Dance Better Now

How to dance to the beat: Keeping time when dancing

For many of us learning to dance, one of the biggest issues is timing and musicality in general. We didn’t all show great promise in music when we were younger so we weren’t even taught the basics. We probably never listened to the music we danced to so we don’t have a good sense for it. We have also spent years responding to the lyrics in songs so we aren’t even used to responding to the actual music. For these reasons, we struggle with timing and need to know how to dance to the beat.

It’s bad enough if you’re dancing by yourself and you can’t keep time. You worry that others will notice. However, this is actually unlikely, while you’re worried about what others think of you when you’re dancing; they are actually more worried about what you think of them. We are all self-obsessed so don’t worry.  The time when you really need to worry is when you are dancing with another person.  If you’re out of time, then there will not be much of a connection. Without that connection, dance just isn’t that fun. So it’s pretty clear that you need to improve our ability to keep time you learn to dance – if you want to dance well.

So how to do it?

1 – Understand how music works: teach me how to dance in time.

The first thing that is essential is understanding music. When you know what you’re listening for, it is much easier to hear it.

Note that you need to ‘hear’ it. If you’re a more visual person or a kinaesthetic person, then you might want to try closing you’re eyes when first working on improving your music ability. Also, tapping in time, while keeping the rest of your body still, is always good start too.

Music comes in cycles. Normally, in modern music and most dance music, there are cycles of 4 beats. The obvious exception is the modern waltz, which is in cycles of 3 beats. Each of these cycles is called a bar. Now there is no reason why each bar needs to take a certain time. The speed of the music is defined by beats per minute (BPM).

The bars are the basic cycle, but there are others. This is at the discretion of the composer and restrained somewhat by the style of the music. Mambo is more likely to come only in bars, and it is counted 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4. However, many pieces of music will actually have another cycle of 8 beats and count as follows – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Sometimes there will then be a cycle of 4 bars. Jive is an example of this. At this stage you just need to know it. We will focus only cases with 2 bars at a time.

Note some people count slows and quicks and some leave out some numbers to indicate a slow progression – I am looking at you salsa dancers! This is fine if it works for you, but it is always handy to know these basics; they are universal.

Now that we know there are cycle, we still need to know what they are and how we hear them. That’s part 2.

2 – Hearing the bars

Normally, the start of each bar will have a significant event. Something like a cowbell from the drums or a snare. Maybe a higher note from a brass instrument. Perhaps something from the base guitar. The key is to listen to the music for a stronger beat that comes in every so often and at a regular period (we will assume that the BPM remains constant).  

Once you have this try counting the other beats at equal periods between the major beats. As you do you will notice that music might use a similar feature on each 2^nd, 3^rd or whatever beat. Most modern western music has some kind of an emphasis on the 2^nd and 4^th beats. When you can hear these beats, you have made a significant step.

Now try counting like this – 1, 2, 3, 4, 1 ,2 ,3 ,4

The larger font for the 1 means you note that it is the start of a bar, and requires extra attention.

I have assumed that the music for 4 beats to a bar. Make adjustments to your counting as required.

3 – Hearing more cycles

As I mentioned above, music can have cycles of bars. The most common is cycles of two bars making 8 or 6 beats. In this case the strongest beat is on the 1 and the next strongest is on 5. You would count it like this – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. When you can hear this cycle you will know when to start dancing – we start on the 1, and not the 5. Also, you sometimes use the 8 to get ready to start – Rumba is a good example of this and, to some extent, so is the Samba (but more about that pesky dance some other time). Actually, one of the best examples is any music you might listen to if were interested in how to slow dance.

As I mentioned above some cycles are greater, there can be 16 beat cycles (4 bars) or 32 beats cycles (8 bars) often called phrases. Typically, the style of the music will change when each phrase comes in.

