Helpful Hints for Dancers

Don’t be a slave to routines or just steps

Dancing should be a form of self-expression

Beginning dancers dance with other of their level

Intermediate dancers dance with other of the level

Advanced dancers dance with everyone, no matter their level

Advanced dancer don’t stick to a routine

Advanced dancers can dance beginning step and still feel and look great

Skippy Blair wrote the following while describing West Coast Swing, but she could have been writing about waltz, tango or any truly social dance:

The most fascinating part of swing dancing is the individuality of the dancers.  Styles are flexible… the style one chooses should be as individual as the clothes one chooses to wear.  The only problem that exists in swing is when someone decides there is only ONE WAY to dance it.

Social dancing is for enjoyment, so you respect and even admire that each of their different backgrounds is valid, and you enjoy adapting to their differences. 

By Richard Powers

Floor craft:

            Please take extra care not to bump other couples

No aerials or kicks on a social dance floor

Follow the line of dance

Stationary steps are in the center

Approachable:

            Go dancing often

            Go to the same places

            Sit alone

Sit on the edge of the dance floor

            Work to become a better dancer

            Take group classes to meet people

            Take private lessons to work on your following skills

            Don’t talk while dancing

            Don’t always wear black

Bad weather keeps most ladies home, go out on those nights

Ladies, don’t sit at a table with other men

Social dancers:

            It is wise to know a few good patterns in all the dances

Salsa dancing can improve cardiovascular fitness

Waltz, Foxtort and Tango can add as many as 2,000 steps to your daily walking total

Dancing is weight bearing so it helps in terms of bone density

Dancing is an activity that can be shared across generations

Dancing can improve your mood because it’s fun and social

People who dance 2 hours a week lower their risk of dementia by 76% according to the New England Journal of Medicine

Dance can challenge you mind as well as your body

Ballroom dancing increases the blood flow to the brain

Don’t worry about your size, dancing is good for everyone

Don’t worry about your age, dancing is good for everyone

Shoes:

            Beginning dancers wear any type of shoes

            Intermediate dancers know the importance of good dance shoe