Alignment (Part 2)

(If you aren't sure what is going on here, refer to the previous post)

So, alignments change in relation to where you are in the room.  Remember how I talked about Line of Dance before in this post?  Line of Dance is very important in defining alignment.

The official definition tells us that Alignment is "In relation to the room" which is accurate, but it is not the entire truth.

Alignment is more in relation to what Line of Dance you are moving along, and Line of Dance is indeed relative to the room.

So to figure out your alignment, all you would have to do is take the chart here and place it on the floor with the arrow pointing down the line of dance of your choice.  Remember, there are only four lines of dance in a room, one going along each wall.  Here is a little graphic of how the above chart could be used:

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Dance Floor

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Notice how the arrow points in the direction you want to be moving down the floor at your current position.

Don't worry, it isn't entirely necessary that you be able to read it.  This is just a guide on how to use the alignment chart.

Basically, all you must remember is that the line with the word "center" must be pointing towards the center of the floor, and the line with the word "wall" must be pointing towards the nearest wall, or the outside of the floor.  Once again, remember there are only four possible lines of dance.

This is very important as it helps a teacher efficiently and quickly convey the direction he wants the couple to face.  Memorizing these will help you spend less time talking, and more time dancing!

So get to it!

-Aaron Mullen

Alignments (Part 1)

Hello!  I finally have time to write blogs again!

Now, on to alignment!

What is alignment?  And why is it important?  Well, the official definition of alignment is, "The direction the feet and body are facing in relation to the room."

Now, what exactly does this mean?  There are eight alignments in total.  Here is a graphic of the eight alignments in Ballroom:

(Click to enlarge)
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You should memorize these alignments, and in my next post I will demonstrate how to use them and understand what they refer to.

-Aaron Mullen

Christmas Time is Coming

Hello readers!

So, Christmas time is nearing.  Here I am, busy as ever, wishing I had a few minutes to make a nice post, but I rarely get that chance anymore.

Do not fear though!  I have not forgotten you!  During Christmas break when I have more time I will definitely make more frequent posts.  I have learnt so many interesting things in the last few months, it will be wonderful to finally share them with you!

See you around Christmas time!

-Aaron Mullen

Offset Dance Position(Standard/Smooth)

Here is a relatively simple thing to do while dancing your Standard or Smooth.  Never stand directly in front of your partner.  You always want to be slightly offset.  This always holds true, regardless of whether you are a man or lady.

Now why is this?  And what exactly does it mean?  Think about it for a second.  If you stand directly in front of your partner, and you take a really long step forward, you're going to step on him or her!  To fix this little dilemma, we change our position slightly so that our right leg and right hip line up with the center of our partner's body.  Because of this little adjustment, our right leg will tend to go between our partner's legs, and the left leg will  tend to step to the left of our partners legs, instead of on top of them!  How absolutely convenient!  No longer is there the need to look down to check where your partner's feet are!

Couple this with a close dance hold as I mentioned in a previous post about body contact, and you will most probably avoid stepping on your partner 99% of the time!

-Aaron Mullen

Take Your First Steps

So, you want to dance but you've never danced before?  No problem!  I have the perfect place to start!

There is this little dance called Foxtrot.  American Smooth Foxtrot to be exact, but we won't delve too deep into those details right now.

All you need to start are your own two feet!

Okay, but in all seriousness, here are the two basic figures you will be using in the very beginning.  I get other maneuvering steps for you later.
                                                                              
Forward basic:  

Men:  Step Forward on Left foot, forward on right, then to the side on your left, and close the right to your left.

Ladies:  Step Back on Right foot, Back on Left, then step to the side on your right, and close the left foot to the left.

As you can see, the term "Forward Basic" is referring to the direction in which the man is moving.  We always refer to the direction in which the man is moving when talking about ballroom.  This is mainly because he is leading.

Back Basic:

Men:  Step Back on the left foot, back on the right, then side on the left, and close the right foot to the left.

Ladies:  Step Forward on the right foot, forward on the left, then side on the right, and close the left foot to the right.
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So, as we might be able to tell, both these figures move us to our left the tiniest bit, which brings us to the very important fact of line of dance which I discussed in an earlier post.

Practice these two figures until you have them down, and you should have a decent foxtrot.

What dance did you take your first steps in?

Leave a comment below!

-Aaron Mullen

New Poll!

I haven't been keeping up with polls lately, but a new poll is up.

The results of the last poll are in.  Only two people voted in the last poll, but to my surprise, both of them enjoyed International style more than American style.

I personally enjoy International more than Smooth, but I was convinced I was in the minority.  I guess perhaps not.

Please vote in the new poll!  It will make the results somewhat more interesting to look at!

Thanks,

-Aaron Mullen

The Importance of Line of Dance

Teacher, what is this important thing you speak of?  This line of dance?

Well, essentially Line of Dance is the proper direction to move around the dance floor on Standard and Smooth dances, as well as some of the Latin and Rhythm Dances which move.

Think of the dance floor almost as a two way street.  Everyone wants to move in the proper direction to avoid accidents.  Once you move in the opposite direction, you start running into people.

Here is a graphical representation of line of dance:

Line of Dance

The arrows indicate the direction in which we need to move around the floor, which is counter-clockwise.

At the areas on the end of the floor, we can move in two directions, while on the long sides we can only move one.  The sizes of these areas will vary with the size of the floor.

You are not allowed to cross any of the lines pictured unless there is an arrow pointing in its direction.  If you cross any of the lines without an arrow pointing at it, you are likely to cause a collision with another couple.

Pay attention to Line of Lance and the direction in which you are moving.  It will make the dancing experience much more pleasant for yourself and everyone around you.

-Aaron Mullen

The International Tango Difference

What is the difference between International Tango and all the other Standard dances?