Take a look at the video below. This is the clip for the Black Keys song Lonely Boy. The original plan for this video was to have something different. However, the guy that is featured is an actor called Derick Tuggle and he danced so well that the band wanted to use only him. He had one hour to learn the lyrics and come up with the dance sequence. You can see from the video that derrick has excellent musicality. He is in time and in the first 3 phrases he changes his dance style to suit each phrase. That means by watching Derick dance you can get a visual cue for the start of each phrase (and the change in music) at the beginning of the song. He is an excellent example of what you can do when you start picking up on all elements of the music. I often want to find this guy and say ‘teach me how to dance!’ just to get that natural connection to the music. 

 

4 – Responding to the music

Hearing the music is the first step, but you also need be able to respond to the music physically.

A good start is simply using your fingers and tapping to the music. This is more than simple tapping though. You want to use certain fingers for certain beats. Choose one finger for the 1^st beat another finger for the 5^th beat. You can use any other finger or maybe the whole hand for the other beats.

Then, when listening to the music, tap in time with it. Ensure you use the allocated finger, hand or whatever you choose for each beat.

This is not exactly the same as dancing in time, but it is a very good start to getting your body to respond to the music and stay in time with it as you move. Then you will know how to dance to the beat.

5 – Expressing the music

If you were initially unable to stay in time, then you will feel pretty happy with yourself for getting this far.

However, there is more to musicality. You also want to dance in a way that expresses the nature and character of the music. This is easier to understand conceptually, but perhaps harder to achieve. It is beyond what is covered here, but something that you will want to consider when you are better able to keep time and want to really learn to dance.

A technique to shift from dancing salsa on 1 to dancing on 2

There are those who dance salsa on 1 and those who dance on 2. Of course there are those who dance on a different beat each time, but that’s a different topic. If you have been dancing on one or the other for a while, or if you have only learned one, then shifting to another can be tricky.

I experienced this when I went to New York – famous for dancing on 2. I dance salsa on the 1.

This was part of a US trip and I had already danced salsa in a few other places (Portland and San Jose) where the salsa was done on 1. I had also done some blues dancing in Portland, and it was in the preliminary class of the night that I stumbled upon the technique that helped when I danced salsa in New York.

Blues is known for playing with the music a lot. In fact, there are blues dancers who say landing on the beat is just square, and one is to arrive a little behind. In line with this notion, the preliminary class prior to the social dancing was focused upon how people can play with the timing.

I have personally found this hard; I think about the beat and I land on it. Turns out, I was thinking about it all wrong. The teacher at this blues event suggested that we try leaving on the beat. For example, if you are going to go forward on your left, then don’t focus on arriving on the respective beat, focus on leaving on the respective beat. By using this approach, you think about what you want to do and not about what you do not want to. Thinking about what you do not want to do does not often work. I am sure that you have had the experience of where you thought hard about not doing something that you did not want to do only to find that you then went and did it – because you thought about it so much. It’s like the example of when someone says “do not think about a pink elephant”; you think about a pink elephant.

By leaving on the 1, when dancing salsa, I was able to come closer to landing on the 2. Then with a little more practice, I started landing on the 2.

If you ever find that you are in an on 2 venue and you dance on 1, then try this technique. Also, if you want to play with the music, and arrive late, then maybe use a more positive thought process by focusing on when you leave as opposed to when you do not land.

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.

The woman everyone wants to either dance like or dance with

I have been writing about how to be a better partner dancer for some years now. In that time I have:

1. done a lot of research into how to dance better,
2. tried a lot of techniques to see if they improve dance ability,
3. had friends try techniques to see if they improve dance ability,
4. spoken to many women about the things they find difficult, and
5. spoken to a lot of men about what they like in dance partners.

From all of this, I have found essence of what makes for the best women dancers*.

And I am going to share this with you now.

In short, you need to be a graceful dancer. You need to not only dance well, obviously, but you need to be a lady that has poise and affability on the dance floor.

It’s more than simply knowing figures.

The best female dancers:

• have an affability that makes it easy to ask them to dance and connect with
• can feel emotion in the music
• notice how others express the feelings in the music
• move with grace in response to leads that they can feel

When you have these qualities, you become that woman that you have seen on the dance floor who looks at home there. You glide along the floor and turn expressing the character of the music and catch everyone’s eye as you have the kind of experience that we all want from dance. Think about those women you see dancing like that – it can be you.

