After over ten years of teaching ballroom
dancing, I am still fascinated by the reasons why most of my students have
started to take lessons. As I get to know them better and I find out more
information about what motivated them to begin this journey with me, I
encounter that not only this is something that they have wanted to do for a
long time but also that at some point in their lives, there was a personal experience
where they were faced with a certain kind of performance that made a an
emotional connection with them and triggered something inside them.
I found that not necessarily the performances
that have made such an impact in their lives, were only the ones executed by
the world champions on the popular TV shows or even at the local dance
competition; in most cases the excitement came from other individuals just like
them, who were able to move, express and enjoy dancing in a way that was
catching and contagious.
Although most people can tell a good “technically”
done performance, I think having an emotional reaction to it has very little to
do with the “technique”. In my experience what has really made me fall in love
with ballroom dancing is the way two dancers can tell amazing stories full of
different emotions without saying a word, but just their bodies connecting. It
almost feels as if they are making me part of their happiness, anger,
frustration, passion or whichever feeling they are trying to portray. In
addition the music they are dancing to plays an important roll on how the
dancers interact during their time on the floor as it allows them to translate
the rhythm into motion and to be vulnerable.
From the beginning, once my clients first
come to Daza Dance and begin to take lessons, I introduce them to each dance style;
I paint a mental picture with different adjectives that describe the dances as
well as some important historic facts that will connect them with the attitude
and mood that each style requires. Then as the learning process develops, it seems
as if we separate ourselves from those “adjectives” I mentioned before to then
become very focused on how to execute a technically perfect performance.
During the process, there are times I have to
remind myself about the fact that dancing is a way to communicate feelings and
emotions in a non-verbal interaction through the motion of two people moving
together as they act and react to each other’s cues. So, throughout the years I
have been working on finding a way to look at the teaching/learning process
from a more artistic point of view rather than the other technical sort of
mechanical side; It has been my goal to be able to combine all the feelings and
emotions that each dance style embodies with the exactness and precision of all
the different techniques.
I have learned that dancing with a partner
and eventually moving as one is something that requires a lot of practice as
well as certain level of knowledge and technique; but also there has to be an
emotional connection between the two dancers where they engage on each other’s characters
and rolls. The couple must communicate through the motion of their bodies
creating reactions that become understandable and visible not only to
themselves but also to those who enjoy the act. Anyone in the audience should
be able to follow the story line they are being told.
In conclusion, start by giving permission to
yourself to express what you want to express through dancing while you are on
the floor. Become someone else as you dance and experience the emotions that
each dance style represents. Let the fear go and believe in yourself… no one is
judging!
Great article! I still remember my first dance experience when I was in grade school. I was so nervous on that time and I thought I'm gonna faint in any moment. But that experience made me realize that dancing is my passion. Since then I enroll in different dancing class and perform in different places. Dancing keeps me going. And I thought that was just a hobby. I never thought that I could earn money through dancing. There are Top 15 Dancing Jobs in the Entertainment Industry that if you are just willing to learn then you could earn just like the big stars in Hollywood. Anyway, a big thanks for this article. I need this for motivation. I'm gonna share this to my friends! Keep it up!
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