Dancing is about MOVING but it is also about WAITING

Last week’s lesson was primarily focused on all the dancing “don’ts”.  The theme of this week’s lesson was primarily around “waiting”.  I have the tendency to step too early in West Coast Swing instead of hanging back and waiting for the ,lead to pull me forward on step “1”.   This idea of waiting either to hold the beat or for the lead to initiate a move is a fairly common thread across all dances. 

In Cha Cha I have the waiting problem too.  The dance has a different rhythm from West Coast but still relies on waiting between beats.  Even though the dance is more staccato with short, quick steps, I tend to anticipate the next move and start stepping before the move is even initiated.  Anticipation is a common dance problem in the best of times but it is especially prevalent when learning a choreographed routine.  Practice does makes perfect but also builds expectation for a particular move.

Again, same holds true for Night Club and Waltz.  I have to remember to wait, step with my foot first, and then let my body follow so that I can lean into my partner’s arms.  This enables me to form the dance frame that looks so beautiful.  Without waiting it is difficult for me to fill all the space within the dance connection. Basically I am learning to dance in a way that looks pretty if I was to be photographed at any moment.  And this is the honest truth!

There is one more truth that I believe is important to share when you are preparing for your first competition. You WILL learn many new dances when preparing for a competition but you also WILL be learning the dances to a specific routine.  This is good but also crippling because without learning the dance socially you will only know certain choreographed moves.  You will also primarily be practicing with your instructor ( I would imagine) which means not only will you get used to the way he/she dances but you will also get accustomed to following a strong lead.  So I would encourage anyone who is planning to compete to yes, practice the routines, practice your footwork, but also practice dancing socially.  It will help you out in the long run, I promise!  Any time you want to practice or start learning you can check out the lessons/classes at Dance Louisville which is a great place with a friendly environment.