Ballroom Dance Etiquette

November 30, 2013 by ·

Ballroom dance etiquette ten common sense tips.

Ballroom dance etiquette

Carolina and Hugo dancing in Brooklyn at Dance Fever Studios..

1) Dance in the line of dance.  Ballroom dancers move around the floor in a counter-clockwise direction.  You should be moving in this direction most of the time.  This is ballroom dance etiquette 101.

2) When things go wong, apologize.  If you bump into someone, or step on someone’s foot, tell them you’re sorry.  Don’t just ignore them.

3)Slow dancers should move to the center of the room.  So if you are a beginner to ballroom dance, just learning new moves, don’t clog up the main lines of dance.  Stay towards the center.

4)Conversation should be off the dance floor.  If you’d like to talk, do it off the dance floor.

5)Cross the dance floor around the perimeter.  Don’t cut through.  I’ve seen people walk across the middle of the ballroom dance floor holding drinks.  Not good.

6)Clean up your mess.  So, if you are carrying some drinks and you do spill something, clean it up before some dancer slips and gets hurt.

7)Personal hygiene.  Make sure you don’t have bad body odor or bad breath.  Very important ballroom dance etiquette.

8)Dance at your partner’s ability.  If you are an experienced ballroom dance leader dancing with a beginner follower, don’t expect her to do advanced moves.  Build the dance.  Start with easy stuff.  Once you see that she’s with the timing and following easy patters, try advancing to more difficult ones.  If she has difficulty doing one turn, don’t lead her in to a double turn.

9)Sneezing and coughing while dancing.  This does happen. Always sneeze or cough into the underside of your elbow.  Do not sneeze into your hand and then ask her to take that hand for dancing.

10)Don’t chew gum while dancing.  This is annoying to your partner.  He or she doesn’t want to dance with a cow chewing grass, which is what it feels like.  It also doesn’t look elegant.  Have you ever seen Fred Astaire chew gum while he dances?

Filed Under: Argentine tango, ballroom dancing, Dance studios Brooklyn, Uncategorized · Tagged: ,

Difference Between Argentine Tango And Ballroom Tango.

April 1, 2013 by ·
Difference between Argentine tango and Ballroom tango.

Argentine tango classes in NYC

Argentine tango and ballroom tango.  What’s the difference?  The way the dances look and the music they are danced to are the two major differences.  Ballroom tango has a very pronounce, prominent and steady tempo.  Almost like a ticking clock.  It sounds a bit like paso doble.  Argentine tango music is very varied.  Some of it, like music from Biagi or Canero has a strong, easy to hear base.  Some music may have a strong melody and a very weak base.  Milonga Triste by Hugo Diaz  is an example.  There’s Argentine tango music that has both: alternating powerful beat,  and then the base will totally drop out, and you have only melody.  Osvaldo Pugliese music is often like this.

Argentine tango has no basic step.  It is a totally improvisational dance.  Ballroom tango has an 8 count basic which is slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.  Most patterns are done using this 8 count basic.  Ballroom tango really moves around the room.  You are not in one spot for very long.  In Argentine tango, you may stay in the same spot for quite a long time doing gauchos,  boleos and embellishments.  Argentine tango is often danced in close embrace, or salon style.  Ballroom tango isn’t.  It has a very formal, ballroom look to it.  In ballroom tango there are more broad movements with the upper body: sways and dips.  There are also more staccato movements like head snaps.  You won’t see these types of movements in Argentine tango.  Most of the movements are below the waist.

At the advanced level, the patterns and steps in Argentine tango are way more complicated and difficult to do.  Ballroom tango does not have volcadas, calesitas, planeos, and barridas or the cross.  These are steps that any advanced Argentine tango dancer and many intermediate dancers will know.  Ballroom tango is almost always danced in parallel foot system.  While Argentine tango is both parallel system and cross foot system.

