PARTNER DANCING

GUIDELINES

This is a guide to the process of learning to dance as a couple. My advice is not to try to run before you know how to walk. One step at a time.

You are about to join our family of dancers.

¡ We want to meet you !

We are a big family where we will welcome you with open arms.
The passion for dancing, the desire to meet new people and have fun, while we learn and improve our dancing, is what unites us.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to go out with us to practice what you have learnt in class from the first day.

EVOLUTION OF THE DANCER

Evolution starts with the individuals.
You must learn to control your movement and to dissociate (perform independent movements) the different parts of your body.

The next step focuses on fulfilling your role within the partner dance and not trying to assume a role that does not correspond to you. In other words, the leader should indicate and guide, while the follower should execute the indicated step.
If you don’t have a partner, don’t take on the role of leader, as their function is completely different. In that case, focus on your evolution and practice the steps individually, as it will be very useful for you to master them to perfection.

Now that you have mastered the steps and your role, as long as you don’t neglect the second point, it’s time to focus on decorating the dance with your style and personality.

PARTNER DANCING

In this type of dance, we must be aware that we are not alone. We must try to make sure that our partner enjoys the dance as much as we do.
It requires, therefore, an absence of selfishness and a capacity for empathy.
And, of course, it requires that both dancers go to the rhythm of the music so that both move in tune.

In partner dancing there are two roles:

 1 Leader:
It is usually the man, but more and more women are venturing into this role.
This function requires many simultaneous actions:

• You must make sure you don’t lose your step. It is important to always follow the order of your feet, following the pattern of the type of dance you are doing at that moment.
• You will have to learn to guide your partner so that he or she can perform the steps without too much difficulty. To do this, you will have to make an effort and pay attention to the placement of your hands. You need to be aware of the right moment to give the indication and, above all, don’t be abrupt. Make your movements clear and concise. This will ensure that your partner understands what you want them to do and can execute it.
• Be aware that your purpose is to guide your partner in advance, clearly indicating what you want your partner to do. But it is your partner who must make the move. Under no circumstances should the leader force their partner to do it, as this will make them an abrupt leader and prevent their partner from learning to do their movements on their own.
• You will learn to sequence one figure after another with ease. That is to say, while you are doing one step, you will have to prepare the next one, or get resources to be able to link different figures.

Even create new combinations !

 2 Follower:
It is usually the woman, but there are occasions when men venture into this role.

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• You must make sure you don’t lose your step. It is important to always follow the order of your feet, following the pattern of the type of dance you are doing at that moment.
• You will have to learn to wait to be guided and not anticipate in the execution of what you think is going to happen.
• Make sure you learn your steps individually so that you can execute what you are told to do without relying on being forced to do so.
  There are many women who say: “I can dance if someone else takes me”. That is very selfish thinking because it is not fair to expect that your partner, in addition to everything he or she has to do, should also carry you to the end of the execution of the step itself.
• Make an effort to leave your arms at your partner’s disposal, so that your partner can guide you without losing his or her fluidity.

The leader leads and the follower executes. For this, both parties must be very clear about their obligations within the dance.

 

PARTNER ROTATION

We promote partner rotation to make it easier to get to know our colleagues and to progress in learning. This makes it more fun and, above all, we don’t get into bad habits by always dancing with the same person. For the class to flow, it is important to make regular changes. Learn quickly the rotation system, which always rotates clockwise around an imaginary circle formed by the different couples.
If you don’t have a partner between changes, make sure you are between two pairs without another person waiting in the same space, and as far away as possible from the other waiting partners. Use this time to review your steps individually.

Don’t stand around and do nothing !

EMPATHY

We must be understanding, as both parties are learning. It is not easy at the beginning and we have to be patient with our partners.
For a positive coexistence, good vibes and respect for each other are essential.
Even if you think you have learned your step and also your partner’s, focus only on your own without correcting the other person. When we call attention to our partner, far from helping him/her, the only thing we achieve is to confuse and frustrate him/her. The ideal is not to correct anyone. Try to learn your part and, when you have doubts or when the figure does not come out, consult the teacher, who will guide you in the best direction.

Don’t forget to give your partners a smile

A smile always lifts the spirits and helps them to improve!

Instead of calling attention to your partners, give them a smile and tell them that they did better this time. This will encourage them and you will probably get them to do better.

¿ Do you want to help your partner ?
It is very important that you don’t do the step without him/her marking it for you.
By doing this you make sure that your partner is able to indicate correctly so that you can execute it properly.
In addition, you will also learn how to interpret the different guides, so that you can understand any dancer in the world.

Don’t do it by yourself, wait to be guided !

 

PERSONAL HYGIENE

Personal hygiene is very important in partner dancing.
You should go to the dance well-groomed, with clean clothes and perfumed.
People who sweat a lot or have a strong body odour should bring a change of clothes so that they can change.
It is also advisable to take care of your breath. If we eat things with an intense aroma, it will be very unpleasant for others:
Things like chorizo, garlic, excess alcohol, tobacco, onions, or even carrying an empty stomach, cause bad breath.

DIFERENT LEVELS

1

BEGINNERS
It lasts 3 months, during which you will learn the basic steps necessary to advance in Salsa, Bachata y Kizomba.

2

BASIC
It is essential that we know the basic steps, as they are the key pieces to be able to start creating figures.

3

INTERMEDIATE
We take it for granted that the basic steps are mastered and that we already learn with greater ease and speed.

4

ADVANCED
We focus on creating our style, applying musicality and making our dancing more beautiful and harmonious.

Don’t make the mistake of focusing on learning more and more complicated combinations without mastering your basic steps perfectly and dancing in time.
These two points are the basic pillars for a good and fast evolution. 

The best dancer is not the one who does the most complicated figures, but the one who adapts to the level of his partner, making her enjoy and have fun with her.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS