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 What if I would like to learn to dance but I don't have a partner? Go to this article. What should I do while dancing with a partner who isn't leading or following properly? Go to this article. A Dance Mixer: What is it? Go to this article. What Do I Wear to a Dance? Go to this article. What kind of shoes should I wear dancing? Go to this article. May I Have This Dance? (Asking for a Dance) Go to this article. How Can I Become a Better Dancer? Go to this article. What is My Level of Dance? Go to this article. Following in Dance is Half the Conversation Go to this article. If I Had a Nickel for Every Time Go to this article. On Leading Single- Versus Double-Outside Turns Go to this article. The Snags of Spin, Speed and Send Go to this article. How to Find and Pick Practice Music, Part I: Places to Find Music and Robin's Suggested Practice Music for East Coast Swing Go to this article. How to Find and Pick Practice Music, Part I: Beats Per Minutes and Robin's Suggested Practice Music for Slow Waltz Go to this article. How to Find and Pick Practice Music, Part I: Internet Research and Robin's Suggested Practice Music for Foxtrot Go to this article. What if I would like to learn to dance but I don't have a partner? This
is a common situation for individuals - the
desire to learn but not having a willing or able
partner. The great part of learning to dance is
that everyone is welcome to join! In class,
teachers usually always rotate the men and women
so that everyone gets a chance to practice. At a
social dance, the majority of people mix around
and ask each other to dance - even couples split
up and dance with others. There are hardly
ever any wallflowers!
The key is to remember is that the time and place for instruction is in the classroom or in a dance workshop. And, further, the most appropriate person for delivering the information is the instructor. If you feel you must say something, handle it with as much consideration and grace as possible. Since I have many new subscribers
who may not yet have been to a dance mixer and
especially because I am hosting a dance mixer
this Saturday, I'd like to give you a general
idea of what to expect as you venture out to your
first social dance.
All in all, think of dressing for dance almost like dressing for a date. Dress pleasantly and comfortably. Don't let a loose strap or sticky shoe keep your attention away from your partner. There are plenty of ways to let your personal style to shine through in what you wear. Your clothes should not be the thing people notice and remember, it should be your great personality and wonderful dancing!
Here are a few tips to consider regarding proper shoes to wear and what to do if you decide to purchase dance shoes. I'll offer some suggestions on styles and heel heights for dance shoes based on what seems generally accepted and popular. There are also a lot of resources on-line for further research on your own.
If you decide to make an investment into dance shoes, here are some suggestions and things to know:
As a new dancer, serious consideration should be given to the sort of shoe you wear. Dance shoes are constructed for that specific activity after all, just as bowlers have bowling shoes, golfers have golf shoes, well, you get the idea. Although the initial expense might be larger than what you might pay for any other pair of shoes, with proper care, they will last a very long time and enhance your dancing by aiding in proper movement and posture. Asking someone to dance is easy! Well, OK, maybe getting the courage to ask isn't always easy, so here are a few tips to help you out. I will address this in terms of a man asking a lady to dance, yet keep in mind that it is perfectly acceptable for a lady to ask a man these days, too, and the same "rules" generally apply.
Protocol for asking or being asked to dance is not as formal as this is outlined. Furthermore, there are many scenarios that could arise for which you haven't encountered and you would respond differently than suggested above. Use your judgment with each situation and be polite. Above all, remember everyone is there to have a fun time mixing with everyone else - including you! You just have to ask!
