Fabulous Dance Series - How To - 1
Posted by: Gareth on: 28/02/2019 Category: advice-tips
Rockabilly Dance/Jive with @marty&missdeeFollow the page Marty&MissDee
Posted by 50's on Sunday, December 25, 2016
This video presents a great example of various factors that turn dancing from merely good into fabulous.
As a dance teacher for many years I was often at great pains to get students to understand this one thing - that dancing is like being an athlete. The biggest challenge isn't simply in learning motions. It's your mental attitude, your belief in yourself and your abilities that are truly crucial. Add to this the fact that a dancing couple must work together consciously to bring out the best in each other's performances. This couple certainly tick that box.
By 'consciously' I mean exactly that. It takes conscious effort, especially in the early stages of a dance partnership, to understand each other's individuality and intuit how best to achieve unison, helping each other through the dance. The man in particular must understand his partner's strengths and weaknesses and help her by focusing on her strong points.
One very common mistake I observed in learners is that of the man overpowering the lady, forcing her to become an extension of him. Her dancing therefore becomes an extension of his dancing, which - being honest - with these men often fails to impress. Many learner males truly believe that this is what being a leader is all about.
However, that is wrong. The lady must be a dancer in her own right. It's fatal for the aesthetic appeal of dance displays if the lady's movements are restricted in any way. The man may call the moves in freestyle dance, but his partner must be allowed to put her own expression into her routine. The lady in this video is clearly doing that and clearly enjoying the exercise.
This fact is crucial: a good male lead is following his female partner just as much as she is following him.
This display also verifies something that I found it very difficult to get across at times. You'll notice that this couple have a very practised routine performed with perfect timing. There are some nice moves executed elegantly. But the one thing they don't do is overdo!
These are really quite simple moves, just timed and executed to perfection. The couple work together perfectly, they understand each other and they have no trouble whatsoever estimating exactly where their partner is going to be in relation to themselves. That last point is one that learners and newcomers can find quite challenging.
The bottom line of rock 'n' roll dance is this - what really counts is not which moves you know but rather how you move. This couple excel in that regard.
If you really want to be a sensational dancer, forget about which moves or routines you ought to learn. Just use simple dance moves to practice moving freely and easily in time with the music and you'll get better and better. You'll also become more pleasing to watch. Then, when you do add some complex moves, you will perform them meaningfully instead of just looking rough.