Dance Better Now

A technique for better dance movement: what is the Alexander technique?

For the past couple of months I have been seeing an Alexander to help improve my mobility for general benefit and to improve my dance. This post is about the benefits I had on doing this so that you can decide if it is something for you.

The Alexander Technique

The Alexander technique is a system that helps you move more efficiently so that you can perform your tasks (whatever they be) more efficiently. It was developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander who was a stage actor who had troubles keeping his voice throughout a play despite all doctors at the time telling him he was in sound health. After watching himself in the mirror as he practiced acting he noticed oddities in his posture. By focusing on his posture he found his issues was resolved. He later saw others with the same issue and noticed that by focusing upon posture and self awareness that anyone could improve their efficiency and their overall well-being.

He developed a system that could be used by what he called 'teachers' to impart better habits of movement upon his 'students'. I am unsure why he did not call them patients, but it might be because it is about teaching people better habits.

The typical session involves you taking various positions, standing or sitting or laying down, while the teacher will place hands on you to encourage the relaxation of certain muscle groups. They will also ask you to conduct certain movement as they guide your body. There will also be some imaging techniques, which are very familiar to most dancers. Finally, in my case at least, you get some exercises to do at home.

The best thing about the technique for most is that the method is very easy on you. You spend much or your time laying down so you get the benefits with little effort. 

Benefits

As a dancer I like to think I am fairly aware of my body and movement. I have been working on that to improve my dance for some time now. However, I still found more awareness from these sessions. Especially with parts of my body my teachers of the past have mentioned. Especially letting my shoulders drop. Since doing these sessions I have:

• Felt less pain when in general - we all have aches and pains at times
• Been able to adjusts what I do to limit the onset of fatigue and strain - most notably when walking while on holiday in  Tasmania, which is where Frederick Matthias Alexander was born, so that was poetic
• Felt more grounded in my feet - I have some pronation, which now feels reduced
• Felt less aches when dancing
• Felt more control over my posture when dancing

Recommendations

I would recommend this to anyone - it worked for me so it should work for you. Even if you do not get benefit from it, you at least know you have worked out that you're in good shape. However, you will probably have some issues that can be resolved. For dance I would especially recommend it if you have any of the following issues:

• Contracted shoulders
• Hunched posture
• Poor hip movement
• You fall into steps at times
• You ever feel pain from dancing for longer periods
• Stiffness in your back
• Poor head position

Where to find a practitioner

In these days of the internet it is very easy to type Alexander technique and you local area into a search engine and find someone near you. I found one a block away. 

More information

This is a pretty good article on how to be a better dancer from the perspective of an Alexander teacher - The Biggest Mistake Dancers Make. It shows both what Alexander teachers know and gives advice on how to dance better.

How to tell if a lady wants to dance

On the weekend just gone, I was at a street Latin event with a friend who started dancing around the same time as me. We started talking about picking ladies to ask to dance. Part of the conversation was how to pick a lady that would be fun to dance with or one who would be a good dancer. However, the major topic of conversation was how to pick a lady who would say 'yes'. It turns out that I had a few more insights than others so I decided to share these with you.

Many men do worry about asking a woman to dance and have her decline the offer. It would be good if it was the case that men would never say ‘no’ to an invite from a lady, and we men could simply sit back and wait, but I have seen men too decline invites in the past (which really surprised me to see). Thus, if you are a man and you want to dance, then you are going to have to learn to ask.

The easiest way is to look for women who are putting out the signals like those recommended here – http://www.salsacrazy.com/guideforwomen.htm. Ladies, if you would like to be asked more, then the content of that page cannot be recommended enough. I have had female friends use it, and simply never be off the dance floor when they want to dance and use this new found power.

However, not all women know how to consciously send the signals to indicate that they would like to be asked for a dance. That means you need to look for the unconscious signs. However, let’s first talk about why this should even be an issue.

Why do men worry about women saying ‘no’ to a dance?