In a community of dancers, you'll find all experience levels. The advanced dancers had to have started sometime ago as beginners - putting one foot in front of the other and incessantly counting "1-2-3, 1-2-3..." It's through group classes, private lessons, group socials, and private practice when the transformation of a beginner dancer into an intermediate dancer begins, and with even more determination one may advance further. Many dancers focus on learning one dance well and pass up other forms of dance until they can "master" the one. (Of course, mastering a dance to one person means something different to someone else.) There is validity to this approach, however. Yet, there is nothing wrong with learning many different styles at once if you can manage that without confusion to yourself - or to your partner. It's really up to you to determine your own desired goal, making a commitment toward that goal, devising a manageable plan within a reasonable timeframe. Expecting to become Fred Astaire in 6 weeks might be a hard one to pull off. So even if it's a simple goal like learning enough moves to dance a whole song, start somewhere. With learning anything new, as you know, there is a learning curve. Some may reach that peak sooner than others. While your friends may be advancing, you may be feeling lost. Don't be distracted by them or discouraged at yourself. Look to others for help and encouragement. On that note, here are a few other quick tips for approaching your new interest in learning to dance:
This may have sounded more like a course summary in "Goal Achieving 101" but it's really no different than learning any other hobby, sport or new skill. Set a goal, make reasonable plans toward achieving it, periodically assess your progress, readjust your plans as needed, don't allow yourself to get discouraged, and build a network of peers and mentors for support. Give it a try and you will graduate with honors! As I mentioned in my previous article, you'll find all experience levels in a community of social dancers. Within that group, some people are continuously working on their dancing, while some are happy to be dancing at their level - whatever that may be. Yet the only times a person's dance level should ever really matter is for selecting classes and entering competitions. For this article, I will focus on dance levels as defined for general social dancing, not competition. Most dances have their own syllabus of moves categorized into levels, and mastery of one level is desired before moving into the next. Ballroom dancing, for example, has designated Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels for each dance, such as Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, etc. Even the International Hustle Dance Association (IHDA), which is a relatively new organization, has formed a syllabus for Hustle. Here's a summary of the levels:
Many studios do not offer, for example, "Bronze-Level Waltz" for a student to attend and complete in one fell swoop. The material is too vast and complicated for one series; therefore, it is generally broken down, at the studio's discretion, into smaller, more manageable classes. Each studio may have its designation for levels that collectively complete and mimic the nationally-sanctioned syllabus of that dance, and rather than labeling the courses Bronze, Silver, Gold, etc., they may use terms like Level I, Level II, and Level III, or Newcomer, Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. In selecting the course to enter, it is encouraged to objectively distinguish your appropriate level, and where there is uncertainty, seek the advice of the instructor. He or she will know the material to be covered and can assist in placing you. My own tips for students in a variety of scenarios:
Note that this isn't as black and white in terms of classifications, and there are naturally many stages of progression. Within a level, a dancer could be newly established and not as advanced as someone else at the higher end of that same level, for example, a beginner-intermediate dancer compared to an advanced-intermediate dancer. This describes someone who's just "graduated" from the novice level into the intermediate level compared to another dancer who is about to enter into the advanced level, and it demonstrates that a very large variation of skill and experience exists within each level. Because of this disparity, unfortunately, it may be impossible for a studio to offer classes to meet everyone's individual needs. In some cases, a dancer might not feel as challenged in the class while another might feel overwhelmed. To help overcome either scenario, a student should engage in other "extra-curricular" activities and services like social dances, special workshops, practices (set up a fun practice night with a group of friends!), and private lessons. These activities will help the student bloom into the best dancer he or she wants to be - regardless of any standard classification.
Following, like leading, is a skill. It’s something that requires hours and hours of practice. (Dare I say “years and years” at the risk of scaring off or discouraging my new students? However, that is a more fitting measurement.) As an instructor and a lover of partner dancing, I shudder to hear a follower say: “If I have a strong enough leader, I can follow anything.” Did you happen to catch that word “strong?” Let’s have a conversation about dance as a conversation between two people – a leader and a follower. As they dance, the leader makes a non-verbal suggestion to the lady to follow him. “Please step this way,” or “please turn to your left here.” His tone is perceptible, and his request is concise. With a change in either, there is change in what he’s asking. The lady listens to his suggestion and replies. Her tone matches his. Her movement is concise. Should she “whisper” in reply, it may cause an effect in him similar to “yelling” (an amplification of his own tone) or keeping the topic of the conversation to mere small talk, like that about the current weather. (Snooze.) By whispering in her following, she might be exhibiting one or more of these tendencies:
If the leader finds his partner quiet or shy in her following, he won’t be able to engage her in a more fascinating conversation on the dance floor, in other words, he’ll have to keep it to basics. A weakly connected partner or a light follower may not feel syncopations or rhythm changes. If she is hesitant in her movement, she may not be able to complete more complex patterns and keep timing. If that sounds like you, keep learning and practicing! Should she reply in the other extreme by “yelling,” she might be exhibiting one or more of these tendencies:
When a leader experiences a follower as this, he may also feel restricted in what he can lead her. If she doesn’t balance well, then he may skip some fun turn combinations or moves requiring leverage. If she pulls on him or her connection is too strong, it becomes a distraction away from all else he could and should be doing. If this sounds like you, I recommend – not surprisingly – the same as above, keep learning and practicing! [Of course, sometimes you never know if you are exhibiting any of these behaviors; that is when a professional, even in one lesson, can help you!] Just as we go through school to learn spelling, vocabulary, reading and writing in order to take part in oral and written conversations, we must also, ladies, learn tone, connection, balance, posture, etc., as components for conversing with our dance partner. There is so much wonderful and useful information just for the follower. She can absorb this knowledge and later contribute toward the conversation in ways he’ll find very delightful. So instead requiring your partner to be a “strong leader,” continue to learn the art of following and then experience the joy of the conversation as a “skilled follower.”