If you want to be one of the best women dancers, then you need to master the following:

1. Physicality – for good feminine movement
2. Musicality – not just dancing in time with the music, but WITH the music
3. Learning dance – so you know that you are dancing as you should
4. Sensing – so you can pick up on all aspects of dance to follow and express yourself
5. Affability – so your partner connects, and creates that unique dance experience

You probably already have some these, but there is likely to be something you feel you lack or have perhaps never thought about.

Imagine if you had all of them, and you were like those other dancers you see and envy. You CAN master these 5 attributes of the best female dancers. And I will show you how so that dance can be what you want it to be.

If you do want me to tell you how to master these attributes, and you should, then you can read more via a report that I have written on this topic. Fill out the form below, and I will send you the report now.

 

 

 

*I know that it need not be a woman following. This is just the context that this article is written in. Much of what is written here is valid for leads in general. By all means, if you are a man, then you can still learn about following from the report.

The man ladies want to dance with

I have been writing about how to be a better partner dancer for some years now. In that time I have:

1. done a lot of research into how men dance better,
2. tried a lot of techniques to see if they improve dance ability,
3. spoken to many men about the things they find difficult, and
4. spoken to a lot of women about what they like in dance partners.

From all of this, I have found out what makes for the best male dancer*.

And I want to share that with you now.

In short, you need to be a gentleman dancer. You need to not only dance well, obviously, but you need to know how to dance WITH a woman.

It’s more than simply knowing figures.

For the woman you are dancing with it’s about being able to use what you know to take her on an adventure. Partner dance is about more than 2 people moving in sync with the music. It’s about:

• connecting with another person who makes you feel something – something good**
• noticing what that person feels in the music
• noticing how they express that feeling to their dance partner
• then joining them on the journey they are about to take

If you can do this, then you will be a man who knows he dances well and provides women the experiences that they expect (probably now hope) dance will offer. In short, you will be a fantastic dancer.

If you want to be the kind of dancer that women like – the gentleman dancer – then you need to master the following:

1. Physicality – for good masculine movement
2. Musicality – not just dancing in time with the music, but WITH the music
3. Learning dance – so you know that you are dancing as you should
4. Sensing – so you can pick up on all aspects of dance to provide a complete package
5. Confidence with women – so that she can feel trust*** when she dances with you
6. Presentation – so you look the part and complete the experience

You probably already have some, but there is likely to be something you feel you lack or have perhaps never thought of. Just imagine the feeling you will have when you know you can dance that well with a woman and you show her a good time. You CAN master these 6 attributes of the gentleman dancer. And I will show you how.

If you do want to master these attributes, and you should, then you can read more via a report that I have written on this topic. Fill out the form below, and I will send you the report now.

 

 

*I know that it need not be a man leading. This is just the context that this article is written in. Much of what is written here is valid for leads in general. By all means, if you are a womon, then you can still learn about leading from the report.

**It’s different from what men feel when they are with someone they like dancing with so many men don’t get it.

***But now you know what it is that women want to feel with a man before they dance with him. In the report, you will learn how to achieve this feeling in your dance partner

Why does Bindi Irwin dance so well?

On this Season of Dancing With the Stars Bindi Irwin has pulled off some remarkable performances and got the scores (and final victory) to prove it. Many of us would not expect this from the daughter of a crocodile hunter. Her dance partner Derek Hough, noted that at the start she could not dance “No joke, she could not dance,”.

She has surprised many with how well she dances.

She has something that helps her dance so well. This makes her an ideal person to study to understand how we can all become better dancers. If we can work out what helps her dance so well, then we can emulate this.

Physicality

Bindi’s posture did improve over the season. However, that was more a result of mindfulness.  Derek noted that she became aware of her body as she practiced more. Once she was aware of this, she could produce the right posture. If you watch her dance, then you can also see how strong and clear her movements are. Bindi has had an active life, which has given her a physicality that is ideal for dance.