• No one likes rejection, and this is a type of rejection.
• If one person says ‘no’, then it might set a precedence of others saying ‘no’, and you will feel worse.
• You might worry that the lady you asked saw you dance and has declined because she thinks you are a poor dancer. If you never ask, then you need not confront this possibility.
• There is a sexuality to dance, and thus the social stakes are higher. It’s not something like offering someone a drink, or offering someone help, or letting someone know that they dropped something.

Now that we have some idea of why we worry, it’s worth putting somethings into perspective:

• If someone says ‘no’, then it is usually them, and not you, so always keep in mind that it is not really rejection. This can be harder to accept when a new dancer, but trust me, it’s true. However, for example, many say ‘no’ if they lack faith in their ability, and that could be the reason why.
• You can always walk to another part of the dance event and ask another so the next person you ask does not see the rejection. You can also go back and talk to your friends for a period and then ask another so there is no perceived cycle of ongoing rejection. Finally, just remember, most people were looking somewhere else, and didn’t even see the rejection.
• It’s just dance. So it’s not a major social contract.

Keep the above points in mind and you will at least feel better about asking someone to dance.

Now let’s talk about picking someone who wants to dance:

1. Look at the feet, if a lady’s feet are pointed at the dance floor, then that’s an indication of where she wants to be. If she wants to be on the floor, then she is more likely to respond with a ‘yes’.
2. Look to see if she seems lost. When a lady wants to dance, she will often not be interested in other things going on. This desire for something one does not have often makes us look a little lost.
3. If she keeps looking at the dance floor, then that’s another indication. Even if she is talking to someone, she will likely rather be dancing, and would say ‘yes’ if asked to dance.
4. If a friend she was talking to has just been asked to dance, then she will be more inclined to want the same. If you are a beginner dancer, then you can friend up with someone who is more experienced, and knows who to ask someone to dance. You can then together ask a pair of women for a dance, which makes it easier for all concerned: no-one is left behind and no one left someone behind.
5. If you are offered a conditional ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because she is unsure of her skills, then put her at ease. Either you can show her how to dance or you can say you do not know much either and that you can try working it out together. As long as you are happy about either scenario, then those around you will feel at ease as well, and more inclined to dance.

The above it not complicated, but these few points will make you much more likely to to choose a lady who will give you a ‘yes’ and make asking an easier task.

The above is also true for anyone of any sex asking anyone else. I have only used the context of a man asking a lady because it is more common.

Mistakes about learning dance

At a recent dance studio social/comp night, I was talking to a group of fellow dancers about the way people learn (and sometimes do not learn) dance. This resulted in a number of the common mistakes that people can make when learning dance being identified. Let’s go over these now to see if you might be making some of these mistakes and what can be done about it if you are.

Thinking it’s all about the figures

Much teaching of dance focuses upon teaching a figure. Thus, is it no surprise if you think to be a better dance, you must know more figures and harder figures. If you have trouble dancing and you decide to get a DVD of dance figures (or go to a dance workshop to learn more figures or something like that), then first check that the issue you have is indeed no knowing enough figures. Sometimes that is an issue – especially for leads. However, it is only sometimes!

Forgetting attributes

Often the issue is not what we know about dance, but the way we dance. We know what we are meant to do, but it just doesn’t happen. You might be told to dance on the beat, but that does not mean you will. You might be told to move smoothly, but that does not mean you can. You might be told to relax, but being told to relax can be stressful for many.

In cases like this, you need to think about not the dance, but about YOU.

• Do you need more flexibility?
• Do you need to work on understanding music?
• Do you need to work on confidence?

These are just examples, but they are the type of questions you can ask yourself. Try to work out what it is about you that stops you from dancing as well as you could. Think about coming up with a list of things you think might hold you back. Then think about what you can do for each of these listed items.

