Author Archives: Diane

by Dr. Aria Nosratinia

Some caution should be exercised when getting on the dance floor, especially if the song has already started and couples are dancing on the floor.

It is the responsibility of incoming couples to make sure that they stay out of the way of the couples who are already dancing. Specifically, before getting into dance position, one should always look opposite the line of dance to avoid blocking someone’s way or, even worse, causing a collision.

Also, on some dance floors, especially in country western dance establishments, have limited access space (most of the periphery is railed). Dancers and onlookers should avoid blocking these entrances. In particular, avoid stopping to chat immediately after exiting the dance floor.

Another issue in country western dancing regards line dancers, who sometimes share the floor with other dancers. They should avoid blocking entrances from the inside while dancing.

by Dr. Aria Nosratinia

The dancing on a floor is done along a counter-clockwise direction, known as the line of dance.

This applies to traveling dances, including waltz, foxtrot, tango, quickstep, Viennese Waltz, polka and country-western two-step.

Latin, swing dances and hustle are more or less stationary and have no line of dance.

Sometimes, it is possible to dance more than one type of dance to the same song. For example, some foxtrots can also be swings and many lindy hop songs are just great for quickstep. In that case, swing dancers take the middle of the floor and the moving dancers move along the periphery in the direction of the line of dance.

by Harold & Meredith Sears
(Boulder, CO)

When we first learn a new figure, a new amalgamation, a new dance, it is natural to focus on the steps and the technique. But if we want to feel good and look good, we have to go beyond technical accuracy and create an evocative human relationship with our partner.

Without a relationship, the dance is just steps, just exercise, just earnest, unsmiling locomotion. But if the dance contains emotion, communication and motivation, then we have something more.

If we can show that we enjoy our partner, if we can play off our partner and respond emotionally to the music and to the movements of the dance, then we can achieve a richness that goes well beyond the dance routine.

We love to the dancing of great dancers because they love their dancing.

We can do it, too. We can also think about developing emotional responses that are complementary to both the music and the dance. We can think about communicating those emotions. We can create relationships with our partners. We can at least smile.

No, not Christmas. But it is the new [Jewish] year and – although Mother Nature doesn’t seem to be paying any attention to the calendar – actually the first full week of autumn.

With these changes, along with settling into the beginning of the school year, why not use this time to take that dance class or private lessons that you’ve been contemplating?

Wherever you live (or work), all dance studios/instructors are now running full post-summer schedules.

Of course, I encourage you to take lessons with me – just let me know the dance style(s) and schedule of your choice and I will do my best to accommodate you.

For those who are not in South Jersey, I have utilized existing contacts and have researched to connect students with teachers in Florida, North Carolina, Illinois and Colorado, as well as other parts of the Delaware Valley, so please feel free to contact me for a referral.

I (along with other teachers) often stress the importance of learning and practicing the basics (of all dances). It is also important to DANCE the basic steps – not only to connect other moves, but in and of themselves.

Especially for leaders on the social dance floor: it is not about showing off for your partner or being flashy to others, it is about demonstrating that you actually know [the basics of] the dance.

Many years ago, at a dance competition weekend, champion dancer Robert Royston commented in an advanced west coast swing workshop in which he was teaching a complicated pattern, to watch him and his partner on the social dance floor, that they do not generally dance complicated patterns. Instead, they dance the basics (with variations) – just REALLY well!

As to dancing to the classics, I just received an e-mail that reminds dancers that it is usually the classics that got us hooked on dancing in the beginning. And so, I am passing this reminder along…

If you have any experience in the military, police, marching band, color guard, etc., think parade rest.

Otherwise, think of doing shoulder rolls OR bring your shoulders up, back and down.

Either way, without overly exaggerating the arch in your back, your head will look up/out and your body will support good dance frame.

In classes and workshops, we’re all in this together: to learn – and to help each other along that journey. Out on the social dance floor, we’re all in this together: to share with a partner, to make it a pleasurable experience for that partner and, overall, to have fun!

Just imagine how it could be if the above – and how so many Americans came together during the recent “totality” solar eclipse – carried over into other aspects of our lives. . .

by Joyce Szili
(Washington, DC area)

1. Comfortable shoes and clothes are a must for dancing.

2. Technique is better than moves.

3. It’s the music that drives the dance. Good music makes you want to dance. Boring music? Oh well. . .

4. It costs money and time for lessons. Don’t waste either by not practicing.

5. Introduce yourself to a new dancer. Remember, you were there once.

Even 10 minutes a day (more is better!) of practice will help to burn what you have learned into your “muscle memory” or “motor memory.” Further, to effectively accomplish this, it is better to practice for as little as 10 minutes a day – every day – than twice a week for an hour (each).

But what constitutes “practice”? I invite your feedback!

Isaac Newton discovered it while observing an apple falling from a tree. Due to gravity, the one thing to which our bodies are physically connected on the dance floor is the floor itself. So make the most of it by utilizing lilt and dancing INTO the floor – which actually makes for a LIGHTER connection to the floor.

Another axiom of physics is momentum – i.e., a body in motion tends to stay in motion. In dancing, this is what enables a dancer to complete a turn/spin (or a 1-1/2 or double turn) on one foot after initiating momentum. For instance, a spot turn in salsa that starts with a pivot [turn] (a half turn on two feet) is actually easier to complete with faster music due to greater momentum.