The quickest way to get perfect balance and dance better

Balls are the key to better balance and excellent dance!

Do you ever have issues with keeping your balance when you:

• Move your weight from one foot to the other
• Place your feet along the same line
• Turn with your feet together
• Turn
• Lunge or dip
• Do a hesitation
• Maintain weight on one foot for a period
• Take a tall posture on your toes and hold it
• Take a large step

If you do, then there is a simple fix.

Many dancers once had these issues and found that Franklin balls were the easiest way to improve balance, and dance better.

If you get yourself a pair, try the following exercises:

• Simply stand on them (with the balls of your feet)
• While standing on them do a squat
• While doing the squat – keep your hands on your head
• Step on to one then off and on again with the other foot

Because you are standing on the Franklin balls, you are much less secure. 

This means you need to work harder to keep balance, and you can work this skill in a shorter period. 

If you do the above repeatedly for only 5 minutes a day, then you will notice improvements. 

You can them while watching TV, or listening to music, or talking on the phone, or talking with your partner about their day, or anything that uses a different part of the brain.

Do it in bare feet so that you also improve your ability to use the sensations from your feet to correct your balance and you should see improvements in a week.

You can buy Franklin balls in many places and here is a link to make it easier for you.

Footwork – This is uncomplicated and deals specifically with which “part” of the foot we are using to create the step.

Foot Usage – This is much more complex. 

The most obvious result of Foot Usage is the articulation of the feet and lines that we all admire so much in our top dancers.

The less obvious and therefore the less understood result of foot usage is “Foot Pressure” and how it relates to “Performance”, “Projection” and “Musicality”.

We tend to think of foot pressure as a means to maintain good balance but, only when it is connected to the body and timed perfectly with the breathing, does it allow Projection, which in turn enhances Performance and Musicality (including correct use of the arms).

None of these skills will independently take your dancing to a high level but when combined together are a winning combination!

Every part of the body is connected to the Foot Pressure in synchronisation with the centre core and Breathing, without which we cannot produce natural movement, and are left with an ineffectual and artificial copy of the “real thing”.

Keep working on that “connected” foot pressure and you will immediately see and feel the benefits.

Happy Dancing!

Technique is the basis of all fundamentals of dance, from holding your body correctly while dancing, to executing skills properly in a dance. Strong technique extends across all areas of dance, regardless of the style of dance.

This article is written to help shed light on the subject and help you gain a better understanding of what is dance technique, performance, and how they intertwine…after all, I assume you want to be more than just an average dancer!

Technique Is the Base; It is a body of procedures and methods that are used in any specific field. In dancing, we are referring to some basic steps and physical movements that build the foundation of your style. 

Think of it like the sketch of a painting; If you want to use a very thin brush to add a drop of colour, you need to put everything into that sketch and focus on every detail. 

Ask yourself; Do you want to develop the connection with your dancing partner? Do you want to have the ability to be “in the zone”, where there is no feeling of exerting effort?

Improving your technique is a way to do it!

You don’t use technique to show technique!

The emotion, the sway and the style of every dancer is expressed throughout their performance and, just as the human body has strong bones that stand as a bedrock to muscles and our well-being…you need to have a strong technique that will give you the confidence and panache to stand out when you dance.

Performance Is the Centrepiece; It is the sum of all the elements that come together in the act of dancing. It is good taste in your movement, personality, posture on the dance floor, a smooth controlled change from a balanced to an overbalanced position and back again, your connection as a couple and, your attire. 

Dance technique is where your roots are; It helps you improve, progress and, keeps you in touch with what is new. 

A strong, dynamic performance is just basic movements in an interesting way, as opposed to doing a lot of things that make no sense.

The Connection Between Performance and Technique; The right mindset is vital in dancing….and if you don’t learn, you get old so, develop your technique gradually by focusing on each new method that you practice. 

It’s true that technique can be learned by everybody who wishes to be a dancer, while performance is something more personal but, this where your personality is revealed. 

There is no way to separate technique from performance. They are interconnected and you can’t emphasize just one of the two. 

Together As One; Ballroom (and Latin) dancing revolves around two bodies coming together to act as one…it’s about the expression of oneself through another…it enhances your perception of the surroundings and, of the music.

Keep in mind that even though each of you has their own part the dance can’t happen outside your connection!

Technique builds self-esteem, strength and instils the ability to change and adapt. 

Performance is like a work of art.

Combined in a balanced way, each enhances the other…but, be aware that too much of one may demonstrate a robotic precision or, a pretentiously artistic interpretation of the style and dance that you are performing. 

A dance frame can't speak but it can convey plenty of messages; some of them mixed and several of them straight up lies so, what you want, and what your frame says can be complete contradictions.  

Let’s look at some of the most common dance frame lies and ways you try to bring the brain and body back into a balanced alignment.

1. Feels like: You're a human marionette being carried through the patterns.

The Reality:  This can be based on a big height difference or a general lack of certainty in the manoeuvre, but they are using their frame as a forklift and, all carrying aside, doesn't make it any easier for you. 

The Fix: On your next session, try minimizing your dance frame to avoid any additional "upward-lifting" tendencies.  In addition, try scaling back the rotation as you build your confidence moving your partner without all the "additional helpfulness". 

