Spoiler alert: Sun Tzu died in 496 B.C.
As sad as we are to report that he won't be performing on Dancing With The Stars, we still believe Sun Tzu has hidden some awesome tips for ballroom dancers today.
With some great quotes from his legendary book, "The Art Of War", and some ArthurMurrayLive dance interpretation - we present:
Sun Tzu's Awesome Tips For Ballroom Dancers
Sun Tzu on Sportsmanship At A Dance Competition
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
Be humble when you dance well, and persevere when you are frustrated.
Sun Tzu on Staying Positive As A Ballroom Dancer
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
The real war, when it comes to improving as a dancer, is an internal one. Feeling unprepared, or unworthy, are your greatest enemies - not the people around you.
Sun Tzu on Ballroom Dancing in Public
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
Preparing to dance in public is an internal battle. Develop a strategy with your teacher that includes how your body and mind will respond to the environment. The more you can learn about yourself now, the less often you will lose your dance event.
Sun Tzu on Preparing For A Dance Competition
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
Real results are attained in your dance studio. You conquered an enemy that held you back for years the moment you walked through the door - fear. With that in mind, a dance competition is a fraction of that fear, but a similar tool for dance improvement.
Sun Tzu on Ballroom Dancing Judges
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
Dance judges expect to see objective things like timing, posture, and the character of the dance. Show them those things, so your extraordinary moments stand out in a positive way.
Sun Tzu on Social Dancing
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
Busy dance floors make for better floor craft.
Sun Tzu on Pep Talks For Ballroom Dancers
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
I liked your Quickstep, Foxtrot, Tango, and Waltz.
Sun Tzu on Latin Dance Technique
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
Motionless hips are the enemy of a Latin dancer. If latin dancing has been too relaxed, it's time for toil. Your range of motion will improve, you don't need to starve. Just remember, when settled.... make them (hips) move.
Sun Tzu on The Fundamentals of Ballroom Dancing
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard..."
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
There are not more than five foot positions, yet the combinations of these five can give you all the dance choreography you could ever use.
Sun Tzu on Ballroom Dance Costumes
Original Sun Tzu Quote:
“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”
ArthurMurrayLive Translation:
Don’t try to wear a white dance costume after it has been stained with spray tan. It is dead.
Final Thought
Had he been alive today, Sun Tzu probably would have been a fantastic ballroom dancer. Not because of any martial arts dexterity, or a perfect tango face - it's because he understood one thing better than most: Process.
Thinking of the long line, the bigger goals, and the internal challenges are the strategic messages Sun Tzu is conveying.
Awesome tips Mr. Tzu.
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