Driving back from our lesson with Eddie this afternoon, I passed a minivan whose back window was dominated by a huge decal from a dance studio. Below the studio name was the slogan “Go big or don’t go!” I had to smile because I’d been having the same conversation with Eddie just a couple of hours earlier.

After struggling a lot at our last competition, and then taking a few weeks off with no lessons, I was feeling discouraged and unmotivated. Neither Daniel nor I was sure where we’d start or what we’d be working on in our lesson today. We started by explaining to Eddie as best we could what had happened at the competition: we had trouble with floorcraft when the dancefloor was crowded, and we both tended to forget our steps when we got nervous.

We worked on some strategies for what to do if we get boxed in:

• hold a pose if we happen to be in one.
• stop, close our feet, and restart the step we were in the middle of.
• do basics to get around the traffic jam.

But we also worked on posture and movement to make our dancing appear more aggressive.  Eddie didn’t quite come out and say this, although he agreed with me when I said it: part of floorcraft is psychological.  If we look like we’re big, aggressive, and moving confidently across the floor, other dancers will yield to us more often than if we look tentative and small.  It reminded me of marching band when I was in high school: the very first step and the very first note of the show have to be assertive, our director would tell us.  If you’re going to make a mistake, make a BIG mistake.  Go big or don’t go.

Sharing the floor with us this afternoon was a family–Mom, Dad, Daughter, Son-In-Law-To-Be, and Daughter’s Fabulous All-Rhinestone Wedding Shoes–getting lessons for the bride & groom’s first dance and the father-daughter dance at their wedding reception.  Watching SILTB dance with Daughter, I remembered how important posture and movement are, even for beginning dancers.  If you are a beginner, you are concentrating on remembering the steps.  You’re looking at your feet, your elbows have collapsed, your shoulders are rounded, and you’re taking little, tentative steps for fear of messing up.  Even if you get all the steps right, you don’t look as polished and accomplished as you could.  And let’s face it: if you’re paying for professional instruction for your wedding dance, you want to look polished and accomplished because you know 120 guests will be watching you!

Same goes for just about any social dance situation.  Those same basic steps plus upright posture, a solid dance frame, and a big smile will set you well apart from everyone else on the floor doing the clutch-and-sway.  It’s the ultimate in “fake it till you make it.”

An anticipatory lull has taken hold here at DLDancers HQ as Daniel and I count down the hours till our departure for the Gumbo Dancesport Championships in Baton Rouge this weekend. So I thought I’d take a moment to introduce the Internet to our three mascots and most loyal supporters.

Tango is about 4 years old; Daniel got him before we started dating.  Tiger is 3 months old–we just got him from our dancer friend Jodi Williams (she has more kittens available if you need a mascot of your own).  Mackie is the baby of the family at only 5-6 weeks old.  Daniel found her wandering lost in a parking lost last week and brought her home.

None of them has any aptitude for dancing but they are all excellent at lounging, pouncing, meowing, eating, and being adorable.  (You know: the things dancers do when we’re not dancing.)  We will miss them when we head off to BR.  Special shout-outs of gratitude are due to Shane Trayers who will be on cat patrol while we’re gone.  Thanks, Shane!

(insert dramatic orchestral flourish here)

At our lesson today with Eddie we told him about the recital performance.  He thought we should do a tango because it is more dynamic & dramatic than waltz or foxtrot.  We got to work on song suggestions and he came up with a good one: “Pa’ Bailar–Siempre Quiero Mas” by Bajofondo. (link goes to Amazon.com MP3 page with a sample you can play)

Kelly suggested “Bust Your Windows”–that was a close runner-up but did not fit the theme of “Times of our Lives.”  On reflection, though, I suppose wanting to bust the windows out of someone’s car is an important time in one’s life…

THANKS to everyone who weighed in yesterday.  We are excited about this performance!  Come see us and a whole lot of other talented dancers on June 4 at 2 p.m. at Zuver Center.

This afternoon, Daniel and I went over to the Madison Studio to practice for an hour or so before the studio’s recital rehearsal.  As we were getting ready to leave and I was paying for a new dance card, one of the moms asked if we would be performing in the recital.   I said (maybe with a little touch of mischief) “We haven’t been invited.”  Ms. Madison immediately got big excited eyes and said “Oh! Oh! Do you want to?  Because that would be great!  The programs haven’t even been typed up yet, so we could totally put you in!  I know right where you could go, too!”