Well, for starters, our movements are much sharper.  When we move, we want to move our feet relatively quickly.  Also, when executing a Link, which is essentially an opening to promenade, we whip our heads and bodies open very quickly, and stop in proper open/promenade position as quickly as we started.

But the difference I would like to focus on is how we use our knees in Tango.

As I have said before, in standard dances, we never want to get our knees completely straight.  The same is true with Tango, but Tango has one major difference.  There is no rise and fall in International Tango.  We remain with our legs bent as I demonstrate here, and we step without rising or lowering in the ankles or knees.

Often when we do two quicks in a row, we want to straighten the knees a bit.  If this happens, you will pop up.  So you'll end up looking like a piece of toast popping out of the toaster!  That definitely won't look good!.  Try your very best to focus on staying down in the parts of the Tango with two quicks, as it is relatively easy to stay down on slow steps.

So to reiterate.  Do not rise and fall in Tango!  It does not fit the character of the dance!

-Aaron Mullen

Busy Busy

So i just got a partner, and soon I will be going to college.  It would seem I will not have as much time to write blog posts as I did for the past month.  Perhaps I will push the frequency of posts down to once a week or so.  It has been nice having you as readers for the past month or so since I seriously started blogging.  Please continue to return, as I will still be posting about technique and my very own experiences, although less frequently.

Thank you!

-Aaron Mullen

Stepping in International Latin

As I have said, stepping big in International Standard is important, but what about International Latin?

In Latin, almost the complete opposite is true.  We want to take small steps almost all the time.  There are certain exceptions to this, but usually we want to step small.

Why must we take small steps you may ask?  Well, here is why.

As I have said, straightening the knee on every step in Latin is very important.  It makes the dance look crisp, sharp, and full of energy.  But how does taking small steps have any effect on this?  Well, by taking small steps, we travel less.  When we travel less, it is easier to get all our weight over the foot that just stepped.  If we take giant steps, we have to move really far before we can get all our weight on our foot.  If we can't get the weigh over the foot, then it is difficult to straighten our legs with authority and power.  Sure you can straighten your legs without getting over them, but it will look very weak and very limp.

Step small, it will help your Latin technique a lot!

-Aaron Mullen

Leg position

So, how should you hold your legs?  Well, this is my opinion, but you can try it if you like.  I strongly suggest it.

It works like this.  You should feel almost like you are sitting in a chair, meaning your legs will be slightly bent.  Your legs should look something like this:

I drew a few lines to help you see better what my body is doing.  As you can see, I have slightly flexed knees.  My weight is centered over the middle of my feet.  I also have a straight back.  Do not lean backwards or forwards.

Practice holding this position.  It will give you a good idea of how Standard dances should feel in the legs.  Eventually you will have to start moving, but that is a different story.

-Aaron Mullen

1000 pageviews

I thought I would mention this minor milestone.

So today Natural Turn reached One Thousand page views!

Thank you everyone for your support.  I hope you will continue to visit and enjoy my blog!

-Aaron Mullen

Smooth/Standard Legs

How do we use our legs properly in the Smooth and Standard Ballroom divisions?

For starters, our legs should never be completely straight.  Our legs actually need to be slightly bent at ALL times.  If you straighten them, it will likely cause your next step to be clunky.  Think of it this way.  Imagine your leg is like a car's suspension.  A car's suspension is designed to absorb shocks and give a smooth ride, correct?  What happens if you don't have any shocks on your car?  Your ride is going to feel a lot more bumpy!  The same thing happens when you step with a straight leg.  The energy of your step will not be dissipated by your knees bending, and you will probably end up having your body get jarred and pop up, almost like you are doing a pole vault.  Not a good thing when you're trying to be as smooth as humanly possible.  So we should always step with an ALMOST straight leg, but never completely straight.

We also want our knees to look soft for smooth.  By straightening the knee we gain a very sharp look which we never want in Smooth or Standard.

Do your very best to never straighten the leg in Smooth or Standard, otherwise it might look clunky or too sharp!

-Aaron Mullen

In the Beginning

To me, the introduction into ballroom is one of the most important parts of learning or teaching properly.  If you don't get a good introduction, you will learn very slowly, and eventually you will have to fix many bad habits that were learnt in the beginning.  Obviously, we want to start with the simplest dance of them all.  Latin or Rhythm dances would most certainly get the basic ideas of changing the feet on every step and timing, but this doesn't help us with moving down line of dance.  But Waltz is just too confusing, and we don't want to confuse our beginners with the Tango 'tap' step.  So what is the perfect dance to start with?

In my opinion, the very first dance anyone should learn is American foxtrot.  I know I rank on this little dance for not being quite as nice as International Foxtrot, but the truth is, as an introduction into dance, nothing beats it!

You see, in American foxtrot we have that simple "step, step, side, close" rhythm which can be repeated over as many times as we want.  Knowing that the "side close" is the end of every basic figure can help the lady follow the man, and the man has less to think about.

Also, the lack of turns in the beginning makes it very simple to pick up and dance.  Not having to worry if you are facing this wall or that wall takes another confusing element away.  All the man has to do is focus on his pattern and face the outside wall.  Pretty convenient isn't it?

Also, the first four basic steps we learn, the forward basic, back basic, promenade, and rock turn can be danced in any order, as in any one of these steps can be danced directly after any of the other steps, with one small exception; the rock turn should only be done once in every corner, but it still can come before or after any of the other steps I mentioned.  Its pretty convenient because you don't have to worry where the step is going to put you, you just have to worry about what step you will do next.

If you are looking into ballroom, I plan on making a little tutorial on how to start with Foxtrot.  But this is why, in my opinion, essentially everyone should start off with foxtrot.

