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Two Step Tidewater Sunday Dance News  

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 [Dance Tips - Menu]  

          (01/16/2009 20:08 wh)

More Things I Have Learned While Dancing, By Walter.

(See Dance Tip 24)

Dance Tip of the week:

This week we decided to go back a little bit and look over some previous dance tips. Since Judy and I have had the pleasure of introducing many people to dancing through our Chesapeake Parks & recreation lessons we thought this would be helpful. From February 2003: Things I have learned in dancing: by Walter

When I first decided to take up dancing it was because the few good dancers I noticed a parties seemed to be so confident and having such a great time.

Looking back, I'm not sure if they were truly good dancers or just looked good to me, a non-dancer. I was one of those who avoided parties and school functions if they involved dancing. I had no idea what a Ballroom dancer was or looked like.

With all this in mind I was like countless others who decide to learn how to dance. I thought that you went into a studio, took a few lessons that involved memorizing some steps and you became a dancer.

So, to get back to the main subject, what I learned in dancing:

First I learned that dancing is much more complicated that I imagined.

Then I learned that I never will be done with learning. Once I became enlightened the fun began.

I learned that taking lessons would get a person nowhere unless practice was involved.

I learned that as a rule all dance students had a beginning and mostly were pretty helpful to others.

I learned that as different as the dances seemed at first, they become more similar over time.

I learned that unless you use patterns and moves they are soon pushed back into the cobwebs of forgotten memories.

I learned that although you memorize steps you cannot recall them fast enough to react while dancing. Soon we depend on reflexes, muscle memory and habit to make us dance. It becomes more and more automatic.

I learned that dancing develops your confidence and reflexes and balance and circulation and muscles.

I learned that I have many more friends than before.

I learned to study dancing and try to pick out the skills necessary to lead, socialize, teach and maneuver on a social dance floor.

I learned that dancing is two way communication between the leader and follower.

I learned that it's the little things that count the most when working on dancing skills.

I learned that my dancing looks much worse on video tape than I want.

And finally, during the last few years, I learned to view dancing as a happy activity. Not one to get too uptight over.

From all of this, I have developed two rules, which I ALWAYS try to employ in my own dancing - and to teach others
    1.  HAVE FUN - "If it's not fun, don't do it."  Dancing is not about "divorce court" from you dancing partner, and
    2.  DON'T HURT YOUR PARTNER (or anybody else on the dance floor). 

Pay attention to where and how you dance, always keeping this as a guiding rule.  Dancing can, and should be a wonderfully smooth and exhilarating experience; but, remember, your partner can't have fun - if you are jerky or try to do jazzy moves that you can't lead because you don't know them; because your partner doesn't know them; or because the crowding or condition of the dance floor is not conducive to that move at that time.

Thought for a day..

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

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