2. Feels like: Being in a car where the driver is pressing on the accelerator and the brake at the same time.   

The Reality: A leader can commonly suffer from "thinking hands", which causes the hands to tense up as brain activity increases and this will immediately interfere with any suggestions the rest of the body has in regard to movement. 

The Fix: Try a "No Hands" frame.  As leader or follower, it's important to be subtle and sensitive and connecting with the hands will immediately eliminate the tension.  

3. Feels like: ‘Arm Wrestling’

The Reality:  The leader's arms are doing the work that their feet should be doing.  

It's perfectly normal for leaders to feel the need to use the arms as a pre-emptive signal to help avoid stepping on their partner but, in the long run, straining the arm won't make one's feet more accurate. 

The Fix: See the "No Hands" frame suggestion above. 

4. Feels like: You’re all mine or…If a vice grip took dance lessons and asked you to Tango.

The Reality: They are hanging on like you're going to make a run for the door…and if this keeps up, you just might! 

The Fix: Whether this is brought on by a recent fascination with Tango, or a lack of confidence, your frame should not lack space and by stretching your elbows to either side you can set a secure perimeter and buy yourself some breathing room.

5. Feels like: I'm afraid that your hand has germs or, holding hands with your sibling while crossing the street when you really don't want to.

The Reality: Often the leader will maintain minimal contact with their left hand and the follower's right.  

The Fix: Maybe somewhere in the history of ballroom dancing, there was a leader that everyone admired; he flared his pinkie and ring fingers away from the grasp of his partner, and that's why this common fray in the frame still occurs.  

In reality, a leader will tend to clasp their partner's hand more like holding a teacup than a beer bottle so, a beer may actually help in this situation. 

6. Feels like: I'm a very timid person.

The Reality: Leaders can let their elbows sag, pull back towards their body and fall victim to gravity.  This makes them feel timid and reserved, even if they are A-level executives, AFL Full Forwards, or generally confident individuals.  

The Fix: Trying to step on your partner will move your partner out of the way.  

Not trying to step on them will put you at risk for handing out gift cards for pedicures.  

Set your elbows in front of your body like you're guarding the armrests to your middle seat on a Qantas flight, take a page out of Star Trek and "Boldly Go" where few men have gone before. 

7. Feels like: The frame is being used as a lever or metronome to strongly communicate the timing of the music.

The Reality: Sometimes, a leader will use his arms to communicate the timing.  

It's a crude, and somewhat effective technique for timing but not the smoothest form of dance transportation.  

It's a means to an end, so don't let it end your dance time together. The frame may be suggesting that you need help with timing, but the reality is that this is a leader working on theirs.  

The Fix: Every dance will have some movement to signal to your partner that you can hear the music and it will be done by moving your body/legs. Check with your teacher on the best moves to start each dance and make that a habit for your Social and Competitive Dancing.  

8. Feels like: Turn, turn, turn, turn? Turn.... turn.... wait, why didn't you turn?

The Reality: When doing faster rhythm dances like Jive, Cha-Cha or Salsa the indication for the turn comes from raising the hand (to allow it) and then guiding direction, but often a leader will eliminate that little detail by keeping their hand in the raised "it's time to turn" position. 

The Fix: In the Rhythm and Latin dances, the hands are either down ("no turn"), up ("let's turn"), back in frame ("hello there"), or doing some kind of cool styling ("just shampooing my hair").  

Focus on two in your next lesson, and don't allow any grey area between them. 

9. Feels like: You've never actually seen the face of the person you're currently dancing with and think there is something on your shoulder, or elbow, or feet.

The Reality: Wherever the eyes go, the dance frame will follow, and this is the most common of all of the frame issues. When the eyes, head, or frame drops down it is the body's way of saying that the dance, the pattern, or the technique is new.

The Fix: Looking down is one of the primary indicators of the Conscious Use Stage.  

This is when you can execute the movement but have to think about it.  

It takes a lot of trust in your muscle memory to look up; just ask anyone who's tried to look up from the keys in piano or look down the court while dribbling a basketball but, as uncomfortable as it is, practicing the basics without looking down is the key for transitioning to the Natural Use Stage - when the movement can look and feel spontaneous, creative and easy.  

Advice For Followers

• Always consider a Frame, especially like the ones listed above, as "under construction". 
• Following is all about sensitivity and you don't build sensitivity by holding out for a perfect frame.
• Trying to fix a leader's frame while they are dancing with you is like offering to fix someone's cooking who has invited you over for dinner.  Leave it to the teachers…
• Even the best ballroom and Latin frames will feel slightly different from person to person.

Advice For Leaders

• Offer your frame but allow your partner to establish a distance that's comfortable.
• Alternative versions of your practice frame will help prevent bad habits from forming.
• Your frame is the steering wheel to an expensive sports car and it won't move any differently if you squeeze it.
• Tension in your frame is like volume in a conversation…no one wants to listen to someone yelling!

Keep in mind that a frame is a connection and like a driver's hands on a steering wheel - it's important…but it's not the only part of driving!  

Often, we as dancers can overemphasize the frame, treating this steering wheel of sorts as the engine and body of the vehicle, instead of it being a means of connection.  

Engine problems will halt your progress but, perfect hand placement on the steering wheel hasn't stopped you since you first got comfortable driving and so don't let it stop you in dancing either.