-Aaron Mullen

Rise and Fall

A good dance teacher always mentions it, but why is the rise and fall so important?  Isn't it just so we look nice when we dance it?  Well, this is true to an extent, but there are other reasons as to why proper rise and fall are needed.

The man can use the rise and fall to help lead the lady.  It is substantially easier to follow the man when he is doing proper rise and fall.  This is mainly because it is easier to tell where in the measure or music the man is.  Consider it this way.  If the man rises and falls at the proper time in Waltz, the lady will always know what timing the man is on.  If he lowers and remains down on a step, the lady knows the man is dancing 1.  If the man rises and remains up on a step, the lady knows the man is dancing 2.  And finally, if the man lowers on the end of a step, the lady knows he is dancing a 3.  So the lady can gauge where the man is in the measure just by feeling the rise and fall!  Who would have thought!

If used properly, the rise and fall can also help with stride length.  As you may know, in International Standard or American Smooth, bigger steps are almost always better!  when you rise you will lose a little stride length, but when you lower, you will gain insane amounts of speed if it is executed properly.  Why is this?  Think of it like this.  Say you have a folded over newspaper like so:

 Se how it barely spans the width of the table?  Now push it closer to the table like so:

Now the newspaper spans much more of the table although the sides of the newspaper are still the same length!  Now imagine your legs are the sides of the newspaper, and the table is the floor.  The lower you go, the farther you can step across the floor!  Make sure you use the fall to your advantage!  Otherwise it is wasted motion.

Rise and fall is useful indeed!

-Aaron Mullen

My First Performance

So here is a video of my very first performance in public.

I remember working on this routine.  It was a nightmare.  We always messed it up, and actually my one mistake was cut out near the end.

I'm the couple on the far left.  The tallest couple.  It's not actually as bad as I remember.





This was was already four years ago!  I can't believe its been so long!

-Aaron Mullen

Weekly Poll #1 (Aug. 19)

So the results are as I kind of expected.  There are always going to be more social dancers than competitive dancers.  Dancing is fun, no one can deny that, and not everyone wants or needs to take it so seriously.  Here are the final results:

We have 2 competitive dancers coming in at 28%.
And we have the majority of dancers being social dancers.  They clock in at 71%.

Hmm, what to poll next...

-Aaron Mullen

Logo Experimentation

I am attempting to design a logo for Natural Turn.  So far I have come up with a few designs.  They are all rather interesting, but so far I don't think anything has hit the spot.  Here is one of the things I came up with:

The problem with this one is that it is too tall.  I can't fit it in on the top of the page without it looking funny.  Oh well, I guess I'll keep working at it.

-Aaron Mullen

Why do I love ballroom?

There are many reasons as to why I love to Ballroom Dance.

     The first of many reasons is that I greatly enjoy the social aspect of Ballroom.  It is true, I rarely dance 'socially' in a party situation, but there is indeed a very social aspect to competitive dancing.  There is something very special about dancing with a partner.  A special bond forms between partners.  Sometimes it can be purely professional, but oftentimes it can flourish into a close friendship.  It's so nice to know that you don't have to go it alone, and that you are sharing all your experiences with another!  Its so much fun to remember times and competitions past!

     Second, I enjoy how I can use Ballroom as an avenue to improved myself as a human being.  By teaching ballroom, I have gained the ability to speak confidently in front of a crowd.  Also, I find that in one-on-one conversations I speak and think quicker on my toes.  I find it has also helped me be more responsible.  Having to be at the studio every night is a big responsibility!  And of course, I am also improving my own skills as a ballroom dancer. I know that there are many times in sports, people will compete for personal glory, or so they can best other people, but I find that my purpose to compete is purely to become better as a dancer, to better myself.

     I also greatly enjoy helping others learn to Ballroom Dance.  It is a pure joy to watch others learn from me and excel!  To watch them grow from a timid and unsure dancer into a confident and outgoing dancer is a wonder to behold!

     Ballroom Dancing is a wonderful experience.  Whether you dance socially or not is entirely up to you, but I am certain that either way you will have the time of your life!

Why do you love Ballroom?  Did I hit the nail on the head?  Or do you have other reasons as well?  Let us know in the comments below!

-Aaron Mullen

Stand Up Straight!

This is probably one of the most important parts of Ballroom Dancing.

When we stand up straight we are in balance.  If we are not as straight as possible, our bodies will start swinging out in all different directions.

If this doesn't make sense, then consider this.  Say you have an umbrella over your table outside.  You know, one of those that stick in the middle of the table?  Now, imagine you are spinning the umbrella while it stands upright.  It is relatively easy to move.  Now, say it is one of those that can bend over at a point in the middle.  Bend it over a slight bit, then try to rotate it again.  Not as easy the second time is it?  And if you spin it fast enough, it may end up pulling the whole table over!  The same thing will happen if you either stick your head forward, or if you stick your bottom out backwards.  They will act like the top of the umbrella.  Your body will always want to move towards the center point of balance while you spin, and if something is not centered completely over your feet, your center point of balance will be somewhere other then over your feet, and you might end up falling over like the umbrella.

Now, how do we stand up straight?  How do you know if you have that ideal posture?  A good place to start is your wall.  No, I'm not kidding, your everyday holding-up-the-house wall.  All you need to do is stand with your back to the wall, and get as much of your body as is comfortable to touch the wall.  Usually this will be your head, shoulder line, hips, a lot of your legs, and your heels.  Move off the wall slowly after you have done this, and hold the position.  This is your starting point for good posture!

As my teacher always says, "If you don't know how to dance, at least make it look like you can!"  Good posture will really help your dancing look good.  This coupled with a good frame will make your dancing look impeccably good.  You can check the post I wrote about frame Here!

This posture though will generally apply to all styles of Ballroom until you become better at dancing.  Then you can start experimenting with all kinds of funny positions.  But for beginners, it is important to just stand up straight!

