 |
  |
|
|
|
|
Salsa
Tips for
|
|
I
love salsa and I love dancing it. The only problem is that I can't do a
lot of turns . I know how to dance it a little bit and I look all right
but I want to get better . I always watch other people dancing and I want
to learn more moves but I don't know how. I do all the same moves all the
time? Answer But,
if you still want to learn more turns, and you’re not having much luck
picking up new turns at clubs, nor finding good instructors, then I
suggest you buy or rent some west coast swing and ballroom videos. They
are chalk full of fancy turns and tricks. You can taylor them to suit your
Salsa street dancing style. There have also been many times when my
partners and I have just simply "made up" turns while joking
around on the dance floor. Having a blast with friends, and uninhibited
playing around on the dance floor sparks TONS of creativity. You’d be
surprised what you come up with if you and your partner just let your
minds go wild…
Question Answer
Question My
goal is to become an excellent follower and get through a song without
causing a major stop and restart. I'd like to be able to follow well
enough to dance an entire song through smoothly and joyfully. How
important is it for the female to know all the routines/moves a male could
lead you into in order to accomplish my goal. Or is it just knowing many
but always be able to let go and "be lead?" At
this point, I think my weakest skill is understanding what the male wants
in terms of turns and arm movements. For instance, sometimes the man will
lift my arm in what seems to me to be a request to turn left or right,
whatever, but really its meant to place my arm, or hand, around his neck.
I hesitate to blame the male dancers, but sometimes I think this may be
where a little firmness helps, or at least be quicker about where the
lifted arm/hand is going Answer You
don’t need to worry about memorizing moves. The guy’s job is to lead
you through everything. As a woman, all you need to do (in the beginning)
is just keep the rhythm and the basic. With practice, and going out often
enough, being a good follower will eventually become second nature. I
always tell people "I’m a professional follower". The
most important thing you should expect from your first couple privates is
developing a solid basic step and right and left turn. Keep in mind that
the dance is simply a walk - no bouncing, or hops on one foot or the
other. It’s a simple "walk, walk, walk….. walk, walk, walk".
1,2,3…. 5.6.7…. or, if you were dancing on "2", it would be
2,3,4, …. 6,7,8. Don’t bob up and down or swing your arms around.
Don’t leave your arms hanging down straight at your side. Just walk to
the rhythm, and keep your arms bent in front of you in a jogger’s
position. Don’t make this dance any more difficult than it already is.
In fact, the less you try, the better you look. Relax, have fun, feel the
rhythm enter your body, and enjoy it. Warning.
Because you are taking lessons from a male instructor, do not, I repeat,
DO NOT expect every guy out there to be as good as your instructor. Do not
expect your instructor to dance with you at clubs either. Do not get
spoiled by your instructor and develop an "attitude" of only
dancing with the best dancers. Do not openly compare your instructor(s)
with other instructors at a club. Do not just stick with one instructor.
Take privates from many different instructors, both male and female.
Lastly, dance with EVERYONE - not just "the best" dancers. This
is the only way you’ll learn to develop your style, and still have a
blast, even if none of the great Salseros show up one evening. Good luck
to you. LEARNING SALSA FROM THE BEGINNING: A MALE PERSPECTIVE My
first experience with Salsa dancing was strictly as a spectator only. I
was completely taken in by the music and dance; it left a lasting
impression to be sure. I did grab a friend of mine to teach me the basic
step; that was all she knew actually. But it was enough. So I decided,
like many of the you fellows, to test the waters with a group class - what
an ego deflator! Many of the women in the class looked and felt like they
had been dancing this for years, and some even seemed annoyed by my lack
of skill in leading them. Even worse, I was flanked by guys who looked
like they already knew what they were doing. It’s
easy to get excited about a new interest, but the reality of learning the
new skills can be hard to swallow. Realizing it takes more than one lesson
to be a good Salsero, I had a decision to make. Do I really want to invest
the time, and ego bruising, to learn this well? All right, it took 2
seconds for me to answer that question, but the thought of quitting did
streak across my mind. This is the pivotal moment for a novice in any
field. The ones that forge ahead get results, the others get discouraged
and fall away. Don’t be part of the second group! Private
lessons proved to be crucial in breaking through the first confidence
barrier. I strongly recommend at least two or three privates in the
beginning if you want to accelerate your learning. I ended up taking a
dozen or so of these before visiting a group lesson again. Big difference.