This past Monday night I started a new series of East Coast Swing classes for beginner students. Inevitably, while instructing a beginners’ class, I see things happening that just tickle me. It’s not because the students are funny nor that I’m laughing at them – I’m really not! I’m witness to the phenomenon of the student’s mind losing control of some part of the body while it’s hyperfocused on another. I also see for the one position or move that I demonstrate about a dozen different interpretations. These sorts of things happen, and it’s just a part of the process of learning. Yet if I “had a nickel for every time” I saw a new student with…:
These are a few of the many different observations I’ve had of students learning to dance. My true joy in teaching comes not from amusingly watching the new student who twists and contorts his – or her – body in infinite and impossible combinations, nor from guiltily knowing the beginner’s mind is playing tricks on him or her. I suppose it’s not unlike a parent’s joy in watching a child learn to walk even if there might be a little tumble and bruise along the way. There’s joy in seeing people work through difficulties to finally experience success. My joy is being influential in each individual’s success, and if I had a nickel for each time in class that I witnessed this other phenomenon called smiling, I’d be a billionaire!
A double-outside turn is a common variation of moves in dances like West Coast Swing, Country Two-Step, Hustle, Cha-Cha and East Coast Swing. It’s a double turn in a clockwise rotation (to the right) for the lady. Sometimes the double turn is in the middle of the move as a means for travelling past the leader, and, in this regard, it is actually two and a half turns. This topic, however, focuses on double turns found at the end of a move: taking a single turn ending, speeding the timing of the lead to have a follower execute a double turn in place of a single. Examples are: a West Coast Swing “whip” with an outside turn for the lady and an East Coast Swing “tuck” with a lady’s outside turn. These each have a basic variation with a single turn ending. The single turn on a “whip” in West Coast Swing is a half turn. (When led properly, the leader sets the lady into position facing away from him so then she only needs to complete another half turn to face him again.) The single turn on a “tuck” in East Coast Swing is a full 360 turn or spin on one foot for the lady*. As mentioned, most of these double-turn variations, originate with a single-turn basic that is learned first. Yet so frequently once a leader learns a double-turn lead, he typically defaults to that variation and rarely ever executes a single turn. I recommend leaders get back in the habit of executing single turns for a few reasons: 1. Musicality: This gives you more choices for matching the music. A double turn may nicely match a crescendo in the music, especially when one precedes a break in the music, the effect can be very dramatic. Save a single turn for matching a more mellow part of the music. If you always lead double turns, there’s no variation in your timing; they’re all speedy turns. (Not to mention, you may tire out your partner.) Note also, if you take my advice here by incorporating single turns back into your repertoire, back off the acceleration of your lead; it’s no longer needed. 2. Analyzing Your Partner’s Skill: This is good partnering. As a leader, you shouldn’t attempt complicated maneuvers with someone whose skills you’re unfamiliar with. First, try out a single turn to test your follower’s ability to turn. If she does well with a single, sure, go for the double. However, remember double turns are trickier for the lady. You may need to wait a beat or two to allow your lady to finish the turn and recover herself before executing the next move. She may tip off balance and pull on you, so be sure you are well grounded, too. In leading a double turn, I advise my leaders to add in a ghost “and” count before the actual lead of the turn should occur. This preceding “and” count is prep for the leader to accelerate his lead so that the follower is given ample time to step into the turn and execute it. However, by adding this “and” count, remember it is a prep for the lead of the turn, not an additional count for the leader to transfer weight, i.e., take a step. This can sometimes cause confusion with leaders who haven’t gotten footwork firmly into their muscle memory. There is value in learning and practicing a single- and double-turn variation of a move. Listen to the music, and if it suggests a quickened percussion or crescendo in vocals nearing the end of a phrase, it should be pretty easy to squeeze in a double turn to musically match the song. These changes in timing help give texture to the dance, too. Yet, let good partnering sense prevail and keep things simple for your lady if she needs. [*A double turn on the end of an East Coast Swing “tuck” is a feat for the very accomplished leader and follower. Timing and execution must be quick and lady’s turning skill and balance very steady.]
