• 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 - 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…

  • 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…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    How many times should you ask for a dance?

    May 16, 2016 - By 

    We all have our favourite partners. Usually, these are partners where we could spend a long time dancing with them, and still enjoy our time. Sometimes, we’re more than happy to ask and re-ask for dances throughout the night. A re-ask (for the purposes of this article) is when you ask a person for a dance more than one time in a night. It doesn’t matter whether your first ask was accepted or declined; later asks are still re-asks.

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The difference between ‘Floor Teaching’, ‘Asks’ and ‘Co-operative Learning’

    May 13, 2016 - By 

    A couple days ago, I wrote an article about how teaching on the floor is almost always inappropriate. Out of many conversations, there were a couple common threads that kept appearing: What if I feel I’m in danger, or something is hurting me? What if it’s a social after a class, and/or I’m practicing and figuring out a new movement with a friend? What if it’s someone where 5 seconds of advice could calm them down and make the whole dance better? To me, ‘floor teaching’ does not apply to any of those scenarios. To me, they were completely different concepts…

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    Why is teaching on the dancefloor so irritating?

    May 11, 2016 - By 

    If we’ve been social dancing for any length of time, we know that one of the golden rules is to ‘never teach on the dancefloor’. It’s irritating, it’s rude, and it makes your partner feel really crappy. I’m not talking about the follow who requests that their hands not be squeezed, or the lead who requests a follow not to self-dip. I’m talking about those <s> lovely </s> individuals who stop a dance to explain to you what you’re doing ‘wrong’ and how to fix it.

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The (Mostly) Complete Guide to Dance Body Language ‘Hints’

    May 9, 2016 - By 

    Social dancing is a language. We have our own set of cues and responses that people understand and respond to with various degrees of efficiency. There’s people who speak fluently, people who speak basic, conversational dance, and those who only know a few words. Beyond the movements we use for actual steps, we have a second ‘hidden’ language. This language is what we use to communicate issues that we’re having with the other person’s dancing. This hidden language is sometimes MORE important than the ‘dance language’ itself.

  • Beginner-Friendly - Etiquette - Inspirational - Social Dancing

    Dear Beginner: This is why they told you ‘No’

    April 8, 2016 - By 

    Dear Beginner, I’m so happy you decided to social dance. I’m so happy that you’ve decided that this magnificent world has caught your interest – and I hope it holds it. You’re going to meet many, many amazing people, have fantastic nights, and perhaps even travel to unbelievable events. But you’re also going to be told ‘No’.

  • 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…

  • 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.