The dances also have a different feel to them.  When dancing ballroom tango the movements are strong, staccato and floor sweeping.  You are more with the base.  When dancing Argentine tango, you are more with the melody.  Listing to any accents in the music and trying to hit them with your movements.

Filed Under: Argentine tango, Dance lessons, Tango Lessons · Tagged: ,

What Is Latin Dancing?

March 25, 2013 by ·
Latin dancing in Brooklyn

Latin Dance Classes in Brooklyn. Ray and Stephanie dancing salsa.

Do you offer Latin dance lessons?  I’m asked this question all the time. When I answer yes.  Many students then  ask what it is Latin dancing? They know they like it and want to learn it, but aren’t sure what is.  Why is jive one of the five dances in Latin dance competitions,  while Argentine tango isn’t?  That’s another question I often hear.  So, here’s a break down.

There are generally two different meanings.  There is social Latin dancing, and there’s formal ballroom/Latin dancing.  Formal Latin dancing has five dances: cha-cha, jive, paso doble, rumba and samba.  When you see an international Latin or American Latin dance competition, these are the dances they are doing.

Then there’s social Latin dancing.  This is what most people are doing in a dance clubs, what you hear on Spanish radio stations, and what most students want to learn.  These are dances that originated in Latin American  and Caribbean countries.  Salsa, bachata, merengue, cha-cha, rumba, and samba are the most popular.  There are many many others.  Popularity depends on where you are.   In the Dominic Republic, bachata and merengue are more popular than salsa.  In Cuba, salsa is way more popular than bachata.  But over all, salsa is the most popular and bachata comes in 2nd.  This is right now.  Ten years ago, bachata was not as popular.  And ten years from now, something else might become popular. In certain parts of Mexico, cumbia is very popular.

It might seem weird, but Argentine tango is not classified as a” Latin dance.”  Here are some reasons why.  It’s not danced in place and it doesn’t have hip motion like the other above mentioned dances.  Argentine tango moves around the room like a ballroom dance and has no hip motion.  It’s more like a ballroom dance, but isn’t.  It has its own classification.   So why is Jive, which is American, one or the five Latin dances in formal competitions?  Well, It’s danced in place,  has lots of hip motion, and kind of looks more like the other Latin dances, and less like a ballroom dance.  The people who organize these competitions wanted to have five dances make up the competition, and wanted an American dance to be one of them, so they choose jive.

Filed Under: Argentine tango, bachata dancing, Latin dancing, Salsa Dancing ·

Dance Teacher Training Programs.

March 18, 2013 by ·
Dance Teacher training programs.

Group salsa class in Park Slope Brooklyn

You want to become a dance teacher.  You see lots of different dance teacher training  programs, but aren’t sure how to choose a good one.  Here are some tips.  If you want to work consistently and make a living as a full-time dance teacher,  the more dances you know, the better.   If all you know is salsa on2 or Argentine tango it will be difficult to keep yourself employed.   Owning two Brooklyn dance studios,  I get resumes and calls everyday from professional salsa dancers, professional Argentine tango dancers, belly dancers,  international Latin and ballroom dancers looking for work.   The first thing I ask them is,  do they know any other dances or styles?  If the answer is no,  I will have a hard time employing them.

Dance schools want dancers who are well-rounded. It’s great to be an expert in one dance, but know some others.  I just got a resumes from a dancer who’s  been dancing for 15 years and all she knows is salsa on2.  In 15 years she couldn’t pick up some other dances?

Here’s a typical day for me and any of my dance teachers.  Yesterday at 9am I taught a private at our Flatbush dance school.  The student is doing hustle, salsa on1, and bachata.  At 10 I taught an Argentine tango private.  At 3 I went to our Park Slope studio and taught a private bachata lesson.  This student also wants to learn cumbia.  At 7 I teach a couple who is doing social ballroom.  At 8 we have a two-hour intermediate salsa class.  Where would I be if I only knew how to dance one dance or style?  A dance student frequently starts leaning one dance,  then become interested in a different dance.  If all you know is that one dance, you will lose them as a student when they want to move on to a different dance.

