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Dance Wear, Part Two: Different Venue, Different Costume

Dressing well for a social dance is about more than simply leaving your sharp jewelry at home and dressing in breathable clothes. Different venues call for different costumes, as my interview with ballroom instructor revealed.

Now, before you start telling yourself how superficial all this is, remember that fitting in is often a way of saying "hey, I'm one of you". And of course, this leads to more dances. That's why you came, right? Continue reading "Dance Wear, Part Two: Different Venue, Different Costume"

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Dance Wear, Part One: Dos and Don’ts

Good dance clothing makes it easier to dance, and move with others. Bad clothing and accessories are uncomfortable, and might even injure other dancers around you.

Not sure which is which? Fear not! I'm loading you up with 5 of the most important rules of social dance clothing and accessories, so the evening is a success for both you and your partners. Because as we know: Happy partners are repeat partners. Continue reading "Dance Wear, Part One: Dos and Don’ts"

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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?"

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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"

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Benefits of Dance, Part Three – Personal Development

Me talking about the emotional and spiritual benefits of dance

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:

  1. How ballroom dancing helps you know people from every walk of life.
  2. Why the connection you get with your ballroom dance partner can be one of the deepest connections there is.
  3. Why ballroom dancing helps bring out your natural authenticity.
  4. The surprising reason why social ballroom dancing can be a great team-building exercise.
  5. Why your confidence benefits from learning a skill like dancing.
  6. A simple way to use dance to destress from work.
  7. How dancing can be good for your health - but not in the way you think.
  8. 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"

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Ballroom Dance Songs – Ian’s Pick #4

Come on in and pull up a chair near the DJ, because this is the ‘music remixed’ edition! After all, who doesn’t wish they could dance the moves they know best to the music they love most? Thanks to the increasing number of ballroom disk jockeys out there, there’s a ballroom version of almost anything.

I’ve scoured the web and my library for some of the best ballroom remixes out there, so click that play button and start rocking to these modern tunes! Continue reading "Ballroom Dance Songs – Ian’s Pick #4"

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Ballroom Dance Songs – Ian’s Pick #3

I have a confession to make. I love music.

I mean, I really, REALLY love it. My taste for music includes everything from Enya to Eminem. My total iTunes song count numbers in the tens of thousands. I could play music non-stop for a month and never play the same song twice.

This unfortunately causes me to overlook some of the dustier gems in my collection, until I rediscover them years later. This then is my (mostly) forgotten tracks edition - the ones I don’t play nearly enough. Give them some love for me! Continue reading "Ballroom Dance Songs – Ian’s Pick #3"