It always drives me nuts when Dance students neglect to practice in between classes. I know… They have kids at home, they work all hours, etc. – but it gets to me, because I KNOW they could be learning new stuff instead of reviewing the same material over and over.
As someone working on reaching dancers looking to supplement their lessons – or in some cases, don’t learn at a studio at all – it was inevitable that I discover The Solo Practice Guide for Ballroom Dancing by Katie Flashner.
You know what sucks? Going to someone for help about something, and having them spit out a bunch of big words you can’t understand and only serve to inflate their ego. That’s how I feel sometimes when I ask others about better ways to teach dance timing to students.
Continue reading “Keeping Time, Part One: Finding the Beat“
When it comes to ballroom dance socials, some people seem to never lack for a dance partner, regardless of their age. The discriminations that seem to hold many senior dancers back just don’t apply to them. How do they do it?
Continue reading “Dancing At Any Age: Surviving the Social“
We’ve done our share of talking over how you can make a good impression at a dance social, so you can start building up dancers who know and like you. But none of that matters much if you don’t put them first on the dance floor.
“The only limitations are those you place upon yourself”. That’s the quote “Joy of Dance” student Agnieszka Kopka lives by, and a big part of how she overcame her initial shyness of dancing with others at socials.
Everybody wants to dance with the regulars at the ballroom dance hall – the really good dancers that make every dance look simply amazing. But getting on their radar is no easy feat. It takes persistence, experience… And most importantly, some knowledge of how dance socials work.
Newcomers have it tough. When they first step into the social dancing world, they are doing it with few to no connections, zero experience in social dance etiquette, and relatively little technique to work with. It’s enough to keep a beginner from social dancing at all.
If only there was a guide to helping social dancing first and second-timers make a great first impression, so they can start making friends and potential dance partners from day one… Oh wait, now there is! (See what I did there?)
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.