With the holidays upon us there are often many opportunities to enjoy your dancing in many social settings. Of course everyone else is enjoying their dancing in the same fun social setting and this can make for crowded dance floors and challenges in maneuverability and floorcraft.
Here are a few helpful hints to making your holiday dancing. or any social dancing on a crowded floor more enjoyable for you and your partner.
Keep it Simple. We may know some really cools spins and turns that take up a lot of room, now is not the time to pull those tricks out of the bag. Also be sure you know your abilities, while you may be learning a fun new step that you can execute at the practice party where there is lots of space and you are dancing with a teacher or more experienced student, you may not be able to do the same things when you are dealing with crowds and traffic. A partner is much happier dancing more comfortably than more patterns.
Use turn and rotation. To keep the dancing interesting and avoid boring your partner be sure to use rotation. While spinning the lady under your arm may be hard to keep under control in a tight space, if you are rotating your actions as a couple in a closed dance position you will find the dancing occurs as more interesting and completely under control. Mastering pivot actions both left and right and making sure even the basic actions have some rotation will go a long way in bringing interest to your dancing without compromising control and maneuverability.
Know your body. Understanding your own body and how it relates to your partner can really make a difference in the ease of dancing, whether on a crowded social floor or for showcasing and competition. Partnering after all, is the skill that sets, Ballroom and Latin dances apart from other dance forms. Two of the most important fundamentals of partnering are posture and weight change and if you are developing these two aspects, you will find either leading or following a much easier task. If we are lifted and activated through our core and center we will more clearly communicate with our partner. When it gets crowded and we have to round our dance frame to be a more compact dancer, we often forget to activate our center and our communications with our partner can become muddled, activating our core muscles can help bring clarity. If we are clearly changing weight from foot to foot our partner is more fully informed of our position and next direction, and especially with the unpredictability of others on a crowded floor, clarity of weight change can give you a much needed edge.
Courtesy, courtesy, courtesy. Both to other dancers and to your partner, common courtesy will go a long way to making an enjoyable dance. Remember that however chaotic the dance floor might feel that having respect for your partner’s comfort and your fellow dancer’s space will bring ease and joy to your own dancing.
Lawrence Black is a teacher at Dance Station. If you would like to take lessons with Lawrence or any of our teachers call 505-989-9788 to schedule.