Also, a school would rather have one teacher doing two hours than two separate teachers each doing an hour each.  It’s just easier.  So, make sure the teacher training program is making you into a  well-rounded dancer.  This way no matter what a student wants to learn, you will be the go to dance teacher for that studio.

Is there any kind of placement program?   It’s great that they are training you in salsa on1, salsa on2, Argentine tango, Latin and ballroom, hustle and wedding choreography;  making you into a well-rounded dancer.  But what happens when you’re done with your training?  Do they have work for you?  Consider this.  The dance training program that has work for you is the one you should choose.

Do they teach you how to teach or just how to dance?  Many great dancers don’t know how to teach.  The teachers who last and make a good living, are the ones who know how to teach and not just dance.  You will be getting lots of different types of students.  You don’t want to teach each one the same.  Some are very serious about dance and dancing well.  Most  are not interested in become professional dancers, and are just doing if for fun.  Teach the right way and you will keep your student and get more.

Do they teach you about the business end?  What good is it if you know all the dances and how to teach,  but can’t get any business.  Even if you’re not interested in opening up your own dance studio, knowing sales and how to get students is important.  I see some of the best dancers starving for work.  Not having any idea how to generate business and keep themselves employed.

Consider all these things when choosing a dancer teacher training program.

Filed Under: Argentine tango, dance teacher training programs, Private dance lessons, Private salsa lessons, Private tango lessons, Salsa Dancing, Tango Lessons · Tagged: , , ,

Brooklyn Dance Studios

February 24, 2013 by ·
Brooklyn Dance Studios

Me salsa dancing when I was a student.

Bronx Girl Dancing in Brooklyn Dance Studios.

Growing up,  I always finished what I started.  That is rare for a teen girl and young adult in college.  I did everything right: Graduated college with honors, got a job right out of college, started the ball rolling on getting my masters degree.  Life was working out, but something was missing.  I felt unsatisfied and lost.  I felt that there had to be more to life than just going to school and working.  I was looking for something, but not really sure what.  I found myself staying home.  Tired of the same old night and bar scene.  I just kept telling myself that there had to be more to life than this predictability.  I was seeking excitement and something completely different, but didn’t know what.

Then one day, a friend of mine told me about salsa classes she had been taking at a Brooklyn dance studio.  She said that she was having the time of her life.   She knew I had always wanted to take Argentine tango classes, but didn’t want to pay New York city prices.  She told me tango is one of the dances they teach at her Brooklyn studio.   She convinced me to go to one of Dance Fever Studios bimonthly parties.  I decided to go.  On my way there, I kept thinking,  what the hell am I doing travelling all the way from the Bronx to Brooklyn?  I wanted to turn around and go back, but I kept going.

When I arrived at Dance Fever, everyone was so friendly, warm, welcoming and could dance.  I always thought I knew how to dance salsa, bachata and Latin dances.  I’m part Puerto Rican.  I realized that I had a lot to learn.  As the night went on, I was amazed by everyone.  Then came the show case.  Francis and a student performed an Argentine tango.  At that moment, I decided “I want to do that.  I’m coming here.”

I signed up for a month of tango, thinking I’d do it for one month.  After that I’d be able say I tried it, liked it, did something different.  I’d be able to get back to my graduate studies and work, and be a little bit more satisfied with life.  The cycle ended, and I registered for another month.  I kept going, month after month.  I became addicted.  I started going two, then three and four times a week.  I took all the dances they offered: salsa, hustle, bachata, Latin, ballroom.  Dancing became a huge part of my life.  Sometimes it’s a wonderful thing when life does not work out the way you think it will or the way you have planned it.

