quitting because you think dancing is not for you, consider changing instructors before you decide to walk away from this activity. Finding the right instructor can make a world of a difference if one is to learn any new dance, and perhaps this is where having a certified dance instructor, or taking private lessons may be particularly helpful for certain students who are struggling to learn. Good teachers know how to make it easier to comprehend and understand the various dance movements. Learning to dance should not be a puzzle, It may be a puzzle however if a teacher is not able to articulate a message that is clear and understandable for their students.
- WHAT IS A DANGEROUS DANCER: http://grapevine.dzouk.com/the-types-of-dangerous-dancers/
- WHAT IS A SOCIAL DANCER: http://www.incognitodance.com/5-ways-to-be-a-better-social-dancer/ (recommended reading for every dancer). Edited excerpts from this article follows: "You can take 10 years of classes and you will not be a good a social dancer as someone who has been social dancing every night for 4 months. You may know more moves, but the art of social dancing comes from the experience of social dancing. It’s the only way you learn how to spontaneously create moves and develop a relationship with the music."..... "Leads, you need to dance with dancers that are not necessarily good as you. In doing so you will learn what it takes to give a clear lead, how to make adjustments..." "Followers, you need to dance with people that are recognized as accomplished leaders....These are the leads that make every follower look spectacular. You will learn that a lead doesn’t have to be strong to be effective."
- WHO THE LADIES CONSIDER TO BE 'AMAZING LEADERS: http://hubpages.com/entertainment/4-Characteristics-of-a-Great-Salsa-Dancer-for-Men.
- Good social leaders have the ability to make all of their follows look spectacular on the dance floor, this because they are able to communicate appropriate leads based upon their partner's particular skill set. If you watch the ladies that dance with these leaders, they are always smiling and thoroughly enjoying themselves. For a leader, it is not how many moves you know, rather it is how you are able to establish a connection with all of your partners and tailoring your leads in order that they can enjoy the dance.
- Secrets to being a good leader, a MUST READ for all men. These concepts are not taught in any dance class by the way, but it is the secret of all leaders who are known or recognized as the true ambassadors of social dancing: http://www.danceplace.com/grapevine/a-guide-to-engaging-with-your-partner/
- A FINAL NOTE ABOUT TAKING CLASSES AND SOME KEY BASIC DANCE FUNDAMENTALS TO LEARN FROM CLASS: Anyone can teach you steps (you also can get it free from youtube), but a good teacher gives you the tools which you can commit to memory in order that you can construct your own dance. There is after all, way more to dancing than imitating someone else's patterns, once we learn the individual building blocks of the dance we will be able to create new movements on our own and find new discoveries in the dance.
Lastly, another reason why teachers should have a course syllabus is that students need to learn certain basic concepts which will help them to begin to learn to dance on their own, some of these concepts that all students should learn within six to twelve months of taking lessons are:
- Having slot awareness and developing good slot discipline.
- Being floor craft savvy and learning to dance in small areas as you share floor space with other dancers.
- Having a proper frame and using the proper arm tension depending upon the particular dance movement. One cannot have noodle like or octopus arms when dancing as it makes it difficult for any male to lead her. Remember, if you keep a frame it is easy to follow good leads.
- Develop proper hand connection and pressure. Your connection through the hands should not be too strong, or too weak, it must be 'just right'. Most definitely, avoid the dreaded "death or clenched grip". If you leave bruises on your partner's hands or if she says "Ow ow ow!" then your grip is way too strong.
- Ladies need to learn to not let go of their leader's hand connection during the middle of a movement, this is actually a common mistake with many beginners. Remember to keep the "C" or cupped position with your fingers in all open position social dances.
- Men must not be forceful or rough with their leads, also men must particularly avoid throwing their partners around the dance floor like rag dolls and into other dancers.
- Men need to learn how to lead all spinning movements without pulling or yanking their partners off of their axis. If the leader's hands are not directly over the ladies head like a halo when turning her, she could fall or become off-kilter and unsteady. If a lady has to bend her spine angle while you are spinning her (which causes her to lose her balance), then you probably need to brush up on your technique because it could be unsettling or dangerous.
- Ladies need to learn the proper spin techniques. This requires learning the basic spot turn while spinning in place - she must learn not to drift and bump into other dancers next to her. Ladies also need to stay in their own slot while doing a basic traveling turn. These are core fundamental dance movements in all open position dances.
- Learn the proper distance and spacing vis-a-vis your partner when dancing, especially when passing each other down the slot, like doing a barrel roll for example. Too far apart and one partner will be pulled off his or her axis, too close together and one person will either bump into the other person, or they will trip on the other person's foot and ultimately fall down.
- Learn how to move your weight through your feet as you dance, thus know where your weight should be as you take each step (i.e. ball or ball flat). For most of the open position social dances, learn to dance on the balls of your feet instead of stamping, plodding, or dancing flat-footed.
- Ladies must learn to follow and respond to clear and solid leads. Some beginners have a tendency to ignore clear leads, some will guess, or move on their own and do something else instead, this is called back leading, which is a very bad habit by the way. Remember the dance is a lead-follow relationship, the role of the man is to lead, and for the woman, it is to follow. Dance with as many different leaders that you can if you want to become a better follow. Some ladies are non-responsive to leads (by not moving their body or feet), for men this is when the dance begins to feel very excruciating and like work instead, ladies need to recognize what the leader is doing and react accordingly...it really does take two to tango as they say.
- Learn to listen to the music, develop the proper timing and be on the beat. Rhythm recognition is fundamental for any type of harmonious social dancing. If you don't know the basic steps of a particular dance, at least be on the beat as any experienced leader should be able to adapt and modify to what you are doing and still make the dance fun for you.
- Once the basic steps are ingrained into muscle memory learn various syncopation techniques, like pausing, hesitations, and playing with the rhythm, etc. These techniques will help you to be able to improv as you dance and giving it some individualized flair.
