We've all had them... blunders. Those momentary lapses in brain power while social dancing. Typically occurring just when it seems like things are starting to click, only to realize that you've rock stepped onto some part of a woman's leg you hope wasn't her Achilles.
Blunder.
Now, fellow Social Dancer, let's get to work avoiding them.
We're going for the top shelf right out of the gate. The fear of all fears for the social dance community. Whether this someone is your partner, someone else's partner behind you, or just an innocent bystander - nobody wants to be the one that steps on people.
As a leader, stepping toward your partner like you were trying to step on them will actually send a far clearer signal, and your partner will vacate the space you're entering. When doing faster Latin dances, it's perfectly fine to do rock steps in place instead of behind you. This way you keep your feet, literally, right under your nose.
Whether it's moving into oncoming dance traffic, or slicing down the center of the dance floor in promenade position - there are rules for traveling on the ballroom dancing road, and it sounds like where you are going, you don't need roads.
Aim for the corners. The corners of the ballroom are prime real estate that the best dancers angle to get to. This means utilizing better alignments, and you may need to save that promenade you love so much for the edge of the floor.
Backleading is a ballroom dance term for when the follower tries to pull or predict the leader's movements. While the intention is typically innocent, this siphons away the leader's responsibilities.
"The longer you wait the lead will feel great." Follwers in social dance must emphasize great posture, footwork, and excellent balance to become sensitive enough to feel the signals of the leader. The more timid the leader, the more sensitive the follower must be. With refinement, this results in the follower's ability to dance with leaders of all abilities.
BLUNDER 4: Dancing Off Time
Sorry, didn't mean for it to come out like that, but timing can be an issue for some social dancers out there.
Are they dancing to the music that's in their heart? Yes.
Could this also mean that they have some sort of of arrhythmia? Yes and yes.
If timing is typically not a problem, then this could just be brought on by a new dance or partner that is causing the adrenaline to spike. If timing has been a consistent problem, then this is something that must be taught through private instruction, and not starting with the fast Salsa, Cha Cha, or Samba. Coincidentally, it's dances like Tango and Waltz that can set the internal dancing clock so it functions consistently.
BLUNDER 5: Poor Manners
Even the best social dance skills in the world can't replace bad dance etiquette. Whether it is how you ask someone to dance, or how you recover from a mistake - the idea is to do it with humility, grace, and never at the expense of your partner or those around you.
We recommend that you take a deep dive into personal accountability. No one wins by blaming others, ignoring feedback, or being a run-of-the-mill jerk. Every social dance floor has one person that has lost perspective, thinks they were born wearing dance shoes, and wears out their welcome with prospective dance partners - don't let that person be you.
BLUNDER 6: The Big Dipper
What's fun for one may not be fun for all. This is the underlying message that seems to be passing just over the head of the bent over, back-bend delivery service known as "The Big Dipper". Yes, dipping someone while dancing socially may seem harmless, even a little exciting, but this is truly a blunder waiting to happen.
Always keep in mind the environment, the attire, and the dancers. If the environment is crowded, a dip could get someone hurt. If your pants are a little snug, one dip could create an air vent that could offend people, and, just like bringing candy to school, if you're not prepared to dip every dancer at the party, then it's probably best to save it for another time.
BLUNDER 7: Not Dancing
You've had too many dance opportunities pass you by, which is probably why you decided to start dancing. Yet even with the skills in your back pocket, it's normal to get cold feet when it comes to warming up the social dance floor.
Take any movie with a hero. They don't typically start out that way. In fact, according to Joseph Campbell's seminal work "the Hero's Journey", after the Hero is called to adventure, they refuse the call.
As a social dancer, you've taken the time to learn a super power, and this is just that moment of refusal. The fix here is to think back to all of those moments before you were a super hero. The missed wedding receptions, school dances, or office parties that made you uncomfortable enough to take action and begin your dance journey.
Just knowing that dancing immediately sets you into the upper 1% in a social scene - even it it's only the basic step. Knowing that every other person not dancing could have been you had it not been for that fateful day when you took your first step into Arthur Murray.
The only fix that makes dancing more comfortable is dancing, and fortunately... you have that super power already.
Maybe you're on the fence. Maybe you've never taken that final step to starting dance lessons. Whether you think you were born with two left feet, or you've never made time to invest in your social life, there's no sense in waiting.