As a leader, have you ever experienced a different reaction to your lead than you intended? And so you tried the same move - again? And you got the same reaction - again? Finally and resolutely you say to yourself: “she just isn’t getting my lead.” If you are having trouble getting the reaction you want, it often comes down to something very subtle that can easily be fixed. Take a look at these few snags in leading that might be giving her the wrong information. 1. Spin. You may cause a lady to over-rotate or go into a spin or turn by over-prepping a lead. She might also go into a second turn if you haven’t properly indicated the end of the first turn or if you’ve delivered too much power in your lead. Conversely, without enough prep, you may not get the full rotation you desired, such as into a wrap. Finally, leading a turn after the lady’s center has moved beyond her axis makes it very difficult for her to turn as her vertical alignment is now tilted and she won’t be truly balanced. 2. Speed. Most often, a spin of any kind is led with triple timing, such as in Cha-Cha on a “4-&-1.” However in Hustle, there are two types of outside turns that start similarly, the Double Outside Turn and 4-Count Outside Turn. The Double Outside Turn has a combination of slow and quick turns, yet the 4-Count Turn starts turning half a beat sooner. The leader had better indicate that at the correct moment. West Coast Swing is getting more creative in timing changes to musically match the music. Have fun incorporating timing changes in your West Coast Swing, but be sure you adequately convey to your follower when you want her to slow down or speed up in places where she’s accustomed to basic rhythms. 3. Send. Another common snag is the placement of the leader’s hand. Where is he sending it? Down the slot? Too far across the slot? Too high above her head? Ladies are trained to follow her hand and arm; after all, that’s connected to her body which is ultimately what you want to move! Yet, if you’ve sent your hand too far up or down or around or across, you’re simply not leading with the precision there should be for a timely and accurate response by your follower. You may cause her turns to be unbalanced, her strides to be long, her preps to be over-rotated, or her general position to be off. So if you wonder why she might be responding in these ways, watch where you are sending your hand. Consider these cause and effects and try making minor adjustments. If you consistently have trouble with a move, one way to determine the cause is dancing it a very skilled follower who has developed an acute sensitivity to leads. She will give you exactly what your lead is asking for, and she'll be happy to help turn that snag into a silky smooth lead!
Often my new dancers ask for me to recommend song titles or artist names so they may find music to go along with the dances they are practicing at home. I'll spend the next few issues of the dance news discussing dance music and naming some of my tried and true choices. Today, I'll mention a few ways to find music and give suggestions for East Coast Swing. Online Sites: The most convenient way to acquire music - for many - is buying online through a service like iTunes, Amazon or Rhapsody. Because of its convenience, as most of us have the computer savvy and gadgets to playback the music we purchase, the practice of buying CDs from the store is almost unheard of. Two appealing features with these online sites are the "try before you buy" option and single-track purchasing. You can preview a clip or whole song before you buy. The single song is available for purchase versus having to buy a whole CD for that one song. When finding music online, it's good to try other artists who've remade the same song. Enter a song title, and the site will display its results of your search. Other artists may have a style or flavor that appeals to you more than the original, or one artist might have a slower or faster rendition. A person can easily spend an hour or so surfing through these sites from one artist to another. So be sure if you like a song to write the information down, save it to a cart, or save it in a playlist on the site. You can go back to purchase it later. Online Streaming: These sites and others offer radio streaming. Pick a genre you like, and let the music play! This is a great method of finding music while you're at work at home or office. When you hear a song you like, write down the title and purchase it later! I've built up many songs in my collection this way. In the Car: We usually have the radio turned on in the car, too. In your music search, you should have a small notebook and pen handy. Yet the downside - and most frustrating part of this method - is that most stations no longer tell you the artist name or song titles. Maybe you'll get lucky to hear a song and have a "live" DJ follow up with its artist and title, if so, jot yourself a quick note.