- Dips: Whenever a lady is doing a dip, she must support her own weight with one leg (which is always the one with the bend at the knee). Although it may look like a leader is holding her and supporting her entire weight, in reality that is not the case. Also, in general, the non-supporting leg is usually extended outwards (in ballroom there is no bend at the knee). See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePps0mg6Q9I.
- STREET RULE (common sense actually): Not every lady knows how to dip properly and support her own weight, so if as a leader you cannot support 100 percent of your partner's weight and if you don't know her dancing ability, then the best course of action is to avoid doing the dip. Failure to heed this advice could lead to the both dancers falling to the ground with the lady hitting her head hard on the ground and her male lead blowing out his back while trying to prevent this accident from happening. Always think safety first and never assume that everyone you dance with knows all of the dancing basics.
The problem and limitations of "LAGS" pattern dance instruction. Its efficacy does invite more questions than provide answers. AN EDITORIAL COMMENT: Imagine taking art classes and the teacher gives everyone a pre-printed landscape scene with numbers and shapes on it, each number relates to a different color to be used in a particular shape. You do not question why nor do you deviate from this 'blueprint,' the end result is that everyone's painting in class looks the same, sort of like a photocopy. This type of painting is a mechanical act as you simply follow directions given to you by someone else. Because the student did not learn how to paint the scene on his own it is highly unlikely that he will be able to paint a similar scene if given a blank canvas. For good reason the art of painting is not taught that way in class, but for some reason dancing in some ways is and it is referred to as LAGS pattern teaching, or the 'latest and greatest steps'. In most classes a new LAGs dance pattern is introduced to the students every week, sometimes consisting of up to 3 or 4 movements. This pattern is then broken down in class into its individual components and the students are asked to follow the teacher and repeat the movement step by step, not in real-time, but usually frame by frame. These lessons can overwhelm most beginning dancers because most of them are not familiar with the basic movements and for them to learn four movements in one class leaves many feeling lost, confused and frustrated. When the teacher puts on the music and then asks the students to repeat the complete pattern in exact sequence and in real-time, a majority of new students won't or don't get it. Does this mean that the other students that can follow the lesson plan of the day will become the better dancers? I don't think so and here is why. This method of teaching relies upon the rote memorization of a series of multiple sequences and most students will soon forget everything within about a week, so in reality, no one has really learned anything.
Knowledge is the key to learning to dance but it has to be knowledge that is sustained and utilized, it is not knowledge if it is soon forgotten.
To compound the situation, the next week an entirely new pattern is introduced to the students. Just like painting with numbers, memorizing LAGS patterns does little to build muscle memory, let alone stimulate the independent thought process which is necessary if one is to learn how to lead. Therefore, someone could be a good student in class for months yet not be able to lead others on the social dance floor when the music is on. See http://www.milehighballroomdance.com/nov13.html.
This is not to say that there is no tangible benefit from LAGS pattern teaching, women may find it more helpful than men as it does expose them to new movements and developing better recognition skills. Granted it could also be helpful for those men who are interested in choreography or looking for ideas to put together certain combinations, but this is assuming that they already know all of the basics and have taken lessons and danced for some time. Naturally, it is ALWAYS better to dance or practice than not at all, but teaching one to dance by way of patterns as an instructional tool is questionable. In fact, some patterns are so complicated for the new dancer that he will place it in the too difficult, might as well forget it folder.
The new dancer should focus on developing sound basics like developing good footwork, learning about having the proper distance from his partner when doing various leads and working on timing instead. Most important is learning how to lead others in a movement and starting with the simple moves first is a great way to develop muscle memory and confidence for the new dancer. Naturally, all dance students take classes because they want to dance as soon as possible, unfortunately, LAGS pattern instruction may not be the fastest or best a way to get you there.
If LAGs is not working for you (and it didn't work for me) then there may be another way to learn how to dance and this is called the layering method. Basically, a base movement is taught that is repeated every week, then every week after that for a period of time additional layers are added onto it. It is easier to retain this kind of knowledge because the dance movement becomes part of muscle memory due to its constant repetition.
For more on the benefits of layering, see http://www.mariettamehanni.com/hilo/layer-and-layer "Layering occurs after the base foundation has been established......Layering .... is highly effective due to participants being able to repeat parts of the move several times while learning the next layer. It is a harmonious blend of comfort and challenge, and participants do enjoy being challenged as long as they know that they will be successful....Layering is a successful method of teaching if the elements of variation are taught one at a time. Layering two or more elements at the same time may lead to confusion and make a move appear unachievable. There is an exception to this rule and that is if you have a group of skilled, regular participants who are familiar with your choreography and teaching style. The reality for most instructors is that our classes are made of participants with a mix of levels, skills and abilities; this is when layering is used most effectively. Layering provides the opportunity for an instructor to offer different options during the workout so that beginners are catered for as well as recommending intensity and complexity options for more skilled participants." COMMENT RECEIVED FROM A LONG TIME DANCE STUDENT OF MICHAEL KIEHM"....that's how Michael Kiehm teaches all his classes, too. Plus he was always watching how the class was doing and would put in extra time on the things that people were having trouble with. If everyone did not catch on, the following week he sometimes would eliminate that part...."
