Want to become a better social dancer? Here are our 5 Tips To Be A Better Social Dancer that will help you get to the point where every second of social dancing is fun!
Go Out & Social Dance!
The more you social dance, the better you will get at it – no exceptions. Don’t wait thinking “I’ll go social dancing after I get better at it” because avoiding social dancing until you are “ready” is not going to help. The only way to get good at social dancing is to social dance. You could take 5 years of classes and you will not be a good a social dancer as someone who has been social dancing every night for 4 months. It’s the social experience that will help you become great, so immerse yourself in the social dance scene!
Practice Your Basics
You will use these elements every time you dance, so practicing and working on them will help you to always feel comfortable on the dance floor. Want to work on something in particular? Great! Think of a couple of things you really want to work on and focus on them while you are dancing; this could be your timing, specific moves or your spins. When you practice these things to the point that you don’t need to think about them anymore, then they will feel natural when you break them out on the dance floor.
Connection (With Your Partner & The Music)
A good social dancer will always have a connection with their partner, allowing both dancers to feel comfortable and have fun on the dance floor. The most important factors for connection are leading and following, musicality and rhythm, connecting the patterns/steps smoothly, and basic social dance etiquette.
Leading and Following:
Musicality & Rhythm:
This takes us back to to Tip #2 – practice! Connecting the patterns so you can move around the dance floor smoothly with your partner. Also, remember that you’re not alone! Remember to navigate around people and any obstacles on a crowded dance floor.
Some of the most important examples include: Lead the lady in a safe, ‘open’ dance spot to dance, both partners should remember personal hygiene (be clean, smell nice and wash your hands regularly in between dances), smile and appear to be enjoying the dance (don’t look distracted), be polite and respect the distance between your partner, know how to decline politely if you need to, do not critique during a dance, walk the lady off the dance floor after your dance.
Keep Attending Dance Classes
No matter what level we are, we can always get better. There is always someone out there who can teach you something, and even doing a different dance will improve your current dance style, so don’t stop going to lessons. A quality instructor will be able to quickly identify your weaknesses and strengths, and help you to become a better dancer. There are many different styles of dance and ways of teaching so find a teacher that suits you and keep going to classes to help improve your social dancing experience.
Have Fun!
Above all enjoy your dancing! Social dancing is about having fun, so don’t worry and try not to get frustrated if things don’t work out the way you planned them. Most importantly, don’t lose sight of the joy of dancing and get caught up in the technicalities too much that it feels like it becomes hard work. Remember, nobody’s perfect so go out there, relax and have a great time!
Stay happy and keep on dancing!
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