You’ll definitely be more relaxed and focused coming back from private
instruction from a good teacher. New steps come to you faster, you retain
more, and you start to develop a feel for how to move a women around your
frame. I still have a long way to go, I’m a perfectionist by nature, but
taking enough classes provides a clear path for your future progress. PROGRESSING
FROM THE BEGINNING As
in anything, there are Great Salsa dancers and there are Good salsa
dancers. Great dancers can command the floor anywhere, and few reach this
level. However, even good dancers can be impressive to the casual
spectator; this is a fact that should make the beginning practitioner of
salsa very happy. Why, you ask? Because I believe that becoming a good
dancer, salsa included, is a VERY realistic goal for 98% of the general
population. It means that with good teaching, some mental focus, and
practice, one can attain a level of dancing that’s fun to participate in
and fun to those watching. Its
the effort of moving from, let’s face it, a poor partner dancer to a
good one that sidelines most who quit. As I’ve stated in my salsa story,
a confident and strong lead becomes a must for the man. A good male lead
can often improve the appearance of an average female; the reverse is less
common however. I’ve heard several good teachers say that this puts the
male dancer several months behind the female at the very beginning (I’m
assuming a man who has had no prior partner training at all, salsa or
otherwise). This is unsettling for the beginner who goes to his first
group lesson and finds the women kicking his tail around the floor with
the intermediate movements! Just a friendly warning. That’s
the bad news. Now for some good news. It usually takes just a few lessons,
private preferred, before a man gains enough experience to attain a
beginning feel for leading a partner. At this point you are way ahead of
the man who never partner dances, and never takes a chance to try. A few
weeks of practicing and you could probably lead a female dancer quite
well. Nothing impressive just yet, but enough to really start to enjoy the
salsa sounds . A worthwhile beginning goal I believe. Which leads us into
the next topic. GOALS What
do you expect from your dance experience? How good a dancer do you want to
be? Are there dancers that inspire you ( if so, talk to them. If they’re
friendly, they might give you some valuable advice and instruction)? How
much time are you willing to invest to make your dancing better? Someone
once told me there are two types of dancers: those that dance for how it
makes them feel, and those who dance because they like to perform around
others. The first type likes to dance for what it brings to themselves and
their partner, while the second type is just as concerned with how others
view their dancing. Of course, in the real world no one is solely one type
or the other. But even still, be true to your own personality. If you want
glitz and flash, then find instructors who add this to what they teach. If
you’re more conservative( is there such as thing as a conservative salsa
dancer?), find an instructor that better suites this perspective in their
teaching style. The goal here is to build a realistic mental image of what
you want to become with your dancing. Finally,
determine what amount of time you can and will invest to learn salsa.
Forget people who brag that they are naturals. ALL GOOD DANCERS PRACTICE.
They practice with their partners, with other partners, by themselves, and
at different clubs and venues. This is exactly what makes them so good. So
taking the time to practice is a must if you are going to improve. How
much time you spend depends on how quickly you want to learn. Some dancers
spend several hours practicing for every hour of instruction they receive.
At this rate, it won’t take but a few months before you’re in an
intermediate group class leading the women quite nicely. I wouldn’t take
less than one group lesson per week for the first two months to attain
this, and at least two or three privates to tighten things up. If you
can’t manage this kind of time investment, do what you can, but set the
time goal nonetheless. THE
PARTNER Find
a regular one! That’s the best advice I can give. It’s unsettling at
times to come back from a lesson, excited about the dancing you’ve done,
and find yourself practicing with coat racks and upright lamp fixtures.
You need a female to make the mistakes along with you, challenge your
lead, tell you when you’re applying to much pressure, compliment you
when your "doing it right", and learn along side you. If she can
accompany you to the lessons, even better. Else, at least find the time to
practice with her. The
partner doesn’t have to be a significant other. Although girlfriends and
wives are natural choices, some of us single unattached fellows have to
consider other options. Sisters are good choices if you have one, as long
as you don’t become abusive with each another. Family can be that way.
Else, there are always female friends; if you’re shy about this, get
over it! You’re going to have to ask women at the clubs to dance, so you
might as well start with the women you do know. If all else fails, well,
you always have those women you meet at lesson time. Ask them if they’d
like to practice before or after the lesson for a few minutes. It’s
actually easier than at a club because they’re obviously there to learn
just like you. CONFIDENCE A
brief word on confidence. Your confidence grows with your experience and
skill. The first time I visited the Club, you couldn’t get me to ask a
woman to dance; I was not comfortable with my ability to dance Salsa well.
So I had to wait for the high energy, top 40 "intermission".
After I had the opportunity to practice and dance with enough partners,
the apprehension goes away. There’s a saying in the military- you
don’t rise to the occasion, you always default to the level of your
training. In other words, you’re only as good as the practice you bring
to the dance floor already. So, once again, practice what you’ve
learned. Sorry to beat a dead horse. FINAL
NOTE Let’s
face it guys, women don’t take the time to dress to impress and go to
clubs just to be lead by novices. I know this isn’t always fair to the
men, considering the time it takes to develop leading skills, but that’s
the breaks. It isn’t easy on the women either to sit around waiting for
confident male dancers to ask them to dance either. This isn’t anything
new to dancing. Girls do ask men for dances. Guy you should just ask the
girl, let them decide on their own weather if they would like to dance
with you. It will be a good idea to get to know a better dancer, have a
chat with them, break the ice before you ask for a dance.
The idea here is good to go to the club as often as you can, dance
and practice as much as you can Happy
Dancing |
|
Send mail to webmaster@xenbar.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
