• Etiquette - Inspirational - Social Dancing

    The Selfless Dance

    March 31, 2016 - By 

    When you receive a selfless dance, it is magical. It can make you feel like you are on top of the world. At a minimum, it makes you feel happy and peaceful. It can lift your spirits or mend your mood, because the selfless dance is exactly what you needed in that moment. It can rescue your mood after a bad dance. It can make you forget about your daytime troubles. It can create a magical memory to take home. It can make you fall in love with the dance. But, the Selfless Dance should not be about you.

  • Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The Risk of Trashing your Partner’s Dancing

    March 11, 2016 - By 

    “Well, if she could ACTUALLY follow, then…” “He didn’t give me what I wanted. So, I let him know that.” “God, she’s always off time. It’s impossible to dance with her.” “He’s so boring. Can’t he just do something interesting once in a while?” “I didn’t have any good dances because my partners sucked.” “I lost that competition because my partner messed up.” I’ve heard just about every iteration of these thoughts from social dancers. Some more often than others.  But, should we be saying these things?

  • Leading - Social Dancing

    Your Follower is not Fragile

    March 9, 2016 - By 

    Every time I write an article on taking care of your partner on the dancefloor, I get a response that goes something like this: “When I dance with a lady, I take care of her. It is a man’s job to take care of a lady, because she is the fairer sex. On a dance floor, I must therefore make her safe and comfortable, because I am responsible for protecting this fragile gender.”

  • Beginner-Friendly - Workshops & Classes

    The Myth of ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’

    March 8, 2016 - By 

    Have you ever written an essay? Maybe in high school, university, or college? I have. I have never gotten 100% on an essay. I did get a 95% once in the 8 years of post-secondary schooling that I’ve done. Once. On a topic I loved. It never happened again. I am pretty sure you didn’t automatically assume that I am a poor student or writer. This is probably because it seems reasonable to you that I’ve never had a ‘perfect’ score on an essay. Even if I got 75% regularly, you probably would still  think I was a pretty O.K. student.

  • Etiquette - Performance & Competition

    Jack n’ Jills: Do people ‘deserve’ better partners?

    March 2, 2016 - By 

    I remember my first-ever Jack n’ Jill competition in West Coast Swing. I was competing in Newcomer, but I had several years of dance experience before WCS. So, I had an ‘advantage’ over some of the people in the category. I ended up making it to finals. I drew this sweet, older gentleman as a partner. He was very, very nervous. We competed, and in the end I think we came 5th. Not shabby. Then, after the results, he came up to me and apologized for drawing me in competition. I don’t remember the exact wording, but it was something along the…

  • Leading - Social Dancing

    Basics vs. Creative Complexity: What Follows Really Want

    February 29, 2016 - By 

    Many leads I’ve met are frustrated by a paradox they see in the dance world. It can often seem that follows say “I want a guy who leads solid, connected basics – not advanced patterns”. Yet, the same follow is completely smitten by a lead with really, really cool moves that challenge the follower. Obviously, this can lead to a fair amount of frustration. Leads *really really* want to be a great partner dancer and give their follow an amazing time. They want to look good on the floor, and be that lead that the follows can’t wait to dance with.

  • Social Dancing

    What you can Gain from Every Type of Dance Partner

    February 8, 2016 - By 

    Everyone has their favourite social dance partners – which is awesome. Sometimes we just get those oh-so-sweet, buttery smooth dances that make us feel amazing all over. However, it is important to remember that (almost) every partner you encounter has something very, very valuable to teach you on the dance floor. This can either be from a habit they have, or the level they are dancing at. Today, we endeavor to discern what you stand to gain from every social dance partner.

  • Etiquette - Leading - Social Dancing

    Trevor Copp Guest Article: The Gentle(Hu)Man’s Guide to Social Dancing

    February 2, 2016 - By 

    A Note from Laura Riva: I don’t normally post guest articles on my blog, but for Trevor Copp I make an exception. For those who don’t know, Trevor is one of the people behind the Liquid Lead Dancing Tedx Talk that took place a short time ago. He is also one of the people I met in my early dance days – before I even knew what Zouk was! So, when he said he wanted to write an article for TDG, how could I refuse…

  • Etiquette - Social Dancing

    Controlling Your Reactions on the Dancefloor

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    Probably every person on this planet has, at one time or another, reacted a little too strongly to something. Usually, it stems from a perfect storm of stress and other factors which just happen to hit that spot where it’s almost impossible for things to go right – and really easy for things to go wrong. The dance floor is not exempt from this – and that’s OK.

  • Inspirational - Social Dancing

    Becoming a Generous Dancer

    January 18, 2016 - By 

    A generous dancer is one who shares their love of dancing with the world – whatever that world may be. The Performer does this through tireless dedication to their craft, resulting in breathtaking performances of (near) perfection. The Teacher does this through thinking about how they will better communicate their craft to their students every single time they teach. The Mentor does this by guiding their mentees through all the stages of dance development.

  • Fun Stuff

    New Years Resolution: Recognizing Our Dance Inspirations

    December 28, 2015 - By 

    We have a lot of inspirations in the dance scene. Inspirational performers, social dancers, and personalities. People we admire for their dancing, and people we admire for who they are. With the new year approaching, many of us are making new years resolutions. Some we will keep, some we will try to keep, and some are over before they even start. I would put forward one easy new years resolution for every dancer:

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    A Guide to Engaging with your Partner

    December 7, 2015 - By 

    At around 4 a.m. after a Saturday full of dancing, I had quite a memorable conversation with a dancer who had experienced a dance that they were hoping would go very right, but ended up leaving a negatively-tinged aftertaste because they and their partner weren’t on the same mental wavelength. It could have been one person not particularly being into the dance. It could also have been mental distress from a crowded floor, fatigue, or some sort of discomfort with the partner’s style.