A dance teacher's hot tips for beginners - 2
Posted by: Gareth on: 18/09/2022 Category: advice-tips
Practice at home as much as possible
6] Pick a floor irregularity and try to keep it as the centre of your dance area.
This is for the lead rather than the follow. It's a bit of unusual advice, but it can really help to develop high quality rock 'n' roll dancing. Most floors we dance on have irregularities in the surface, be it a colour or mark of some sort. Pick one to use as the centre of your dance routine. Try to stay over the top of it while performing some moves. At first it's not so easy. However, with a bit of practice, you can do it most of the time. This is also related to dancing within one square metre. The whole point of the exercise is that you need to develop control over your dance routine in order to achieve this. You need to think about what you are doing and dance to a plan. The more control you have, the smoother and more aesthetically pleasing your dancing will be. This exercise helped me greatly, so I suggest you try it.
7] Women should get as much power as possible from their legs.
This is very important. Dance with your bottom half and let the arms and hands keep you coordinated with the man. If the woman tries to get power from her arms, it becomes quite uncomfortable for the man and her dancing becomes stiff and jerky.
8] Men - don't turn the woman. Let her turn herself.
This is a crucial piece of advice. The lady is a dancer in her own right. She is not an extension of the man's arm. He calls the moves as he is in the best position to do that. However, leading the dance doesn't mean controlling the lady herself. She must perform the moves for herself and do it in her own style, in a way that is comfortable for her. Men who allow ladies to do that will find themselves very popular as dance partners.
9] Men- think ahead! Plan your next move in plenty of time.
Late calls are difficult for ladies to respond to meaningfully. She will be caught off-guard and probably not in the right position. That's always an awkward moment. Men should memorise which moves follow each other naturally in their own dance style and try to stick to that as much as possible. You will then know in advance what is coming next. That means you can give the lead signal to the lady as early as possible.
10] Count the beats if necessary. Most moves will use 4 beats.
This applies only to those beginners who are having difficulty with timing. Counting the beats can help. Each part of a move normally uses four beats. The forward part of an overhead turn or push-spin uses four beats. So does the return part. Count them and make sure that's what you are doing.
11] Practice your steps at home to moderate-paced music.
Practicing at home even by yourself can be enormously beneficial. Elvis sang "If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair." There's no need to go quite that far. Practice your role in the dance moves with an imaginary partner if necessary. The aim is only to get the movements burned into your brain so they become second nature. Even just a few songs every day will make a difference when you get back with your partner or to the dance club.