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1. Go Dancing! Of course, lessons,
workshops, and practice are important. But to get
better at dancing, you've got to go out
dancing! Go out swing dancing and social dancing
whenever possible; go dancing at out of town dance
venues. Experience different dance floors and dance
venues. Attend (good) live music dance
venues. A good live music dance venue is a much
different dance experience!
2. Seek Out and Take Opportunities To Learn. Attend
workshops, take a
private lesson, learn from different instructors, watch
video tapes. We are all learning, all the time.
3. Listen To And Learn About Great Swing Music.
Being able to hear and interpret the breaks and
phrases of the music are essential if you want to be
able to dance to the music, rather than just dance.
(Note that there is a lot of music
played in 4/4 time that people "swing dance" to, but
that doesn't make it swing music. Go to a West
Coast Swing, Ballroom, or a Bop Club event.) Many
swing dancers say that the ability to physically
express and interpret the music you are dancing to
is what "ties it all together".
4. Try New Things. Don't be afraid to copy
from other people, experiment. If the new "thing"
works for you, great! If not, don't worry about it
and move on. Note that sometimes dancers find they
seemed to have reached a "plateau". If you find
yourself at a "plateau", do something different.
Analyze your basic steps and patterns and add
something different. Be innovative and get
creative!
5. Ask Someone You Trust To Honesty Evaluate
Your Dancing. Evaluate how you feel and
look, not just your dance style. Leaders:
are you making your partner look good and feel
comfortable? Followers: are you letting
the leader lead?
6. Don't Get the Big Head! Stay humble.
There are always better dancers, and there is always
more you can learn. Besides, if you think you're
great, you won't be open to new ideas.
7. Develop Your Personal Dancing Style.
Everyone's body works slightly different. Learn to
incorporate steps and patterns into your particular
style of swing that make you and your partner feel
good and look good. Be yourself!
8. Don't Be Intimidated. Don't be
afraid to dance with different people. Remember
that the "beginning" dancer of today will some day
in the future be an "intermediate/ advanced"
dancer. Conversely, don't be afraid to ask a more
"experienced" dancer for a dance. This applies to
leaders and followers! At swing dances, it's
normally quite acceptable for a woman to ask a man
if he would like to dance. (Of course, one always
has the option to decline a dance, either ladies or
gentlemen). Dance with everyone - don't limit
yourself.
9. Stop doing steps and patterns.
What? Yes, at some point, you'll want to move
from being a "steps & patterns" dancer to becoming a
dancer that dances to the music. Sure, we all
have to learn new steps and patterns. But
dancing is all about connecting to the music and
your partner. Take time to listen to good
swing music; feel the beat; become familiar with
swing music phrasing, etc.... It's really not
that hard and will make a world of difference in
your dancing!
10. Have Fun! |
