Beginning Steps

Using Your Resources

By Eric Dahlman

As I start preparing for finals and the university ballroom dance season comes to a close, I cannot help but feel a little melancholy. Naturally, I know I am going to miss seeing all of the wonderful friends I have made through dance. It will be hard adjusting to not seeing everyone at practice each week. All that we have been working towards suddenly comes to a halt. For me, that will be one of the hardest parts to adjust to, being away from the university. The feeling of progression after each practice will instantly vanish after finals when I am way from the team. During the summer, it will be completely up to me to continue practicing my ballroom skills. Luckily by being a little resourceful, I should have no issue keeping up my training, even if there isn't a dance studio in my area.

Although I am leaving friends on my team, summer break gives me the opportunity to see old friends back home. Several of my friends dance in ballets, musicals, and other performances, and have already began asking me to teach them some ballroom dance. Not only will showing them some steps be a great way to reconnect, but I can also use teaching as a method to keep myself from getting rusty. As I have written multiple times, teaching quickly solidifies what you already know. Having social dances with friends gives you practice on basic technique as well as provides you partners to dance with while you are away from competitions. Although you are probably not going to learn new steps with way, the repetition of working basics with new dancers will help you improve either leading, or following. Plus, in order to teach new people, you are mostly likely going to need to know both the lead and the follow steps. Knowledge of both sides helps you understand the connection between partners strengthening dancing as one entity rather than as two people.

While it is easy to practice what you know when away from lessons, you may start to feel starved for new material while on break. However, many people overlook using books and the internet for learning additional moves. There are literally thousands of sources across your library and on YouTube for how to improve your ballroom dances. Personally, I feel this is not often talked about enough in our community. Videos and diagrams offer potential routines to use in your next competition. Hearing the advice and experiences from other ballroom dancers through blogs, can give you needed perspective on perfecting technique. Make sure to use available sources while you are away from a coach, it may be the thing needed to get you out of a rut for a style.

Additionally, learning passive training methods can keep your dancing from getting stale. For example, standing up straight and heel leading as you are walking your dog to improve posture and foot control, taking long bike rides or zumba classes to improve stamina, and counting rhythm to songs on the radio as you clean the house. It is easy finding something each day that you can utilize to help your ballroom. Plus, if your practice does not feel like work, you are more likely to keep up the habit. Challenge yourself to find little ways to keep practicing things like Cuban motion, and rise and fall. See how far it takes you before the next dance season starts.

My one disclaimer I have comes from the words of my choir teacher, "practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent!" As you rehearse your ballroom steps be meaningful to catch mistakes you have before they become too ingrained. Similarly, make sure not to support bad habits when teaching friends their first waltz. It should be especially noted when using outside material to learn new moves. The guide you found at the bookstore or video online may be outdated or misleading. Find a reputable source if you plan on learning from it, and avoid starting new material incorrectly.

While I already am beginning to miss my partners, at least I know that I will be ready for them in the fall. Although not everyone still has a summer vacation, we all do have extended periods away from practice. Keeping up a little bit every day can keep your dance knowledge growing regardless if it is a weeklong pause, or an entire summer away.