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