-Aaron Mullen

A Picture I Drew

Here is a little something I drew a while back.  I am thinking of turning it into the logo for Natural Turn somehow.  Maybe I can write "Natural Turn" across it and change colors a bit.  I believe with some changes it could look quite nice.

-Aaron Mullen

Ask Me Anything!

Well, not quite anything, but you get my point.  Almost anything Ballroom Related.

Just send me a question about any ballroom related topic, and I will try to answer to the best of my ability.  Sadly, I can't really give advice out to more experienced dancers, mainly due to the fact that after a certain point, almost everything is personal opinion.

Be aware that if you ask me a question I will probably post my answer along with your question, but you will remain anonymous unless you state that you would like to have your name included in the post.

Please contact me by e-mail, and be sure to state that it is a ballroom question in the subject line.  You could even send a video explaining your question if you like!

Thanks, and I hope to hear from you!

-Aaron Mullen

What is a Pivot?

Maybe your teacher mentions it all the time, or maybe he doesn't at all, but it is an extremely important part of Ballroom.

What is a pivot you may ask?  A pivot is a specific way of turning.  A pivot is simply a turn on the ball of your foot.  Usually it is half a turn, or 180 degrees, but sometimes it can go up to a full revolution, or 360 degrees.

But don't we always turn on one foot?  Yes, this is true, but this is pretty different from what we will usually do for a usual turn.

So how do we execute a pivot?  A good way to practice the pivot is by stepping forward on the left, turning to the left on the ball of your foot so you end up facing opposite of the direction you started, so half a turn.  Next, step backwards on the right foot and continuing to turn left, but now on the ball of your right foot, then face the opposite direction.  After this, you can repeat this exercise over and over again.  The result should be you moving down the floor the direction you started facing.

One final tip.  While executing a pivot, your feet must always be facing the same direction as your hips are facing, a slight bit outwards is okay as well.  The problem is, once you leave your foot behind, it will decrease your turn, and it probably won't be a pivot.  Move the foot with you!

Maybe you were already executing pivots without knowing it.  I discussed a spin turn earlier, and if you execute it correctly, there is a pivot in there.

Have fun with the pivots!

-Aaron Mullen

I Taught Last Night

Last night after the usual schedule, my teacher asked me to teach one of his semi-private lessons.  He had some scheduling he wanted to do, and of course I obliged.

They were beginners.  It is infrequent that I get to teach a completely beginner class

After teaching yesterday I realized I have gained a lot of confidence in my abilities to teach.  I definitely am much more competent as a teacher then a few months ago, and I now know I am fully ready to be teaching.  I guess those two years of going to the studio every weeknight have finally paid off!

I thought I would share that with my wonderful readers!

-Aaron Mullen

Teacher! My Spin Turn Isn't working!

Imagine, you and your partner are Waltzing gracefully across the floor.  You only started dancing about a month ago, but you already feel like you are dancing like a pro.  Suddenly, you remember the step your teacher showed you the other night.  You know, the Spin Turn?  As you do your basic combination, you are determining how to fit it in.  Then you remember!  Okay first we set up with a Closed Change with the left foot forward, then a Natural Turn.  You execute these steps, but alas, your Spin Turn becomes a jumbled mess!  Legs crash, dance position changes, and the man doesn't get around enough!  All previous notions of professionalism are dashed!

But, have no fear!  Teacher is here!

A number of things could have happened:

• The Man or Lady did not hold their frame.  I said it before, and I'll say it again.  If you are spinning, you need to hold your frame.  It will prevent you and your partner from flying far apart and increasing the distance you have to spin.  Not holding the frame can also lead to the next problem.

• The Lady opened when she wasn't supposed to.  Ladies, know this.  If you open when you aren't supposed to, it can mess things up, but there is not a single step where it will be a problem if you stay closed when the man wants you open.  And remember!  Hold the frame!

• The Man stepped straight back on the very first step with his left foot.  Remember, the lady is going to step inside the man.  Take this first step back and slightly to the left.  Doing this will help the turn start at the proper time, and it will help the lady get around you to finish the step.  If you step straight back, this step will never work!

• The lady didn't step inside the man on the first step with her right leg.  I mentioned this above, but I thought I would stress it.  This again can be caused by not holding the frame.

Here is a video of a combination starting with a Natural Turn, then Spin Turn, then a Reverse Turn for reference:

It starts with a Natural Turn, then Spin Turn, then a Reverse Turn.

Many other things may have happened, but this is a good list for starters!

So the moral of the story is?  Holding your frame is important!  I cannot stress this point enough.  But I hope this helps you with your Spin Turn.

-Aaron Mullen

Breathing

Recently I have been experimenting with breathing in my Standard dancing.

The idea is to breath in deeply when you are rising into an 'up' step in any of the Standard or Smooth dances.  Your rib cage expands when you inhale, giving you a very 'up' and extended look.  Once you are finished rising on the 'up' step, release the air in your lungs and lower for your next 'down' step, and then repeat the process again.

While dancing Smooth and Standard we always want to look as tall and as confident as possible, and this motion will make the contrast between your 'up' and 'down' steps seem even greater.  Thus, you will look like you are going even higher than you really are!

Try it out, you might find it works!

-Aaron Mullen

The History of the Viennese Waltz

Did you know that the Viennese Waltz it the oldest of the current ballroom dances?

The Viennese Waltz originated in Austria during the mid to late 1700's.

In its youth, the Viennese Waltz was actually met with much criticism.  The Viennese Waltz spins very quickly and many people believed the dance to be scandalous due to the fact that it required a very close hold to execute.  In the early 1800's, the dance continued to grow in popularity, and it was introduced into the British courts, and due to this, it essentially became socially acceptable!

An interesting little history.