This week covers the topic of beats per minute, also known as "BPMs," and I offer suggestions for slow Waltz practice music. Beats Per Minute "Beats per minute" is the number of beats per minute in a song. Depending on the style of dance, there is an acceptable range of BPMs for dancing the song comfortably - either for practice or social dancing. Some songs may be very similar in rhythm or their "feel." However, the song's tempo dictates the more appropriate dance style to execute. For example, music for Quickstep and East Coast Swing may sound very similar. Quickstep, however, is danced to music with more BPMs than East Coast Swing. The same is true for Viennese Waltzes and slow Waltzes: although they share the same 3/4 rhythm, the Viennese Waltz is more appropriately done to a faster tempo or song with more BPMs. A cautionary note when purchasing music, and I'll use swing music as one example here... Although you might pick up a CD of "swing" music, don't be surprised once you play it and it all seems too fast to practice your swing dancing. Robert Royston, Dance Choreographer, Producer, Director and Multi-time U.S. and World Dance Champion, explains that swing is a style of music, like blues, jazz or country/western. Swing is not a dance. There are many styles of dances that can be executed to swing music: East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Foxtrot, and Quickstep, to name a few. The distinguishing feature is the beats per minute. So as a beginner you should take heed when buying any "Best of Swing" CDs: you may get lucky enough to find a few tracks at a good tempo for practicing, but unless the CD is strictly compiled for dancers, it's only a collection of swing style music. There are organizations that compile and sell danceable music. (You can find some online.) They've gone through the process of selecting music of the appropriate tempos and indicating each track's BPMs on the track listing. These ranges will help you find the slower tracks for practicing and saving the faster tracks for once you've mastered the slower tempos. However, you don't have to search out professionally compiled CDs. With these few tips, you can put together your own playlists or CDs. First, use this chart below as a guideline. It lists the suggested BPMs in parentheses for some of the common dances. (Individual preferences, as well as competitive standards, may differ.)
Using these ranges above, you can pick appropriate practice music by determining the songs' BPMs, and here are two ways to do that. 1) The Trial Method. Play it. If you have trouble keeping up, it's too fast. Try another song. (That was pretty simple!) 2) The BPM Method. Listen to the song and count the beats. Use a clock or watch with a second hand. Hear the driving, consistent rhythm which is usually indicated by the percussion or bass. It's the one consistent and usually unchanging pulse of the song. When you find that beat, start snapping or tapping. When your clock's second hand hits the top of the minute, start counting with that very next snap or tap. Count for 15 seconds then multiply that number of beats by 4. Or count for 20 seconds then multiply that number of beats by 3. (By the way, this multiplication method saves you from counting the whole minute, but you could certainly do that instead!) I might do this calculation 2 or 3 times and take an average. For example, if my first calculation is 112 and the second calculation is 114, I would take the average of 113! In general, you do not need to strictly follow any of these ranges or suggestions. Go with what feels good to you. However, I highly recommend practice to slower music until you have perfected your movement. Afterall, if you can't execute a movement to a slower tempo, you surely can't do it well to faster music.
This week covers the topic of internet research to find practice music and I offer suggestions for Foxtrot practice music. Internet Research The internet has just about any information you could ever imagine - and then some! Usually there is too much information, yet with a bit of perseverance and patience, you could compile quite a collection of titles of dance music. In your search engine, type in keywords like: "practice dance music" and watch the results pop up! That might be a little broad, though. You'll get results for ballroom, latin and swing. So if there is a particular dance style that you're looking for, be sure to add that keyword, too. Since I'll be offering some foxtrot titles today, let's use that as an example to see if we discover the same results. Type in "practice dance music foxtrot." My first find is The Dance Store Online. This site offers titles for original songs, several by Frank Sinatra. It also offers a practice CD for sale. (I mentioned dance compilations last week when discussing beats per minute, or BPMs.) CDs that are compiled for dancing have pros and cons. The pros are obvious: you get music selected particularly for dancing. They tell you the style of dance and the beats per minute for each track, and they are arranged to strict dance tempos. The main con, in my opinion, is that these arrangements are not the original songs to which we are accustomed; they are arrangements recorded by other groups or artists. Therefore, if you're more of a music "purist" like I am, you might be disappointed by this. Also in my results, I found www.gottadance.com. I clicked on this and it took me to a home page. I clicked on the "Practice Music Recommendations" tab on the horizontal menu, and then I selected Foxtrot. Gotta Dance provides a few suggestions and CD critiques. There might be something that interests you. Note that I had to navigate a few pages deeper to find the information I wanted. In this case, I might make it a "favorite" internet page. Then I can easily find it later and not have to retrace my steps. You might get a hit to an online store like amazon.com selling foxtrot music CDs. As mentioned with my first article of this series, sites like amazon.com and itunes.com allow previews of songs, and that's a good way to find those you'd like to add to your collection. On Page 2 of our search results, I came across www.dance-forums.com. Forums could be another way to get ideas for song titles. You could post a question or topic or search the forum's history. Keep in mind that you might get amateur feedback and you might have to wade through tons of superfluous comments. Be pretty specific with your keyword searches and try different word combinations, too. You may get an entirely different set of results. When you find a useful page, remember to save it as one of your "favorites." It's a lot of information to sort through, but it's out there. You just need to put your fingers to the keys to find the tunes to tap your toes. So get surfin'!
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