Category
I want to tell you a true story. It’s the story of a woman who said no to a man when he asked her for a dance. She had never met him before, and didn’t want to dance with him at…
We all know that teaching on the dance floor is not a nice thing to do. But, what about asking your partner to change a particular thing when they do something you don’t like during a social dance?
Dear Beginner, I’m so happy you decided to social dance. I’m so happy that you’ve decided that this magnificent world has caught your interest – and I hope it holds it. You’re going to meet many, many amazing people, have…
“Social Dancer” can mean many things in dance-lingo. It can mean someone who is serious about learning improvised lead-follow dancing. It can means someone who is welcoming to beginners. It also sometimes gets used to describe non-serious dancers who view the…
What if I told you that you have the power to make someone’s night awesome at nearly every social you attend? Well, this is me telling you: Yes, you can. At every single event or social you attend, you have the…
When you receive a selfless dance, it is magical. It can make you feel like you are on top of the world. At a minimum, it makes you feel happy and peaceful. It can lift your spirits or mend your mood,…
“I can tell exactly how my partner dances in the first 5 seconds” I’ve said it before. I know I’m not the only one; this is a pretty common idea in the social dance world. I’ve even written about how…
I’ve seen a lot on Facebook for months about ‘dance queues’, where follows (or leads, in some situations) line up for a particular pro. Sometimes, these lines can be as long as 20 or more dancers… or basically, around an…
How do we know if someone wants to dance? Luckily for us, there are a few behaviors that are dead giveaways that someone is looking to dance. This doesn’t necessarily guarantee that they’ll say yes – but it certainly improves…
Have someone recently told you that you’re their favourite dancer at a congress? Maybe they told you that your dances made their weekend complete? If ‘Yes’, congratulations! That is a very rare and special occasion. Enjoy the good feelings! If…
A week or two ago, we looked at what follows really want from leads… now it’s time to look at the other side of the equation: What do leads really want from follows? Do they want the follow who looks…
Note: Drinking can be a problem for both leads and follows at congresses or events. This article is written from the perspective of a follow, but should be applied equally to both leads AND follows. Congresses are fun. Many are…
“Well, if she could ACTUALLY follow, then…” “He didn’t give me what I wanted. So, I let him know that.” “God, she’s always off time. It’s impossible to dance with her.” “He’s so boring. Can’t he just do something interesting…
Every time I write an article on taking care of your partner on the dancefloor, I get a response that goes something like this: “When I dance with a lady, I take care of her. It is a man’s job…
I remember my first-ever Jack n’ Jill competition in West Coast Swing. I was competing in Newcomer, but I had several years of dance experience before WCS. So, I had an ‘advantage’ over some of the people in the category….