Perhaps we can also learn something from the other dances like how the Argentine tango or the waltz is taught, although it isn't layering it is an extremely effective way of developing muscle memory. Repetition of basic movements is stressed and this is really the key to learning how to dance. Unlike how most of the social dances are taught today, there are no patterns or sequences to copy. In tango students are drilled on properly executing individual signature moves like the paradas, molinettis, sacadas, gaunchos, rulos, etc., they do this until the movements become second nature to them as these are the essential building blocks of the Argentine tango dance. With the waltz, students are taught how to do weaves, spin turns, whisks and chasse, closed telemark, open impetus, double reverse spins, etc. until these and many other standard movements becomes second nature to them, It is the knowledge of these basic elements that allows both the tango and waltz students to eventually construct their own dance and one that is pattern free, and more importantly the knowledge that they have acquired they do not forget, it is an everlasting one. "... (G)reat teachers taught me dancing. Learning the pattern of the week is not the key to success. Being able to lead that move in a club is much more important." See: http://www.eijkhout.net/lead_follow/teaching_misteaching.html and see also http://rebeccabrightly.com/good-dancers-differently/. I
EDITORIAL COMMENT: If all of the social dances were taught this way, that is learning the basic core movements until they are ingrained into muscle memory, then I think a majority of the dance students would be able to fashion their own dance within a shorter period of time. Unfortunately, this is where I feel most of the dance instruction falls short today. Experienced dancers will create, at times they have to react, the pattern dancer doesn't create or react, they dance the same way with every follow since they repeat and perform patterns if they can remember them all.
Knowledge is the key to learning to dance but it has to be knowledge that is sustained and utilized, it is not knowledge if it is soon forgotten.
This is not to say that there is no tangible benefit from LAGS pattern teaching, women may find it more helpful than men as it does expose them to new movements and developing better recognition skills. Granted it could also be helpful for those men who are interested in choreography or looking for ideas to put together certain combinations, but this is assuming that they already know all of the basics and have taken lessons and danced for some time. Naturally, it is ALWAYS better to dance or practice than not at all, but teaching one to dance by way of patterns as an instructional tool is questionable. In fact, some patterns are so complicated for the new dancer that he will place it in the too difficult, might as well forget it folder.
The new dancer should focus on developing sound basics like developing good footwork, learning about having the proper distance from his partner when doing various leads and working on timing instead. Most important is learning how to lead others in a movement and starting with the simple moves first is a great way to develop muscle memory and confidence for the new dancer. Naturally, all dance students take classes because they want to dance as soon as possible, unfortunately, LAGS pattern instruction may not be the fastest or best a way to get you there.
If LAGs is not working for you (and it didn't work for me) then there may be another way to learn how to dance and this is called the layering method. Basically, a base movement is taught that is repeated every week, then every week after that for a period of time additional layers are added onto it. It is easier to retain this kind of knowledge because the dance movement becomes part of muscle memory due to its constant repetition.
For more on the benefits of layering, see http://www.mariettamehanni.com/hilo/layer-and-layer "Layering occurs after the base foundation has been established......Layering .... is highly effective due to participants being able to repeat parts of the move several times while learning the next layer. It is a harmonious blend of comfort and challenge, and participants do enjoy being challenged as long as they know that they will be successful....Layering is a successful method of teaching if the elements of variation are taught one at a time. Layering two or more elements at the same time may lead to confusion and make a move appear unachievable. There is an exception to this rule and that is if you have a group of skilled, regular participants who are familiar with your choreography and teaching style. The reality for most instructors is that our classes are made of participants with a mix of levels, skills and abilities; this is when layering is used most effectively. Layering provides the opportunity for an instructor to offer different options during the workout so that beginners are catered for as well as recommending intensity and complexity options for more skilled participants." COMMENT RECEIVED FROM A LONG TIME DANCE STUDENT OF MICHAEL KIEHM"....that's how Michael Kiehm teaches all his classes, too. Plus he was always watching how the class was doing and would put in extra time on the things that people were having trouble with. If everyone did not catch on, the following week he sometimes would eliminate that part...."
Perhaps we can also learn something from the other dances like how the Argentine tango or the waltz is taught, although it isn't layering it is an extremely effective way of developing muscle memory. Repetition of basic movements is stressed and this is really the key to learning how to dance. Unlike how most of the social dances are taught today, there are no patterns or sequences to copy. In tango students are drilled on properly executing individual signature moves like the paradas, molinettis, sacadas, gaunchos, rulos, etc., they do this until the movements become second nature to them as these are the essential building blocks of the Argentine tango dance. With the waltz, students are taught how to do weaves, spin turns, whisks and chasse, closed telemark, open impetus, double reverse spins, etc. until these and many other standard movements becomes second nature to them, It is the knowledge of these basic elements that allows both the tango and waltz students to eventually construct their own dance and one that is pattern free, and more importantly the knowledge that they have acquired they do not forget, it is an everlasting one. "... (G)reat teachers taught me dancing. Learning the pattern of the week is not the key to success. Being able to lead that move in a club is much more important." See: http://www.eijkhout.net/lead_follow/teaching_misteaching.html and see also http://rebeccabrightly.com/good-dancers-differently/. I
EDITORIAL COMMENT: If all of the social dances were taught this way, that is learning the basic core movements until they are ingrained into muscle memory, then I think a majority of the dance students would be able to fashion their own dance within a shorter period of time. Unfortunately, this is where I feel most of the dance instruction falls short today. Experienced dancers will create, at times they have to react, the pattern dancer doesn't create or react, they dance the same way with every follow since they repeat and perform patterns if they can remember them all.
- Dance Tips for Beginners and common dance mistakes. Crash course for the novice dancer - Ten tips in ten minutes for ten times better dancing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6srmTnDiRlI (discussion on posture, frame, connection, the tone in the arms, walking properly and the hand connection). Here is another important video on how ladies should keep a 90-degree angle and avoid the dreaded "spaghetti arm" when doing an underarm turn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG5SZ8lsneM . MUST WATCH videos for EVERY dancer.
