Most of us have a list of things we’d like to know when looking for a dance studio for the first time. Here’s a compilation of some of the most common questions I’ve heard, and the most common answers. Continue reading "Ballroom Dancing: Beginner FAQ"
Help! My Partner Can’t Lead (or Follow)
We’ve all been there. You’re out on the social dance floor, trying to move with your partner, and for whatever reason it’s just not clicking. Maybe you’ve got a full compliment of steps you can’t wait to try out, but your follower seems to be completely ignoring you. Or maybe you’ve practiced following every dancer in your group class, but this guy won’t even lead half of them (and you can’t feel the lead for the other half). What’s a dancer to do? Continue reading "Help! My Partner Can’t Lead (or Follow)"
Cuban Motion (Latin hip action) Explained, Part Two
Last week we played with some simple exercises to get your hips moving as you travel in different directions. As these exercises start to sink in, you can apply some of the following techniques to smooth out the movement. Continue reading "Cuban Motion (Latin hip action) Explained, Part Two"
Cuban Motion (Latin hip action) Explained, Part One
On the dance floor, what you do isn’t nearly as important as how you do it. At the Latin clubs, capturing the sexy Latino rhythm means using Cuban motion. Lets be clear: both men and women use Cuban motion, although women tend to be more noticeable in their movement due to their wider hips and narrower waist. Here’s five exercises to get you started. Continue reading "Cuban Motion (Latin hip action) Explained, Part One"
Learn Ballroom Dancing Faster – Part Two
Last time, we looked at our tendency to multi-task in our dance practice, with sub-par results. We also started to examine how to counter this habit, and focus on improving one technique at a time. Let’s continue with that today. Continue reading "Learn Ballroom Dancing Faster – Part Two"
Learn Ballroom Dancing Faster – Part One
Some of us are social dancers, looking to pick up a few new steps to surprise our partners on the dance floor. Others focus on the technical details that help them catch the judges eye at competitions. But no matter what you’re looking to get out of it, we all share one thing in common: We all want to learn ballroom dancing faster.
Most of us assume our learning speed is limited by our physical skill and experience. Yet, when we focus only on muscle repetitions and ignore the mental aspect of learning, we are essentially skiing on one foot. Half the equation is missing. Continue reading "Learn Ballroom Dancing Faster – Part One"
Leading VS Following – Part Four
Previously, we discussed some of the assumptions leaders make that can hold back their ability to effectively connect with their partner. Now it’s time to look at the techniques that actually help you get your partner from point A to point B - and keeping her smiling on the way. Continue reading "Leading VS Following – Part Four"
Leading VS Following – Part Three
Last time, we explored how a follower can better connect and move with her partner. Now leaders, it’s your turn. We’ll start by debunking some of the assumptions and myths that mislead your leading (pun intended). Once these are clear, you will be free to start training with good habits instead of struggling to unlearn bad ones. Continue reading "Leading VS Following – Part Three"
Leading VS Following – Part Two
In the last article, we tackled the psychological reasons why ‘following’ in a ballroom dance may not be as bad as we think it is. Now, we look at specific techniques that help us connect and respond to our leader. Then we will finish off with a learning strategy to polish these techniques with minimal frustration. Continue reading "Leading VS Following – Part Two"
Leading VS Following – Part One
‘I’m the leader, you’re the follower.’ Does that sentence make you want to grind your teeth? You’re not alone. Many people hate having to ‘surrender’ to another person to make the dance work.
What they usually don’t realize is that the ‘follower’ has a power of her own. The big moves might be mostly up to the leader, but the follower adds the embellishments that make up much of the dance’s personality.
In this article, we’ll change the way we look at ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’ on the ballroom dance floor. And find out the playing field is a lot more level than most people realize. Let’s start by looking at how the definitions have changed over the years. Continue reading "Leading VS Following – Part One"