-Aaron Mullen

Dance Frame in Standard/Smooth

How should we hold our dance frame?  Simple.  You just hold it!

Now, what I mean by this is from your hips up, everything should move as a single unit.  

Say you are holding your arms parallel to the ground in dance hold.  If I come up to you and push one of your arms around, your upper body should move with it.  The trick though is making sure the shape of your frame is maintained no matter where I push it.  If your arm goes up, down, left, or right independently of the rest of your upper body, you are moving incorrectly.

Men, how are you going to help the lady with your arms if your arms are doing something completely different from the rest of your body?  And ladies, how are the man's arms going to help you if your arms are doing something completely different from the rest of your body?  The answer is, they can help you, but the lead will not be half as strong as if you both are holding your frame correctly.

The truth is, you might as well not use your arms if your frame keeps changing shape!

-Aaron Mullen

New Partner

Alright, so I met my probably future dance partner on Saturday.  She seems very pleasant.  Hopefully we can make it work.  She actually knows one of my previous dance partners, which I found pretty interesting.

I hope we can go far with this partnership!

-Aaron Mullen

The Importance of Body Contact in Standard/Smooth

Why is body contact so vital in the Standard and Smooth dance divisions?  There are actually three very good reasons.

First, if you are closer together, it is much easier to know where your partner's feet are.  Thus, the chances of you stepping on your partner or tripping on their legs are greatly decreased.

Second, body contact aids the lady in following the man's lead.  Consider it like this, when your hips are touching, there is an extra point of contact with which to lead or follow.  Otherwise there are only two points of contact, your left and right arms.  Not only this, but the man's hips are a much better leader than his arms.  A man's arms can lie; they can go one way, and he could move the other.  The man's hips on the other hand always go where he is going, so the lady never have to guess what the man wants if their hips are touching.

And last but not least, body contact greatly reduces the difficulty of spins and pivots.  I will liken it to this situation.  Consider you have both your hands laying on the side of your body.  When you spin like this, it is easy to turn really fast.  Now, put your arms at a parallel line to the ground then spin again.  Now it isn't quite as easy to spin, is it?  Think of your hands as two partners.  The closer they are together, the faster they spin, and the farther they are from eachother, the harder it is to spin.  Its because the bigger your circle of rotation, the farther you have to move to make your spin!  Thus it is harder to spin very quickly.

So the moral of this story is?  Body contact is important.  You should do it too!

-Aaron Mullen

Weekly Poll

If you have been visiting Natural Turn frequently, you probably will have noticed the new tab on the top of the page entitled "Weekly Poll."  It is a place where, as the name states, you will be able to find the poll of the week which I hope to post every Saturday.

I will be posting the results on the home page every Saturday or Sunday hopefully, then re-posting a brand new one afterwards.

Right now the poll is something very simple, but I hope to have more interesting polls as time goes on.  You could call this poll a trial run if you like.

I am always open to suggestions.  If you want to suggest a poll, just let me know in the comments section on the bottom of the Weekly Poll page.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the new poll section!

-Aaron Mullen

Timing

I'm sure you've heard this over a million times, but it is so important I feel like reiterating it.

Timing.  It is the most important part of any style of dancing.  If you are off time, you are completely missing the point of dancing.  When you dance you are trying to flow with the music, and when you dance off time, you are obviously not flowing with the music.

If you can't dance on time, then it should be what you are working on.  Don't worry about anything until you have the timing down almost completely!

I suppose this is pretty generic ballroom information, and you've probably heard it a million times, but it is also the most important piece of information anyone can provide!

-Aaron Mullen

On Dance Shoes

Simply put, the tighter the shoes, the better.

Now of course, they have to be comfortable as well.  You can't dance while you are in pain, but your shoes should be as tight as possible.  It should feel more like an extension of your body, not some floppy piece of thing over which you have very little control.  The more room there is for your foot to move around in the shoe, the more room there is for error.

So tighten up those shoes as much as possible!  No one likes sloppy feet!

-Aaron Mullen

Title Adjustment

As you can see, I changed the title of my blog slightly.  This is to help people find this blog who are interested specifically in Ballroom Dancing.  I apologize for any confusion, but I believe in the long run this will be a much better title!  A much better description of what goes on here.

-Aaron Mullen

Waltz and Foxtrot Sway

I took a lesson today, and it turns out I was doing TOO much of something.  I find it funny that I am talented enough to do too much of a good thing now.

Okay, so what I was doing incorrectly was the sway in International Foxtrot.  It turns out I was swaying too much, and I was leaning backwards a bit, thus decreasing my forward momentum.  I was basically trying to do Waltz sway in Foxtrot.

See, the reason we do so much sway in Waltz is to counterbalance our sideways movement during a "side close".  If we take a giant step to the side, then close our feet without sway, we will end up moving past our closed feet and falling over.  We are just moving so fast we cannot stop, so we need the sway to keep ourselves from going too far and falling over!  Sway makes the dance look graceful, but it has utility as well!  Interesting isn't it?

So International Foxtrot doesn't require as much sway as International Waltz because we are almost always passing our feet.  A very nice fact to know.

-Aaron Mullen

The Origins of Ballroom Dancing

Where and when exactly did Ballroom Dance originate you may ask?  That my friend, is a good question.

It all started back sometime in the 16th century.  The peasants at the time developed some partner dances involving a man and a woman, and they would dance these at social occasions.  Soon the higher classes of France and England adopted this custom, and they formed balls at which there was much fanfare and much ado about clothing.

Over the next hundred years or so, Ballroom continued to grow in popularity, and certain rules were formed for the execution of each dance.

Around the 18th century, it became common practice for nobility to entertain their guests with elaborate balls.

In the 19th century, you would have started seeing the lower classes influence the world of Ballroom Dance again, as dances like the Polka surfaced.

