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DANCE QUOTE OF THE DAY #70

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It’s all about the trip!

DANCE QUOTE OF THE DAY #69

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Fail better and faster!

DANCE QUOTE OF THE DAY #67

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You only get one chance to live each one of them!

DANCE QUOTE OF THE DAY #66

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We can show you how!

ROAD TO DANCE: STEP #17 • WHY A DANCE SCHOOL?

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IMG_1812

A Different Concept

We started our school. We had a different concept. We wanted our school to be a social gathering place first and a place to learn to dance second. We also wanted our students to learn to dance well and have more fun than anyone else on the dance floor. To bring their friends to dance. To make new friends at Sam’s. To make the most of their lives. Like we want to make of ours.

Oh, I lost a business partner along the way, but that didn’t change much. The “we” changed to “I” but everything else moved forward as planned. I still stumble a lot. I expect to for awhile. But I get up, brush myself off, and dance! When you believe in your idea, you have to.

 

 

 

 

Dance Quote of the Day #5

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Quote chances

Take a chance on dance.  You’ll love it!

Dance Quote of the Day #2

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QUOTE BABY

We can teach you how to never be left in the corner again!

ROAD TO DANCE: STEP #12 • WHY A DANCE SCHOOL?

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Cuban salsa

Cuba gets into your Blood

Then came CUBA. We went 21/2 years ago for two weeks. We had a guide and driver, Ibrahim, who took us everywhere. That included going to places to hear live music and watch dancing. It’s everywhere in Cuba. The places we went were outside and full of people. It was magical. I knew they were dancing salsa, but they were so smooth, I couldn’t figure out how they were doing it. When some kind men asked me to dance (the men there ask EVERYONE to dance—it’s lovely—take note men!!), I told them I couldn’t because I didn’t have a clue. There were other people dancing who also had no clue but I didn’t want to be one of them (if I had that to do over again, I would want to be one of them)!  (I’m talking about you, tourist wearing flip-flops!!) When we got home, I signed up for salsa classes.

NOTE:  in Cuba, they dance everywhere–they don’t spend a second worrying about if the dance surface is smooth enough or if they have on the right shoes.  They hear music, they dance!  It’s amazing…

 

 

 

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER?

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IMG_1749Are you a Good Leader or a Great Leader? (Or neither?)

First, to define the role:

Leader = responsible for guiding the couple and choosing, then initiating, transitions to different steps.  The leader should signal the follow by using subtle physical and visual cues.

A Good Leader:

  1. Dances at the follower’s level.
  2. Has good musicality, which means the leader can hear the rhythm and understand the nuances in the music.
  3. Is clear.  Not rough or forced, but the signals should be easily understandable to the follower.
  4. Has good connection with the follower.
  5. Is creative, but not a show-off.  Part of being a good leader is making your partner feel great.
  6. Dances safely by watching out for other dancers.
  7. Makes the follower enjoy the dance.
  8. Understands that partner dancing is about two people.
  9. Is familiar with the basic rhythm and elements of the dance.
  10. Is calm, confident, and kind.
  11. Smells clean!

A Great Leader:

  1.  Reads the follower and adapts to his/her level.
  2. Adjusts the lead based on how the follow reacts to each signal.
  3. Can make the follower feel like they are moving together with the music.
  4. Can do all this AND enjoy each dance!

 

(source: zouktheworld)

ROAD TO DANCE: STEP #10 • WHY A DANCE SCHOOL?

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tap shoes

Hoofing with the Oldies

Next up was TAP dancing. My Mom had taken some classes in Arizona and wanted to carry on in Vancouver. I went with. What’s our first rule of dance? We gotta have the right shoes! I now have three pairs of tap shoes and still can’t tap. It was fun though and a lovely lady named Beryl taught the class of seniors–and me. We did have one man in the class, but it was only briefly. We must have terrified him.  The sound of a class full of people tapping in no particular rhythm can be horrendous!  Even if you can’t tap well, it’s tons of fun wearing those shoes and clomping around on a wood floor.  I never get tired of it.