6 Essential Things I Wish I Knew Sooner…
And want you to know now.
– 8MIN. READ –
We have collected the most important insights we’ve received in our lifetime as dancers so that you can learn how to dance faster and easier.
1. Connect with the music before taking any step.
Dedicate just as much time to understanding and learning the music as practicing the steps. Dance is the expression of the music, and without understanding the rhythms and melodies it will be difficult to add feeling and emotions to your dancing.
Besides, the most frustrating thing is to figure out that you have been dancing out of the beat, especially in partner dancing…
2. Get good dance shoes.
It is very important to dance with the right shoes for latin dances. They should be light weight, flexible, have the right combination of grip and slide to the floor and be comfortable.
Invest in yourself – the good-fitting shoes make you a better and pain- free dancer! Dancing with wrong shoes might result in various knee, ankle and hip injuries…
While with right shoes you will be able to control your balance easier, feel quicker and able to practice your dance skills for hours without having to think about anything else. Dancing requires the correct equipment to do it well.
3. Don’t rush to the next level
Invest your time to learn basics well. We’ve seen countless people moving too quickly from one level to another and finally, anxiously trying to fix basic mistakes at the higher level dance classes instead of improving with ease and enjoying the dance.
When you know foundational movement skills and basic techniques within latin partnerwork dances so well that you don’t need to think much about it, you will relax and have fun!
4. Find a great instructor
Choose your instructor carefully, especially if your goal is to become good at dancing.
To us, a good teacher is not only good at showing you new steps, but also able to explain the techniques well, describe the movements thoroughly and always motivating you to become better. Great teachers know how to balance both praise and constructive criticism, and are focused on how YOU learn best. Find the instructor that you connect with and trust the process!