Not trying a different mind set

One thing that often holds people back is the way they approach learning. If you are used to learning a certain way, one that might have worked well in other contexts, then it might not be ideal for learning some aspects of dance (yet you keep using it). Some examples:

• You might be good at remembering lots of facts for exams, but that will not help you learn to lead and follow different people.
• You might have focused on understanding basic principles and then applying them in different cases, but that will not help you respond quickly when dancing socially on a crowded floor and you need to be intuitive.
• You might have used methods of remembering a series of events, but you can’t go through your mnemonic technique at your owns pace when dancing a routine to music.

If you are having troubles learning some aspect of dance, then take the time to consider your learning approach. It might be that using a different approach will yield improved results.

Thinking it stops

Dance is not like riding a bike. Things can fall out of your head (and your body memory). Do not make the mistake of thinking that once you have learned a step or passed a certain level, that you will always have those skills and figures in your head. Instead, if you notice you lose something, then work on getting it back.

Don’t get annoyed by this. The fact that dance needs this effort is what makes it so good for your brain. Each time you are relearning, think about how you will not be mentally slow as you age.

Thinking you should learn from good dancers as opposed to good teachers

Just because someone dances well does not mean they know how to teach. In fact, if someone dances really well, then they probably do not understand what you are going through, and they are not able to help you. Don’t look only for a good dancer; try to find a good teacher.

Note also, that there is no such thing as a good teacher. There is only such thing as a good student teacher relationship. You might need to change teachers simply to get the match. And sometimes what you needed at an earlier stage of learning is not what you need now. Do not be afraid to change teachers if you need it or to even engage another for special needs at the same time.

Not really knowing what you are learning for

Do you know why you are learning to dance? Sometimes people are just there and do not really know why they are dancing. Without that focus/motivation, it’s hard to learn to dance well.

On top of that, if you know what you are dancing (for social dancing, sport, exhibition, to meet people of the opposite sex, to take on a challenge etc.), then you can better tailor your learning strategy to you needs.

Think about why you are learning dance, then use that for motivation and aligning your learning efforts with what you need to learn.

Men, are you even trying?

I regularly go to group classes that are run before many social events. It lets me get insights from other dancers, learn new figures and styles, dance with more partners (ideal for practice) and introduces me to new styles.

However, it has also revealed something else to me. The frequency with which women are simply disappointed with the quality of men they dance with.

I like to think that they confide in me because they don’t think I am not that bad. However, it is possible that they talk of others as a way to give me a message. In either case, it got me thinking that I should get to the bottom of this, and know what issues women have.

I then spent the next couple of months watching group classes more than focusing on my own dance. Probably not the smartest thing for me to do for my own dance, but it turned out to be informative. And confirmed that I probably did disappoint a few women while getting to the bottom of this.

In short, many men don’t try, but still seem to think that they are pretty good.

I noticed the following with men:

1. They focus on the right foot placement
2. They ignore character as their feet move from one place to the next
3. They are scared to try different embraces or use the one recommended
4. They focus so much on their own feet they forget to show their partner a good time

These were not common to all men and only a few would have all of these undesirable characteristics. However, there are a few things men can do to overcome these issues:

1. Make sure you are at the level you should be at for a group lesson
2. Realise that you do it harder at the start – you need to find foot work easy to pick up to do a group class – maybe you need a lot more privates of low level group classes before attending the group classes you want to go to. Do not think you can do the same number of lessons as women and be able to go to the same classes. You might need to attend classes at 3 times the rate to keep up.
3. Put some effort in. It’s not just foot placement. Do you want to dance well – putting your whole body and character into it – or do you just want to walk through it? This might be a rhetorical question, but it does have a right answer.

I can’t claim to be the best dancer around, but I have found that if you ensure your dance ability is equal to the lesson, focus on your partners and work on really dancing, then you can get a lot more out of these lessons and be more confident that you are not ruining it for others.

Final note: I have assumed men are leading. If you are a lady who leads, then the above is equally valid to you. Although my experience would suggest you probably need not worry about it; women seem to take leading more seriously.

