1. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! (Water is best.)
2. Take frequent breaks.
3. Consider bringing a change of clothing (especially shirt/blouse) – your partners will appreciate it!
4. For temporary relief, run cold water over the insides of your wrists and/or on your palms.
5. More than ever, stay away from scents (perfumes,colognes, etc.) – which are often magnified by sweating.
by RealBuzz
People dance because they are inspired to dance by a beat or rhythm. At its most basic form, a dance might start with a foot tap to a catchy rhythm, and taking the movement further, it becomes a dance.
To be a good dancer you need to be able to feel the music and express that feeling with your body.
For the beginner dancer, it is important to become familiar with the rhythm, so get your hands on some music related to your chosen dance style and listen to it at every opportunity. Try out a few basic steps in the comfort and of your own home to build up your confidence.
by Richie Kerwan (excerpted)
(Latin Dance Community)
Just because you can do a certain move with certain people doesn’t mean that everyone will be able to follow you. It’s really disheartening and frustrating to a follower if she/he has a lot of trouble following you just because you’re trying to show off and don’t care if she/he can keep up.
Start slowly – adjust to your follower’s level and you can still have a great dance.
This tip sounds like a no-brainer, yet many new dancers look down at their feet. Truly, there is nothing to be gained by looking at your feet AND you will miss out on the experience of the visual connection with your partner as well as everything around you.
Especially for followers: do NOT look at your partner’s feet. By the time that a leader moves his/her feet, it is too late to respond. However, if you are a follower who keys into your leader’s physical connection to you or, as appropriate, looks at your leader’s upper torso – and/or for dances such as west coast swing and salsa, look at your leader’s eyes – you will find it much easier to follow your leader.
by Cathy Knowlton and Steven Joanna Tango
(excerpted)
In social tango, there is a special connection between partners because it is based on improvised movements. It is a conversation between partners, using the body instead of voice. Argentine tango is based on four pillars: walking, turning, stopping, and embellishments.
The dance is like a puzzle that gets put together different, each time. Individual dancers bring their own styles and embellishments to the dance, which contribute significantly to the excitement and unpredictability of the experience. Even though dancers follow certain conventions, they never quite know what will happen during the dance, leads, follows, embellishments or interpretation of the music.
The surprises possible within the dance are what make the dance so exciting – and, to some, addicting.
It really does take two to tango, because the dance isn’t just about a leader and a follower. both partners have important things to contribute – like all good conversations.
by Swungover
(excerpted)
A group class is the most common place for people learn how to dance because it exposes you to lots of different viewpoints on dancing and new material, with the added benefit that you can meet fellow dancers. It’s also great for those who are nervous about dancing, as they are among fellow learners and can take comfort in just being another face in the crowd.
Many instructors have different ways of thinking about things and different ways of doing things. So, you might like some of your local scene’s teachers better than others and it might take a little shopping to find your favorites.
Also, different teachers will sometimes give contradictory advice. Some advice is better than others. Some is equal, but different. So, start from the beginning to think for yourself. Take classes, take notes, try out what instructors are asking and decide for yourself what you like best of all and, if something doesn’t sound right, investigate.
Finally, use classes for all their benefits, not just instruction. Meet people, hang out with them between classes, ask your partners in the rotation for feedback on how your dancing is feeling,or ask one of your fellow students to help you practice the material if you have a few minutes free after class.
by Chanelle
Dance FX Studios
What do you do in that moment when you get on the dance floor and you forget everything that you’ve learned because somehow those pesky nerves kick in? Suddenly, you’ve lost all control of your mind and body and can’t remember if salsa is something you should be eating or dancing.
My advice to you is to just keep dancing! Know that muscle memory WILL kick in because you have already done that same basic step 100+ times in your private dance lessons. Followers, wait for your fearless leader to get back on track as he/she works his/her way through the process of remembering – don’t help!
Leaders: as long as you keep moving by either doing the basic step or sways, your follower won’t know that your nerves have prohibited you to remember your steps. Once your nerves have subsided, throw in one fun move at a time. There’s always another chance to dance if you can’t get them all in on that first song. Just keep moving and the fun will increase before long!I hope that this easy tip can help you feel cool, confident and at ease when walking on to any social dance floor for your first few times.
by Joel Salsa (excerpted)
One of the main reasons for dancing, apart from meeting new people, getting out of a rut, etc,. is to have fun. Sometimes we forget this important detail because we are so concentrated on doing incredible turns or seeing how fast we [leaders] can spin our partners. Doing something simple is often the most fun. Remember: it has to be fun for the person with whom you are dancing as well as for you.
So, every time that we go dancing, we should leave stress behind and dance for the enjoyment of it!
The great illusion that dancers don’t share with non-dancers is that we always want to make moves LOOK harder than they are – the flip side of which is that they are easier than they appear.
When you are learning new moves (on beginner or lower intermediate level), just as learning a language or any other field of study, the actual learning process might be difficult – but DOING those new moves should not be difficult.
Sometimes it is as simple as doing a double turn instead of a single turn, linking moves together with no basic (or fewer basics) in between or even just a different hand position or hand change. What APPEARS to others as entirely different moves might just be the slightest variation.
So. . .does this make dancers into illusionists?
by Teresa Travis
(Dancesport Academy, Ardmore, PA)
Often, when we are learning to dance, we get caught up in counting our steps. Sometimes, students will forget that there is even music playing!
Once you have mastered a step, and it’s time to dance to music, try these three things to help you improve your connection to the music.
1. Listen first – don’t start dancing until you have heard a few bars and have gotten familiar with the tempo and overall feel.
2. Most music accents a particular (and predictable) beat in each bar or phrase. You can always ask your teacher if you are not sure where it is. For example, in swing, we generally start dancing on the “down” beat, while, in foxtrot, we start on the “up” beat.
3. Try to dance to a song without counting! Pick a dance with which you feel very comfortable and start with just the basic trying to match your movements to the accents in the music instead of matching them to a number.
Music is what makes dancing so much fun!