With poor balance, relatively simple moves can seem challenging. Balance is absolutely critical in dancing and with great balance, executing even complex choreography is much easier. 

In ballroom and other partner dances, it is particularly critical given the impact of one partner’s balance on the other therefore think of improving your balance by focusing on the 6 parts of your body that impact it the most. 

These body parts are your eyes, ears, head, core, arms and feet. 

1. Eyes provide information to the brain that helps or hurts balance.

If your movement is so fast that your brain is not able to register all the changing information quickly enough, it will not know what position is best to balance you. 

This tends to happen when turning, especially when turning very fast or multiple times and you may get dizzy or lose balance all together. At this point you have 4 main options:

• Spot to reduce the amount of information to your brain down to two main chunks (spotting does this because you keep your gaze in one spot as long as possible, then quickly move to the next).
• Blink more quickly, to put small rest breaks between the points of information sent to your brain.
• Intentionally blur your vision, again to limit over-stimulation from too much information to your brain.
• Practice repeated fast spins, because you can build up tolerance for almost anything the more you do it.

2. An even slightly plugged ear canal will definitely hurt your balance.

Sinus congestion feels a lot like your ears are plugged and can also impact your balance. If this happens, you have 3 main options:

• A salt and water nasal spray can help to clear nasal passages which are linked to the ear canal.
• You can yawn, swallow or chew gum to clear pressure that may have built up from high altitudes or mild allergies.
• For stronger allergies and congestion, you might need an antihistamine. If you take antihistamines, drink plenty of water since your throat and respiratory passages will likely feel dry.

3. Your head is heavy and can knock you off balance if not well-aligned and there are many ways to misalign your head, but also many ways to counterbalance it. 

You have three main situations and options here as well:

• Keep your chin parallel to the floor or at a right angle to your body. This will immediately put your head in a balanced position. It also looks strong and elegant.
• If your step or choreography requires your head to briefly go back, forward or to one side; make sure that your core is particularly well engage and keep the misalignment as brief as possible if you are moving. It will also help your balance if there is some counterbalance in another part of your body. Typically, this will happen quire naturally, unless you are tense.
• When a follower in ballroom does a stretch, there should still be a perfect triangle from the head as the point on the top or the triangle to the shoulders as the 2 points of the base. This needs to be maintained even with the left turn of the head, to ensure that the neck stays straight and able to balance the head.

4. Your core is critical to balance.

Your core is much more than your abdominals. 

In very general terms, it includes the front, back and side muscles in your entire torso as well as the pelvic area. 

When the core muscles work together, they support stability but when one or another is much weaker or less engaged that the others, you are less stable. 

Consider the four main requirements for core engagement:

• The muscles that are most likely to be too relaxed are the muscles of the pelvic floor. Until muscle memory is developed, most people have to consciously engage them as in Kegel exercises, which are similar to activation the muscles to stop urination.
• Engage the abdominals by thinking of bringing the belly button to the spine.
• Engage the back and side muscles by keeping your shoulder blades down, your back flat, and your rib cage compact and not puffed out.
• Exercise your core even when not dancing. Even bit of advantage here helps a lot.

5. Arms can help balance, but more often, they hurt it.

If the core is engaged, the arms should be free to naturally amplify your movement and connect appropriately to your partner, but the major risk is when you are in a closed or contact position, and the partners’ connection is too strong and tight. Consider these two points:

• Even when partners are in perfect unison, a move with a very slight difference in timing of one partner, can sabotage the balance of the other. Arm tone cannot be too strong or too soft. It has to be “just right”.
• A similar result will occur if the leader “steers” a step with arms as opposed to leading with the body and allowing the arms to follow. Even the sharpest move that may look like arm lead (think tango) is actually a body lead. The arms do not move; they remain in the same position relative to the body and simply re-position in space because the body moves.

6. Feet are at the bottom of everything good and not so good.

You have probably heard the term “stand on your foot”, “get your weight on your foot” or some other colourful variation.

There are two main things here:

• Truly it is impossible to move with balance unless your weight has a single focus point. Split weight (where your weight is equally divided between both feet) is a static or transitional position. If you try to move without full transfer of weight to one foot, you will literally be in conflict by being in-between standing and moving and will become off balance.
• Your foot position is also important. Even if you start a step on the side of your foot, remember to have the base of the foot flat before you move. If not you may cause injury as well as imbalance.

All Latin dances are full of turns, spirals and spins. 

Done well, whether slow or fast, these are beautiful so, let’s take a look at how to create that kind of quality.

1. The setup

The most important quality in doing great turns and spins is to be on balance. 

Just like spinning a top, if you aren’t lined up properly in relation to gravity, the result won’t be pretty. 

Being lined up means having the head and spine in one clean vertical line over the standing foot and since you’ll be using the ball of the foot to create your turn, make sure your weight is over the ball of the foot, not the center of the foot or the heel. 

Back straight, Rib cage projected forward rather than collapsed; Waist area collected inwards; Head lined up with the spine.

Keep in mind that it will be the area roughly at your shoulder that needs to be lined up with the ball of your foot so your center line corresponding to your head will be lined up over the inside edge of your foot, not over the center of the ball. 

