YES! A 30 Minute "Do It Yourself" Dance Course!
Prolog
Welcome to the "E-Z 30 MINUTE DANCE COURSE ™ ©", - the Internet's
VERY FIRST ONLINE DANCE COURSE. Back in the late 1980s, when this went online,
the concept of an Online Dance course was completely unknown.
Yes! The entire course does take a bit more than One Half Hour, BUT,
if you will practice each dance step for just 30 minutes, you will be able
turn to your partner, and say "Shall we Dance?", and then step out onto the
dance floor with complete confidence. You will be able to immediately
start enjoying Ballroom dancing, and you will be learning new dance steps
automatically as you continue dancing. Hint: Start with the most
popular, and easiest of the Ballroom dances - The Waltz or The Foxtrot. After
you have
mastered this step, the others will come much more easily.
DANCE DIAGRAMS
Some folks like to look at each dance step diagram and 'dance' it with
their index and middle fingers. However, most of the Basic steps in this
course have been kept so simple that virtually everyone can start to dance
immediately. First, practice the steps alone, and when you are comfortable
with the step, dance it with a partner. One of the "keys" to each dance is just
that. At the very start of your learning experience, you want to do the "steps"
very slowly and very precisely -over and over, for 30 minutes - so that your
"reflex" movements will be correct later on when you are not concentrating so
hard.
STYLES
Basically, there are two main styles of dancing, - "Smooth" and "Rhythm".
In the 'Smooth' style (Foxtrot, Waltz and Tango), the couple will start and
then dance 'smoothly' around the dance floor, moving in a Counter-clockwise
direction. While in the 'Rhythm' style (Swing, Cha Cha, Rhumba, Mambo),
the dancers stay in the same general area in which they started.
COUPLE
A "Couple" consists of a 'leader' and a 'follower'. The leader chooses the
steps and the order in which they are danced. Since the follower is
unaware of which steps are to come, the leader should - by his
actions - communicate the dance plan clearly, and the follower should not
resist. Mostly, this comunnication is done by the leader's 'weight'
distribution. If he intends to step out with the right foot next, he must
clearly shift his weight to his left foot first. From this, the follower can
infer the next step.
POSITION
Dance Position or Stance is an important consideration. In E-Z 30 Minute course,
we are using the 'CLOSED HOLD' stance. A good understanding of this position
will really help both the lead and follow to maintain their balance and get off to a
good start.
1. Stand facing each other.
For the 'Smooth' dances: approximately 15 to 24 CM or 6 - 8 inches
apart; shoulders parallel.
For the 'Rhythm' dances: approximately 30 - 60 CM or 1 -2 feet apart.
Your body should be offset 1/2 body distance to your own left, so that
your right foot is pointed in between your partner's feet.
This principle is known as "Aim". NEVER dance toe-to-toe! You'll end
up stepping on each other's feet.
2. Men: Your right arm (your partner's main support) is placed just
below the lady's shoulder blade, - fingers together and hand slightly cupped,
allowing you to lead with fingers and heel of the hand. Your right
arm is away from your body; elbow pointing slightly to the side.
3. Women: Your left arm is resting gently on the man's upper arm with
your fingers draped over his shoulder.
4. The woman's right hand rests in the palm of the man's left hand,
raised to eye level of the shorter partner. Note that the "free" hands
are not used to push or pull a partner. Leading is done primarily
through the man's weight distribution and the pressure of his right
hand on the woman's back.
5. "Resistance" - essential for a good dance team - may be defined as
keeping the shoulder, wrist and elbow firm. If the 'lead' has a limp
body or arm, the 'follow' will not be able to sense the direction of
movement.
LINE OF DANCE
When dancing in public, on a crowded dance floor, the couples should
observe 'the line of dance'. This is an invisible line that circles the
dance floor in a Counter-Clockwise direction. Always travel in this
direction to maintain a continuous flow of dance and to avoid 'collisions'.
Just keep your eye looking out 1/4 turn to your left, - over your partner's right shoulder - for
potential collisions.
CONVERSATIONS
Perhaps a friendly word on conversing is proper here. Generally speaking, it is
best NOT to talk while dancing. While a couple is on the dance floor,
their concentration should be on the Dance... not talking. The dance floor
is for dancing. Conversations should take place off the dance floor.
VERY experienced dancers may talk while dancing. This represents only a
'special exception' to the rule: "Dance while on the dance floor, Talk
when off the dance floor." Talking while dancing is one of the "sins"
the public have inherited from Hollywood. It may suit the needs of the film
and acting plot, but it detracts greatly from one's dancing pleasure.
Remember, dance is hot; talk is not.
DANCE SEQUENCES AND "MUSIC BEATS"
Smooth Dances:
'Quick' and 'Slow' "Steps" make up the 'Sequence' or 'Figure'. Quick steps
take One Beat, while the Slow steps take Two Beats. For example, in a 4 Beat
music measure, the steps could be slow, slow; or quick quick slow.
Rhythm Dances:
Rhythm steps are quite different. Instead of using terms such as quick and slow,
we have associated the steps with the music's beats. Hopefully, this will make
the learning much easier. This should be clear when practicing the steps while
listening to the music.
A FRIENDLY WORD
Keep in mind that EVERY dance studio and teacher has a different method of
teaching, and a great many variations of the dance steps are extant. The
Dance Steps shown here were culled from a large number of sources and
chosen both because of their ease of use and simplicity in learning.
After you have studied all of the examples shown here on the BigBands
Database, and have become comfortable dancing with your partner, you will
no doubt notice many more steps and variations used by other dancers. Don't be
afraid to ask about them. Dancers are a very sociable and friendly lot, and
will probably be happy to share their techniques with you.
And lastly, note that while teaching yourself to dance is not only very
practical and eminently "do-able", nothing beats the experience of a
skilled Dance Instructor working within the dance studio environment. There
is a great deal of pleasure to be found in dancing with the group at your
local dance studio. Get out of the house, and go to every Dance you can.
You'll never regret it!
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E-Z 30 MINUTE DANCE COURSE™©
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