The lesson: if you find that your body does not have the ability to move as you wish, then you probably need to engage in dedicated exercises to build the strength that is needed for dance. Take a look here to learn some of these.

Musicality

Whenever I watch Bindi dance, I can tell that she has a sense of timing. When she did tango to Shook Me All Night Long by AC-DC Bindi spoke about how music reminds her of her past. Because music plays such a role in her life, Bindi has a deeper connection to it, and thus a sense of timing and expression. This lets her then focus on learning routines and movement without needing to put extra effort into paying attention to the music - she feels it naturally, and will be in sync when she dances.

The lesson: focus on music separately. Listen to it and connect with it. If you want to learn methods to pick up timing faster, then take a look here.

Learning

Because of her age, Bindi would still be accustomed to learning from others. Many children learn well because they think they have too. When you feel compelled and have no alternative, then you learn fast. Kids don’t actually have that much of an advantage when it comes to learning – they just have no alternative. Bindi’s mother commented how much she has grown over the season and how Derek had a lot to do with this – Bindi was able to learn a lot more than just dance. Bindi is accustomed to learning from others, and lets that happen. Thus she can learn dance fast.

The lesson: We need to learn to learn. We also need to simply put the time in to learn. This can mean study in your own time. I can mean really paying attention to your teacher. It also means that you should manage the way you learn – learning dance is different from learning other things, and you might need to adjust your learning style. If you want to know how to tune your learning strategy to become a better dancer, then take a look here.

Attitude

The Halloween dance showed how much Bindi can get into her dancing. When you want to perform, you are indeed performing; it is a lot like acting. Bindi has experience acting and she also seems to like doing everything she does well.

The lesson: if you want to succeed as a performance dancer, then you need to realise that you are acting too. Work on your body language and attitude to match the dance. If you want to learn some tricks to being able to express and act in dance, then take a look here.

Summary

Bindi dances well and learned to dance well fast because she had the attributes that make a good dancer: musicality, physicality, nd ability to learn and attitude. These can be developed outside of dance so that you too can learn dance fast. Learn more about developing attributes to dance better faster here.

The 8 myths you incorrectly believe about better dancers

Most of us have encountered another dancer always seems to dance better than us - not matter what we do. We sometimes look for reasons to explain away their better dance so that we do not need to confront the frustration this can bring. However, many of these reasons we produce are myths. If you confront each myth to find the truth, and use this truth to improve the way you learn dance, then you will become the one that others make myths about.

Here are the 8 myths that people hold about those other dancers who dance better and how to confront them to be a better dancer.

1 They are naturals

Depending upon which country you live in you might or might not follow cricket. If you do, then you will likely know of a man by the name of Shane Warne. He is known for resurrecting spin bowling and delivering the Ball of the Century. He is for this reason considered a remarkable athlete and some would say a natural. However, he is also known for Warne’s rule:

There is no such thing as a natural.

He is certainly not the only person to posit this notion. However, it is noteworthy that one so talented and considered a natural would say this.

The notion of there being no such thing as a natural is also supported by the researcher into expert performance: Anders Ericsson. Ericsson found that all world class experts in their chosen field had completed a period considerable practice to become as good as they were. This was the case for Shane Warne and for those people you think are naturals.

If you know someone who dances better than you and it seems that they have done the same amount of practice as you, then one (or maybe more) of three things has probably happened:

1. They engaged in a hobby or pastime prior to starting dance and developed skills that carried over to dance
2. They actually practice more than they let on – many people do this to create an air of mystique
3. They practice in a more focused (deliberate) manner than you

The fact is that the people who dance well are either now or were once engaging in deliberate practice to develop the numerous attributes that make for a good dancer.

If you want to dance as well as them, then review how much deliberate practice you put in and how focused that practice is.

2 They have a dancer’s body

I have used this one a few times myself. I know men with trim builds who can more easily wrap theirs and their partner’s limbs around their torso. They can also move a little faster because of their leanness. It is true that some people will have a physique that gives them an edge, but it’s not a huge edge so don’t go thinking that this is the reason for someone dancing that much better than you.

And there is a lot more to dance than body shape.