How to lead and follow in dance in dance

 Leading and following are probably the two most troublesome issues people have with partner dancing. Probably leading more than following, but still both of them.

 There are a few excellent articles out there on how to lead and follow – take a look at the end of this article for some of the ones that I think are better. Because of this, there is little need for me to repeat what others have said.

 Instead, in this article I am going to talk more about how you can think and some mental tools that you can use to increase your ability to apply the rules and suggestion of leading and following that you can find on other websites.

 Let’s just refresh the basis though so that we’re all on the same page.

As a leader you should:

• Be clear about where you want the follow to go

• Be smooth in your lead

• Be in agreement with the music

As a follow you should:

• Be sensitive

• Be responsive

• Offer enough resistance to allow for communication

 You can probably see form the above lists that the key issue is communication. Many people partner dancing as a conversation. And that’s not a bad analogy. By using the same attitude toward conversation as you do toward dance, your lead and follow can become better. So what does that mean? Well when you’re listening to someone you actually pay attention to them; your mind is not elsewhere. The same goes for when you’re talking to someone. Pay attention to them, think about what you want to say and then say it. If the message doesn’t get through, then maybe try saying it differently next time. If you think you’ve misunderstood someone, then try to think about what they did mean. You might not speak exactly the same language as each other – hopefully it’s just a different dialect or accent – once you get used to it all should be fine. Just like talking, a lot of fun can come from misunderstanding. If you’ve got the right attitude, then miscommunication in lead or follow will not be a major issue for you.

Nevertheless, we still want to be better at it. So here are some things you can try:

Extend your area of perception – we all have a fairly good feel for our own bodies. However, try to expand your sensory field to include your partner. By feeling what you do feel try to work out where their feet are, where their centre of weight is and the twist between their hips and shoulders. This will make you more aware of what your partner is saying or hearing. 

Play with rigidity – we are often told that we need to offer the right amount of resistance and force or displacement. However, talking about it is different from feeling it. Play with this as you dance with different people and see the effect. I can tell you from personal experience that you need to consider the level of your partner when you do this – in the earlier levels people prefer force as opposed to subtlety.

Make sure you know what you want to achieve – this more for follows (which can include women if you acknowledge high-jacking). Before you say something you need to know what message you’re trying to communicate. Be clear on where you are going and then lead to go there.

Don’t think too much – leading and following should be like talking: you just do it. Imagine if you thought about each word before you said it. It could be slow and painful conversation. Rely on your feelings when you dance. This is more the case for follows, but it is a two way street. Nevertheless, do not think that this means self-reflection is not needed. You can always think about what happened and how you might want to change things for next time.

Decide what you want to be like – if you need to be more sensitive to your partner, then think the word ‘sense’ to yourself. This will make you more aware of what is going on. You can do the same if you need to increase smoothness, clarity, strength etc. The conscious thought will send the signal to your unconscious mind.

Try a sensory focal shift – this is a bit like being more aware. Maybe close your eyes or maybe focus more on what you hear, feel or what it is that you feel. This shift will open up your senses and make you more in-tune with yourself, your partner and the dance.

Other articles

These are some other articles that I have come across that I think are pretty good.

http://www.salsacrazy.com/leadingtips.htm

http://www.salsacrazy.com/followingtips.htm

http://www.rounddancing.net/dance/articles/guest/hamilton_lead.html

How to be a fun person to dance with

A key part of social dancing is being fun to be with. So what makes a person fun to dance with?

Think about the kind of people you like to be with because they are fun. They probably display the following qualities:

• Relaxed
• Adventurous
• Non-judgemental

Dancing with such people relaxes you – because they are relaxed it helps you relax. Their relaxing also communicates confidence which can make you feel safe. Feeling safe than sets you up for adventure. And that makes things exciting. When you’re relaxed and feeling safe, you can’t help but have fun. It becomes even more fun if any mistakes on the adventure are treated as a minor issue – that’s why fun people are non-judgemental people.

