Julia posted on September 24, 2009 17:07
5 Tips To Burn Up The Floor!
When you first get up on the dance floor it can be very intimidating. To keep you on the floor there are a couple of handy hints to get through the first stage.
1) Keep your body weight centred. Place the foot first, and then transfer your body weight. This controls your movements.
A common mistake for beginner dancers is moving the body too much while dancing. When we move our whole body into one step we can become unbalanced, uncontrolled and slow. By keeping centred and moving the body AFTER the feet our dancing is controlled, stabilised and moves to the tempo of the music.
2) Don’t stop moving. Even when you make mistakes keep moving and try again. There is nothing worse than a stop/start dance partner.
We have all been there before, the frustration and exhaustion of trying to put the moves to music. However, when dancing with a partner it’s best to keep moving through the mistakes and try again. Ladies want to just keep moving to the music!
3) If the music is getting faster, make your steps smaller. The more compact the moves, the faster it can be done.
A lot of students tend to panic when the pace of the music is increased. Firstly, take a deep breath- you CAN do it. Secondly, don’t change your steps, just make them more compact and under your body. This way you and your partner can burn up the dance floor in comfort and confidence!
4) Never be afraid to try. The only way to learn is to give it a go and practise makes perfect.
Everyone starts as a beginner, the only way to get past that point is to get up and ask someone to dance!
5) Finally, try to stop looking at your feet and smile! Dancing is FUN!
All you want to do is watch your feet to make sure they are doing what they are told. Unfortunately when both parties are looking at their feet it can greatly increase the risk of head butting, make the man wonder if his fly is done up and the lady wondering if she should wear a turtleneck. So take your eyes off the floor and over your partners shoulder, two sets of eyes watching for collisions are better than none.