I know I have said this before, but John Lindo is a perfect example of how much more there can be to dance.

 

Nevertheless, depending upon the dance style, you will likely find that a bit of deliberate practice to improve strength, flexibility and endurance will help.

3 They were born in the right culture, which gives them some je ne se

This one is heard a lot. It is especially espoused by people from the respective culture. I personally find it odd that someone would rather try to exclude others from enjoying their culture than try to promote their culture to others and take pride in how it is loved and mastered by so many. But I think this gets back to people needing to find other ways of feeling good about themselves.

But getting back to the point – it is not that they just have some je ne se because of their culture. It is simply that they:

1. grew up with the respective music so they can express it more in their dance and
2. they get the attitude to goes with the dance so they can also express the style easily as well.

The solution to this is once again a lot like practice.

You would be well served first by listening more to the kind of music you dance to. Second, think about the attitude and try expressing that. I only know a few teachers who actively encourage this so if you work on it, then you will quickly improve.

Learning to express attitude can take a while, and is more like acting. However, acting is a component of dance, and is worth trying.

 

4 They pay for more dance lessons

There is certainly an advantage to having more lessons. However, if you know how to practice properly in your own time, then you will make much more out of a smaller number of dance lessons. In my experience, people who pay for more lessons often grow complacent in their practice, and the benefit of the extra lessons is lost.

Remember that much of learning is actually processing what you have learned in your lesson, and not just doing the lesson. Thus, doing more lessons are often just a substitute for practice. Twice as many lessons will not make you improve your dance twice as fast.

Doing the following will make up for any difference that comes from someone else taking more dance lessons than you:

• Focus on processing what was covered in a lesson by going over it regularly (at least once a day with physical practice) and before going to sleep each night in bed to drive it all to the unconscious mind for greatest benefit.
• Record video footage of the key things (figures, techniques, routines and such) taught in each lesson.
• Dance socially – this will really test you. When the other person has learned elsewhere, the leads and follows are different. Which means you need to lead/follow properly instead of relying on the other person knowing what they are meant to do. This will really force you to know and learn the figures.
• Book practice times with other students – it’s free, they might know what you don’t know. And vice versa. You can go over routines with them, and, like social dancing, but not as extreme, you will improve your ability by dancing with another. There are many places that you can practice too.

5 They don’t work, and have more time to practice

It is certainly the case that more practice will help, but quality will always win out over quantity. Practice can cause fatigue if done too long in the wrong context. Focus on the quality of your own practice and make it deliberate.

Questions:

• Do you take notes at the end of each lesson to remind you what to work on until the next lesson?
• Do you take notes when practicing so that you have focused questions at your next lesson?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to both of these, then you’re going to find that practice quantity counts for less. This is because the quality of your practice will now be so much greater.

6 They are the teacher’s favorite

Teachers do have their favorites. However, apart from when it’s because of sexual attraction, it is a result of solid learning habits and a focus on improvement by the student. If you take your learning seriously, then you will likely be the favorite.

Of course, it’s also wise to ensure that you are a pleasant person to dance with.

And even if you’re not the favorite, your learning is your responsibility. Utilize your teacher to become a better dancer, and their lack of motivation teaching you when compared to other students will become meaningless.

7 They have a better teacher

There is such thing as a bad teacher, there is also such thing as a bad student. However, there is no such thing as a good teacher or a good student; only a good student teacher relationship. The key is to match the learning style of the student to the teaching style of the teacher.

You have a few options here if you think someone has a better teacher/student relationship:

1. Change teacher – obvious really.
2. Manage your lessons – by focusing the attention of your teacher on the things you need and extracting the information you need in a form that works for you, it will matter less how your teacher naturally teaches.
3. Adjust your learning – it’s like the opposite of option 2. I would be careful about trying this. If you adopt learning methods that don’t suit you, then it’s hard to conceive how you will dance better. However, you might find that your teacher is actually on to a better method if you give it a go. So be cautious, but try it.

 8 They are more confident

Probably because they practice properly or because they can fake it.