In the four years since I started dancing my life changed drastically in great ways.  I lost over 70 pounds.  When I started dancing I was weighing over 200 pounds.  My energy level is way up.  Now, everyone calls me the Energizer Bunny.  I gained confidence that I lacked for most of my life.  I met some awesome people who have become some of my closest friends.  I have a non stop social life now.  I became a dance teacher at Dance Fever Studios. They have two studios now, and I run one of them.

Teaching at Dance Fever has been so enjoyable.  It’s a great feeling to see your students learn how to dance, enjoy themselves, see their fears and insecurities about dancing slip away. Dancing has become my greatest passion.  I can not wait to get on the dance floor.  I owe it all the my home away from home, Dance Fever Studios in Brooklyn.  I simply live, love, laugh and dance, dance, dance.  You may see some of my videos our Youtube chanel.

Filed Under: Argentine tango, Dance lessons, Dance studios Brooklyn, salsa dance schools · Tagged: , , ,

Dance schools in NYC

February 16, 2013 by ·

Here are some observations about dance schools in Brooklyn and the New York city area. These are things I’ve noticed, and have also been brought to my attention by my students.  I guess you can call them pet peeves.

Dance schools in NYC at our Park Slope Brooklyn dance studio.

Park Slope dance studio in Brooklyn NY.

Please stop advertising your school at one price, and then when a student comes to register,  hit them with a registration fee. If you advertise one price, that should be the price. Not, oh plus $20 for registration.  I’ve noticed many Brooklyn salsa schools doing this recently.  This is deceptive.  So, if a school does this, watch out.  They also tell you it’s a one time fee.  But, if you don’t go for a few months, then start up again, they will hit you with this registration fee again.  Guys, Be up front with the pricing.

Should you really be charging for music? These are your students. If they are asking for some salsa, bachata or tango music, have them bring a CD and burn them some songs. Do you really need to sell them it? They are new to this whole salsa, tango, or whatever dance scene it is.  They want music to practice to. Give them it, and help them out.  Squeezing every dollar out of a student is not the way to do business.

Telling students they will be great salseros or tangeras in no time flat.  This is over the phone, without even having meet the student.  No school or teacher can tell you how long it’s going to take for you to be good, or even decent.  That depends on you. Students often ask me how long does it take to get good at Argentine tango, or become a great salsa dancer.  The answer is, I don’t know. I’ve had students who after a few classes were dancing nicely, and other students, after months, still struggle with the tempo. Honesty is the best policy.

Pitting one dance style against another. I’ve actually heard a studio owner in Manhattan asking out loud, during a Milonga at her studio: “Why would anyone want to dance Argentine tango? It’s so slow and boring.” This studio primarily teaches swing, hustle and salsa. They have a Milonga once a month. So, according to her, swing, hustle and salsa are great and Argentine tango isn’t.  This is like saying Impressionist painters are better than Cubist.  They’re just different.  If you dance salsa in Rueda there’s no reason to put down LA style salsa. If you dance Argentine tango in close embrace, don’t bad mouth open embrace. Try not to have such a parochial view of things. If you want to get really good at any one dance, embracing all styles will help. The best salsa dancers usually know a few different styles. The best tango dancers usually also know ballroom and many know ballet. Being able to include different techniques and styles from one dance into another will help you become a better dancer.

This is for the salsa schools. Too much focus on salsa shines. I have students that come from other schools, and maybe they have been dancing for a year.  They know 60 shines.  Wow! But they can’t follow or lead a simple copa or check turn the right way. Unless it’s specifically a salsa shine class, try focusing more on leading, following, technique, and musicality.  This is what partner dancing is about, not splitting up and doing shines. You should have great Cuban motion and contra body before you learn 60 shines and triple turns.

Roping students into a performance class and then after a few weeks telling them they need to pay an additional price for the costume that you have marked up double. A student told me that this happened to her in a belly dance class she was taking. She was told that she couldn’t do the performance unless she bought the costume. Nothing about buying a costume was said at the beginning of the class cycle. She dropped out of the class. Again, be upfront with the pricing.