If you like dancing with fun people, then people will love dancing with you when you’re fun too.

So to be fun, you need to be relaxed. If you’re serious about dance and being a fun dancer, then don’t take dance so seriously. Relax when on the dance floor. An easy way to do this is to this is to focus on your partner. Regardless if you’re a follow or lead this will work:

• If you’re a follow, then focusing on your partner will make you a better follow as well as stopping you from focusing on what could go wrong and putting you off your dance
• If you’re a lead and you focus on your partner, then you will be better able to sense their ability, and dance at the best level for adventure

Speaking of adventure.

One of the best ways to have fun when dancing is to go out with a sense of adventure. Such a sense is contagious. If you make a comment that clearly indicates that you have a sense of adventure as you walk out on to the dance floor, then you have set a good precedence.  Some possible comments (these are just ideas; if everyone uses them, then they will lose effect):

• Let’s tear up the dance floor, what’s the worst that could really happen!?!
• Let’s see what you/I can lead me/you through
• I reckon we could do (insert a desired figure here)

Some of these can also be said while dancing – if you are so inclined.

This also relates to being non-judgemental. If you have a sense of adventure that focuses more on trying accepting what may come, then you enhance the sense of relaxation and adventure. If your partner still seems to have not caught your vibe, then it might be time to remove the fear of failure. Try a comment like:

• We can just try
• It’s good to stretch yourself
• It will either be a success or a lesson on how to get better

It’s also worth considering that you’re suggesting something that’s just not possible. The trouble with this is that, in my experience, people who suggest such things have had enough to drink to be more confident, but also so much that they can’t sense their limits or those of others. They don’t think to question the possibility of their suggestion.  It can be amusing watching someone sway side to side in sync (they think)  with an expert dancer they are watching, and then think that those sways have programmed their body memory with an excellent figure that they are now about to execute flawlessly.

If you put effort into the above, then you will be a fun dancer. However, here’s another idea I got from another blogger on dance:

• Take the mindset that you are going to give someone else a fun time
• Look for a person who you want to give this too
• Ask them to dance
• Focus on making them have a fun time
• When the music is over – do it with another

Simply focusing on the experience of the other will make you someone other wish to dance with.

Do you ever try to create your own dance figures?

Sometimes the best way to understand something is to try to create it. If you read my e-book (you can sign up to the right if you have not), then you will recall me talking about learning styles. There are three major types: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. There are others, but these are the most common three. 

It's pretty obvious what each is. People with a visual preference like things to be shown so that they can understand them, people with an auditory preference like to be told and people with a kinesthetic preference like to do it themselves to understand.

When we are younger, we usually have a stronger preference for one. As we get older, we get better at the others and become more balanced. In my e-book I explained how dance needs a bit of each, and you need to sometimes think about which you should try to use if you are having trouble. Sometimes you are switched to one that is not optimal. 

In this blog post I want to talk to you specifically about using the kinesthetic approach.

 

When you use the kinesthetic learning style you have a go at doing it yourself and then notice what happens. This approach can be great because you will likely make many mistakes. These mistakes will then help you understand the nuances of a dance.

• Your legs will get caught up, and you will then understand how important foot placement is.
• Your partner will not be at the right place or need to be remarkably flexible, and you will better appreciate how important connection with the partner is.
• You will end up with an extra step, and you will understand how each step needs to fit with the music.
• You will get to the end with nowhere to go, and you will understand how each figure needs to lead into another.

Simply put, you will make and FEEL numerous mistakes. These will help you better understand why figures are the way they are and what makes them work. All of a sudden you will recall moevements you have made in the past that were not correct. However, more importantly than that, you will know why they are not correct and how to correct them.

There is a saying I like:

There are 3 types of people in the world. The wise, who learn from their own mistakes; the happy, who learn from the mistakes of others; and the those who do not learn from either: the fools!

