Sticking Points: Dance Partnering
Ah, that great question mark in every ballroom dance, the single biggest thing you can’t...
March 20, 2018
Sticking Points: Improving Your Expressive Dance Skills
Often considered the pinnacle of dance skill, is that elusive ability to express what we...
March 20, 2018
Sticking Points: Dizziness Cures for the Dancer
Care for a twirl? We ballroom dancers sure love our turns, whether we’re pivoting, pencil-turning,...
March 12, 2018
Cross-Training Benefits: Contemporary Classes
Contemporary tends to defy description as a dance form - largely because it derives from...
October 9, 2017
Cross-Training Benefits: Hip Hop Classes
Last week we covered the myriad ways that ballet lessons can benefit your dancing. Today,...
October 6, 2017
Cross-Training Benefits: Ballet Classes
When we went to school to earn a degree, we took a variety of courses,...
September 30, 2017
The 4 Tiers of Ballroom Dancing: Styling
We’ve finally come to it: The most overlooked tier, and yet one of the most...
September 23, 2017
The 4 Tiers of Ballroom Dancing: Dance Connection
Bottom line: If you aren’t communicating with your partner, you aren’t truly dancing with them....
September 16, 2017
The 4 Tiers of Ballroom Dancing: Timing
Although timing is sometimes taught after leading and following, I think we can all agree: If you...
September 6, 2017
The 4 Tiers of Ballroom Dance Technique: Footwork
I don’t care what dance style you’re learning, what level you’re dancing at, or the...
September 1, 2017
Dance Intensives 101: What to Expect
Sweat drips down my face, and I’m regretting not bringing a hand towel. It’s day...
August 1, 2017
5 Secrets to Remembering Dance Choreography
Hey, how’s your dance choreography coming along? Not good? Well, you’re not alone - remembering choreo (read:...
July 4, 2017
Mastering the Look of a Dancer
I like to say that the only difference between a total beginner and a dancer...
June 20, 2017
The Rhythm/Latin ‘Look of a Dancer’
Whether it’s salsa and bachata in the nightclub or rumba and samba in the dance...
June 13, 2017
The Smooth/Standard ‘Look of a Dancer’
Last time, we tried to quantify the ‘X factor’ that makes certain dancers stand out from...
June 6, 2017
Developing ‘the Look of the Dancer’
It’s elusive, mysterious, and yet we want it more than anything (isn’t that always the...
May 30, 2017
9 Choreo Tips for a Killer First Dance
First dances can be tricky, because much as you might enjoy holding your beau, you...
May 24, 2017
A Beginner’s Guide to Rise and Fall
Whether it’s the gentle lilt of a foxtrot or the pronounced wave of a slow...
February 28, 2017
Advanced Connection: Frame Matching
I recently read an interesting research paper, Frame Matching and ∆Ted: a framework for teaching blues...
February 7, 2017
Beginner Ballroom Balance, Part Two
Now that we’ve covered the basics of staying balanced, we’re ready to start exploring the ‘little...
January 24, 2017
Beginner Ballroom Balance
‘If you can walk, you can dance.’ True enough, but what is it about walking...
January 17, 2017
How to Make Your Own Dance Patterns, Part 2
A few weeks ago, we discussed how we could rework our tired syllabus steps into...
January 3, 2017
How to Make Your Own Dance Patterns
I remember when the DVIDA syllabus was my whole world. Those fifteen bronze steps were...
December 13, 2016
The 4 Levels of Dance Skill
Ah, how our mind plays tricks on us, convincing us we are better - or...
November 22, 2016
The Art of the Perfect Pivot
Pivot turns are notoriously tricky bastards, requiring no small amount of balance and/or cooperation with...
November 8, 2016
The Art of Partnered Pivots
Now that you’re a seasoned pro with solo pivots (wink), it’s time to explore pivots...
October 15, 2016
5 Musical Accents You Should Be Hitting
Let’s start with an exercise: What’s your favourite food? Would it still be your favourite...
September 27, 2016
The Power of Body Language, Part Two
For part one, click here. Have you ever gotten a ‘feeling’ about someone? Maybe you thought...
August 16, 2016