- To learn to dance you must be determined, motivated and most importantly, patient. Learning to dance will not happen overnight, but learning small steps in order to get you there can happen overnight. Don't be too hard on yourself when first learning how to dance. Progress does take time before things begin to sink in and your movements become and feel more natural and instinctive, just a single movement can take weeks to develop. Learning to dance is no different from learning to speak a foreign language, if you don't know any words or if you cannot remember the definitions then you cannot form a sentence, while those with a larger vocabulary are able to speak much more fluently than others. The key, therefore, is to work on expanding your dance 'vocabulary', or dance IQ, one movement at a time and committing it to muscle memory. Once you learn enough basic dance movements, you will soon find yourself on the dance floor, dancing with confidence and without having to think about how to execute your movements. In fact, if you have to think about how to execute a certain movement, it usually won't happen because the leader's movements have to be instinctive once the music is on.
- Making mistakes is part of dancing and it does happen to everyone, but those who work to correct them are the ones that will see gain and improvement in their dancing. Follows that ignore their mistakes do not improve if they keep repeating and making the same mistakes over and over again. If you miss a clear lead, ask yourself, "What did I do wrong, or what should I have done to make it work?" Ladies that are eager to learn will even tell their leaders, "Please do it again!", naturally, most leaders will kindly oblige. If you miss a complex lead and you are a beginner don't worry about it, the leader needs to tone down his leads. If you miss a basic lead or core movement, however, try to make it a point to learn what you did wrong, even asking the leader to lead you again the next time you dance. I have seen some ladies who were new to partner dancing become amazing dancers in a little less than a year only because they took lessons regularly and they also gained real-life experience by dancing once or twice a week with different and stronger leaders (this is the recipe for growth by the way). They also learned from their mistakes and were determined to get better at not missing leads. Anything is possible and attainable if you have the desire to learn and want to grow as a dancer. It all comes down to how much you love the dance, those that improve quickly and become proficient at dancing have a yearning for growth and knowledge.
- COMMON MISTAKES BY LADY BEGINNERS: One of the most important keys to dancing is for ladies to maintain the hand connection with their leaders unless the leader releases his connection. Unfortunately, a common mistake with most beginning follows is the letting go of the leader's hand connection during the middle of a movement. When this happens the leader is stymied and powerless to continue with his leads. Naturally, this can be frustrating when it happens more than just a few times during a dance, this because the leader can no longer lead his followers. CONNECTION TEST: If a lady can maintain the hand connection while doing a hammerlock, a two-hand barrel roll, and the pretzel, then she has a very good connection. If she lets go, then she needs to make much more of a concerted effort to maintain a connection with her leader. This will come in time as the lady develops better recognition skills through class instruction and by studying some of the basic core movements in the dance.
- When to relax and when to firm or add 'tone' your arms? If a leader gives tone to his arm, the lady should generally try to match it because a lead is forthcoming that requires a similar tone in her arms. If a leader's arms are relaxed then the lady's arm should 'generally' be relaxed as well. Generally, most if not all "over the head" leads are done with relaxed arms.
- For novice leaders, you may eventually realize that not everyone will dance with everybody. Most ladies expect a basic level of dance skill so if you get refused a lot, take it with a grain of salt and use the rejections as motivation to practice and to take more lessons in order to become a better leader. As brutally cruel and honest as this may sound and I as well as all beginning leaders have experienced this but there will be times when certain ladies will not dance with new leaders because they want to dance with only the better dancers, or if they do dance with us, it is with some reluctance, or as they call it, pity dances. ALL leaders have experienced this during their respective journeys. By the way, even accomplished and experienced leaders get rejections from time to time, so if you don't have a thick skin, or cannot handle periodic rejections from time to time, then dancing may not be for you. Ironically, as you gain more experience and become more and adept at dancing you will find that ladies who refuse an invitation to dance are not the experienced dancers but usually are the beginning, first-time dancers, or those that lack balance control. The bottom line is that rejections are just part of dancing life no matter what your skill level is, so learn to grin and bear it and seek out the receptive (or equivalent level) dancers during your journey and you won't get as many rejections. With beginning leaders usually, it is our lack of technique and our inability to communicate intended leads that is the problem with getting ladies to dance. An accomplished follow cannot dance and is confused if she does not receive clear directions from her leader, and no lady will care to dance with someone if his leads are too rough, he muscles his leads, or if he is a safety concern to her. Naturally being on the beat also helps to get more people to dance with you. Leaders also cannot be indecisive, or equivocal as dancing should not be a guessing game for their followers. See more: http://gottadancerapid.com/2013/10/lead-follow/. Dancing for men is actually very difficult especially when you consider these factors, but no one was able to learn how to ride a bicycle for the first time without falling down several times. Learning to dance is somewhat similar as every leader will sustain "cuts and bruises" along the way, but those that want it more have learned to endure these growing pains as being a part of the maturation process.
- Why some leaders are afraid to ask strangers for a dance. Just as ladies enjoy dancing with men who can lead them comfortably, leaders want some assurance that people they will be dancing with, at the very least, know the basics of dancing SAFELY and do not pose a danger to them. Leaders have been hurt from being hit in the face or jaw by ladies who danced with flailing elbows. Other leaders have fallen down because their follow lacked balance control and as she fell, she pulled the leader down with her. Some ladies have extremely strong 'death grips', this is extremely painful and will leave black and blue bruises on the top of the leader's hand (in the pad area between his thumb and pointer finger) lasting for weeks. Some followers are non-responsive and cannot be lead, so instead of dancing it is like you are wrestling. Another one of the most challenging tasks for any leader (or follow) is to dance with someone who is not on, or cannot hear the beat. Basic dance knowledge and knowing how to do it safely is a fundamental pre-requisite for all those who wish to dance and to be asked to dance, and because its hard to fake it, taking dancing lessons is definitely recommended. In the partner dance world, those that put in the necessary time to learn the basics and standard core movements are the ones that will bear the fruits of their labor. Although it may be a bit deflating to hear what you need to work on you won't know what your deficiencies are if you don't get any objective feedback from someone whose opinion you trust. If you are not getting many dance invitations, rather than quit, try asking a confidant what areas you need to work on in order to improve your dancing skills. All experienced dancers were novices at one time and many of them experienced rejections, sat out dances, and were overlooked by others when they first began their journey. They only got to where they are because instead of quitting and walking away they identified their deficiencies and made a concerted effort to overcome them.