In this instance you are trying to increase your wisdom as dancers. By trying to make your own figure, you will develop a deeper understanding of how dance works.

So choose a dance style now and try making a figure for it. Try it with a partner, see if you can work out the leads and follows. Determine how you can get into it and out of it. Decide if you like how it feels. Then see if you like the look. Then think about where you might use it. 

Doing all of this will give you a much greater appreciation of dance. 

You never know; you might come up with something good too!

Do men feel like they lead you on the dance floor or carry you? Some advice on how to be a better follow

Recently I was at a dance event and happened to be on a table dominated by women. I mean numbers wise, and not personality wise. Part of the conversation got on to leading and following. Specifically on how some women find the instructions about how to follow that are given to them by their teachers are sometimes unclear.

They were told things like ‘Just let go’ and ‘You feel heavy’.

I am sure that these things make sense to the teacher saying them, but they were not to the students. The first thing that I would think is obvious is to simply look your teacher in the eye and say ‘What does that mean?’

I suggested this to the women I was talking to, but we also thought that we might as well try dancing and see if we could make sense of what these women had been told. So the dancing started. And we came up with some pointers that might be worth sharing with you.

Chances are you have been told all this by your dance teacher before, but maybe reading it here will trigger different parts of your brain than when your teacher tells you. This might make things click for you.

Hopefully you have an ‘ah ha’ moment or two when reading the following.

1.       You feel heavy

Do you need to be pushed or signalled?

It should be the second. You are meant to move yourself. The lead should give a signal, and you will then move yourself in accordance.

When starting some male instructors will push their students to make it clear what is expected. Some will also push to help correct movement when it is less than ideal. This certainly makes you look better on the floor, but it is not the way it’s meant to be done.

Focus on moving yourself.

2.       Just let go

One you get a signal, how much time do you spend working out what you’re meant to do?

If you have to spend much time at all, then you will be behind the beat and probably back to feeling heavy. Or it will seem that you’re apprehensive. Go with what you feel first and see what happens.

If you’re dancing socially, then the lead will assume it is his mistake – trust me; I do. Even if it’s not – just to be polite. If the lead gets annoyed, then he is not someone to worry about.

If it is in a class, then it’s a perfect time to work out if you have any misunderstandings about what each lead means. This can become especially important as you learn more figures. Each has a different lead; often with only subtle differences. As you learn more figures you need to pick up these subtle differences. You can also report back to a teacher if you had issues when dancing socially.

The more mistakes you make and points of confusion you find, the more of them you fix. And the more you fix, the better you dance.

So in summary:

• Do not expect to be pushed
• Move yourself when you feel the signal
• Do not spend time trying to work out where you are meant to go
• Move where it feels you should
• Do not stress if you go the wrong way
• Mistakes either are not a big deal or a chance to become more amazing
• Don’t guess what your teacher means when talk to you about following
• Communicate clearly by asking when working on becoming more amazing

One last note: men are told that a strong lead is not about pushing with force (although this is what that can mean to them when they first here the word strong). Instead it is about having a clear idea in their head about what they want to see happen. If you respond to signals like they are clear instructions, then you will get a chance to understand what a signal means or what the right signal should be or a little of both. Regardless of the case, at least someone will benefit through improved understanding.

Can group classes kill your dance ability?

As I mentioned in the last post, I was recently at a dance recital. In that recital there were a number of routines performed by large groups where each member of the group did exactly the same thing.

In these performances, I noticed a number of people looking at others to ensure that they themselves were on time and doing the right figures. This got me thinking: is it always good to have a visual cue when learning to dance?

Once again, as I also mentioned I did in the last post, I posed this question on a LinkedIn group of dance teachers and coaches. The response was pretty unanimous – many students will rely upon others if they can and follow them. This prevents students from properly learning routines. That’s bad enough; however, it can also prevent students from learning how a figure should feel. One teacher in the conversation said that she would sometimes teach students without mirrors so that the students were less able to follow others or rely on visual cues. Instead, they would learn to trust and develop their memory and pay attention to how their bodies feel.

