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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"

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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"

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What Ballroom Dance IS This Anyway??

You know what’s frustrating? Learning some great moves in a dance you love, then going out to a social dance and realizing you can’t tell what songs you can use them to.

Yet, despite how confusing it can be at the beginning, there ARE certain instruments or sound styles that traditional music of a dance genre use. Let’s look at a few of the most popular: salsa, cha cha, rumba, waltz, and tango. Continue reading "What Ballroom Dance IS This Anyway??"

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Where Can I Go Latin or Ballroom Dancing?

Everywhere! Seriously, that’s one of the beautiful things about dancing - there’s virtually no place you can’t dance. I’m not advising you to break into a Charleston halfway through your board meeting, but the main limitation is how comfortable you feel in your own skin.

All that said however, I know most of you are really asking ‘where can I go dancing with other people?’ so let’s look at a few of the more and less common places to bust a move. Continue reading "Where Can I Go Latin or Ballroom Dancing?"

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Danciquette 101: How to avoid hurting (or getting hurt) on the dance floor

Who likes a dance where the leader is crushing your hand, while whipping you hard enough around you know you’ll need an extra chiropractic appointment this week? I don’t either.

If your partner is someone you know well, it’s usually okay to ask him or her to change before any permanent damage is done. But bringing up the issue with a stranger presents a difficult situation: How do we avoid offending our partner, while still getting across that they need to try something different? And if you’re the leader, how can you tell if you are doing something that’s bothering your partner? Continue reading "Danciquette 101: How to avoid hurting (or getting hurt) on the dance floor"

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Social Ballroom Dancing: A Survival Guide

So, you’ve attended a few group classes, learned the basics of moving your partner (or being moved) around the floor, and generally starting to feel like maybe your vision of becoming a sharp and sexy dancer might not be a total pipe-dream after all. Time to take it to a social ballroom dancing club, right?

Well, yes, but there’s a few things you should probably know before you run out the door. Continue reading "Social Ballroom Dancing: A Survival Guide"