- Food for thought: A follow is only as good as her leader and conversely a leader is only as good as his follower, dancing is after all 100% based upon teamwork and with each person having a grasp of sound dancing basics. No one person, no matter how talented or experienced he or she may be, can dance by himself or herself.
- The essence of social dancing is a non-verbal lead-follow connection with your partner. This requires that each person do their part and contribute towards the dance. The follower needs to be sensitive and responsive to the feel and even the leader's body motion. She should not expect the leader to carry her. The leader has a hard enough role in the dance as he has to think about floor craft, lead suitability, blending, choreography, and musical interpretation. The follows role in the dance starts with keeping the beat and filling in the music, being responsive to and executing clear leads to the best of her ability.
- Concerns that lady dancers have - If you are a leader try to refrain from being an "arm only lead dancer" - these are leaders that do not move their feet and do not shift their weight while dancing, its as if their feet are stuck in cement. Every dance requires lower body movement and appropriate weight shifts. A quiet or non-existent lower body movement does not create any discern-able rhythmic flow for their partners, consequently, it results in confusion for their follows. Dancers become out of sync not only to the music but with each other when the other person does not feel their partner's rhythm, or weight shifts (its sort of like dancing with someone who is not on the beat). Developing rhythm starts first with paying attention and listening to the music, recognizing the underlying beat and using appropriate weight shifts and most importantly, moving your feet and weight shift to the beat.
- Establishing a rhythm requires placing your weight over the foot that is moving. I recall one of the salsa dance instructors telling the students that when you move your foot, feel as if you are grinding the ball of your foot into the ground, what he meant by that is that you need to put your weight into it as you step (also one should avoid stepping with a flat foot as it appears that the dancer is stomping instead). If you have taken any of his classes, Stefan Kant of Linda Melodia tells his students that having good footwork and timing is EVERYTHING in the dance. This is so true because it defines how a dancer moves. In most of the popular social dances, one's weight is always over on the balls of their feet. In the west coast swing, one's weight rolls through the feet. The waltz also has a foot rolls with its up and down movements. This is why everyone should take dance classes when first beginning to dance and periodically some refresher classes, as having sound basics like having good footwork is essential for good dancing. DANCE MISTAKE: Many novice dancers have a tendency to 'step' or move their foot, but they fail to place their weight over that foot, as described below, this is called shuffling.
- Dancing is not 'shuffling your foot'. Shuffling occurs when a dancer will move their foot forward, back, or sideways but does not shift their weight over the foot that is moving. The better dancers shift their weight over their foot as it moves throughout the dance, most importantly this movement creates a rhythmic flow for their partners as they can feel their partner's weight shifts. So as you begin to dance, try your best to avoid shuffling your feet (or cheating), instead put your weight into every step that you take while using the balls of your foot for most of the social dances. These are sound basics that every dancer should learn before learning anything else. Naturally, there are exceptions to this, for example when doing foot shines or syncopated bachata foot movements.
- When dancing with those whose balance is suspect, leaders should avoid speeding up or forcing a movement if his follower is not on time, even if it means that you will both miss the beat, instead let her move comfortably and in her own time, as safety is paramount over anything else. Leaders also need to recognize when a situation, position, arm tension, or angles are not quite right for certain leads and when to ABANDON moves out of safety considerations. Over time the leader will begin to get a feel of whether something is possible or not based upon the tactile and sensory indications that he receives from his various partners. Some new dancers may be too close to you or too far away from you to do certain leads, some may be in your slot instead of their own slot, sometimes their arms are so stiff that they are unable to execute certain over the head moves. If this happens, never force a move on a lady as it may cause injury to her, or to yourself. Leaders must constantly make split-second adjustments whenever dancing with strangers. If you sense that an intended movement is not possible then the best course of conduct is to find something more suitable based upon what you think your partner can handle. Unfortunately, this art of adjusting is NOT taught by any dance instructor so it is something that you will need to develop on your own as you begin to dance with other dancers. Because everyone has different recognition skills, not all leads are possible when dancing with others. This is another reason why one should steer away from, or eventually wean ourselves away from pattern dancing. A dancer who only knows pattern dancing can become lost or flustered if he has to deviate from it, or if his partner is not able to follow his "pre-programmed" leads. In fact, the more leads one knows as a leader, the more that person will be able to adapt when dancing with strangers.
- Avoid being an elephant in a china shop - Why being on the beat, slot recognition, and spacing is so important. I am sure we have all had a dance partner either step on your foot or bump into you so hard that you lost your balance and almost fell down during a dance. There are generally several causes for this, one is when the dancers are not in sync, for example, one dancer doesn't know the basic steps and is dancing not with you, but against you, or, the other person cannot hear the beat. Another is when the other person does not stay in their own slot and veers into your slot instead, this because they don't know what a slot is, or where their slot is. Sometimes, the other dancer just fails to keep the proper dance distance, or spacing, away from you while dancing. Being on the beat, slot recognition, and proper spacing, are concepts that are learned and developed over time once one has taken his or her fair share of dance lessons. When it comes to dancing, fundamental dance basics such as this can only be obtained through proper dance instruction and lessons.
