• Community Building - Social Dancing

    Technical Snobbery: It is your right, but is it right?

    November 24, 2016 - By 

    Many social dance styles are increasingly putting more emphasis on the development of technical proficiency. This is great on several levels. It prevents injury, raises the level of dancing, and keeps upper-level dancers engaged. It promotes artistry and interpretation. It’s a conduit for dance growth. But, it runs the risk of shutting out people who definitely deserve to be a part of our communities. I recently read a Tango-based article that opens with the sentence “When people really get into tango, it becomes fairly evident that group classes and a few private lessons aren’t really enough.” Enough for what? Unless my…

  • 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),…

  • 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…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    “Common-Sense” Dance Etiquette

    September 30, 2016 - By 

    For most experienced dancers, there are a few things that are known to be ‘common sense’ courtesy. I’m not talking about complex etiquette systems found in some dances (ex: the Cabeco in Tango), but rather things that are the base of general social dance etiquette. Despite the fact that these items are common sense, they’re frequently underappreciated by newcomers to the scene. Or, on occasion, social dancers who aren’t fortunate enough to be educated by their peers. Today, we’re laying out the bare-bones etiquette every social dancer – experienced or new – should know before hitting the dance floor. 1. Shower…

  • Dance Discussions - Health & Safety - Social Dancing

    If Body Rolls are Hurting, Something’s Wrong

    September 26, 2016 - By 

    This is inspired by a conversation I recently had with a Dominican Bachata instructor, who has been relatively uninterested in the ‘Sensual Bachata’ trend. She had decided to come out and give Brazilian Zouk a try, partially to incorporate Zouk-like movements into routines. For example, off-axis turns. Or head movement. Or body rolls and upper body isolations. Like any true professional, she wanted to understand how to do the movements safely and properly before adding it to her work. After a while, she remarked that she wasn’t expecting the waves, head movement, and isolations to be so relaxing. She explained that…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    A Guide to Not Being a Dance “Creep”

    September 23, 2016 - By 

    No one enjoys a dance creep. They’re the ones who won’t take ‘No’ for an answer, dance a little-too-close, and won’t leave you alone on Facebook for weeks. The really bad ones also try to get handsy on the floor, or will do crazy stuff like follow you to your car or room. A dance creep is anyone who engages in behavior that makes those around them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Dance creeps can be men or women. They can be any age, or dance level. They can be intentionally or unintentionally doing the creepy behavior. So, what can we do…

  • Dance Discussions - Etiquette - Following - Social Dancing

    In Defence of the ‘Hot Girl that Can’t Dance’

    September 19, 2016 - By 

    Have you ever gone to an event, and seen that girl? She’s hot. She’s dressed sexy. Her make-up is all done up. To top it all off, she gets asked to dance by all the desirable leads… all night long. There’s only one issue: She can’t dance. Instead of dancing, what she’s doing is flirting with all those leads and using her looks to get dances. She can’t dance; she just looks sexy. She doesn’t even bother to take classes! If only leads weren’t so shallow in their dance choices, they’d be dancing with a real dancer instead. *** Snap out of it. *** Most people I know who attend events…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Social Dancing

    Dance Shoe FAQ: “Do I need dance shoes?” and other questions

    September 9, 2016 - By 

    Ever had a question about your dance shoes? The answer is probably here! Buying dance shoes Q1: “Do I need dance shoes?” [showhide type=”answer1″ more_text=”Show Answer” less_text=”Hide Answer” hidden=”yes”] If you’re planning on dancing regularly (even if 1-2 times a month), dance shoes will make your life significantly easier. Most people don’t realize how big the difference is until they try dance shoes for the first time. Dance shoes help you: Balance better, Turn without stress on your joints, ‘Feel the floor’ more, and Manipulate the foot better.   Most dance shoes have a suede sole – though others have synthetic soles…

  • Health & Safety - Leading - Social Dancing

    Love ’em or Hate ’em: 6 Polarizing Dance Moves

    August 17, 2016 - By 

    There are a few moves in any partner dance that inevitably divide follows right down the middle: they either love ’em, or hate ’em. So, what’s a lead to do? How do you tell whether you have a follow who absolutely adores dips – or wants you to never, ever, EVER do them? What clues are there that your follow is spin-happy, or spin adverse? What are the moves in partner dance that follows either love fiercely, or hate with a deep passion?