We looked at each other for about .05 seconds before agreeing.  Now we have to choose one of our three Smooth routines (waltz, tango, or foxtrot) and pick out a song that fits the recital’s theme, “Times of our Lives.”  I want to do a tango because I think it’s our flashiest number, but the best song I can think of is a waltz: “Time in a Bottle.”  Please leave suggestions in the comments!  The recital is in just a couple of weeks, so we have to decide quickly.

We hope you’ll come to see us perform, and to watch some great dancing from our friends at Madison Studio: June 4 at 2:00 p.m. at Zuver Center on the Mount de Sales campus.

I seem to be on an “advice for beginners” roll this week, maybe because I am always interested in sucking new people into the ballroom world.  Especially when those people are my friends. Extra-especially when they’ve been saying for years that they plan to start lessons, RIMA. (and also CRYSTAL.)

Our friend & instructor Paula East recently sent me a few thoughts about leading and how to approach a new partner:

“How many times have I heard a lady dancer complain about a male dancer with whom she just finished dancing their first dance together.  ‘I had no idea what he wanted me to do.  He just started doing all those crazy moves.’

“Gentlemen, believe me, the secret is to keep things simple until you know what the lady can do.  If she does not follow a step you are trying to lead, it is for two reasons.  Either you don’t know how to lead it or it was beyond her level and she couldn’t follow it.  In either case you are to blame.

“One more point, I may observe a couple dancing intricate and advanced steps together and because of this I may put her into a higher category of dancing.  Looking good with a regular partner is not always an indicator of how good a leader the gentleman dancer is.  Those two dancers know each other so well that they are not really leading and following any longer but are executing a personal routine.  I would still use the same procedure outlined above if I were ever to dance with her for the first time.

“The bottom line is always: Make your first dance a pleasant experience for both and other dances are likely to follow.”

I can attest that Paula’s advice is correct.  With Daniel, I can pull off some complex moves because we dance together so much that I know his lead extremely well.  With someone new it’s a lot easier to get lost.  So, guys: resist the temptation to show off with unknown ladies!

I love to talk about shoes!

Wearing ballroom shoes rather than street shoes really does make a difference.  Ballroom shoes are purpose-built for dancing, so they are easier to move around in.  They help you do the rise & fall in waltz or roll through your feet in rumba, for example.  The suede soles give the perfect amount of grip on the floor–not totally slippery but not sticky either.  Women’s ballroom shoes have well positioned heels that are easier to balance on and help with heel turns in the dances that use heel turns.  They are also soft enough to allow you to point your feet.  Men’s ballroom shoes are lighter, trimmer, and more flexible than street shoes.

Serious dancers have different shoes for different dances.  Daniel and I each have 2 pair: one for Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot) and one for Rhythm* (cha-cha, rumba, swing).  Smooth shoes for women have a closed toe while Rhythm shoes are sandals.  Smooth shoes for men look like jazz oxfords; men’s Rhythm shoes have a Cuban heel.  I think that if you only buy one pair, men should buy Smooth shoes and women should buy Rhythm shoes.

Those are the plain facts.  Now for the deep, dark secrets of shoe-buying:

• Women dancers wear their Rhythm sandals really short–you want your toes to hang off the end a little bit so you can feel the floor as you dance.  This feels weird at first; then you get used to it, and wearing them the “normal” length feels weird.  My Rhythm shoes are an English size 5, which is like an American 7.  I wear an 8 or 8 1/2 street shoe.
• Dancing with men who aren’t wearing proper dance shoes makes me nervous.  A lot of men’s shoes have that extra ridge of hard sole around the outside.  It’s easy to bump exposed toes with that part of the shoe–I’ve had the broken toenails to prove it.
• As you probably guessed from the above, dancers check out each other’s feet and figure out who the dedicated ballroom types are by spotting who is wearing ballroom shoes.
• Suede soles can’t be worn outdoors without damaging them.  That means carrying your shoes in a bag when you go to an event.  You might feel silly walking into a black tie charity ball with a shoe bag, but it’s worth it.  Plus, if you go in sneakers, you get the enjoyment of putting your sneakers back on after a good long evening of dancing.