- Ladies must learn to follow and avoid back leading, or prolonged hijacking when dancing. 'Back leading' is when a Follow without waiting for, or contrary to will interfere with the Lead's lead. She ignores what the leader is trying to do. Hijacking is when the Follow decides takes over the dance and dances by herself, when this 'takeover' is brief it is usually back leading, but when it lasts for a longer period of time it is called hijacking the dance. It can be three seconds, or it could be ten seconds, but for some leaders, it feels like an eternity because it is not quite what he had expected, and he does not know what to do as the dance connection has been broken by his partner. It is the novice dancer that will usually back-lead, probably because she is not aware of some of the basic movements in the dance, accordingly, she will guess, as she feels a need to make something up instead. Some dancers who know all the basic movements will also back-lead because as was pointed out earlier by one of our lady dancers, they want to show the guy what they can do. Instead of sharing a dance, hijacking is perceived by some leaders as a form of self-indulgence. Both back-leading and prolonged hijacking are considered bad dancing habits because it makes the follower difficult to dance with. Consequently, those that regularly take over the dance from their leaders soon find themselves not being asked to dance because they fail understand the importance of the lead-follow relationship in the dance. Unlike line dancing or freestyle dancing, partner dancing requires a connection at all times with your partner. The role of the leader is ....to lead, and the role of the follow....is to follow.
- Fun dancers leave a good impression on leaders, so those that move well and are not afraid to smile are always being asked to dance. An added bonus is when they add styling elements and are expressive, but not overdone so as to hijack the dance. Fun dancers will play with the rhythm, use shines and other syncopation techniques such as rushes, pauses and even body rolls, they also know how and when to 'let it go', as they will dance to the music, and not be restrained totally to steps.
- It most definitely helps one to expand their dance vocabulary or dance IQ by learning different dancing styles. It is hard to dance to various types of music if you are a one-trick pony and can only dance to one dance style, it also limits you as far as what you can do. The additional benefit of learning other styles is that you can mix and match, as many moves are interchangeable throughout the various dance styles. I have danced bachata and hustle in the same song, I have also danced cha cha and west coast swing in the same song, all you need is a partner who is experienced with the different dance styles, is versatile and has an 'open mind'.This is another reason why it helps as a leader to learn many different dance styles...you really do limit yourself if you are a 'one trick pony'.
- Beginning leaders tip for closed position dancing: Avoid a pronounced up and down movement with one's shoulders and arms when dancing (like shrugging one's shoulders or flapping your arms). When in the closed position, a busy upper body movement collapses and destroys the leader's frame and this will throw the follows off. For all the closed position dances the lead or momentum from the leader should come from a steady and solid frame and through his core body movement (tango, waltz, etc.).
- All dancers have different postures and curvatures in their spines, some of us are taller than others, some of us are heavier than others, etc., everyone is built differently. If you look at golfers, at his set up position Jordan Spieth stands more upright and has less knee flex than does Sergio Garcia who has more knee flex and more of a forward bend of his torso. In baseball, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout have different postures when they are in the batter's box. Albert Pujols has a more pronounced knee flex than does Mike Trout, who stands more upright. No one person is right and no one person is wrong (both of them are All-Stars). The point is that we are all built differently and consequently we have different postures, similarly, when it comes to social dancing there is no such thing as one dance posture for everyone. As long as you don't slouch and can keep your shoulders back you will be fine. Being comfortable (not stiff) and ready to move is the key. The one constant with all of these athletes is that they all have a knee flex and so should the dancer. Although the old adage for dancing is to think tall and have a long neck this is not a blanket rule for all dances. The 'triangle' or rhythm posture, for example, is critical for most open position social dances. If a dancer's posture is too tall or upright like a soldier standing at attention, for example, he or she will not be able to dance with any sort of flexibility because there is no flex in his knees. This leads to a minimalist of body movements and the dancer's feet will be shuffling around rather than being an integral part of the dance. Their dance partners also have a hard time dancing and are confused because they don't feel their partner's weight shifts. To dance with rhythm in the open position requires that the dancer's posture be comfortable based upon his or her body type. The greatest lindy dancer in the world Frankie Manning had a very relaxed posture. All of the elite dancers have this rhythm posture which it is explained in more detail in the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV5Mn5NEjRA. The instructor in this video states that you need to relax your knees have a slight bend at your hip joint, and your upper body should be leaning forward just a bit (with a straight back and not one that is arched or hunched over). This forms your rhythm triangle or your dance posture. As the instructor says, "Too straight and only your feet will move which is 2% of your dancing and you will be missing out on the other 98%." Posture for formal ballroom dancing, on the other hand, is a lot more different, with many of the formal ballroom dances like the waltz, rumba, foxtrot, and tango, one should have an upright posture with a long neck and should be "thinking tall". Naturally, formal ballroom is much different from club dancing as one posture does not fit all dance styles. Posture really depends on the kind of dance that you are doing.
- In Argentine tango, the dancers are taught to master one movement per class and there are no patterns to copy. Curiously most of the other dances are taught by way of patterns. Instructors generally teach 3 to 4 movements in class and then tell their students to perform them in the exact sequence. The next week a new pattern is taught and this goes on and on resulting in little comprehension for the average dancer. Learning and mastering individual dance movements so that they became part of muscle memory will get you onto the dance floor must faster than pattern recognition. Another issue with teaching by patterns is that it is similar to teaching a student how to paint, by painting by the numbers, although the student ends up applying paint to canvas, it is at predetermined areas and he does not learn how to think or paint on his own. Similarly, this method of teaching does not stimulate the independent dance thought process that is required if one is to construct his own dance. Accordingly, those that rely exclusively on dancing to patterns will find it difficult to create their own dance because they let someone else do the thinking and create the movement for them instead. Your options and alternatives are limited when you never learn to explore possibilities on your own and that is another concern or drawback if one limits his learning solely to pattern instruction. Discovery and freedom of dance expression occur when we learn to think, envision and create the desired dance movements or connect the dots on our own. When one learns and masters individual movements there will come a time when the light goes on and the dancer will begin to 'see' how certain movements just seem to naturally fit or flow together with one another. This is when the leader will be able to fashion his own style of dancing. Through regular dancing and experimentation, those that keep at it will gain this experience over time. A nationally known salsa instructor mentioned that leaders should know a minimum of sixteen moves in order to lead a follow during a dance. All of the better dancers continually practice as they try to learn and master new movements. Individual movements once learned are never forgotten and it is this knowledge that will then allow the leader to eventually fashion his own dance and blend together movements that he likes.
