A good connection with your dancing partners is like food for your dog - keep providing it, and they’ll always come back for more. Last time, we looked at the basics of taking a ballroom dance frame. Now it’s time to get you two moving with a few more all-important commandments:
1. Thou shalt move from the centre.
Our centre of gravity, or core, is a fist-sized area located roughly in the solar plexus - and it’s the first thing we move when guiding or responding to our partner. Don’t know how to move it? Imagine someone pulling you by the belt, or a filled balloon pressed between your tummies.
2. Thou shalt move thy frame from thy centre.
Our arm positioning, also called the ‘frame’ by dance know-it-alls, is there to convey the body movements we make or receive from our partner. We might be speaking into a phone, but without the cable connecting us, we can’t communicate with our dancing partners. In layman’s terms: if you move 2.7 ft. with your body, your frame must move the exact same distance.
3. Thou shalt feel, never think.
Especially for followers, partner dancing is a sport easily over-thought. Focus on feeling your connection with your partner, rather then predicting what will happen next, or worrying about what happened before.
Focus on responding to changes in pressure on your frame as fast as you can. For instance, a leader stepping into his partner pushes on her frame, until she steps back to release the pressure. If you run into trouble, try closing your eyes.
4. Thou shalt wait to be moved.
Again for followers, patience is key to connecting with your dancing partners. They are trusting you to let them guide you through a great dance. If tempted to interfere by trying to control or ‘back-lead’ your partner, recall the old saying: too many cooks spoil the soup.
5. Thou shalt never ‘waddle’.
We are not ducks, but some of us dance like them, out of a gallant desire to protect our partners. The irony is that our dancing partners expect we will be exactly where we seem to be traveling - trying to step around your partner makes you actually more likely to bash someone’s shins.
Start with small steps if you need to, but focus on confidently traveling in the direction you are leading or led to go.
Did I miss anything? What other important rules for leading or following might you add?
Hurrah, we’ve covered the most important points of connecting with your soon-to-be-numerous dancing partners! Now, we’re finally ready to take a look at how we lead and follow some of the common patterns in ballroom dance. See you next time!
Credits
U of S Ballroom Dancing Club
Ballroom Joe
About the Author
Ian Crewe has been dancing ballroom for almost 20 years, and has a Licentiate in American smooth and rhythm. His passion for dance and his endless seeking for ways to reach new audiences eventually led him to blogging and the World Wide Web. Ian currently teaches at the Joy of Dance Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Thanks, Ian, I know I am guilty of over-thinking and am trying to correct that.
This blog is helpful to me.
I appreciate your comments.
L.