• Fun Stuff - Social Dancing

    In Dance, are you Self or Others Oriented?

    July 20, 2021 - By 

    In my experience, there’s a spectrum between being Others-Oriented or Self-Oriented with regards to both dance and life. In dance, these orientations affect almost all our interactions. Generally speaking, Others-Oriented dancers focus on the energy they release into the world around them, while the Self-Oriented dancer is more concerned with what they experience. Let’s talk more about how this informs our dance relationships. Take the Quiz Others vs. Self Oriented Dancers As you start to read this, many of you are probably automatically thinking “of COURSE I’m Others-Oriented! I’m not selfish, and I care about the experiences my partners have!”…

  • Fun Stuff

    The 7 Types of Dance Crushes

    October 31, 2017 - By 

    Dance Crushes: we’ve all had them. They fill us with joy (usually), and are a concept that most non-dancers don’t quite understand. But, have you ever noticed that “Dance Crush” doesn’t always mean the same thing? While it usually refers to someone you love dancing with, it can also be used to talk about others within the dance scene that you have a ‘crush’ on for any reason. Today, we’re going through some of the most common types of “Dance Crushes.” 1. The Gorgeous Crush This dance crush is not always your favourite dancer – but holy crap, they’re beautiful. You…

  • Fun Stuff - Social Dancing

    The 7 Deadly Dancer Sins

    April 4, 2017 - By 

    In many Western cultures, the idea of the 7 Deadly Sins is a common way we frame undesirable attributes. They capture habits that are easy to fall into – but may create havoc in our personal or professional lives. In dance, we have our own ‘Sins’ that can sabotage our dance experience. Some of them are primarily interpersonal problems; they affect our relationships and reputation. Others are primarily personal; they affect our own internal experience – and can even cause us to leave dance forever. Lust The dance sin of Lust is using social dancing solely as a mechanism to make…

  • Fun Stuff

    The Love Languages of Dance

    February 17, 2017 - By 

    Most of us have heard about the five ‘love languages’, when applied to our interpersonal relationships. Some people prefer loving words, while others prefer giving and receiving gifts. Some like actions that show love, and others like physical touch. Some just like the person they care about to be present and engaged. This got me thinking: maybe there’s ‘love languages’ in dance. Maybe part of what makes us connect with certain partners comes down to what connects best with us. TDG Note: Article updated in Jan 2021 with quizzes and additional details.  The Dance Love Languages Just like the original love…

  • Fun Stuff

    Becoming Dance Santa

    December 20, 2016 - By 

    Last week, I saw a beautiful story of how a mother explained the concept of Santa Claus to her young son. It was about the idea of  becoming a Santa, rather than not believing in him. It’s about learning to enjoy the giving of joy rather than only receiving joy. I think we can use this idea in social dancing, too. Receiving Joy in Dance When we start social dancing, many of us rely on our partners to give us joy. We are like children: still focused on our own development, rather than giving back to the dance. It’s not that we don’t want to do…

  • 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…

  • Fun Stuff

    Popular Questions Answered by Dance Addicts

    September 21, 2016 - By 

    Sometimes, the non-dancers of the world ask us questions that we’re not entirely sure how to answer. These should be simple questions – but somehow our addiction makes them so difficult to answer. “What did you do last night?” Verbal Answer: “I… went dancing. Again.” Internally: I need a life. But… dance is life. I’m so confused.  “How was your trip to ______?” Verbal Answer: “It was great! My favourite landmark was the great floor, and my biggest highlight was this amazing dance I had with this person from halfway around the world!” Internally: Have I forgotten what trips are supposed be like, or…

  • Fun Stuff

    10 Things you never thought would happen… Until you started dancing

    September 15, 2016 - By 

    Have you done crazy things since you started dancing, or were you always like that? No matter your particular slant, it’s indisputable that some of the stuff we do is absolutely bonkers. Going to a late night event as an adult with a job… on a Wednesday. We all thought that one day, we’d grow out of the early-adulthood late-nights. Or, perhaps like me, it was never your shtick to begin with… …Until you started dancing. For every dancer, there’s at least a few times where we sacrifice a good night’s sleep for a mid-week event. Some of us regret…

  • Fun Stuff

    Embarrassing Dance Moments

    September 7, 2016 - By 

    We’ve all been social dancing and had some quirky moments. If we’re lucky, we’ve avoided complete embarrassment. But, not all of us are so lucky. Here are are a few embarrassing moments, courtesy of our fellow social dancers (and me): Peek-A-Boo “I was once dancing with my biggest dance-crush (and real crush) while wearing a flowy top. The back of the shirt was only connected at the neckline. It was the first time I wore that shirt social dancing. About halfway through the dance, the lead turned me. As he went to move to close hold, my shirt managed to flip…

  • Fun Stuff

    Graphs that Dancers Can Relate To

    July 21, 2016 - By 

    Dancers are a little bit different. We spend our nights doing crazy things. We spend our days thinking about spending our nights doing crazy things. We travel around the world to dance for a weekend – and many of us don’t even leave the hotel. How many of these graphs do you relate to?

  • Beginner-Friendly - Fun Stuff - Social Dancing

    10 Partner Dance Myths

    June 30, 2016 - By 

    It’s time to dispel some myths about partner dancing. I’ve covered some before, like the idea of learning by social dancing or the idea of right and wrong. But, that’s far from the only misconception or myth that exists about social dancing! Some are actively encouraged, and others are just ‘understandings’ people have when they enter the scene.