A while ago, I was in a workshop where the instructor told a story. She talked about a girl who spent the whole weekend waiting to be asked to dance. And, the entire weekend, no one asked her. She didn’t know why,…
Almost every scene has had a bad actor in their midst, ranging from lower-level he-said-she-said harassment to full, witnessed assault. Often, organizers and scene leaders are at a loss for an effective way to handle the issue. The default often…
There’s a lot of conversations surrounding whether specific staff and artists at events are paid enough. Very often, these stories are either told from the perspective of an individual who (rightly) recognizes that an event isn’t paying the fair market…
There’s been a trend about celebrating people who dance outside of the traditional roles. Whether it’s male follows, female leads, or ambidextrous dancers, it’s a great thing to see so many people stepping outside of the traditional. I started leading…
Dance is an expensive hobby. We pay for shoes, training, and… socials. But, what a lot of people don’t realize is that there are many ways to get an entire night of dancing for free! Not all of these strategies…
For many of us, whether professional or amateur, dance is a passion that we devote a substantial amount of time, energy, and money to. We engage in training, travelling, and practising to make our dance closer to our perceived ‘ideal’. However,…
Have you ever had an unpleasant dance? Maybe your partner squeezed your hand too hard. Maybe they were generally off-time and a bit rough. What did you do? Did you fix your face into an unsatisfied scowl to teach them…
A Note from Laura: Sydney is a lifelong dancer who holds a Masters degree in dance and has substantial experience in both solo and partnered styles. She is currently travelling around the world to better understand the history, culture, and…
A while ago, I wrote an article about the many reasons that professionals don’t always social dance. However, beyond that, there seems to be a fundamental disconnect both in how advanced dancers treat newer dancers, and the way that new…
Over time, dance communities are moving towards a greater focus on follower empowerment. We are becoming more aware of the value followers bring to a dance, and the need to teach to both followers and leaders. But, some people are still…
In social dance, we often exist in a bliss bubble. We are used to physical touch and trusting those around us. But, these conditions also make it easy for people who are predators to manipulate or prey on us, our…
For many, a fair dance world would be one in which hard work + time = a better dancer. The person who has taken two classes a week religiously for four years would necessarily be stronger than a dancer who has taken…
Some of us complain that when we go to big events, congresses or festivals, we have a hard time getting dances. This specifically seems to affect solo travelers more than those coming with a large local group. These experiences can…
In group classes, it can be a struggle to find the line between providing feedback to a partner, asking for what you want, and becoming the teacher. In my opinion, feedback and asking for what you need from a partner…
Have you ever been told that you were a ‘heavy’ follower, attempted to become lighter, and were then told that you were too disconnected or floppy? Or, have you been told your connection was too “light”, attempted to adjust, and…