Once you are up and dancing, much of what worries you disappears,  and it's all down to practice. Practicing under stress can also negate the effects of nerves when performing. Therefore, confidence (or lack of it) is not a reason to not dance well.

Nevertheless, it is more enjoyable to dance when feeling confident. This is one of the best methods I have tried to boost confidence in dance.

 

 

Dance Step Tutorials

 

Have you been dancing for a while and found that you’re still learning, have issues or maybe even feel that you have more issues with your dancing than you used to? You might even be searching the internet for dance step tutorials so that you can find something that you’re missing, and then master your dance. Well you’re certainly not alone. Many of us are trying to find something that will make us feel that we are improving faster or at a rate that fits with our expectations of ourselves. We do this because sometimes we’re unlearning what we thought was good dancing. We also do it because dance has started to become a challenge when once it was more fun, and we want that fun back

Why does dance progress in such an odd way?

 The reason for these issues is that dancing is actually taught wrong. At the beginning you’re taught basic steps with little attention to proper styling of subtle requirements. Or you might focus on easier dances such as merengue, which often gives a quick sense of achievement.

 When this happens you have a lower standard to reach. You go along happily picking these new steps thinking all is fine. However, it is not. You dance teacher is actually allowing you to develop a lot of bad habits. Because they do not control what you do, you will start moving your body in whatever way feels good, comfortable or normal to you. The chances of this movement being the same as what is expected at a higher level are very low. 

This means that you will spend some time (maybe years) training your body to dance a way it’s not meant to. That’s how you end up with bad habits that need to be unlearned, that’s how you end up finding dance less fun and more challenging and that’s why you end up searching the internet for dance step tutorials and hoping you’ll find that secret to dancing better.

So what is the most effective way to learn dance?

 The question of the best way to learn is not unique to dance. It is actually something that has been considered in many other areas. Let’s consider three different areas: martial arts, engineering and public speaking. That’s a pretty diverse group of activities.

 Many of us remember the ‘wax on, wax off’ of the first karate kid movie.  Poor Ralph Macchio had to do that for hours (plus many other chores) before he could get into any ‘real’ training.

 

 What about engineering? Would you feel safe if an engineer’s first lesson was desiging a bridge that you were about to drive over? Probably not. You’d want them to have learnt how to calculate stress in the bridge and ensure that the stress will not be greater than the bridge material can handle. That’s why engineers need to complete a degree first.

 So now what about public speaking? Have you seen The King’s Speech? King Georg VI of Britain needs to overcome a speech problem so that he can speak in public. A lot of his training has little to do with public speaking before he actually tries it.

 

 The common theme you have seen here is that it is more efficient to take time building the attributes that allow us to do something as opposed to simply doing that something. The same is true of dance (pretty much anything really). We should start by developing our musicality, our body’s dexterity and grace, and our ability to feel another body so that we may lead and follow.

 However, we know that dance isn’t taught like that. This is why you now probably have problems and why you are looking for dance step tutorials on the internet. You’re dealing with all this baggage that comes from being taught how to dance the wrong way.

 Why do we learn like this? That’s a very good question and the easiest way to answer it is to think back to when you started to dance. It was fun wasn’t it? It was also social – unlike martial arts, engineering and public speaking. And it was important that you could do something worthwhile at the start, otherwise why would you go to class. It really is vital to have some small wins at the start. We learn dance this way so that we enjoy it. It is the wrong way to learn, but it is the best way.

What should you do?

 Now that you know you are learning the wrong way, but it is the best way, you need to take action. The fact that you have come to this page is a good sign – it shows that you have already realised this and you’ve decided to be proactive. They best thing to do now is look at building attributes. Focus on the following as you see fit:

• Increasing musicality – there are a lot of resources that focus on musicality specifically, and you can find them with an internet search

• Improving body movement – there are a lot of resources to help with this too, and they can also be found with an internet search

• Accepting that you will need to unlearn dance habits (which might look like a drop in dance ability) and learn new (and better) dance habits

The ultimate attribute of the excellent follow

For the past month or two I have been dancing a lot socially with as many follows (mostly women) as I can. I have been taking note of those I enjoyed dancing with and then asking them about how they dance and how they practice. This was all in an attempt to find out what makes for a good follow.

