If you're been patient and put your best self out there, sooner or later you'll run into another dancer (hopefully not literally), who's interested in more than your dance moves. This final video on dance and romance is about what to expect when you date a dancer. Continue reading "Dance and Romance: Dating a Dancer"
Dance and Romance, Part Three: Are they Interested?
It's ironic really - on one hand, ballroom dancing is a great way to meet the love of your life, while on the other, the dance itself makes it hard to tell if someone is genuinely interested.
Can YOU tell the difference? I created a short quiz in the video below to find out. Also, I include a few pointers on how to progress from that initial interest to serious romantic chemistry.
CAVEAT: These answers don't apply to every situation, and I am not a relationship guru. Experts agree however, that if someone is giving you these signals it's generally a very good sign. Continue reading "Dance and Romance, Part Three: Are they Interested?"
Dance and Romance, Part Two: Making Connections
Ballroom dancing provides an amazing opportunity for people to meet, mingle and flirt with each other. But that doesn't mean you can just start tossing out one-liners in the middle of a dance.
Much as I know you want to skip to the steamy stuff, we first have to know how to make a great first impression with our future sweetheart: Continue reading "Dance and Romance, Part Two: Making Connections"
Dance and Romance, Part One: Mythbusting
Ballroom dancing can be an wonderful opportunity or a bitter disappointment for the single person - it all depends on their mindset.
Take a moment to ask yourself, 'do I have any negative beliefs about what ballroom dancers are like? Are there any assumptions I have about what happens at a sweaty dance hall?'
Fact is, the world of ballroom dancing is very different from the world we normally live in. And while I could just list each dance myth and explain why it's false, it's more fun to tell you a few stories to put it in perspective: Continue reading "Dance and Romance, Part One: Mythbusting"
Benefits of Dance, Part Three – Personal Development
It feels good to dance! But it's one thing to know it, another to know WHY we love dancing so much. Knowing where our enjoyment of ballroom dancing comes from helps to motivate us through the hard times, and enhance the good times.
In this penultimate episode on the benefits of dancing, I'll be covering:
- How ballroom dancing helps you know people from every walk of life.
- Why the connection you get with your ballroom dance partner can be one of the deepest connections there is.
- Why ballroom dancing helps bring out your natural authenticity.
- The surprising reason why social ballroom dancing can be a great team-building exercise.
- Why your confidence benefits from learning a skill like dancing.
- A simple way to use dance to destress from work.
- How dancing can be good for your health - but not in the way you think.
- The way in which ballroom dancing allows you to express your best self, on AND off the dance floor.
Continue reading "Benefits of Dance, Part Three – Personal Development"
Dealing with Jealousy when Dating a Dancer
Dating a dancer can carry plenty of misunderstandings. Without an understanding of the social norms of the ballroom dance world, it’s hardly surprising that, when you see your beau enfolded in the arms of another, smiling as they move together, your first impulse is to grab your partner’s arm pull them off the floor.
Part of dating a dancer means accepting that ballroom dancing follows different rules from your standard bump n’ grind club. So how do you know what’s acceptable and what isn’t? Continue reading "Dealing with Jealousy when Dating a Dancer"
4 Things to Know Before You Date a Dancer
Announce that you’ve started to date a dancer, and you’re likely to get high-fives from your locker room friends or juicy detail-requests from your shopping entourage. And, my own biases aside, what’s not to like? Ballroom dancers are often in great shape, know how to move their bodies in all kinds of sexy ways, and have a wonderful artistic streak, not to mention great fashion sense. But it’s not all romantic days and steamy nights.
Don’t get me wrong, when you date a dancer, it can be awesome fun (again, completely self-serving here). But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t carry some unique challenges, especially when you are just getting to know each other. Continue reading "4 Things to Know Before You Date a Dancer"
Using the Languages of Love in Ballroom Dancing
As we talked about last week, how we communicate with our partner during a dance lesson can have a major impact on how strongly you feel towards each other. We do this using the 5 languages of love, which are:
- Quality time
- Words of affirmation
- Acts of service
- Physical touch
- Receiving gifts
Today we’ll flesh out each of these love languages with some specific ballroom dance examples. Continue reading "Using the Languages of Love in Ballroom Dancing"
How Dance Lessons Build Strong Relationships
There’s a lot of articles about how dancing is a great way to build romance. Some even describe it as ‘couple’s therapy’. And yet, the more I teach, the more I realize that a dance is only as good as what a couple brings to it: Ballroom dancing won’t save a failed marriage, or magically create a spark where there is none. What it can do is take a relationship where there is at least some commitment to each other, and make it stronger. But to build strong relationships through dance, what must we know about our partner, and ourselves? Continue reading "How Dance Lessons Build Strong Relationships"
Any Party is Better if You Know How to Dance
In the social jungle, making a good impression, or just having a good time can depend a lot on how well you make new connections. And of course, having a few tricks, like a sharp wit, dashing good looks, or ballroom dancing, can help you stand out from the crowd. In fact, knowing how to dance with others is like a superpower in the social arena. Here’s just a few ways it can transform you from a wallflower into a social butterfly. Continue reading "Any Party is Better if You Know How to Dance"