Too much Focus on steps and patterns. Better to teach how to lead and follow then how to do a pattern. Better to teach technique, craft, musicality and style then a complicate step. Once you know this, you will be able to follow any pattern. Many student tell me that the school they used to go to taught really complicated patterns, but as soon as they left the class, they forget it all. Focus more on technique and less on steps.

Advertising a class as advanced and then letting anyone join in. A student told me about an advanced Argentine tango workshop he went to where half the women there weren’t able to do a proper boleo. Some didn’t know how to do it at all. If you promote a class as advanced, it should really have only advanced students. Allowing intermediate or beginners into the class isn’t fair to the real advanced dancers. If all schools started doing some of these things, it would make things a lot better for all.

Filed Under: Argentine tango, Dance lessons, Salsa Dancing, Tango Lessons · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Tango lessons in Brooklyn

February 14, 2013 by ·

You just started taking Argentine tango classes and want to practice, but you’re having trouble finding the right music to practice to.  Piazolla and Puligese are great, but difficult to dance to for a beginner, and even for experienced dancers.  There are hundreds of amazing tango songs to choose from,  but when starting out with tango lessons, what you want is songs with a steady and clear tempo, and not performance type pieces.  You want songs that you won’t have trouble finding the beat.  Here is a list of great tango songs for the beginner tango dancer.  At our two Brooklyn dance schools, we find that these are the best songs for the beginner Argentine tango dancer.   They all have a very clear beat, and are also great pieces of music.

Tango lessons in Brooklyn NY at our Park Slope Dance Studio.

Tango studio in Brooklyn NY.

Argentine Tango Songs For Beginners:   Don Juan/Carlos Di Sarli,  El Once/Carlos Di Sarli,  A la Gran Muneca/Di Sarli,  La Cumparsita/Di Sarli, Milonguro Viejo/Di Sarli, Yo Tambien Era Dichoso/Francisco Canero,  Pura Parada/Canero,  El Pescante/Canero, DonJuan/Canero, Por Tener un Corazon/Rodlofo Biagi, 16 y Vovemos A Queremos/Rodolfo Biagi,  Sentimiento Gauch/Francisco Lomoto, Yo Tambien Sone/Romero, Ojos Negros Que Fascinan/Ray Salina, Yo No Se Porque Razon/Enrique Rodriquez, Cafe Dominguez/Angel D’gastino

Filed Under: Argentine tango, Dance lessons, Tango Lessons · Tagged: , , , ,

Health Benefits of Dancing

February 1, 2013 by ·

There are many activities you can do to stay fit and healthy.  Dancing is one of the best.  Besides eating right, sleeping enough and not playing in traffic, staying active is critical to staying healthy.  We all know this, but many of us can’t manage to stay active.  You don’t like gyms or working out.  It’s boring.   Lifting a weight up and down isn’t exciting.  You don’t want to run around the same track again and again either.  Now how many times around was that?   You tried boxing, but don’t like getting hit in the head.  It hurts.  You even tried kick boxing.  That hurts even more.  So what can you do?  Dance.  It’s safe, it’s fun, and you don’t get head aches.

Dancing gives you a total body workout.  You are using all parts.  It’s anaerobic as well as aerobic.  It’s a mental work out, and also involves lots of flexibility.  There are few activities that have all this.

intermediate Argentine Tango class

Argentine tango intermediate class in Brooklyn.

Aerobic is endurance stuff.  Walking, jogging, etc.  You get that from dancing.  Try our Latin cardio class and you will see what I mean.  You will have a great time listing to great music and moving to it non stop.  The same is true for salsa, hustle, bachata, samba and tango.  One or two sambas, jives or Viennese waltz is guaranteed  to get your heart beat up.  I just had a group of twenty year old girls come to our Salsa Latin Hustle Social at our Park Slope dance studio.  After a few salsas and bachatas, they needed to sit down.  While we have regulars in their 40’s and 50’s who dance 3 or 4 hours straight with no problem.  Dancing builds your aerobic endurance.

