Speed

It's important to be able to move FAST!

Only when you can move fast, will you be able to make the dance look easy and effortless (rather than a mad rush).

How do you move fast? PRACTICE! Kind of like saying the obvious right? Yah, it is.

EVERY move... if you do it many many times, u'll soon be able to execute in your sleep. But at what speed?

The key is... how do you practice? Simple... use fast songs! LOL. Another stating the obvious :P :P :P

Anyway, these days, with sound editing being so easy..... one good way to practice .... is to SPEED UP THE SONG.

This is in reference to learning a choreography. In Xen, the CD players allow us to change the pitch on the fly (i.e. adjust the speed). But nowadays people use MP3, so the speed changing will need to be done using software.

If you are practising a choreography, the best way to be able to execute it smoothly, and fast enough, is to practice to an increased speed version of the song. Once you are able to do the who choreo at a higher speed, suddenly everything will feel SLOW (sometimes agonizingly so) !! So slow that you have time to ...
A) See how is your partner doing, help her dance better or take care of her
B) Sneak glances at other couples (to ensure u are in sync with them and also adjust your position) - this refers to group performance
C) Interact with the audience or judges! :) This requires another skill.... facial expression! (which is another important topic to be covered separately)
D) Watch and clean up your mistakes (if you are practising in front of mirrors)

BTW, size is not a barrier to speed. I've seen very heavy dancers (heavier than me) move at amazing speed. So don't let your size/weight become and excuse. Just go for it.

speed up the song to practice a choreo.