Eventually America discovered Ballroom in the early 20th century, and Ballroom started taking off in popularity.  Despite its popularity, the interest in Ballroom slowed a bit in the mid 20th century, but it maintained a good crowd of people who really enjoyed it.

Recently there has been a resurgence in the popularity of Ballroom, much to the thanks of some popular TV shows like Dancing with the Stars.

So at the beginning of the 21st century, Ballroom is alive and well!

This is a very very brief history of Ballroom Dancing, I hope you enjoyed the fruits of my research!

-Aaron Mullen

Teaching Again

Ah, its nice to teach my own lessons again.  My parents had stopped taking lessons from me for a while, and they just started taking lessons from me again last night.

I taught them Rumba.  I went over the usual Basic, Fan, and Hockeystick, then I went over the shoulder to shoulder then showed them the true Rumba Basic.

It was neat.  I showed them how it is necessary to have tension in the arms to have a proper lead.

So that was my night.

-Aaron Mullen

Let Them Learn

Something I've learned as a teacher is not to constantly throw stuff at the students.  They need time to absorb the information you are giving them.  If you constantly give them new stuff to do, they will be extremely confused, and will end up doing nothing right.  Let them do the step a few times, give them a piece of advice, let them do it  a bunch more times, give them advice, and repeat this over and over.

People can usually only focus on learning one new thing at a time, so don't try to get them to learn everything at once.

-Aaron Mullen

Monday: American Foxtrot and Cha Cha

So yesterday at the studio we did American Foxtrot.  Boy do I ever dislike that dance.  It's like a wannabe International Foxtrot.  It just doesn't work.  Every time you close your feet you lose the flow and momentum of the dance.  I'm sorry if you really enjoy it, it really just isn't a very nicely put together dance.

Afterwards though, I got to teach Cha Cha for a bit.  I think I made the mistake of going through the whole step at once instead of breaking it down into a few steps at a time.  It generally is a good idea to break it down into separate parts first unless you are certain that the class has done it before and know it well.

In other news, I am looking at redesigning this blog a bit.  Everything is kind of out of place, so I want to organize it a bit.

-Aaron Mullen

International Foxtrot Timing Variation

There is a very interesting variation on the International Foxtrot Timing I thought I would share:

Instead of stepping on the usual 1 for 'slow', you must step on 2 for 'slow', then continue to dance 3 as the usual quick, and 4 as the usual quick.  Due to the fact that you will be taking the actual step much later in the count, your 'slow' step will be substantially longer because you have more time to move it.

Try switching it up a bit.  You can always continue the way you have been doing it, but who knows, you might like this!

-Aaron Mullen

Dance Tomorrow

Hooray!  Tomorrow is Monday, and I am sure you know what that means!  Dance!

I am greatly looking forward to it.  The last few days were kind of empty, so I would have enjoyed to have had a little dance in there.

On to bed!

-Aaron Mullen

Humble Beginnings

Well, its been a while since I started dancing, about 6 years since I started taking lessons, almost 7.

I started taking Ballrooom lessons at around 13.  At the time I was afraid of girls like they were some kind of different species or something.  I was terrified and did not want to go, but my mother insisted., so of course I had to attend.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, sure I was still a shy young bloke, but the girls were very pleasant, so I didn't mind them at all after a few weeks.  After a year or two, my teacher pushed me into competition.  And the rest is history!

Ah, how the time flies.  It's been a wonderful journey, and I'm just getting started!

If you'd like, leave a comment detailing how you got started Ballroom Dancing!  And if you don't dance Ballroom, let us know why you would like to, or what other types of dance you do.

What is your humble beginning story?

-Aaron Mullen

Dancesport in the Olympics

I received an e-mail I from USA Dance about Dancesport in the Olympics, in which it stated that DanceSport is near becoming an Olympic Sport.  It also stated that next year the Olympic-affiliated World Games will again include DanceSport dances.


Interesting, but I'm not really sure how much this really has to do with Ballroom becoming an Olympic sport.  I believe they have an extremely optimistic outlook on this, and I somehow think it won't be happening as early as they might make it out to be.  Of course, I may be completely wrong.  Only time will tell.


There was also a video link sent with the e-mail which is I belive entitled, "The Olympic Dream".  It's really nothing special, but you can watch it below if you like:







Hopefully this Olympic dream happens soon!


-Aaron Mullen

Late Night

Yesterday was kinda nice.  We worked on Hustle a bit, and I was kinda lost for most of it, but I eventually figured it out.

Also, more Foxtrot!  I can't get enough of that dance.

Sorry for a tiny post, I really should be going to bed!

-Aaron Mullen

Help the Man Out!

More Foxtrot yesterday.  Today one of the ladies did the sway very well.  I am used to having to do all the work myself.  Sway, stepping big, rise and fall, but she did it quite admirably for someone who has been dancing for about a year.

Ladies, remember, the man's job is just to tell you what to do.  It is NOT his job to be pushing you to where he need you to be.  It is your own job to move your own body.  The leader already has enough to do.  He is dancing and moving his own body, knowing where he is going, he has to know what to do next, and he also has to think about where your feet and body are going and lead you to make the actions he would like.  By making him do the rise and fall, sway, and moving for you, you are basically making the man do two parts instead of one.

Please ladies, help the guy out a bit!  I am sure he will appreciate it!  And it will make the dancing twice as good!

-Aaron Mullen

Returning Users

If you didn't notice, I am running a poll on the top right side of the page.  I was curious to find out if anyone was returning to view my page more than once.  Apparently a few people have been visiting my page.  I just thought I would point it out.  If you are one of these returning users, I am glad you enjoy my writing!

