While most people attempt to dance at some point in their lives, even if it’s just a shuffle round their handbags in a club, or a bit of a dad dance, there’s not enough dance on television in my opinion. This has been increasing in recent years (especially if you’ve got more than Freeview on…
How to be a good dance partner
If you partner dance, you should aspire to be a good dance partner. After all, you can’t have an enjoyable dance at any level unless both people play their part. However, partner dancing is also challenging. It’s not something most people have done (except maybe country dancing at school – I don’t know if they…
Think before you speak while social dancing
Some people think it’s a terrible habit to chat away on the dance floor. But does it really matter? Generally it doesn’t bother me. Modern jive (and west coast swing) is a social dance after all. I think it’s good to get to know the people you’re dancing with week in week out. However there…
Are dance shoes essential for modern jive?
I’m a big believer in having the right tools for the job. Having danced a lot as a child, there was a uniform, and that included the right dance shoes for the job. Ballet needed basic ballet shoes, plus character shoes post grade 2, and then pointe shoes later on. Modern dance needed jazz shoes….
5 reasons you should keep going to dance class
As a beginner, we all start to modern jive through going to dance class. Start with beginners, do some review classes and move up to intermediate. Then do freestyle at the class nights, and maybe branch out to other freestyles as we gain confidence. But once people have been dancing a while, do you really…
What makes a good dance venue
After a recent bad floor experience, it seems a venue can make or break a class or freestyle night. I certainly won’t be returning to that venue to potentially damage my knees further. With ballrooms closing left, right and centre. And despite the numbers of those dancing encouraged by the popularity of dance and talent…
Do modern jivers really need great dance technique?
I remember having a conversation years ago with a salsa friend who was surprised I’d not been invited to join the performance group she was in. ‘Your dance technique is so much better than mine. I might be better on the performance side but my technique is sloppy compared to yours’. We both had a…
