DanceRealm.com - Social Dance FAQ

Do I need a dance partner to attend classes/private lessons?

Not at all. If you have a partner, great! It is beneficial to have a practice partner, but it's not necessary. Many dancers attend lessons without a partner and hope to meet new and interesting people. I've had couples meet in class! Hear the wedding bells?

I also ask each person in class to rotate so everyone has an oppertunity to dance with one another. This method actually gives students a greater oppertunity to learn. It gives students more practice and the oppertunity to help each other become a little better. Every person has a different spectrum of understanding and knowledge and it is better to share and learn together while perfecting your lead or follow skills. I encourage students to constantly dance with someone other than their partner because each and every person feels differently on the dance floor, learning to adjust to your partner early on will give you a better oppertunity to advance your skill level.

You may have a private lesson with a dance partner. I am able to dance the lady's and gentleman's part, so it is not necessary to search for a partner if you do not have one.

What's the advantage of taking private lessons?

This question depends on your dance goals and your time frame. If you need wedding choreography, then privates are the only way to go. With private lessons you will learn at your pace and get the advantages that only one-on-one instruction can give: help in areas where you need it, since you have my undivided attention during the time of your private. Group lessons serve as a good introduction to the basic steps and can give you a "taste" of what it'll be like to know how to dance. But if you are serious about improving your dance, there are many benefits of private instruction.

How much time does it take to be good?

Now that's an impossible question to answer. It depends upon a number or factors, like: what dance(s) would like to learn; if you are consistent with your lessons; how often you go dancing socially; and your individual strengths and weaknesses. The quickest way is just to take lessons, go dancing, and have fun! Lessons should not be stressful, so do not focus on what you are doing wrong, take it one step at a time. That is how you'll get further, quicker.

Do I have to pre-register for classes? Can I just show up?

I do appreciate pre-registration. It lets me know how many leaders and followers have signed up for a class. This is helpful since I can call and email other students in order to even out the ladies and gentlemen in the class. But if you do not get the chance to pre-register, I invite you to join the class and bring friends!

What is the age range of people who attend dance events?

That is dependent on the dance venue. Most clubs are 18 or 21 and over only, which makes it extremely difficult for young dancers. Weekend events however are usually open to all ages. The whole purpose is to spread the love of dance and education! There are some dancers still in their elementary years (I wish I had started that young!), and some who have been long retired. There is no age requirement or limit, as long as you can muster enough energy to have FUN.

Do women ask men to dance?

Of course! The atmosphere is very friendly, and it is quite acceptable and common for women to ask men to dance with them. Remember: We are all there to have fun, and most men enjoy being asked to dance. Do not wait around for someone to ask you to dance! There are times when the male:female ratio is extremely out of balance so learn to be a little aggressive, even if you are a beginner. Everyone started as a beginner and no one would get better if they didn't get out there to improve.

Do my shoes matter?

Yes. The whole idea behind dance shoes is that they allow you to move freely and spin on the floor. Not all shoes are made to slide, spin, swivel, etc. The best shoes to dance in have suede leather bottoms or smooth soles. If you're on a budget, hard plastic bottoms from Payless work fine if they do not grip the floor. Rubber (i.e.. tennis shoes or cluncky thick soled boots/shoes) shoes are designed to grip the floor, making it difficult to spin and slide freely. You should not be dancing in rubber soled shoes. The concern is for your safety, since rubber grabs and sticks to the floor, continued use can lead to knee and ankle injuries. The best dance shoes have leather on the bottom. I have found the perfect cost-efficient shoe to practice in - a bowling shoe. They are perfect because they are built like a tennis shoe, have leather on the bottom, and are very inexpensive.

What makes a song West Coast Swing-able?

There is such a broad range of music that can be concidered to be West Coast Swing (rap, R&B, disco, rock-a-billy, contemporary, alternative, pop...), but one must take a look at each individual song to distinguish whether or not it is good to dance to.

The criteria:
- strong even beat
- music time signature is 4/4
- slow (90 bpm) to medium-fast (160 bpm)
- can have syncopations in the music or singing style which allows the oppertunity to play with the music.

However, this list of criteria does not necessarily constitute a "Good" swing. It also has to have a certain feeling that makes you want to dance WCS and contributes to the attitude of the dancers.

How do I remember a move?

You just took a class or saw a really cool move, how can you remember it while you dance? There are three obvious answers to this question:

practice

take notes (PDF)

practice

How does the use of projection help a dancer to communicate?

Projection is the way a dancer presents herself/himself on the dance floor that has to do with confidence, attitude, posture and technique. The way each dancer projects themselves is unique to their own style. You don't see champion dancers looking at the ground, looking worried, dancing with pigeon toes, or jumping around.

More connection is formed between two dancers when they look into each others eyes, pay attention to their partner, have good posture, keep their muscles firm, and move from their center with contra-body movements. It is possible to walk down the street moving from your legs as if your upper body and lower body were removed from each other. But try sending your center (located in the hole beneath your rib cage or solar plexus) forward and allowing your knee to follow and your toes in the grounded foot press down to the floor to send you forward; then add contra-body movement so that the foot that is ready to step has the shoulder on the same side of the body pulling back. (or if the right foot is moving forward the right shoulder is moving back) this does nothing to your hips and makes the body move as one unit.

Im being a little general because I don't know what dances you do regularly. A large problem with west coast swing lately is the tendancies of dancers to strut on the regular basics. (Strutting is the opposite of contra moventents where the shoulder of the same foot follows that foot and over exageration of this movement can take you off a single track so that you are stepping on to 2-3 tracks.) This takes away from the connection on 1 2 that should be there when you pull your shoulder away from your partner. It also allows you to prep yourself naturally before you spin, so that your movements take less effort and cause less injory. In all dances people have to learn to keep their center over the grounded foot. It is very easy to move your foot, but keep your center in the same place - and is another example of separating the upper body from the lower. When you step - in Salsa for example - if your left foot steps forward, your right foot steps back, and you replace your left foot next to your right (1 2 3), then your center should move forward, back, stay in place. The center moves first.

Okay, back to your original question. How does this help a dancer to communicate? it is impossible to communicate without connection. The connection between two dancers in not in the muscles or in the hands... it comes from the center point of balance (CPB). It is the Follower's center connecting to the Leader's center that allows the Follower to follow, and it is the Leader's center connecting to the Follower's center that allows the leader to understand any signals that she is sending his way. If your body is not connected from your toes on up, then your partner has to compensate for you. The less we have to compensate for the other in regards to technique and centering, the better the partnership.

How does the use of focus help dancers to communicate?

First there are a couple of things to focus on while dancing.
1. your partner
2. the music
Your attention should be absorbed. There should be no need for your focus to shift to the audience or your surroundings. (If you practice this on the social dance floor I garuntee you'll improve during competitions!)
There is no partnership without communication and you cannot communicate unless you are focused on each other. This includes any singnals you might send to each other, leads, back leads, extra body movements, facial expressions, etc. When you are focused on your partner, Magic happens. You can learn from each other, interpret the music together, play within the framework of the dance, and more importantly, you can have more fun! - And your audience can tell.
Now you also have to pay attention to the music since that is what you are dancing to. If your partner is off beat, communicate the beat to get you back on. Since it is a partnership, don't give your partner all the responsibility. Not all music is played with even sets of eights. There are different measures added in there as well as breaks. Not only that, all music is different. Spead, beats, instrumentation, vocals, bridge, etc. You can incorporate pieces of the music into your dance via shoulder movements, footwork, facial expressions... and work it with your partner. Also, your partner is also focused on you and what to do next, and might miss something that you picked up - communicate THAT to your partner.