- Ladies asking guys to dance. There are generally two types of lady dancers at clubs, granted one of these is an extreme example. On one hand, you have those that are patient (and they are the majority of the dancers) and on the other, you have a few that are brazen and aggressive - using the shotgun approach they will canvas the room and ask practically everyone for a dance, and often times more than once. Some aggressive dancers will even tug or drag a hesitant dancer onto the floor, yes, oh my gosh. Some are disrespectful of other women and will ask a man to dance even when it is clear that he has a dance partner for the evening, or is with his spouse or significant other. Overly aggressive behavior should be avoided at all costs as it has caused friction and even led to cat fights in some clubs. The patient dancers, on the other hand, take a more sophisticated approach, they don't ask because they have developed subtle yet effective ways of letting leaders know that they are available for a dance. Saying hello and greeting a prospective leader with a friendly smile makes a wonderful impression and it also lets the leader know that you may possibly be open for a dance invite sometime during the course of the evening. It is non-intrusive and refined and it does not compel the leader to dance immediately. Another effective way to get a dance could very well be learned from what ladies do and do not do when attending tango milongas. In tango clubs, it is a taboo for a lady to ask a man to dance the Argentine tango. "Try not to verbally ask a man to dance...as a matter of fact the better the lead the less inclined he will dance...", excerpts from http://closembracetango.com/thoughts/asking-a-man-to-dance (written by a tango dance instructor), accordingly those that are aggressive and constantly seek instant dance gratification like gun blazers may soon find that this type of behavior eventually does backfire, this occurs when the tango leaders begin avoiding them. Another consequence of asking for an immediate dance is that it takes the leader's choice of dancing with someone else away. If a lady's overbearing conduct happens regularly and routinely it does become a source of frustration and even annoyance for leaders. As pointed out in this article there are other ways to get a dance without leaving your seat or been viewed as a problem dancer - the Cabeco or line of sight, for example, is socially acceptable and the preferred way for ladies to get a tango dance. Those who have mastered the fine art of Cabeco, or are patient and gracious fare better in the long run. For other types of club dancing, however, if a lady should still decide to ask men for dances they must also be prepared to handle rejections. Ladies who ask should not and cannot expect that every Leader will accept an invitation (just as when men do when asking ladies for dances). If despite the risks a lady decides to ask someone for a dance, she should key in on that person's body language and look for subtle signals to see if the Leader is receptive or shows an interest in dancing (again the use of the "Cabeco"). If there is a song that a Leader likes they will usually be looking around the room at the beginning of the song to find an available dancer who knows the particular dance style, this would be an opportune time to see if he makes eye contact with you (refrain from constantly staring at anyone unless you want to give them the heebie-jeebies). Bear in mind that most men do not know all the dance styles that are out there and thus some will sit out certain songs whose dance styles they do not know. Asking a man to dance a style he does not know will surely lead to denial so before asking someone to dance it helps to do some homework first. Also ladies who ask men to dance should at least know the basic beat or timing of the dance style (you don't have to be an advanced dancer to ask someone to dance with you), so if you are a beginner you could say, "I'm more of a beginner but would you care to dance?" Ladies should also avoid asking leaders to teach them how to dance, leaders are there to dance and have fun, they are not to teach others how to dance (this is a very big "No-No" by the way). Asking for an immediate dance more often than not does put some leaders on the spot, as a result, some may feel compelled or pushed into a dance especially if they are tired and want to take a break, or they may not like the song because they cannot hear or do not like the beat. The approach that patient and considerate ladies take is to let a prospective leader know that she would be open to dancing with him sometime during the evening and at his discretion. For example, they would say, "I would love to dance salsa with you sometime" or "Could I be added to your dance card for a west coast swing dance?" Most men would oblige and ask that person for a dance when approached in this manner. Patience is a virtue as the belles of the ball will attest to. The fact is not everyone you ask will accept a dance invitation, so if you cannot handle a denial then you should refrain from asking others to dance (this applies to men and women).
- In a funk? There may come a time when you may get in a funk and feel something is missing. If it happens to you, consider taking a styling class and learn fanciful adornments and musicality techniques. Or you could consider joining a dance performance group, the transformation and growth for those who have gone this route is nothing short of dramatic and elevates their dance to a new level. Try dancing with different dancers, especially those that are better than yourself or your partner. Learn different dances styles as this also makes you more versatile.
- Leaders Tip: If you are having difficulty with leading a certain move then try practicing and doing the movement by doing the follow's footwork. This helps us to become much clearer with our leads as we learn where to best position ourselves and how to give a solid lead that is capable of being understood.