There were common things that came up that you are probably aware of already:

• Feeling the lead as opposed to trying to predict what it will/should be
• Not worrying if you get it wrong
• Using all the senses to feel the lead
• Knowing numerous figures so that the different leads were familiar
• Moving yourself as opposed to being expected to be pushed

However, within the context of more advanced dancing – where both lead and follow are experienced – there was one extra attribute that really separated the excellent follows from the good follows.

Musicality!

When dancing at a higher level a couple will change the nuances of their dance to reflect the music. I can vouch from personal experience that a follow who picks up on the way they lead is expressing the musicality, and then do the same or even better add to it, is pretty much the best follow you can dance with.

If you feel that your ability to follow has plateaued then it might very well be that you’re ready for the next step – following musicality. Next time you are dancing with a lead that you notice has strong musicality, then try picking up on their expression and then adding to it. You will find the experience much more enjoyable.

If you need to, then there are plenty of techniques that you can use to improve your musicality. Learn more about improving your musicality via the following:

Dance Better Now - Part 2

 

Do you pay enough attention to the music? Hypnotic dance.

This post is inspired by an experience I had when learning Viennese Waltz. For those who do not know the Viennese Waltz, or Waltz as the Germans call it, it is actually a very repetitive dance.  Take a look at the video below to see what I mean.

You can do a few extra figures to liven it up a bit, but on the whole you are usually doing the basic figure in one of two directions.  This means that you mind can start to wander. It certainly means that for me. I need to then find something to concentrate on. At first this felt like effort; however, it opened something up to me that I had not yet experienced.

I felt the music much more deeply.

The music was all that I really had. If I did not anchor on the music, then I would lose focus, and something would go wrong. This is not to say that the Viennese waltz is an easy dance. Take a look at the video below and notice how much time the presenters spend explain how to do the basic right. It has a lot of subtle nuances. This is another characteristic of the Viennese waltz: subtlety.

However, for this post I am focusing on my experience with music and what this could mean for you if you want to gain an extra insight into your dance experience.

So you already know from the above that I was learning Viennese waltz and after a while my mind wondered. Basically, I was bored! I was doing the same thing over and over – perhaps some pointers from the teacher and I would have had more to focus on, but I was also meant to be solidifying what I had learned before progressing. Thus I was in a way stuck, but I needed to make this a bit better.

That’s what made me decide to focus on the music. If you have read about musical appreciation, either by me or elsewhere, then you know that an aspect is letting the music induce emotions in you and then feeling those. That’s what I did while I danced and I let the feelings influence my dance.

The feedback from my teacher was positive. My mind was more engaged, and I danced better. However, for me it was even better. It was good to know that I was dancing better, but now that I was focusing on the music so much (the repetitive dance allowed that) I was able to let go more and have my body guided by the music. It was a bit existential in fact, and I started to understand why some people talk about the hypnotic state dance causes in them. I was no longer trying to dance or trying to focus. I had entered a new state of consciousness where I was relaxed and calm, but still able to move in a manner required for dance.

The best thing was that once this was opened to me, I could take it to other dances (which have a greater suite of skills) and get more from them. In fact, I could get more from them without feeling the need to do a large number of figures. Instead, I could connect with the music more and change the style to express the music.

What does this mean for you?

If you would like to work on your ability to feel the music, express the music or you just want to get more from the experience of dance (at least one of these would be useful regardless of your interest in any of dance sport, exhibition or social dance) then you could simply do some Viennese Waltz. You could also choose the dance you want to get better at and do only the basic. This will get boring, once it does, try focusing on the music and get into it (almost lost in it). You will start to notice a transition in the way you feel and the way you dance.

The above assumes two things:

1. You are competent in the basic
2. You have a partner who will do this with you (you can do it alone, but that might not be as enjoyable for you and having a partner will help you ensure proper posture and such while you do this)

Give it ago and see how it changes your dance experience.