Ever wondered what your favourite dance would be like if it were a flesh-and-blood person? I did – and this is what I came up with. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Please note: these are based off of the stereotypes for each dance! They do not represent the *people* who social dance – but the structure of the dance itself!
Kizomba Karina
In a Nutshell: Introverted, Sensual, Deep, Private
Who She Is: Karina is certainly an introvert. While not shy about her body (and quite a fan of sensual encounters), she dislikes the ‘flashy’ in favour of what she feels are deep connections. She can talk about the same thing for hours, provided that she and her partner are willing to unpack every nuance of the subject. She often argues with her identical twin Neoa, who tends to be more outgoing and not nearly as (in Karina’s opinion) refined in her tastes. Whereas Neoa loves to broadcast her conversations for the world, Karina is a firm believer that the best conversations happen between two people – not a person and the world.
As a First Date: Be ready for a marathon of conversation. Whatever the topic, Karina will only be impressed if the two of you can continually delve deeper and deeper into the nuances of what makes the world tick. She wants a deep connection that goes beyond what you do in your day-to-day, preferring a deep intimacy she can only find from complete meeting of the mind and body. She is intense and single-focused in her approach to dating.
What’s Great About Her: She loves to find a deep connection with another person, and will exist in that deep connection for as long as you let her. You can pour out your soul – and Karina will be completely fine with that. She’s looking for depth and substance.
What Can Suck: Karina can get stuck in deep conversation so much that she forgets how to lighten up and just enjoy the fun and happy things. When every conversation needs to be that deep, it can be exhausting for some of her friends and partners. Plus, she’s likely to throw shade at any of her close friends if they engage in any pursuit that shows flash over her type of ‘substance’.
West Coast Swing William
In a Nutshell: Organized, Flexible, Funny, Structured
Who He Is: William is the funny guy who is always on time, but can go with the flow. If you need to organize a social outing, he’ll be your guy. Even if things change last minute, he’s got a plan to account for it – and a joke to lighten the mood. If you say 5 p.m., he’ll be there at 4:50 ready to go. He will always follow the rules, even if he doesn’t like them. But, make no mistake: although he can accommodate sudden switches, bad rules, or disorganization, he’ll absolutely be very vocal about how he didn’t like it!
As a First Date: He will be at the date on time. Don’t be late. He will wait, but he won’t like it – and there likely won’t be a date #2. It’s likely to be a very nice date, with room for you to suggest alternatives if you’re not a fan of the food at the restaurant. It’s likely to be a pretty typical date: dinner, good conversation, with a nice dessert. He won’t put pressure on the physical or romantic, and is likely to not come on very strongly. He’d rather keep conversation light and friendly than deep and romantic.
What’s Great About Him: He is the perfect mix between organized and flexible when it comes to planning. He’s also very principled, which means he will always play by the rules. As a friend, he’s a great support – and will not make things ‘weird’ romantically. You can always rely on him to brighten your mood with a funny joke or light-hearted conversation.
What Can Suck: If you’re looking for a deep, intense connection instead of witty banter, William is not your guy. He doesn’t do sweet nothings and sweeping romantic gestures. He can also be a bit too whiny if he doesn’t like something. Got the wrong order for dinner? He’ll stick out that dinner – but probably never want to come back to that restaurant, citing their poor organization.
Hustle Holly
In a Nutshell: Energetic, Showy, Athletic, Graceful
Who She Is: Holly thrives on anything near or in the limelight. If she can be in the center of the ring, she thrives – and she’ll look damn good doing it. Even if she’s skydiving, she’ll somehow make those weird baggy thing look like a fine suit. She has boundless energy and a go-get-’em attitude. She prides herself on what her body can do, rather than what it looks like. When it comes to anything physical, she is a hard worker willing to put in the extra effort.
As a First Date: Something daring or energetic will capture her attention. Do a Tough Mudder marathon or go scuba diving and she’s sold! Improv classes and other performance mediums also work well. Whatever it is, both her body and mind must be engaged to keep her attention.
What’s Great About Her: She has a body to die for, and her bold spirit will take you to places you’ve never been. She’s graceful in all that she does simply because of how she carries herself, and she’s not afraid to tackle new things head-on.
What Can Suck: She can be exhausting. For people who are less physical, the level of energy constantly moving through her can lead to physical (and mental) burnout – even while Holly is just getting started.