Quote:
Originally posted by Rougeforever
Does anyone have any handy hints on learning to dance the steps in time to music ? The beat often eludes me.
I'm at the point now where I'm relaxing a bit in dancing, and therefore realising that I'm missing the beat of the song  |
Dancing to the beat, is one of the hardest thing to 'learn'
The good thing is that you have noticed something was wrong which means that you, at least, get the beat.
The first thing to do is identify the (possibly several) reasons why you might be off beat.
1- is the song you're dancing to a bit too challenging? There are many modern (esp. R&B) or Latin songs where the beat is harder to find / keep. Is the music too fast / too slow... find your sweet spot and practise...
2- Do you find you struggle more with some men than with others? As you're meant to follow, you might not have a choice, and if your partner is dancing off beat, you might become frustrated. Pick a good man, and practise with them, asking for feedback.
3- If you've eliminated both of the above, then, as a follower, the problem might come from the wrong tension / elasticity in your arms, which means that your body is not (properly) connected to your arm. Typically, there might be a delay between your partner leading you in a direction (ie pulling / pushing your hand) and your body starting to travel.
You want to establish a more constant connection to diminish the delay (make sure you don't get too stiff though ).
You will also need to take full responsibility for your movement, make sure you keep your weight on the ball of your feet, and move your feet more, taking smaller steps - the larger the steps, the more time you need to get back, which can be a problem in fast songs...
The above is all general advice as I haven't (yet) had the pleasure of a dance... The best thing to do is to ask your teacher for some specific feedback or come up to the next party in Scotland