This allows you to be perfectly centred, since your shoulders extend left and right of your head, creating a proper center of balance.

The foot you aren’t standing on needs to have pressure into the floor; You can’t create good turns if you are only using one foot as your balance point. 

Instead, you are using two feet, even though you are standing only on one of them. 

To create this pressure, push into the ball of the foot you aren’t standing on, with both knees completely straight.

Finally, it’s critical to keep the eyes up. Even if your head is up, looking down at the floor changes your balance enough that it will affect your turn.

2. The Turn

To create the turn, it’s not enough to just turn and step. 

You first need to create energy in order to accomplish your turn or spin and if you are trying to move horizontally during that action, you’ll just be going off your center of balance, destroying your ability to turn.

One of the most common reasons that dancers can’t do good turns is that they attempt to move from one foot to the other during the turn; Any horizontal movement during your turn impacts your balance, making it challenging to complete the turn effectively.

Another common problem is to use the wrong body parts to create the turn. 

Even if they try to turn without moving the body, turning the shoulders will throw you off balance. Yet this is a very common mistake. 

Turns need to happen from the core. 

In fact, we are turning the spine to initiate the turn; You can think of turning the belly button if you like, as this is the external body part closest to the spine.

For spot turns or switch turns; don’t try stepping while you are still turning, as that will cause you to over rotate the body, affecting your balance.

For spirals, open space for the body in front to avoid falling over as you finish the turn. 

An easy way to think of that is to let the back hip settle halfway through the turn.

3. Use of the Head

Another common problem with turns is that dancers turn the head at the same time as they turn the body. 

This slows down your turn, robbing you of power, instead, let the head be the last thing to begin turning and the first thing to arrive at the final direction. 

This not only creates a more dynamic rotation, but it also helps you control the momentum of the turn.

Work on your turns by practicing them slowly at first, working on the technique.

As you get better at this, increase the amount of turn and the speed and before long, you’ll be doing fast, snappy turns with style.

DANCING AS A LANGUAGE

Ballroom Dancing may be viewed as a conversation between the bodies of the partners, and to learn Ballroom Dancing the partners must each learn two new languages: their own and their partner's patterns of movements. 

If we take the sentence as part of a spoken language (which needs to be understood by both parties for a conversation to be held) and the dance figure as a unit of Ballroom Dancing, then Ballroom Dancing is actually more complicated than the verbal language since in any Ballroom Dancing figure, the Lead and Follow’s steps are different (each with its own ‘language’). 

LEADING & FOLLOWING

The Lead and the Follow have differing roles. 

Traditionally the man leads; he is responsible for the choice of choreography, the alignments, arranging to avoid obstacles, corners and other dancers. 

Meanwhile the lady follows the man, typically taking each step a fraction of a second after that of the man because she has to determine what the man is doing and then match it with her corresponding step.

While this is occurring, the man is monitoring his partner's speed and shape and using this to help choose which figure can most easily be performed next that also matches the space available on the floor where they can move, while arranging his speed and shape to lead the lady into that figure.

The lady must discern which foot the man is going to move (and in what direction) in order to follow him, but she cannot tell this if he has equal weight on both feet, therefore the start and continuity of any ballroom dance begins with the man placing his weight clearly onto one foot.

That way, the lady may match this by settling onto her corresponding (opposite) foot and then following the movement of the man's other foot as they commence and continue to move.

‘GRACE’ MOVEMENT

In music, a ‘Grace Note’ is a note that precedes the next real note. 

It is a ‘Clayton's note’ as it itself is not part of the melody but prepares the ear of the listener for the next note of the melody. 

Similarly in dance a Grace Step is a step that precedes and prepares for the next real step. 

This is most useful at the beginning of a dance when the men must communicate to the lady which foot he is going to start with. 

In the simplest case, the man will just take a small step to the side or back on the last beat of the bar before that in which the dance starts, settling onto that foot and releasing the other foot for the first real step of the dance. 

In many cases the man might take two grace steps, such as a side step onto one foot at the beginning of the bar preceding the dance; and then a small step forward on the last beat of that bar, thereby already building some forward momentum of the body into the first step of the dance.

DEGA'S PRINCIPLE

Anyone studying the famous paintings and sculptures of dancers by the artist Degas will notice that none of his dancers have their feet together. 

All the picture steps in ballroom dancing also have the feet apart but many figures in Ballroom dances have steps where the feet are closed, such as the third step in the Modern Waltz. 

The lesson from Degas is that when dancers do close their feet together in these figures, then they should arrange to have them in that position as briefly as possible.

One may consider the closing of the feet to be the preparation for the next step and this is most obvious in the Paso Doble, where the closing step is called an Appel, sadly which is often done with a noisy stamp…this is a mistake! 

Bullfights, for which the Paso Doble is an allegory are performed on sand, so stamping a foot there creates no noise. 

The Appel movement, rather than a stamp, is really a rapid compression of the standing leg preparing the other leg to move.

Generally, beginner dancers are often inclined to close their feet with a snap action but, then have to remain with closed feet for the rest of the beat. 

One way to avoid standing with the feet closed is to close them slowly using the whole beat of music to do so and, when they are actually closed then immediately start the foot movement of the next step. 