So what does this mean for you? It means that while it might be uncomfortable, you should isolate yourself from others and from mirrors when learning a routine or even how to do a figure. This will help build your memory and your ability to feel when a figure is done right. You need not do this all the time, but every once in a while will probably help. This could be a good tool for teachers – especially those training a group for a performance.

As an example - I had a friend who did not realise how much she was relying on mirrors and other dancers until she went to a medal night. Only then did she realise that she was always looking in the mirror and using visual cues from others to be able to complete the routine. Not a good place to be.

How can surfing make you a better dancer?

Just before writing this post I was at a conference on engineering education at the Gold Coast in Australia. Before the actual conference started in earnest, I went for a surfing lesson. It had been a while since I had last been surfing so I thought it would be good to start with a lesson.

While I was surfing I was struck by the similarities between dance and surfing.

It also occurred to me that surfing could be a good hobby for developing attributes that would make you a good dancer. In this post I will explain why I think this and how you could use surfing to improve your dance.

There are obviously differences between dance and surfing, but there were two major similarities that I noticed:

• The use of small balancing muscles
• Extended awareness beyond my body

Balancing muscles

As time progressed while surfing, I noticed that my balance was starting to drop off along with my ability to move smoothly from one position to another. I looked like I was tired, but I felt fine. The reason for this was that my large muscles were fine, but the smaller muscles that were now being worked harder had fatigued. Because they were small, they did not make me feel tired. Even though I didn’t feel I needed it, a short rest before paddling out to try catching another wave helped a lot. I stood with better posture, I was better balanced and I was able to move more smoothly from laying on the board to standing on it.

The first lesson here is that when practicing dance it might be worth taking a break even if you do not feel tired. This need not be a break where you do nothing. You could try another dance or even just another figure so that different muscles are used. Then when you go back to the first dance or figure, you will be physically recovered. This will then help you put appropriate effort into working on mastering whatever you are working on – you will not be held back by fatigued muscles.

The second lesson for me was that there is another activity that can help develop good dance attributes. I frequently talk about how important it is to develop attributes for dance by engaging in other activities. I have spoken about yoga, martial arts and aerobics, but until now I had never thought of surfing. If you want to improve the strength in your feet and ankles so that you have better balance, then I can easily recommend surfing.

Awareness

When you’re surfing, you need to feel the wave through the board. By feeling the wave through the board, you are able to determine how hard you need to paddle, when you can stop paddling, when you can lift yourself up and when you’re ready to stand. This kind of awareness is much like following a lead or feeling a follow respond to a lead.

However, it is a little different and this is where the benefit comes from.

If you have trouble extending you awareness to your partner’s body, then you might find that surfing shows how you to do this. The reason is that while not feeling your partner really is of little practical consequence, it’s just not great dancing. Surfing is very different. When you can’t feel the wave, you fall and often find yourself underwater. This is good motivation to start paying attention to the kinaesthetic signals as opposed to visual or auditory signals – motivation you will not have when dancing.

However, the signals form a wave are also more significant and there is no doubt in your mind what it is (you do not ever try to guess what the wave is thinking). This can make it easier to simply focus on the signals, and increase your ability to extend your awareness. Once you know what it’s like to feel these kinds of signals, you will be better able to feel them when dancing. This will make you a better lead and a better follow.

What to do now

If you don’t surf and thought about it, then you now have another reason to give it a go. If you are ever on holiday by the beach and there are surf lessons, then take one. Notice what it’s like to feel the wave so that you can expand you awareness. Notice also how you feel extra muscles working around your ankles and feet. Noticing these two things will help you identify the muscles that you need to work on for better balanced dancing and what it is like to be fully aware of something (or someone) that you’re physically connected to.