• Community Building - Dance Discussions

    The Pity-Dance Martyr

    November 22, 2016 - By 

    Are you someone who constantly feels like you’re ‘taking one for the team’ when you go dancing or get involved in the community? You might be a dance martyr. Dance martyrs are characterized by feeling like they’re sacrificing their own joy, standard of living, or other happiness by giving back to the dance scene. Dance martyrs can be anyone. They can be the dancer who begrudgingly accepts every dance – even if they didn’t want to. It can be the volunteer who makes the organizer feel guilty asking for help. It can be the professional who makes people feel obligated to support…

  • Social Dancing - Workshops & Classes

    The Truth Behind “Just Feel It”

    November 17, 2016 - By 

    “Just feel it.” It’s a phrase meant to be a catch-all for expression in dance. It’s supposed to speak to an intrinsically natural sensation of being ‘in-tune’ with the music and dance. But, what exactly are we supposed to ‘feel’, and how do we use our ‘feelings’ in dance? More than a ‘Feeling’ Most of the time, the word ‘feeling’ gets conflated with the idea of ’emotion’. You feel happy, sad or angry. But, a ‘feeling’ isn’t limited to an emotion. It can also encompass a state of being, or a texture. For example, being tired is a ‘state’ of being – as…

  • Social Dancing

    6 Reasons You Should Dance West Coast Swing

    November 15, 2016 - By 

    There are countless reasons why dancing (in any form) is something you should have in your life. But there are some elements that are uniquely West Coast Swing. Here are the top 6 reasons I think you should consider learning it. 1. The Music Much like my other favourite, WCS has extremely variable music. From old school blues to contemporary pop and acoustic, you can dance to almost anything with a 4/4 time signature. This makes it easy to find music that you actually like to dance to. 2. The Play I have yet to find a dance that allows as much room for personal expression…

  • Community Building - Dance Discussions

    Should you date that dancer?

    November 14, 2016 - By 

    It’s extremely likely that you will develop feelings for another dancer. It’s also quite possible that you will meet someone who has mutual interest. This leads to the inevitable question: should you date that dancer? The answer? It depends.  Some people swear that they will never date another dancer. Others claim they could only date a dancer. Whether you’re on one of these extremes or fall somewhere in the middle, there are important questions you should answer before getting involved. 1. How jealous are you? Jealous people typically have more problems dating dancers. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of your partner dancing with other…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Health & Safety - Social Dancing

    The Floorcraft Checklist

    November 7, 2016 - By 

    Floorcraft: the dance equivalent of driving. Most people are reasonable drivers – but sometimes you get the truck driver who decides doing a U-turn through a red light on a 6-lane road is a great idea (true story). Or, you could be a completely naive country girl driving for the first time in a big city that accidentally drives the wrong way into the underground streetcars-only lane (It was poorly marked, looked like a normal left turn, and this story is definitely not about me.) Floorcraft is the same. On any given floor, you have people who are: Good at it (normal, experienced people),…

  • Dance Discussions

    Copyright and Credit for the Dance World

    October 27, 2016 - By 

    Disclaimer: Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice or a legal opinion. It is for information purposes only. The base for all discussion is in Canadian common law, and copyright law varies internationally. If you need legal advice on a matter, consult a legal professional licensed in your area. When should you credit? If you use an artist’s work, credit it back. Always. Even if they don’t expect it. Even if you think they’ll never find it. Even if you don’t consider it ‘art’. I’m not only talking about choreographies. I’m talking about photos, videos, costumes, music, and more. For…

  • Dance Discussions

    The Dark Side of Dance Addiction: A Follow-Up

    October 26, 2016 - By 

    I was honestly not expecting such an overwhelming response to my article on dance addiction. It caught me completely off-guard. From the responses, it’s clear that the article resonated with a lot of social dancers – and for that, I’m glad. But, what I want to address here are the people who felt like I was attacking the fact that dance has been a positive influence in their lives. I received several messages from people who highlighted how dance made them less lonely and more connected. On how it replaced superficial friendships with real ones. On how it gave life purpose, and illuminated faulty career…

  • Dance Discussions

    The Dark Side of Dance Addiction

    October 25, 2016 - By 

    Sidenote: I’m glad people are finding this article useful. But, if you are reposting or resharing, please link and credit the original article. We love to joke about being ‘dance addicts’. We’re even proud of it. We glorify flying to other continents to pursue our hobby. We see world-famous dancers with 2 or 3 full Facebook accounts full of fabulous people. We laugh about spending more time on dance-related activities than our day jobs. I’m one of them – and I’m happy to be. It has given me an international network of great friends. It has challenged me physically and mentally. It…

  • Community Building - Social Dancing

    The girl who thought she danced better than she actually could

    October 14, 2016 - By 

    I was once the girl who though I danced better than I actually could. And you know what? Most of you probably were, too. Several of you probably still are. Yes, there are a few people who are (sometimes too) humble. I’ve had students where I just wish they could get a shred of self-confidence to go with their dancing. But, I’d say it’s not the majority. Most students go through a period of know-it-all-ness. It’s just the way things work. (I like to refer to this as the ‘teenager’ dance period.) So, let’s go through a personal case-study of me, who thought she could…

  • Community Building - Fun Stuff

    How to pick a video that gets people into dancing

    October 13, 2016 - By 

    The very first video you show a non-dancer can make or break their decision to give your dance a try. If they like it, they may gamble and come out to a social or class. If they don’t, they may write it off as something they don’t want to do. So, how do you pick the perfect video to show to newbies? Ask yourself five questions: Do the dancers look good doing it? Will the person enjoy the music? Is the videography attractive? Are the movements accessible and attainable to the person? Can the person relate to the dancers in…

  • Fun Stuff - Inspirational

    The 10 Most Influential Thoughts from Dance that Influence my Life

    October 11, 2016 - By 

    I’ve been dancing for over 8 years now. I’ve heard (and seen) a lot of inspirational things. But, there’s 10 thoughts in particular that stuck with me. These 10 thoughts influence much more than only my dancing; they influence my perspectives on the world. I hope you find them as poignant as I do.  “Don’t dance. Just walk.” New dancers frequently spend a lot of time trying to dance. I was one of them, until a teacher told me to focus on walking instead of dancing. Suddenly, dance made sense to me. Any task broken into its basic pieces is far more…

  • Dance Discussions

    Why 10 Years of Experience Won’t Make You a Great Dancer

    October 3, 2016 - By 

    When someone tells you they’ve been dancing for 10 years, do you automatically expect that they’ll be a great dancer? I used to. But, I’ve realized that there can be a massive difference in skill level between people who have been dancing the same length of time. That difference is primarily due to the difference between passive ‘experience’ and active ‘training’. Dancers Under 1 Year Before the first year mark, there’s not as much variation in levels. There are some who are stronger, and there are others who struggle more – but they generally have a similarly shallow pool of knowledge.…