Anaerobic is more like weight lifting or playing the net in tennis.  Quick, explosive movements.  Dancing has this too.  Try dipping or lifting your dance partner, and you will see what I mean.  It’s just like lifting weights.  Spins and lunges are also very anaerobic.

Flexibility is also a big part of dance.  Any Argentine tango student who is learning body dissociation, or salsa student who is learning figure eights and hip rolls knows what I mean.  I have a new student at our Midwood studio who is a martial arts teacher.  A black belt in many styles.  After two or three classes, he tells me that he is feeling muscles sore that he never knew he had.

Beginner salsa class

Salsa lessons in Brooklyn at Dance Fever Studios

Staying healthy isn’t just physical.  Your mind also needs to be fit; constantly growing and learning new things.  In dance your memory is put to the test.  You are always learning new patterns and sequences.  If not used, they will be forgotten.  Anyone who has ever choreographed a routine knows what I mean.  A 4 minute salsa routine can easily have over 100 different steps and patterns.  The more routines you do, the sharper your memory gets.  Dancing gets both the mind and body fit; while also having fun, meeting new people and making new friends.

 

Filed Under: Argentine tango, Dance lessons, Salsa Dancing · Tagged: , , ,

Secrets to Dancing Argentine Tango

January 24, 2013 by ·
tango lessons in Brooklyn at Dance Fever Studios. An authentic Argentine tango studio.

Tango class in Brooklyn at Dance Fever Studios.

There are really only three major types of steps in Argentine tango.   Walking, giros(pivots) and ganchos(hooks).   Almost every complicated pattern or amazing sequence you see, is composed of these three types of steps.  95% of your time dancing tango, you will be doing these types of steps.  Most of the time you will be walking, some times pivoting, and less time hooking.   Practice these three things, alone, by yourself, and you will be good.

Since most of your time is spent walking, this is what you should practice first.  Again, practice without a partner.  If you can’t walk a straight line forward and backwards, to different tempos, in total control of your balance,  by your self; don’t expect to do it with a partner.  Start with walking every two beats.  Step on the 1 and the 3.  These are called the strong beats.  Walking slowly is much harder than fast.  Practice this too.  Step every 4th beat of the music.  So, now you’re stepping on the 1st beat with the right, then the 1st beat with the left.  Don’t use the free leg to help you balance.  Keep your movement going over the entire 4 beats.  Walk like a cat creeping up on a bird.  There are some tango schools and teachers in Argentina that will only teach walking for the entire first year of lesson.  Once you can walk the right way alone,  you have a chance of doing it the right way with a partner.  Now,  that’s assuming that your partner also did the same practice.  If not, she or he will be using you as a balance beam.

To see more videos go to our Youtube chanel.

Pivots.  Once you have the walk, move on to pivots.  If not, don’t start learning pivots.  Just like walking, you need to be able to pivot by yourself, or you won’t be able to do it with a partner.  Do not practice against a wall.  This only gets you in the bad habit of relying on the wall for balance.  Start with 1/4 pivots.  Face one wall with your entire body.  Now,  turn only the upper part of your body, your torso, so that it faces the next wall.  You will feel a pull.  Your lower part wants to follow your upper part.   Allow it to by pivoting on one foot.  Now your body is aligned again, facing the next wall.  Repeat this.  These are 1/4 pivots.  Go both ways.  When you can do this well, move onto 1/2 pivots, then full 360 pivots.  When you have these, do it backwards.  Being able to do this is the basis for forward and backward ochos.

Ganchos,  like walking and pivoting, you must practice on your own.  Practice ganchos backwards, sideways and backwards over your own leg.  Make sure you point your toe and maintain your balance. Do all this, and dancing with a partner will be a lot easier and more fun.

 

Filed Under: Argentine tango · Tagged: , , ,