This is the technique advocated in most of the Standard Ballroom and Latin dances and is often described as using foot pressure or ‘stroking’ the floor, to slow the closing foot. 

In some dances, such as the Tango and the Cha-Cha, the character of the dance requires the closing foot to snap rapidly to the other so, applying the Dega's Principle here means that the closing is delayed to the end of the musical beat.

COMMAS

A comma in writing separates one phrase from the next and helps to convey the meaning. 

If it is put in the wrong place in a sentence, it can make the sentence into nonsense or convey a totally different meaning. 

Similarly, we should put commas in our dancing and allow us to separate phrases of continuous movements.

For example, commas are useful after picture steps like the Same-Foot Lunge or the Throwaway-Oversway to allow the resulting picture to be appreciated. 

In the Latin dances, one may place a comma after the "1" beat in the Cha-Cha, after the "1" beat in the Cuban Rumba and the "2" beat in the Samba, which are all used incidentally to stop the feet moving, but to allow the hips to continue moving, thereby giving the hip movements a different timing to that of the feet. 

This counterpoint between the different movements of the feet and of the hips is a fundamental character of these dances.

In the Standard Ballroom dances the comma plays an important role in the Waltz and the Slow Foxtrot. 

In the Waltz, despite Degas's Principle, the comma is at the end of "3", allowing time for a compression before starting to rise during the step of beat "1". 

In the Slow Foxtrot, again the comma can be used to allow time for compression which is important when a Slow step taken with the heel follows a Quick step taken on a toe. 

Beginners are inclined to phrase bars of Slow Foxtrot as ‘quick-quick-slow, quick-quick-slow’, but phrasing the dance as ‘slow-quick-quick, slow-quick-quick’, putting the comma after the second ‘quick’ instead of after the ‘slow’, allows more time for this compression and results in a smoother action. 

One simplistic way of achieving this when the ‘slow’ is at the beginning of a bar is by pretending that the dance is a Rumba and taking the slow on the second beat of the bar rather than the first beat.

BACKWARD MOVEMENTS

We can see that backward steps are difficult, because we cannot see what is behind us and, we are not used to doing them. 

The third problem is that most people can flex their thigh at the hip forward by 90 degrees or more but, few people can bend the thigh back more than about 20 degrees! 

This raises two problems in ballroom dancing.

Firstly, if the partner who going forward compresses their standing leg, their knee will project forward of their body…so, how can the partner going backward compress their standing leg with their knee also projecting forward of their body, without their knee clashing with that of their partner? 

The answer is provided by dancing on four tracks where each foot of each partner, steps on its own separate track along the floor. 

The track for the right foot of each partner is between the tracks of the feet of the other partner therefore the partners do not dance exactly facing each other but are offset to the right of each other by the width of one shoe. 

This allows the partners right foot to be placed between the feet of the other partner, which means that the feet can never exactly close since each must always leave space between the feet for their partner's right toe. 

It also means that when dancing, the thighs of each dancer will continuously be brushing the thighs of their partner. 

This is an intimacy usually not given to strangers, but it is necessary to be comfortable with this when dancing with one's dance partner. 

We already have five points of contact with our partner in taking the ballroom closed hold so, what is wrong with one more?

The second problem caused by the difference in flexions of the thigh forward and back, is one of perception rather than reality. 

It might be thought that the partner travelling forward will be able to reach their leg much further forward than the partner going backward can reach their leg backward, but we have already determined that by stepping forward as described above, at no time is the foot of the partner stepping forward ahead of their body. 

The stride length of the partner going forward is limited by how far they can push their body ahead of their standing foot, which as they step forward will become the back foot. 

Therefore, both partners are limited in their stride length by how far they can extend their leg backward.

Curiously, the most interesting thing about stepping backwards has nothing to do with either of these problems. 

It is that, despite having eyes at the front and being able to extend the leg further to the front, the human body develops more power when travelling backwards than when travelling forwards. 

• Tug of war teams pull backwards
• Rowers row backwards 
• If your car breaks down, you can push it more easily by putting your back against it and pushing backwards 

So, in ballroom dancing, the partner who is travelling backwards has the power. 

This is particularly important in turns since the partner going backward controls the speed and amount of turn. 

The partner going forward can determine the nature of the turn. 

For example, whether it is a pivot; an open turn; or a heel turn, the power of any turn is controlled by the partner who is going into it backwards. 

If the partner going backward does not apply that power, the partner going forward will not succeed in getting around them. 

This is most obvious in the Viennese Waltz.

Each partner, as they take their backward half of the turn, must take their partner from behind them to in front of them, otherwise, the progression of their dance will not be along the Line of Dance but will curve into the side of the room or, into other dancers. 

The partner going forward cannot control this, only the partner going backward can do this.

RISE & FALL

Some of the Standard Ballroom dances are often described as having ‘Rise and Fall’ or, rising and lowering but the character of this vertical movement is different in the different dances.

In the Waltz, the three steps in each bar are all taken rising continuously, so that they come to a peak at "3". 

The time available for compression at the end of the "3" of one bar and the "1" of the next bar is very brief with that rapid compression likened to a fall and, like a fall, it is accompanied with an acceleration of the body through the first step of the next bar, like a car coasting down a hill into a valley. 

Then as the body rises through the three beats of the bar, (like a car coasting up the next hill) the body slows. 

