• Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The 2 Types of Social Dance Partners

    October 15, 2014 - By 

    On the social dance floor, there are two distinct groups that a lead or a follow will fall into. At its base level, a social dance will be either “Comfortable” or “Uncomfortable”. It doesn’t matter what level you dance at, you have complete control over which of the two groups you fall into. A complete beginner can give a partner a “Comfortable” dance, and a professional can give a partner an “Uncomfortable” dance quite easily. So, what (in my opinion) is the line between the two groups? To me, there are three main differentials:

  • Fun Stuff

    StarStruck

    September 17, 2013 - By 

    I recently got back from touring Europe for Zouk. It was the first time I had danced outside of Canada for Zouk, and also the first time I met so many “big names” in such close quarters. Back home in Canada, I’m pretty confident in my Zouking skills. I understand my limitations and shortcomings, but when a dancer comes to visit, I very rarely feel nervous about asking them to dance. Additionally, as a performer and local teacher, I feel pretty secure overall as a dancer in my  home country and surrounding area.

  • Community Building - Dance Discussions - Social Dancing

    6 Reasons People Don’t Dance

    August 14, 2013 - By 

    I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the reasons people dance. I have spent far less time thinking about the reasons people don’t – or won’t – dance. Today, in my mindless internet forays, I came across an article about a fitness expert who decided to gain and lose 70 lbs just to see what it felt like and relate to his clients here. What does gaining/losing weight have to do with this article? Not much. But his musings on why people don’t successfully lose weight got me thinking. The following is a hypothesis, and is certainly not backed…

  • Dance Discussions

    No, Yours Isn’t Better Than Mine

    August 12, 2013 - By 

    One of the few times I got myself out to Lindy Hop, a very astounding thing happened. First off, I’m definitely a beginner when it comes to Lindy Hop. Of course, I can dance… which gives me a bit of a head start. In any case, I found myself at a Lindy dance one night, and had plenty of baskets of fun. It’s not my favorite dance in the world, but it’s fun. I see why people go mad bananas over it. As I was leaving, an older man (I won’t call him gentleman for the reasons following) came up to me…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Dance Discussions - Workshops & Classes

    Passion vs. Talent

    June 16, 2013 - By 

    Every once in a while, I see a new dancer who comes into the scene with not a clue what they are doing. Someone who has not had the chance or money to take classes, or who does not have the opportunity to gain exposure to the level of dancing some of us are regularly privy to. Sometimes, this dancer is naturally “gifted”; there is something in their past or some sort of other ability that gives them a jump start in the dance world. Other times, they have just stumbled into dance later in life, but have a deep-seated…

  • Following - Social Dancing

    “Just Follow!”

    June 16, 2013 - By 

    Recently, there was a question on Facebook that caught my interest. Loosely, it asked if a follow should compensate when the leader does something wrong, or ONLY follow what was led. This is a reasonable enough question, but some of the surrounding conversation made me think hard on how we as a dance community conceptualize leading and following.

  • Etiquette - Social Dancing

    That Awkward Moment…

    March 19, 2013 - By 

    It happens to everyone, albeit for different reasons. Because I am quite tall for a lady, often for me it involves a significant height difference between my partner and I.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy close dances with men who are shorter than myself, but if your face is approximately at the same level as my cleavage… please don’t hold me in close hold.

  • Fun Stuff

    The Descriptor Chain

    March 14, 2013 - By 

    Whenever I meet someone new, the inevitable question of “what do you do for fun?” comes up. Usually, the first thing that I say is “I am a dancer, and that’s usually what I do with my nights.” Usually, the first thing the person thinks of is one of these:

  • Etiquette - Fun Stuff - Social Dancing

    Dance Crushes

    March 5, 2013 - By 

    It’s like high school all over again. Your eyes meet the back of their body across a crowded room and you feel your face flush just a little more than being sweaty from dancing usually makes it. Cause, seriously, my goodness can they ever move their body. They just look and feel so damn good to dance with!

  • Beginner-Friendly - Social Dancing

    New-Dance High

    February 28, 2013 - By 

    I have been social dancing now for at least four years. It’s become a major part of my life, including crazy commutes, late nights, and a lack of sleep. Out of those years, there is one particular one that is covered in a shimmery haze of wonderfulness. In the first year that I started social dancing, every night out was an adventure. I would grab my (newly-addicted) friends, primp, dress up every night, and get super excited for the local, once-a-month dance night.

  • Performance & Competition

    A message to all performers!

    February 21, 2013 - By 

    Dear Performers, I love you guys. Seriously. Not everyone has the kohonas to get up on stage, strut their stuff, and be brave enough to risk making a fool of oneself on stage. It’s great! It’s fantastic! Besides, unless it’s a really big mess-up, no one will even notice if you broke on 5 and it’s an On2 routine that one time. Maybe Eddie Torres will if he’s in the audience, but I’m sure he’s done it before and won’t really care either.