Not wanting to give anyone free advertising unless they want to give me a shoe sponsorship, I haven’t mentioned any brand names or models in this post.  But if you are curious about what shoes to buy, email me and I’ll be happy to give some recommendations.  Good shoes for social dancing are available for around $60.  Worth every penny, as far as I’m concerned.

Stay tuned for explanation of “Smooth” and “Rhythm” and related terms.

2010 has been so busy thus far that I’ve been guilty of tragic website neglect.  But luckily for our readers (both of you, ha ha), this coming week is Spring Break at Macon State.  I plan to catch up with lots of posts, including

• video of Dianne Kent leading our USA Dance chapter in a new line dance.  Counting to 4 is harder than we thought.
• casualty reports from back-to-back lessons with Eddie next Wednesday and Thursday.
• tips for new dancers from Paula East.
• a roundup of upcoming events and classes: maybe I’ll even get crazy and update the “Local Dance Opportunities” page!
• idle musings.

Stay tuned…

I have to update my WordPress version before I can upload any more photos or videos to the site.  Since photos and videos are clearly the best part, I’d better get on it!  Stay tuned.

Just realized that I have spent the weekend with two of my favorite sadists: Eddie Ares and Jillian Michaels.

Yesterday, Daniel and I attended Eddie’s “Creating Impact” workshop at Academy Ballroom. It was a fast & furious 90 minutes of rumba and cha-cha exercises focused on making our dancing stronger, sharper, and faster. Very little partnering, very few breaks: just dance, dance, dance. At the end when we were chatting with Eddie, I said “Thanks for the butt-kicking!” He chuckled but then said “Well, conditioning is really important.”  Best of all, all the exercises are compact enough patterns that we can practice them at home–provided I can remember them!

He is right about the conditioning, of course. My cardio endurance is better than it used to be, but it could be better still, and my muscles could be stronger too.  So today I did Jillian’s “No More Trouble Zones” workout.  She describes it as a circuit training workout: it is all toning exercises, no cardio, but fast-paced enough that it gets your heart rate going too.  Do a few of her “Surrenders”* and see if your heart doesn’t beat faster.

Eddie’s class was fun.  Jillian’s workout…not so much.  But because her workouts are so challenging, I always feel like I’ve accomplished something after I finish one.  And that’s fun, at least.

*If you don’t know, don’t ask. Trust me.

I spent 2 hours yesterday at a workshop at Academy Ballroom in Atlanta learning tango technique from Eddie Ares & Nancy Senner and spins/turns technique for Latin & Rhythm from Jorge Morales.  It was lots of hard work for brain and body but so worth it.  Watching experts like Eddie, Nancy, and Jorge break down the basics of solid dance technique serves as a reminder of how important those basics are.  Improving the basics like posture and frame makes even the most simple steps look more “advanced” because the dancer looks so much more polished and in control when doing the steps.  Plus, correct posture and a solid frame are essentials for good leading and following.

Chicken arms and beach balls are two images that Eddie used in his part of the workshop to illustrate points about proper dance position.  One of the advantages to taking workshops from different instructors is hearing ideas expressed in different ways.  In two hours yesterday I learned only one thing that totally was new to me (and it was a biggie), but I heard a lot of things I already thought I knew explained and broken down in ways that will help me remember and practice them.  We are planning to start taking some private lessons with Eddie and I can’t wait to be exposed to more of his teaching style.

Hopefully we’ll start lessons with Eddie in about two weeks.  Daniel saw his orthopedist again on Friday after an MRI on Monday.  The orthopedist said he had a muscle sprain in his knee that had caused the joint to become inflamed.  He had to have an injection into the joint which is supposed to coat the joint and allow the inflammation to heal; he is also taking anti-inflammatories every day for two weeks.  Once the two weeks is up, he should be healed up and ready to dance again.  Hooray!

Tonight is our monthly Sunday Night Dance Party at the Howard Community Club, 6:30-9:30 p.m.  Hope to see you there!