The result is that the rise and fall of the feet and legs corresponds also to a slow and fast modulation of the flight of the body. 

This modulation of body speed, with rising and lowering of the legs and feet, is also part of the character of the Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep but, in these, the period used for rising is about equal to that used for lowering so that the rising and lowering are symmetrical in time. 

In all these three dances, the Waltz, the Slow Foxtrot and the Quickstep, the body can be made to look as though it is powered through the lowering actions and then floats over the rises. 

The result is a curious optical illusion…particularly for the Slow Foxtrot! 

Although the lowered steps are typically ‘Slows’, with each taking two beats of the music and the risen steps are ‘Quicks’, with each taking only one beat of the music; because the slows are used for acceleration and the body decelerates through the quicks, it appears that the slows are quick and the quicks are slow. 

Even more curious is that if the movement is to look smooth and easy, the length of stride used by a ballroom dancer needs to be the same (or very close to same) for both a slow step and a quick step. 

Developing the coordination to achieve this is not a trivial achievement and takes time and patience.

So, what’s up? You’ve seen the videos of professional dancers flowing through step after step, so seamlessly you can’t even tell where one pattern ended and another began…but when you dance, it feels like each step clunks down about as smoothly as bricks on a wall.

The differences between what you see and what you dance yourself lie in how you direct your momentum from point A to B therefore, when practicing the techniques below, always remember that the end goal is to dance efficiently, by conserving momentum with minimal effort. 

Why? Because it’s the loss of momentum that makes your dance feel so clunky. Would you enjoy a rollercoaster that stopped and started every 5 seconds? 

Follow these steps, and you’ll ensure a smoother ride for you and your partner. 

1. Rolling Through the Steps

This is probably the first momentum-generating technique we are taught; the goal is to simply travel in a straight line, using the following foot technique:

For Standard/Smooth: Walk normally. 

Notice how your heel strikes the ground first, then rolls to the front of your foot as you take your next step. 

Concentrate on keeping your body level by softening your knees and push off the back foot to create your forward energy. 

Don’t lean forward! If it starts to feel like the concourse at an airport, you know you’re getting somewhere. 

Do the same thing backwards, this time by sliding the ball of the foot back and letting it roll until the heel makes contact.

For Latin/Rhythm: Slide forward on the balls of your feet, NEVER losing contact with the floor. 

There’s no foot rolling action here but, there is hip-rolling action. 

As your weight transfers forward and your heel kisses the ground, let that forward energy settle into your hip, rolling it backwards, until it almost feels like your weight is moving towards your heel. 

The energy must roll forwards again, so send it into the opposite hip, stepping forward as you do, and repeat. 

The movement should feel like an infinity symbol rolling around in your hips, fed and maintained with your forward (or backward) momentum.

2. Aim for Zero

At rest, we must always return to the balls of our feet. 

This means we anticipate the amount of energy we need to get from point A to B, and practice until we can transfer from ball to ball without wasting energy. 

One way we do this, especially on the side steps, is by driving a wedge out with the inside of the free foot, then rolling to a flat on the weight transfer. 

Why? Because the rolling action helps to slow us down, exactly as much as our transfer to the side ‘sped us up’ so we come to rest over our foot – at zero. 

In smooth/standard, we use this technique for our forward and backward movements too, rolling through our foot to ensure continuous movement.

Of course, we don’t actually want to stop moving on the dance floor – we want to stay balanced and in control…because uncontrolled momentum is lost momentum.

3. Blending the Movement

The above techniques are great for single-direction travel, but what about changing directions (i.e., turns)? 

We are already completing each weight change on the balls of our feet, which is the best place for them to pivot, if needed. 

Now it’s up to our body rotation (Smooth/Standard), or our hip rotation (Rhythm/Latin) to rotate strongly enough to turn the rest of our body along a new path. 

This includes anything from the waltz reverse turn to a triple spin in mambo – the only change in our bodies is how strongly we rotate; also, we must make the turn as we arrive on a new foot or, in other words, the last instant before our forward energy would stop. 

Wait longer, and you’ll have to ‘force’ the twist to build up momentum again. Turn too early, and you won’t be balanced on the ball, and end up falling out of the turn. 

Blend the energy from the previous movement into the new one and nothing will be lost.

4. Juggling Energy

In ballroom dancing, your partner is just as important as you are for conserving momentum. 

The two of you must be constantly working in tandem or in opposition to each other, in order to keep energy juggling between you. 

One common way this is expressed is through a light but responsive frame, which acts as a shock absorber for any movement – it can compress and extend, but always with resistance and like the willow branch, it immediately snaps back to place once the pressure is reduced. 

Often, the follower acts as a shock absorber for the leader, bending slightly to receive their momentum, which then travels into their body and moves them a split second later. 

A back-leading follower might think they are helping but, in reality, they are killing the momentum for both of them.

Remember that, like the rollercoaster, there are no sudden stops or changes. Work hard to make every movement soft but irresistible and enjoy the delightful flowing dance that arises.

Everyone wants a flawless performance; I get it…isn’t that why dancers practice hundreds of hours? 

Well… to a certain degree, yes, but too much focus on a flawless performance can actually hurt your dancing and here I’m addressing the technical dancers, aka the perfectionists. 