Thanks for visiting,

-Aaron Mullen

Uneventful Day

Tonight wasn't all too interesting.  I did get to teach a bit of International Latin Rumba at the end of the night with another assistant teacher at the studio.  It was kinda fun, but they were having a bit of trouble.  I mean, the Basic, Fan, and Hockeystick is by no means the easiest combination ever!  They'll just need a bit of time and practice, thats all.

Just a very uneventful day.

-Aaron Mullen

A Fun Day

So yesterday we worked on Foxtrot which we will be working on for a few weeks.  I hadn't had so much fun dancing in a long time.  I had the opportunity to teach two new students, which I am of course very glad I could do.  It is a joy to help beginners get a good and sturdy start (Until some person decides to give useless information, but I already covered that) and watch them excel.

International Standard Foxtrot is such a wonderful dance!  It  flows so smoothly and is designed for movement and grace.  I had a lot of fun yesterday practicing the technique and rise and fall.

Why is this though?  Why do I think Foxtrot is a more graceful dance than any other Standard dance?  Think about it.  In all other Standard dances you will close your feet in almost every figure, but in Foxtrot, you are mostly crossing your feet.  Crossing your feet allows for more distance and grace, while closing the feet destroys the flow of the dance, and makes lowering less useful.  And where Foxtrot does close, it is so very well thought out that it does no damage to the momentum or grace.

Ah, International Standard Foxtrot, how I love thee!

-Aaron Mullen

Bothersome Dance Habits

One thing I do not understand is why people who have almost no experience in ballroom find it absolutely necessary to give advice.  There are beginners doing perfectly well, and you either give them incorrect information, or you throw something absolutely unnecessary to know at their skill level to confuse them utterly.

Another thing which bothers me is how some people are absolutely oblivious to the other people dancing around them.  They just cruise around the floor and couldn't care less if they run into someone.  I of course always move to avoid them, but I find these people to be extremely inconsiderate and highly clueless.  If you are a dancer, please be considerate to those around you on the floor.  Remember, you don't own the dance floor!  Give everyone their space!

-Aaron Mullen

Kids Class Disbanded

So today is Tuesday, which is usually my busy day.  I think I said this last week, but Tuesdays have been dropping off slowly.  Now I really only have the 7 - 9 classes in the evening.  After my partner and I stopped dancing, Tuesdays lost 1.5 hours of business.  Also, there used to be a vibrant childrens class going, but they got bored because we always reset the class for the new kids coming in.  I mean, how many times can you possibly do the horribly boring American Foxtrot basic?  It gets frustrating after a bit.

I felt bad for the kids.  A lot of them wanted to move on to higher levels, but they were always held back by the newer kids.  Now no one shows up anymore.  It's a little bit sad.

Well, dance tonight.

-Aaron Mullen

Smooth and Standard (American and International continued)

Earlier I gave a simple definition of the difference between the American and International styles of dance.  Let me delve into the difference between the two similar divisions, Smooth, which is part of the American dance style, and Standard, which is part of the International style of dance.

American Smooth consists of Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, and Viennese Waltz, while International Standard consists of all these, with one addition: The fast and exciting quickstep.

Okay, with the exception of Quickstep, all the dances in both divisions have the same names.  They must be the same dances, right?  Wrong!  Here are the differences:

In Smooth, you are allowed to break the dance hold, simply meaning you can execute elaborate spins for the lady and all kind of other 'fancy' moves.  Also, Smooth figures tend to be extremely crude, not at all nice to lead or dance if you are a very experienced dancer, but to the inexperienced dancer, they are easy to pick up and start dancing right away.  This is why Smooth in my opinion should remain as only a social style.

In Standard, breaking the dance hold is not permitted, meaning there are only 2 dance positions, open (or promenade) and closed.  You are not allowed to break contact with your partner at any time, meaning no 'fancy' turns or such.  The figures have had much more thought put into them and require much more technical skill to execute, but, once mastered, are far more satisfying than any Smooth figure.

As I mentioned, in Smooth you are permitted to break dance hold and do all kinds of turns and spins.  I personally find these to be very inelegant and silly.  Anyone can do silly spins and twirl all around, but if you can make yourself look good while maintaining contact with your partner, which is required in Standard, it looks so incredibly wonderful compared to any silly spin in Smooth.

-Aaron Mullen

International and American

To the inexperienced dancer, the terms International, American, Smooth, Standard, Latin, and Rhythm can be extremely confusing.  Today I will attempt to clear up some of that confusion by specifying the difference between the International and American Styles of dance.

Simply put, American style dances are more for social occasions, although American is used in competition, while the International dances are far more structured and geared towards competition.

I will get into the differences in much more detail later today hopefully, then I will list the differences between the divisions within the American and International styles .

Off to dance in a few.  Working on more Foxtrot and Rumba.  Usually Mondays aren't too busy.  I like Mondays at the studio, it is usually very relaxed and not a lot of people.  I like peace and quiet sometimes.

Hope to post those differences later tonight!

-Aaron Mullen

A Productive Visit

I forget if I mentioned this.  As you may know, I am an avid International Standard style dancer, but recently I have started working on my International Latin dance moves.  If you are unsure of what this means, basically I used to specialize in dances like the Waltz and Foxtrot, but now I am branching into the Latin dances, such as Rumba or Cha Cha.  I believe it is going well.  I have always been pretty decent at rotating my hips, so it seems a bit easier to me than Standard dances.

About a two weeks ago, a very accomplished dancer and teacher visited my studio.  He was a former Ukrainian 10-dance champion, which, if you didn't know, means he danced all the Latin and Standard dances, and he was the best overall in the country.  Pretty darned neat, huh?  Not only this, but he supposedly taught some of the pros on Dancing with the Stars.  Quite a good resume if you ask me.  He taught me Latin!  He is an excellent teacher, and a very good dancer.  He got me doing some difficult stuff very quickly.  Perhaps I can aspire to be like him one day.

