Now might be a good time to warn you about some of the pitfalls and traps that can occur when you take up ballroom dancing. It’s easy to pick up bad habits and it’s hard to lose them.
There’s more to dancing than meets the eye. Avoiding the following hazards will make it easier for you.
Ballroom Dancing Pitfall #1 – forget about learning a ton of steps.
If someone is interested in learning new steps before becoming comfortable with the ones they have, they’re said to be “step happy”. Besides, knowing a bunch of steps doesn’t mean you dance well. In fact, it’s the technical execution of your patterns that make you a good ballroom dancer.
When you take the time to become easy to dance with, you’ll never have to look far for a partner. Always put great technique before more steps.
Give choppy transitions the slip.
Knowing how to transition between patterns is a big-time ballroom dancing plus. For the leader, one way to master this is to learn a few combinations of steps that you practice one after the other. The dance will flow better and both you and your partner will enjoy it more because you’re relaxed and confident.
The follower has to be patient and wait for guidance from the leader. In other words, don’t anticipate. Guessing what your partner wants to do is a hazard to your health. This is how people get their toes stepped on.
For more on some of the issues that can come up, read the Dance Safari post, “No Wonder She Said No – How to Satisfy Your Dance Partner“.
For cryin’ out loud, add a little style.
When you’re out social dancing it’s best not to show off. After all, you’re not on stage. However, not using any style at all makes your moves seem too mechanical. That’s not a good look for anyone.
Learn and practice hip action and arm styling. Watch yourself in the mirror or check out a video of your dancing. It’s okay to critique yourself and improve as you create your own style.
Finally, one of the biggest ballroom dancing pitfalls is poor partnership abilities.
As you know, leading and following require specific skills that take time to develop. Do yourself a favor and ask your instructor to spend part of your lessons working to make sure you have what it takes to communicate with your partner. Importantly, you’ll reduce the risk of accidents and other hazards. How nice it is to be aware of yourself, your dance partner, and others on the dance floor.
Becoming a better partner will improve your life off the dance floor, as well. Read this post by Tony Robbins and see how.
It won’t take long to get you up and running with this social dancing stuff. Just make sure you take it one step at a time and don’t forget how important it is to be easy to dance with. And, enjoy the journey!
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