This blog deals with techniques that can be used by students of partner dance (Swing, Latin, Ballroom etc.) to improve their speed of learning. It's all about being a better student, and learning faster.
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.
It is probably well known to most of us that dancers have excellent bodies. They have balance, poise, they move gracefully, and fluidly, and they are symmetrical. These are all characteristics required to be a good dancer, and they need to be displayed when dancing. Years of training and simply trying to dance with these characteristics will develop them in anyone. This means that you know you can eventually develop them too.
However, it would be much better if you could fast track your development of your body so that that you can dance well without the years of practice.
It would also be better if you could do this outside of dance class. It is always good to get feedback on how you’re moving when you dance. But really, that can be a waste of time. Dance classes are best spent learning a dance instead of having your teacher make you try to move the right way. In fact, this approach is doomed to fail. You might get it right in one class, but by the time next class comes around you might have lost the movement, and you’re back where you started. Plus you might have a disgruntled teacher.
The ideal solution is having a body that naturally moves in a way that suits your dance.
Exercises for a better dance body
So if you do want to get a good dancer’s body at a faster rate, then you need to engage in dedicated exercises that will really get your body working. The other advantage is that a dancer’s body is usually healthier and more attractive. That means you will feel better and look better when you try some of these exercises. However, I think the best advantage is that by working on this outside of your dance lessons you will have more time to actually learn dance.
Depending upon where you start from it will take longer to see the benefits. However, when I started working on improved movement, I saw results within two weeks (this was based on comments made by others). I also know fellow dance student who got positive comments from her dance teacher within a week.
General exercises
There are a number of other activities that you can try to help develop a body that moves well. Such activities could be: martial arts, Pilates or yoga. The key is that these activities work the whole body. By doing so, they get all the small muscles that provide balance and control working. When these muscles are well exercises and strong, you will have much better movement.
If you’re into weights, then you might want to take a look at kettlebells. Because they do not have a handle that encloses their centre of mas, they require you to provide the stability. This extra effort works those small control muscles mentioned earlier. Also, because they are work one hand per weight, they will develop symmetry, which is essential for a good looking dancer’s body.
Hips
By hips I really mean the whole pelvic area. Doing little more than walking and sitting doesn’t really do much for this part of the body. Many dances (especially the Latin ones) require fluid movement within the hips. This means that for many of us this is a weakness. The best exercises I have found for this part of the body are lunges. However, you can’t just do them forward. You need to do them to the side and with a twist around to the back. This will work those muscles in each of the key directions of movement.
Core
Like the hips, many of us probably do not have a core that works as well as it should. Also, this is probably because of our lifestyle.
The thing that probably enters your mind straight away is sit-ups or crunches. These can do a lot to build strength, but you need more. You actually need your core muscles to activate naturally while you move (including dance).
As a test, try the following:
Stand up with feet should width apart
Now lift your hands above your head and interlock them with your arms straight
Now lean back like you’re trying to reach out the wall behind you
Note where you feel stress: is it in your stomach, you back or a mix?
If it is all in you back, then it means your core is not working well. Try the following:
Place a chair in front of you
Place one foot on the chair
Raise the opposite hand above you head (you might want to have the chair oriented so that your other hand can hold the back for stability)
Now lean back and note where you feel tension
Try leaning to the side or twisting to induce a stress in your stomach
If you still can’t, then try breathing deep into your stomach – this will often cause the tension required, and encourage your stomach to work naturally
It’s good to do the above prior to your crunches or other abdominal workouts so that you do them with an activated core. You will then have a core that can help move your hips and keep them isolated from your top-line (upper body).
Upper body
A strong and fluid upper body is required for good posture and balance while dancing. The most important thing for this is a chest and back that respond naturally while you move, and dance.
To get this movement, swing your arms up above you’re your head or around your body or behind your head. The important thing is this is dynamic and there is a bit of a snap at the end to make the muscles respond. It is this snap at the end that really gets the muscles switched on, and working naturally for better posture and upper body control.
I have been writing about how to be a better partner dancer for some years now. In that time I have:
done a lot of research into how to dance better,
tried a lot of techniques to see if they improve dance ability,
had friends try techniques to see if they improve dance ability,
spoken to many women about the things they find difficult, and
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:
Physicality – for good feminine movement
Musicality – not just dancing in time with the music, but WITH the music
Learning dance – so you know that you are dancing as you should
Sensing – so you can pick up on all aspects of dance to follow and express yourself
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.
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:
They engaged in a hobby or pastime prior to starting dance and developed skills that carried over to dance
They actually practice more than they let on – many people do this to create an air of mystique
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:
grew up with the respective music so they can express it more in their dance and
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.
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:
Change teacher – obvious really.
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.
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.
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.
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
It is probably well known to most of us that dancers have excellent bodies. They have balance, poise, they move gracefully, and fluidly, and they are symmetrical. These are all characteristics required to be a good dancer, and they need to be displayed when dancing. Years of training and simply trying to dance with these characteristics will develop them in anyone. This means that you know you can eventually develop them too.
However, it would be much better if you could fast track your development of your body so that that you can dance well without the years of practice.
It would also be better if you could do this outside of dance class. It is always good to get feedback on how you’re moving when you dance. But really, that can be a waste of time. Dance classes are best spent learning a dance instead of having your teacher make you try to move the right way. In fact, this approach is doomed to fail. You might get it right in one class, but by the time next class comes around you might have lost the movement, and you’re back where you started. Plus you might have a disgruntled teacher.