-Aaron Mullen

I Need to Have Some Fun!

Hmm, I haven't really had a chance to enjoy Ballroom for a while.  It's always a practice or a lesson, or an internment, but I rarely go dancing for fun anymore.  I have to find someone who is willing to dance with me every once in a while.

-Aaron Mullen

Two Years Ago

Hello everybody,

I thought I would share a little something from two years back:


I am certainly much better at dancing now, but I don't have any recent footage of me, so this will have to do.  Honestly, I feel a little embarrassed about this video, but I hope you enjoy it.

-Aaron Mullen

Ballroom as an Olympic Sport

From what I can garner, it seems that the WDF (World Dancesport Federation) has been recognized by the  International Olympic Committee as the as the sole representative body for Dancesport, which entails competitive ballroom dancing.  At least, this is what Wikipedia says.  Supposedly this has been the case since the 2008 olympics, and I have not heard anything about Dancesport becoming an official Olympic sport.  Hopefully this will happen within my lifetime.  I think I will look into this more to see whether Dancesport is anywhere near becoming an Olympic sport.


-Aaron Mullen

Another Day

Ah, yesterday was kind of an uneventful day.

I went to dance in the evening as usual.  Hustle first.  We went over what we did last week.  It included a Whip.  I really have no idea what the name of half the steps are.  I can do most of them, but I forget the names really fast, and then I forget the step as well.  I wish we would work on the same routine for at least three consecutive weeks.  Most people want to remember the steps, but we move onto the next thing so fast!  We all forget it after a week or so.  Oh well.

I almost lost the sheet of paper on which I had written the Bolero routine I would be teaching.  I freaked out, but thankfully I found it.  That was a $30 piece of paper!

Today I hope to just sit back and relax a bit.

On a side note.  The Olympics have started!  Hooray!  Maybe one day Ballroom Dance can be an Olympic event!  Ice Skating and Gymnastics are Olympic sports, why isn't ballroom?  I hear that this time around they are giving Ballroom some kind of trail run.  Not sure though.  I heard that a year ago or something and I never researched it.  Maybe I should look that up and post it here.

-Aaron Mullen

Some thoughts

So today I am taking a private lesson on Bolero.  I think I figured most of it out by just watching, but I think it is best if I get professional instruction, so I asked my teacher to give me a lesson on Bolereo.

Also, I have to renew my USA Dance membership.  For some reason it was $75 last year to register an adult competitor, but THIS year when I get a college discount its JUST $20!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!  Oh well, they should honestly pay competitors to dance, they're putting on a show for Pete's sake, and you're charging THEM to compete!??!!  I apologize, the whole Ballroom Dance hierarchy bothers me.

-Aaron Mullen

Bolero Continued

The major differences between Bolero and Rumba are:

Timing.  Bolero you hold the count of 2.  American Rumba you hold 4.  International Rumba you hold 1.  Confusing right?

In in Rumba there is no rise.  In Bolero there is a rise on the slow step, then a lowering on the next quick.

The hold is more like smooth and standard in Bolero, while Rumba is the usual Latin hold.

Lastly, Rumba foot placements and movements are very sharp, but Bolero is much smoother, more like a smooth or standard dance.

Interesting isn't it?

Aaron Mullen

Bolero

Got a job prospect on teaching Bolero.  Only problem is...  I don't know bolero!  Now I'm scrambling to learn some!

I am looking at it, and it is very different from Rumba, which many people usually compare it to.   I might do bolero instead of Rhumba from now on!  I really like the way it works!

Aaron Mullen

A new session

Another day at the studio.  Tuesdays used to be very busy days for me and I had an hour and a half session of practice in the afternoon, but as I stated before I currently have no partner, so now I have much more free time on Tuesdays.  This week my teacher started a new session, and we are working on that ever so excellently designed dance, The Foxtrot!  The flow and grace of this dance are unparalleled by other dances.  Hard to explain at 2 in the morning though.  I think I should go to bed.

Good night, or good morning.

Aaron Mullen

Opinions Opinions

At higher levels of dancing it is important to remember that almost everything is personal opinion!  One judge may like it this way, the other may like it that way, and yet another might like it another way!  Find a teacher you like, and try to stick with what he/she teaches.  Don't try and please everyone at once!

Update

Hello again,

Dance is looking to be quite interesting right now.  I currently have no partner, and I am searching around for someone who is willing to dance with me.

I am still interning at the studio every night for two hours and I still love helping the students to figure stuff out.  They don't need my help as much any more.  My instructor and I have brought them up to a level of skill where they can usually figure stuff out themselves.  It is satisfying to see them excel, but at the same time it is disappointing because they do not require my input as much.

I'm still looking to make money from teaching others ballroom, but now I do not intend to make a living off of it.  Making some good side cash is probably where I will go with this.  Of course, this doesn't mean I am any less enthusiastic about ballroom, I have only changed my goals.

Dance tonight as usual.  I hope it is productive!

-Aaron Mullen

A new year!

Hello,

I haven't updated this blog in a while, so I though that the new year would be a good time to check in and write again.

Today I taught my first official group class at the Danbury senior center, or Elmwood Hall.  It was an interesting lesson to say the least.  First, many more people than I expected showed up, so we had to move some stuff around to permit for people to dance down the floor.  Then, the power went out, and with it went the lights AND the music!  Then the lady who runs the senior center (Susan) decided it was best for the seniors to leave a bit early, just in case they started tripping over things in the dark, so the class ended a few minutes early.  Despite all the mishaps, the seniors seemed to enjoy the lesson a great deal.

It was definitely an interesting time.

I am actually competing tomorrow, so wish me luck!

Aaron Mullen:  Ballroom Dance Instructor