Here are some tips and tricks for beginning line and partner dancers.
Try out our second Mini-Lesson. It is for
the Step Pivot
When you learn a line or partner dance you like, find out the name of the
dance and the name of the song (and artist). That will make it easier to request when you are out at a club or honkytonk.
Line Of Dance (LOD) is the direction that dancers normally travel around the dance floor when doing partner or couples
dances. This direction is counter-clockwise.
Reverse Line Of Dance (RLOD) is, as you might expect, the opposite direction from LOD and is clockwise. Women often
face RLOD while they are moving in the direction of LOD.
GET WHAT YOU CAN FROM THE LESSON.
Many beginners have a tough time starting out because the dances
taught are above their level. It's difficult to find a class only for beginners (though we teach a beginner line dance
class through Neighborhood Connection), because, in a typical class on an ordinary day, the experienced dancers will easily outnumber the beginners.
If you are in a class for beginners, then the pace of the class will likely
be geared for your benefit. But you may still find the info here useful. (Check out our Schedule Page to sign up for our beginning line dance class, offered in the Spring and Fall.)
What's a beginner to do?
If the dance being taught is classified as intermediate or even advanced, you should
take the lesson, anyway, and do the best you can with it. Just don't let yourself become discouraged.
Remember, you are stretching yourself and that can feel uncomfortable. Instead, focus on the benefits. You’ll gain experience in several ways.In
no particular order they are:
1. You’ll learn more steps.
Dances
are composed of steps (e.g., vine, jazz box).If you take the intermediate lesson
you will be exposed to more difficult steps and you will begin to learn them.Even
if you don’t learn the specific dance being taught, you will improve as a dancer because you will learn more steps,
the components of each dance.Eventually, you will find you can do the harder
dances because you know the individual steps.
2. You’ll find it easier to remember
dances.
After
you’ve gone through the lesson for a dozen or so longer dances (48 to 64 or more counts), the shorter dances will seem
easier to remember (most dances are at least 32 counts, though there are notable exceptions, e.g., the Electric Slide, which
is only 14 counts).
3. It will be easier for you to execute
the dances you do know.
By
taking the lesson, you will get more practice actually executing steps.This
will make it easier to perform dances with those steps.And you will start feeling
more comfortable dancing which may improve your “style” or the way you look on the floor.
4. You’ll be able to do the intermediate
dances sooner.
If
you don’t try doing the more difficult dances, you won’t stretch yourself.It will take you longer to move up to doing those ‘cool’ dances you want to learn, but you think are too
hard.
The other point to remember is that you
don’t have to actually do the dance to get these benefits.Just take the
lesson.Of course, the longer you stay with a particular dance, the more of these
benefits you’ll get.But if you feel uncomfortable trying the dance to
the music, you can always take your seat after the practice repetitions.You’ll
still get many of the benefits of practice and learning new steps.
If you have trouble with a particular step
or 8-count set, just step in place to the beat, or call out the moves to yourself.(Calling
out the moves or counting to yourself is a good idea anyway, even when the music is on.).If there is a turn during the sequence, just turn to face the new direction and wait for everyone else to catch up.
In other words, don’t worry about
what you can’t get.Get what you can from the lesson.Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.Mistakes are allowed.That’s why we call it practice. As
you learn more, steps that seemed hard at the start will get easier.
And
remember, most importantly, everyone started out as a beginner.We
know what its like and we’re all pulling for you.
HITTING THE DANCE FLOOR
The type of surface you dance on can affect you and your dancing. You probably realize that the preferred surface
for dancing is wood. But do you know why? The surface you dance on needs to give a little. Dance needs a
surface that lets you turn as well as one that provides for sure footing to let you stop turning. A hardwood floor that
has been maintained properly is the best.
A cement floor does not provide any give and can cause shin splints and sore feet. Carpeting is difficult to turn
on and can cause strains or even sprains if your foot does not move properly when the rest of your body is trying to turn.
Linoleum or tile surfaces will usually work since they will give, though not as much as wood, and also permit turning.
The shoes you wear can affect the ease with which you dance.
Typically, rubber soled shoes (sneakers) are more difficult to dance in than shoes with leather soles. You can buy shoes
just for dancing, but these can be expensive.
LEARN WHAT TO DO AND WHEN TO DO IT.
A dance lesson should answer at least two questions and may sometimes provide
indications towards a third. These questions are related to the fundamental components of dance: position, timing, and
styling. Position is where your body is supposed to be, timing is when it is supposed to be there, and styling is how
you get it there.
So the two questions that a dance lesson should answer for you are:
1. Where am I supposed to be?
2. When am I supposed to be there?
The 'where' question includes knowing where your weight should be placed so
that you are ready to take the next step or do the next move.
Understanding the answer to the 'when' question means knowing on what beat of
the music or what count each step of the dance is done on. Typically, each step is done on a single beat of music.
In some cases you will need to do two things on a single beat of music, such as step and clap at the same time. Other
times, the dance will call for you to do a step 'between' beats, or on the 'and' count. We call this 'syncopation' and
usually it means doing three things in two beats of music (1 & 2). An example is a shuffle step or polka step.
When taking the lesson, you should make sure you understand these two things about
the dance being taught. Remember, though, to set your expectations based on your level of experience and the level of
difficulty of the dance you're learning. If the dance is too difficult for you, you may want to concentrate on learning
and practicing a new step or two. (See "Get What You Can From The Lesson.")
Remember also that a dance should flow. So, when the
instructor tells you where your body needs to be and what count it needs to be there, styling is how you get it from where
it was on the previous count to where it is on the current count. You need to "fill in the gaps" with motion because
dance is not meant to be static, except for certain cases that the choreographer indicates (e.g., hold counts).
You may not "get" the flow the first time you do the dance. Once you are comfortable
with the steps, you may find that the dance feels better -- you know where your body needs to be so that the next step feels
more natural. This is not uncommon. After a few times executing the dance to the music, you may find you connect
better with what the choreographer had in mind.
Styling is usually left up to the student, except occasionally when the choreographer
or instructor feels the need to make a suggestion (e.g., while taking weight, move your hips to the right). Usually,
as a beginner, you should worry about styling only after you feel comfortable with the steps and timing of the dance.
This is influenced by how quickly you learn, how difficult the dance is, the music, and how much style is infused in the dance
by the choreographer.
To improve your styling, watch other dancers, including the instructor.
What do they do? What looks good? What doesn't look so good? You can learn from both. As you get more
comfortable with a dance, you will be able to think more about styling and less about what step comes next.
And whatever else you do, don't forget to have fun.
Practice the transition from the end of the dance to the beginning. Once you have been shown the
complete pattern for a dance, try adding the beginning of the dance on to the end of the pattern as you practice each wall.
This will help you make the transition to repeating the pattern.
The pattern for each line dance is repeated until the song is over. Every time the dance begins with
the start of the pattern, you will be facing one of four directions. This is called the "wall" or,
sometimes, the "corner." A one-wall line dance always starts the pattern facing the same wall. A two-wall line
dance alternates starting first facing one direction and then facing the opposite direction. A four-wall line dance
starts the dance pattern facing forward, back, and each side (right and left) -- not in that order, of course.
If you are new to dancing, you might also want to check out our tips on dance floor etiquette.