The ideal solution is having a body that naturally moves in a way that suits your dance.
Exercises for a better dance body
So if you do want to get a good dancer’s body at a faster rate, then you need to engage in dedicated exercises that will really get your body working. The other advantage is that a dancer’s body is usually healthier and more attractive. That means you will feel better and look better when you try some of these exercises. However, I think the best advantage is that by working on this outside of your dance lessons you will have more time to actually learn dance.
Depending upon where you start from it will take longer to see the benefits. However, when I started working on improved movement, I saw results within two weeks (this was based on comments made by others). I also know fellow dance student who got positive comments from her dance teacher within a week.
General exercises
There are a number of other activities that you can try to help develop a body that moves well. Such activities could be: martial arts, Pilates or yoga. The key is that these activities work the whole body. By doing so, they get all the small muscles that provide balance and control working. When these muscles are well exercises and strong, you will have much better movement.
If you’re into weights, then you might want to take a look at kettlebells. Because they do not have a handle that encloses their centre of mas, they require you to provide the stability. This extra effort works those small control muscles mentioned earlier. Also, because they are work one hand per weight, they will develop symmetry, which is essential for a good looking dancer’s body.
Hips
By hips I really mean the whole pelvic area. Doing little more than walking and sitting doesn’t really do much for this part of the body. Many dances (especially the Latin ones) require fluid movement within the hips. This means that for many of us this is a weakness. The best exercises I have found for this part of the body are lunges. However, you can’t just do them forward. You need to do them to the side and with a twist around to the back. This will work those muscles in each of the key directions of movement.
Core
Like the hips, many of us probably do not have a core that works as well as it should. Also, this is probably because of our lifestyle.
The thing that probably enters your mind straight away is sit-ups or crunches. These can do a lot to build strength, but you need more. You actually need your core muscles to activate naturally while you move (including dance).
As a test, try the following:
Stand up with feet should width apart
Now lift your hands above your head and interlock them with your arms straight
Now lean back like you’re trying to reach out the wall behind you
Note where you feel stress: is it in your stomach, you back or a mix?
If it is all in you back, then it means your core is not working well. Try the following:
Place a chair in front of you
Place one foot on the chair
Raise the opposite hand above you head (you might want to have the chair oriented so that your other hand can hold the back for stability)
Now lean back and note where you feel tension
Try leaning to the side or twisting to induce a stress in your stomach
If you still can’t, then try breathing deep into your stomach – this will often cause the tension required, and encourage your stomach to work naturally
It’s good to do the above prior to your crunches or other abdominal workouts so that you do them with an activated core. You will then have a core that can help move your hips and keep them isolated from your top-line (upper body).
Upper body
A strong and fluid upper body is required for good posture and balance while dancing. The most important thing for this is a chest and back that respond naturally while you move, and dance.
To get this movement, swing your arms up above you’re your head or around your body or behind your head. The important thing is this is dynamic and there is a bit of a snap at the end to make the muscles respond. It is this snap at the end that really gets the muscles switched on, and working naturally for better posture and upper body control.
Taking it further
The above should have convinced you that a nice moving body is good for dance and something that you can work on outside of your dance class.
It has also given you some basic ideas on what you can try doing to improve this movement, However, it is just an introduction. There are many programs out there that will help you take this further. Part 1 of Dance Better Now has some suitable exercises, but Part 2 has some really good stuff along with other useful information for dance students looking to improve their learning ability.
Other products
If you’re interested specifically in improving your body though, then take a look at the products below. I have used them and found them to be excellent. For full disclosure, note that I will get a commission if you make a purchase. That should not affect your decision, but I want to be transparent with these things.
Code of the Natural (For men)
by Rob Brinded
Rob has put together a really interesting package here. It is a book that explains a system that is designed to free up your body to give more attractive movement (which includes symmetry). The thing is that such movement is ideal for dancing. When I used this system I felt my walk and movement improve after about two weeks. I also got comments on how well my body (especially my hips, which are hard for men) was moving. Even though this is meant for men, women can perform the same exercises. Rob tells me that a womens version will be out soon. Once it is I will have a link to it here.
The Truth About Six Pack Abs
by Mike Geary
A strong core can be key to isolation in dance, and better movement.
This e-book covers the keys to building a strong core, increasing fitness and trimming down to have good looking and athletic body. I have still been able to use the contents of this book to build a stronger core that allowed for much better dance.
The human hand is one of the most impressive example of sophisticated machinery on the face of the planet. What it can achieve is amazing. If you know how to take full advantage of its ability, then you will dance with your partner at a much greater level.
Just take a moment to look at your hand and think about what it can do:
It can move from a flat surface that can easily slide
It can form a tight ball like fist
It can curve into a hook shape to hold onto something
It can spread out to distribute load on contact
It can grip around objects of various shapes
It can apply a force
It can sense pressure from another hand so that another dancer's position can be inferred
it can twist and bend at the wrist so that it can do the above in different orientations
It can then move to almost any position around the body on the end of the arm
Just stop and think about the above. You hand can do a lot for you by sending signals via movement and force and at the same time tell you a lot about what is going on with your dance partner.
To take full advantage of what your hand can do, it needs sufficient attention from you.
Next time you are having troubles leading or following, try focusing on your hand: its position, shape, force applied force felt, movement and so on. There is potentially a clue to dancing better. As note, this is more likely to be an issue in your swing, Latin and street Latin dances, but always keep it in the back of your mind as a tool to use when you have dance issues.