Technical abilities can be a great asset, as long as you’re careful not to fall into theses traps of extreme perfectionism:

1. Precision at the Expense of Balance.

Although balance requires a certain amount of precision – a clear sense of body alignment and clear pathways of movement in space – it relies even more heavily on your ability to adapt to change. Balance is dynamic, not static.

When you control your movement too much, trying to be super precise, your muscles tighten and you lose your ability to quickly adapt. For example, it may seem counter-intuitive but whenever you feel off balance, instead of trying to “control” your movement and tighten your muscles, release your muscles and you will find that you easily regain your stability.

2. Perfection over Connection.

At some point in your dancing, I’m sure you’ve all experienced the icy glare of your partner, blaming you for a loss of connection; When you focus too much on perfecting your choreography, you become less receptive to lead and follow cues.

When your movement is over-controlled and stiff, it is less reflexive and you cannot quickly adapt to new information (i.e., change in lead, direction, etc…). 

Also, if you have practiced your routine perfectly for hours and hours, any change will likely throw you off and you’ll either make a mistake or you’ll go blank and forget your routine.

Expect that your routine will change slightly when you perform. 

Dedicate time to sensing lead and follow with your partner and playing around with it (and an emphasis on “play”!). 

It’s a smart move to purposely have your partner change the routine here and there in practice to check your ability to adapt.

3. Clean, but Boring.

Have coaches ever told you that you “think too much” or (even more heart- wrenching) “you’re boring to watch?”. 

This is like taking a knife to the heart when you work so hard to master your craft in hopes of becoming a champion. 

To stop overthinking and deliver an expressive performance, you need to shift your mindset from perfection to play. 

Performing is like playing…there are no hard and fast rules in play or if there are, the rules constantly change. 

Play is free…Play is adaptive…Play is relaxed…Play requires room for error; an attempt to dance perfectly kills play.

As part of your practice, take some time to move playfully to music and sense the feeling of the music (no choreography or steps!). 

By allowing your body the freedom to move without structure you will learn to trust it and, in trusting your body, you will be able to free your mind and express what you feel in the music.

A great dancer is not one who dances flawlessly but rather one who creates the illusion of dancing flawlessly. 

To create this illusion, you need to become a master at adapting, rather than perfecting.

You have probably heard at one time or another, things like; “everyone makes mistakes”; “even the greatest make mistakes” or; “mistakes are all a part of the process”. 

If you are like most people, this makes you just stare blankly at the person saying this! 

You know it’s true, you appreciate that they are trying to make you feel better but, still…

Anyway, the truth is, comments like these are only part of the story. 

Mistakes, and dancing mistakes in particular, can be pretty helpful:

1. Mistakes can make stars.

Have you ever seen a dancer fall or crash and come out of it with style, creativity or humour? 

Do you remember this as a mistake or evidence of an amazing dancer with an incredible personality? 

Check out the comments that are made on YouTube videos of amazing responses to mistakes and you will see the kind of awesome reputation that it can bring.

2. Mistakes can spark major creativity and development.

Look at ballroom dancing 20 or 30 years ago and look at it now. There are clear differences. 

At one point these differences may have been considered mistakes because a move looked to be too much, too little or not quite right to some… but to others it set the next goal!

3. Paying attention to the mistakes that you see can save you some grief.

Seriously! If you see something that doesn’t work, you have actually learned something. 

But...don’t get too smug. It is pretty certain that you teach others this way too…which is OK. 

It is all part of the balance of life.

4. If you don’t make any mistakes, it is hard to claim that you really know what you are doing.

Making mistakes helps your brain pinpoint what you really need to do by a process of systematic elimination. 

If everything comes easy, then the risk is this success is more of an accident than accomplishment.

5. All mistakes are not created equal.

There is the fledgling mistake that happens when “you do not know and cannot do”; the sophomore mistake that happens when “you do know, but you cannot do”; and the impetuous mistake that happens when “you know and can do, but for some reason you don’t”. 

This is important to know because you may think you are making a lot of mistakes but if your mistakes progress…High Five! 

You will get past this soon and if the progress in your mistakes was steady, your mistake-free self will be pretty solid.

6. Mistakes make you calmer.

Consider how you would be if you never made a mistake. 

When you do make one, you would probably flip out a bit. 

It is much better to know and regularly experience the fact that after your mistake, you are still smart, on your feet and ready to move on…and actually a lot better off for the experience.

The Cha-Cha has been with us since the mid 1930’s and has changed a lot over the decades with dance teachers seeing a lot of common mistakes in this classic dance. 

The speed of the dance, combined with the movement people are trying to achieve, leads to errors that we frequently observe even among competitive dancers so, let’s explore some of the most common mistakes in the Cha-Cha.

1. Timing problems.

Perhaps the most common error we see is how dancers interpret the timing. 

Chasses consist of three steps danced to two beats of music and a great many people dance the three steps with an even division of the beat, effectively dancing the timing as 2/3, 2/3 and 2/3 of a beat to fit the three steps into two beats. 

In actual fact, the proper timing for the Cha-Cha chasse is 1/2, 1/2 then 1 beat. 

The side and closing action are half a beat each; the final step has twice as much time!