- The art of leading. There is a difference between dancing and leading. Anyone can learn patterns and It may only take a couple of months for a man to learn the timing of a new dance and its basic steps, but it may take much longer than that before he becomes proficient at leading other dancers with whom he has never danced with before. Not all dancers can lead, someone can dance for 5 years and be a capable dancer, but not be a good leader. Just as a leader can ascertain his partner's skill level within 20 seconds or so, ladies will also be able to recognize the skill set of her leader immediately after being lead into a few basic dance movements. For one, exceptional leads are clear and easy to follow, and the hand connection or grip pressure is never hard or forceful (it is quite the opposite actually). A good leader can dance with almost anyone, they are creative and will lead movements that flow naturally into others, the resulting choreography is not only soothing on the eyes but more importantly, these movements are tailored to the comfort level and ability of his partners. The consummate social leaders strive to make their follows look good, accentuating their dance strengths and avoiding their weaker points. If a lady struggles with someone's leads then she leaves the dance floor with a puzzled and confused look on her face and she is not at fault for that, rather, her leader needs to work at developing better leading skills and techniques. These leaders must learn to use friendlier leads. No lady enjoys dancing with a leader who intimidates her, confuses her, frustrates her (with less than friendly leads), or is not on the beat. For example, some leaders will use complex leads on beginners and muddied leads to experienced dancers. Leaders do have a difficult and daunting task because they must create a dance that each follow is comfortable with and can enjoy the experience. Granted, It is definitely much easier to dance with your regular dance partner, but the real growth for any leader comes when you can dance with strangers and create an enjoyable experience for them. This ability to adapt to various partners' different skill set and communicate clear, suitable and understandable leads is what separates a leader with good partnering skills, from someone else who may know the dance steps, or figures, but does not know how to 'share a dance' or communicate with others. Unfortunately, this aspect of social dancing is not taught in any dance class, so for the social leaders that are new to dancing, try to be more cognizant of this concept after you begin to dance with other dancers. If you are a new leader and have a chance to watch an advanced dancer, you will see how they can lead complete strangers, even those who have never danced before, and make them look glorious on the dance floor, and it is obvious that she is enjoying the journey as you will see a smile on her face throughout the dance. Great leading skills is an art, it is dance communication at its finest, this will come in time after you have taken your fair share of classes and gained actual dance experience after having danced with many others over time. Try not to be frustrated and give it time, as it sometimes may take several years to fine tune one's leading techniques.
- When first learning to dance we are taught how and when to move our feet. We are drilled with the basic steps because it is the foundation or structure that we must learn before we can dance. A beginning dancer that ventures out for the first time to a salsa dance, or to a Jack and Jill West Coast Swing contest, will be puzzled at first because the advanced dancers are not doing the basic steps and footwork that he or she was taught in class. What these dancers are doing is dancing to the music (so forget trying to figure it out because they are random and spontaneous movements), this is referred to as musicality and it is developed over time. As a dancer gains more experience, acquires knowledge, and becomes comfortable with the particular dance style, he too will be able to experiment, play with the rhythm, and vary the pace. The use of pauses, hesitations, rushes, body rolls, leg sweeps, rondes, foot shines and other syncopation techniques are some of the tools that allow these advanced dancers to deviate from the standard basic dance steps. Advanced dancers retain the timing, structure, and integrity of any particular dance style but they also enjoy adding improvisational aspects to it. By learning to play with the rhythm and adding your own style and personality the dance becomes much more fun and interesting as it takes on another totally new dimension. "What is it in a non-technical sense that makes for a fabulous lead? It is not 'put the feet here shift the weight there' because there are some marvelous dancers whose footwork breaks every rule. It is not counting because during improvisations anything can happen and counting would get in the way". For more on what is a magical lead http://www.verytangostore.com/good-tango-leader.html.
- Follows Tip: Filling in the music - learn to vary your pace and know when to ratchet up or slow down or slightly delay your movement as the music calls for. Watch your timing and don't race or power through every move (novices usually have one speed for everything). Moves that require more revolutions may have to be executed faster than those that require only one revolution. For example, a frisbee spin or S turn would have to be executed much faster than a simple inside roll in order to finish on the beat. For the later, the lady will have to slow it down or stretch it out just a bit. Rushing a move and finishing before the beat can throw off the leader's timing. Better dancers will vary their speed as the music dictates, they know when to stretch it out and when to speed or to catch up. They will use the pauses to fill in the gaps and syncopation techniques to get back into it (or to just play and have fun). Listening to and filling in the music and being on the beat (or getting back on the beat) is critical if one is to dance with the music.
- Develop a thorough understanding of where the weight on your feet should be for each step that you take (ball or ball flat, etc.). Improper weight placement adversely affects the dance moves and it makes a person feel extremely dance-heavy for their partners and can be physically draining for them. It can also cause your partners to miss the beat. It is not the leader's role in the dance to physically move the lady, rather she must know how and when to move as the dance calls for it. The cross-body lead in the hustle, for example, requires that the lady move away from the leader or always step forward on the two and three counts if she does not and chooses to sit instead, the leader must struggle to move her and eventually he becomes exhausted dancing that way. In general, for just about all of the popular dances like the salsa, hustle, cha cha, east and west coast swing, and even the Nightclub 2 step, there is no weight settlement onto the heel at all as the dancer's weight needs to be on the balls of their feet, or in the active and ready to move position. Probably the only popular dance style that involves heel weighting is the American rumba and the basic bachata steps (although the forward step in the social waltz is also with a heel lead). Also one should be careful about not bouncing up and down unless you are doing the jive, east coast swing or samba. Bouncing for the other dances like WCSwing and salsa has the effect of throwing your partners off. Stomping or dancing flat-footed with heavy feet should also be avoided in all of the dance styles.
- The importance of having good balance and footwork. One cannot dance with someone else if the other person is unstable and holds onto you for dear life. Some dancers have vice grips and do so because they lack balance control and use the other person for support. Each dancer must be able to support their own weight and balance. When it comes to touch dancing, being in physical shape and having good balance is a prerequisite for one's own safety and for the safety of his or her partner.
- Be aware of your leads. Avoid pulling your partner off her center or axis which could cause her to lose her balance and become unsteady and even fall. Be particularly observant when leading her into a traveling turn, spot turn, or barrel roll (whenever your arm is circling over her head) making sure that she is centered, balanced and has completed her turn before bringing your hand down. If you are doing a Texas Tommy, or Straight jacket, avoid yanking your partner out of her spin, else she may stumble and fall down. Similarly, if a man is turning, the lady should not pull him off of his axis.
- Some energetic follows will over-rotate a spin or try to do multiple spins when in fact the leader is leading one spin. If its a free spin then the follow may do multiple spins, but if there is still a hand connection during the spin the follow should feel and then go with the particular lead. Over rotating a 'connected' spin is viewed by some leaders as a form of back leading.
OTHER MATTERS