Friday, August 13, 2010

You Can Dance The Swing By Making It Fun


Some years back, I came across a pocket book that advises "SIB-KIS"
(See It Big-Keep It Simple). It's a good rule to follow which I've used in my teachings of Social Ballroom Dancing.
As Pepe and some of his Guest Authors imply in the Blogosphere..social dancing is for the enjoyment of partner dancing. See It Big-Keep It Simple and the Beginner and even the Advanced dancers can reap the fruits of having fun dancing to Smooth, Latin, and Swing rhythms at any venues. Learning the Basics is the most important step to becoming a fun dancer. It won't get you a ticket to perform on "So You Think You Can Dance" nor "Dancing With The Stars" but it'll sure gonna get you on the dance floor and have fun partner dancing. So stick to the basics, absorb it into your feelings till you're ready to climb the ladder to more advanced patterns.
I've been asked many times "why Lani and I teach 4 dances (5 hours each) in a 10 week session". (Lani and I teach 6-7 patterns in the 5 hours). Simply because most social dancers (beginners and advanced) dances only 4 or 5 patterns repeatedly around the dance floor. Sure some advanced dancers will add some showcase movements while social dancing but that's how they felt (the passion) at the moment. That's cool and that's about "letting loose".
You can dance the Swing with basic steps and still look like an advanced dancer by "letting loose". After all Swing Dancing is characterized by Swing To The Left, and Swing To The Right....just like the lyrics to the song . So SIB-KIS and you're on your way to having fun partner dancing.