With the right timing applied, your Cha-Cha has a more sophisticated look that sets even basic steps apart from the crowd.

2. Footwork errors.

Another common mistake is in the footwork. 

Today, with the greater emphasis on speed and size of movement, there is a tendency to dance the chasse as ball-flat, ball, ball-flat footwork. 

The traditional footwork is ball-flat on every step, including the collection in the center. 

I understand fully that the modern emphasis on sports movement can make it hard to achieve ball-flat in the center of the chasse but, if you use the timing as described above it is possible to achieve a flat foot as you push away from that foot for the final step; because you have an entire beat for that step!

The danger of using ball-only on the center of the chasse is that your dancing is no longer grounded but instead keeps you dancing “above the floor” and as a result, you won’t have the rich, solid energy into the floor that enables your Cha-Cha to look controlled and musical. 

3. Body position mistakes.

Many dancers are often unaware of where their body weight is in relation to the foot; this can cause the body to either remain behind where the foot goes or, on back steps they often place their body weight directly over the heel of the back foot. 

The first mistake is common in side movements and leads to the dancer “chasing the music” because the next beat is already there by the time their body arrives where it should have been on the previous step.

Make sure that you place your body over the foot at the right time on the beat, not arriving after the beat has passed by. 

The second mistake leads to the body having backwards momentum that makes it difficult to change direction or, can pull the partner off their own feet.

On back steps, make sure that your feet get there ahead of the body and stop the body momentum as your body arrives over the ball of the back foot, allowing you to be stable, able to “stop on a dime” or to change direction very quickly.

Be aware of the size of your steps…taking steps that are too large for your skill level will keep your body from arriving over the foot at the time of the beat so keep your steps compact to ensure the right body position.

One place where we can see the effect of this mistake is in the Hand to Hand; where the front foot lifts off the floor as the dancer steps back because their body weight is too far back. 

It also affects the Fan position for the lady, causing her to be unable to properly close her feet on the next step because she is already positioned behind the back foot.

4. Turning too early.

In the rush to stay ahead of the pace of the Cha-Cha music, dancers often begin turns much too early. 

For example, ladies completing the final turn of the Hockey Stick often begin their turn before their right foot is placed, turning the foot sideways instead of forward and making the turn look muddy and unbalanced. 

The same problem affects the front steps when a lady turns into Fan position or moving into Spiral turns such as in the Rope Spin.

Turns (and especially Spiral turns) are difficult at this speed so, it’s easy to understand why people want to rush them but, starting the turn too early actually makes them harder, not easier (that’s because turning the foot early causes the body to be positioned in between the feet rather than over the foot that you are using to turn). 

The most efficient way to turn is to be 100% over the standing foot so, waiting to turn allows you to be in a much better position for your balance as you turn. 

This makes the turn crisper, more efficient and better looking with more control.

These are some of the most common mistakes we encounter as teachers. 

There are, of course, many other errors that dancers might make but, if you focus on correcting these, your Cha-Cha will improve dramatically.

Have you ever arrived at a dance event, excited to try out your new dance moves and once you get on the dance floor…Doh! 

Your mind blanks out and you can’t remember those fancy dance steps? 

Well, don’t worry, it happens to everyone but, are there any secrets or tips to remembering your dance steps? 

Yes, there are…so, let me share a few with you.

Trick #1: Take Notes or a Video.

It’s often helpful to have a small notepad with you so that after your dance class you can jot down some notes about the dance steps you just learned. 

For example, what is the dance step pattern? What is the lead and/or follow technique? What is the count for each dance pattern? 

By writing down some notes, your mind creates a stronger memory for that dance pattern. 

Use your phone to take a video if you can, as a quick video of the dance move is a great reference to help you with your dance practice.

Trick #2 – Practice New Dance Steps Immediately.

Chances are that if you do not review your dance steps immediately after a lesson or at least on the same day, you will most likely forget it. 

So, once you get home, put on some music and dance around the house! 

It doesn’t matter if you have a partner or not, by simply dancing the steps you will be on your way to building the muscle memory that is necessary for elegant and relaxed dancing.

Trick #3 – Use Visualization.

Many Olympic athletes routinely use visualization to perfect their sports performance and you can do the same for your dancing. 

Simply relax, play some music and start to visualize in detail how you are going to dance to the music. 

Think about those cool dance moves that you just learned and visualize yourself performing those dance steps to the music. 

Visualization is an extremely powerful technique that allows you to rehearse your moves in your head before you ever step out on the dance floor.

Trick #4 – Teach Someone Else.

Teaching someone else or practicing with a partner is a great way to remember dance steps. 

When you are teaching, you are forced to think back and remember all of those lead and follow techniques that you were taught in your lesson. 

By verbally teaching a dance move, your mind quickly transitions from the mindset of “I can’t remember the dance move” to “I remember the dance move and can teach it to someone else”. This is a powerful shift in thinking!

Trick #5 – Refer to The Syllabus.

The Association’s syllabus was developed by some of the top dance teachers in the world and is a list of dance steps that may be learned for the International, American, Club style and Australian New Vogue dances so, refer to the list and highlight all of the dance steps that you know. 

Use visualization and dance practice so that you don’t forget those moves and keep track of your progress and keeping track of all of the dance steps you have learned will give you a great feeling of accomplishment.