Brain learning is the intellectual understanding of what you are
trying to do.
It is just an aid to facilitate butt learning.
social dancing is
:: moving
:: with a partner
:: to music
I am living proof that anyone can learn to dance
Axiom: There are no mistakes, there is only jazz.
Corollary: It's much better when jazz doesn't hurt.
The best compliment that a follower can give is "that was fun".
The most common misconception is that dance is hard.
The second most common misconception is that dance is easy.
I don't think of this material as "basics" but rather fundamentals.
In a martial art the black belts will spend more time on the
fundamentals than will the white belts.
I will show principles, if you can follow these rules, your dancing won't suck.
When you understand the reasons behind them,
then you can break these rules and your dancing will suck even less.
there are two roles, leader and follower,
::with communication follower can make suggestions
::without communication, that is just not following
connection is what makes it possible
it is not a secret code that when a leader squeezes the follower's
hand three times she's supposed to turn two times and do a triple step
leader makes the follower move,
if leader gives follower room,
then follower has the choice of how much, or little to do
Newton's first law of dance:
::A follower will move in the direction led without change of speed
::until the leader changes the follower's speed or direction.
The way connection works is that the leader's center moves the follower's center.
The less you move, the better it looks
Balance compression and tension in arms to make the connection, but
this does not move the follower, when the connection is made, moving
the leader's center will move the follower's center.
Weight on one foot or another.
posture:
::knees and sternum in vertical plane,
::toes about 2" back
::can do it against the wall
vertical line from nose to navel to ball of foot
When practicing, focus on one thing at a time.
On your next dance, focus on something else.