This blog was started, because I've come to realize that I've been telling my students a lot of things. Useful experience, lessons that I've learnt the hard way, etc. while teaching Salsa.

All those stuff were never properly recorded. I did write some articles but I guess they were lost in some obscure corner now.

Hopefully with this blog, .... those information/tips can be put to better use.

(also, please pardon my broken English / Singlish.... I prefer to be 'informal' when writing, hopefully people can still understand what I'll be writing. I hope none of these posts sound too obnoxious or arrogant. Do feel free to post your comments as well. :P)

Monday, 11 April 2011

Which do u want to be?

The lead that compensates for the follow?
Or the lead that need your follows to compensate for you?

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Clown moves

Super Mario have a set of moves that are utter nonsense but damm fun.
They are used to play and make a fool of the girl :P

I didn't understand the need of such moves until recently.

Girls in my school told me they are afraid of dancing with me. And I can feel them really tense up even before we started.

Why?? Simply because I'm their teacher and they feel that they are not good enough, etc.
I can understand how this feel like. Because, I was in their shoes years ago :)

Just that I never thought.. I would be at the other side of the wall, LOL. Now these moves... they are really crazy stuff... makes people laugh and forget that they were afraid. Makes people loosen up and thus be able to dance a lot better!

Haiz... but personally I have an issue because I'm a very serious person by nature, I really can't joke and not really a fun person in general. I can play while dancing, but that's only with a few people while interpreting the music. .... sigh. (see, everybody's got some things to work on... for me, it's... the fun factor while dancing)

Lead EARLY - Lead is transition, not the final state

If you signal EARLY your partner will have MORE TIME to react.
This will make it a lot easier to dance with you!

She'll have more time to think and maybe even add in styling!

Similarly, if you are stopping her turns, start applying the braking force EARLY so that it wont be so jarring. Thus she would feel that the dance is SMOOTH!

But how early is early??

For me, I start leading the next move as early as possible, i.e. Once I've planted her on one one foot, I'll start to shift her weight in the direction I want for the other foot!!

e..g. Once she's stepped on count 1, immediately I start the lead for her direction, etc. for count 2!

Every lead is a transition (1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, etc.).
You are telling your partner how to move from 1 count to the other count!!

Many beginner dancers (and even teachers) mistakenly lead the move (teach the move) ON the count rather than TO the count.

e.g. for a CBLT, leading the girl to turn towards the left, should start at 5 and end at 6. It's a TRANSITION. (note that at 6, it should CONTINUE to 7 in a SMOOTH way, not a stop can continue thing)

Many beginners will lead the turn only at count 6. Which is the DESTINATION, it's too late!!

This is related to the planting technique. BRING HER THERE! Move her and change her direction starting from count 5. The lead does not stop there! Continue the guidance and STOP + PLANT her where she should step at by the time she reaches count 6! It's a continuous process! Pace the turn and the amount of force used according to the speed. Apply brake when u need to change directions.