by Ron Montez (excerpted from an article in “American Dancer,” October 2009)
A lot of times, beginners see a lot of dancing around them on TV and at competitions and get confused by the picture that is being produced by the media.
They see the bigness and the emphasis on tricks and choreography. But that image is not really social dance. Social dance is fundamentally an interaction of two people to music. Social dance is not based on trying to show off; it’s based on an interaction between you, your partner and the music. It’s the best way that two people can express themselves.