{"id":7725,"date":"2022-03-21T19:51:48","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T11:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flowtaipei.com\/?p=7725"},"modified":"2023-03-01T18:13:22","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T10:13:22","slug":"when-should-new-dancers-start-going-to-dance-parties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flowtaipei.com\/en\/when-should-new-dancers-start-going-to-dance-parties\/","title":{"rendered":"When Should New Dancers Start Going to Dance Parties?"},"content":{"rendered":"
When Should New Dancers Start Going to Dance Parties?<\/span><\/h5>\n

Do you want dance to change your life?\u00a0 Then you\u2019ve got to go to the party!\u00a0 Who knows who you could meet and what could happen?\u00a0 You might end up moving halfway around the world \ud83d\ude05\ud83c\udf0f<\/span><\/p>\n


\nSome new dancers are very brave and start going to dance parties after their first class.\u00a0 <\/span>More often, new dancers need someone to push them to join, even though the reason they started dancing is that they want to dance socially.\u00a0 They think, \u201cI\u2019m not ready for a party!\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go to a party when I can dance well.\u201d\u00a0 So they continue taking classes and improving slowly, but they continue to feel they aren\u2019t \u201cgood enough\u201d to join a real party.\u00a0 Without joining the social community and actually social dancing for fun, they don\u2019t make a strong connection to the dance and it doesn\u2019t really become a part of their life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing- if you wait until you are \u201cgood enough\u201d to join the party, you probably never will be, at least in your own eyes!\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t join the social dance parties, you are missing out on a lot of enjoyment and the main reason that Salsa, Bachata, and Zouk cultures stay alive and spread.\u00a0 Salsa didn\u2019t spread all over the world because people like taking salsa classes- it spread because people like dancing salsa in PARTIES, whether on the street or in a studio or a bar or an international event at a swanky hotel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As beginners, what worries us most about joining a dance party? These are some of the main worries in the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

– People watching and judging<\/span><\/p>\n

– Not understanding the music<\/span><\/p>\n

– Not understanding the etiquette and culture of the party<\/span><\/p>\n

– (Leaders) Forgetting our steps and not knowing enough moves to dance a song without boring our partners<\/span><\/p>\n

– (Followers) Not knowing what the leader is asking for or not being able to do it well<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– People watching and judging<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

When I started learning salsa and bachata, I took classes for at least six months before I went to a party, and I was super nervous when I finally showed up.\u00a0 I thought everyone would be so much better than me, and I would look ridiculous compared to them.\u00a0 And of course that was true \ud83d\ude05.\u00a0 But I overestimated how much people would care.\u00a0 People mostly go to social dance parties to dance and have fun, not to watch other people dance.\u00a0 Although you might feel everyone is staring at you when you make a mistake, actually people are mostly thinking about themselves and their own dances.\u00a0 If they are watching other dancers, they are probably looking at people that they admire or enjoy watching or they are comparing themselves.\u00a0 If you are a teacher or well-known, people might be watching, but if you are a beginner, unless you are doing something crazy or unsafe, people are probably not that interested in watching you for very long.\u00a0 Yes, they might notice you and see that you are a beginner, but so what?\u00a0 Everyone in that party was also a beginner when they started, and most social dancers want their communities to grow because it gets boring always dancing with the same people for years.\u00a0 We want to see more beginners and watch them grow up!<\/span><\/p>\n

We were all beginners once, and reasonable people will not fault you for being a beginner (But they might be disappointed if you don\u2019t improve over time, so keep going to class \ud83d\ude05).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– Not understanding the music<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bachata music is pretty simple to understand.\u00a0 There are only a few instruments and the rhythm and structure are uncomplicated.\u00a0 But new dancers still have to figure out how to notice when the timing changes and understand the different sections of the song.\u00a0 Salsa music, on the other hand, can be quite simple or extremely complicated.\u00a0 There can be multiple rhythms and many instruments, and it can be hard for the dancer to even find the one.\u00a0 As a beginner, I would see people playing with the music and wonder how the hell they knew what was coming in the song.\u00a0 It was a total mystery.\u00a0 Brazilian Zouk parties play music from many different genres and rhythms, so dancers have to figure out how to step to a variety of beats and feelings.\u00a0 So shouldn\u2019t beginners understand the music before they go to the party?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, as a dancer, you want to have a good understanding of the music that you are dancing to.\u00a0 You can get used to the music by listening to it at home.\u00a0 Follow Spotify lists by DJs and artists and listen as much as you can.\u00a0 However, if you only listen to music that you find online without hearing what is played in the party, you may spend a lot of time listening to artists and genres and tempos that your local scene doesn\u2019t dance to.\u00a0 If you want to understand the music that will be played at the party, then the best place to do that is\u2026 the party.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another thing is that understanding the music by listening is not the same as understanding by dancing.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen professional musicians that cannot step on the beat.\u00a0 You need to not only be able to count the music and know where it\u2019s headed, but you have to be able to coordinate your own body\u2019s energy and movement to it, and you only get that practice by actually dancing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, you should be familiar with the basic rhythms of the music you will dance to, but you won\u2019t understand how people actually dance to the music socially without going to social events.\u00a0 So just accept that you will be a bit lost in the beginning!\u00a0 Watch what more experienced dancers do with the music and dance a lot, even if you are just practicing the basic step by yourself!\u00a0 You will build muscle memory to the music so when you dance with a partner you won\u2019t have to think about it as much.\u00a0 Most senior dancers seeing you practice fundamentals by yourself in the party won\u2019t look down on you- they are more likely to be impressed that you want to improve.\u00a0 If you feel silly dancing by yourself, remember that you will improve faster than people that sit and wait for a dance!<\/span><\/p>\n

If the local DJs post recordings of their sets online, you can listen to them later, or you can Shazam some songs in the party and find those songs and artists online.\u00a0 Either way, because you went to the party and danced to the music, you will have a better understanding of what music is actually played for social dancing in your scene, and you will improve your dancing and musicality.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– Not understanding the etiquette and culture of the party<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joining a new social environment where we might do or say the wrong thing or embarrass ourselves can be scary.\u00a0 Before you go to a party, pay attention to what your teachers say in class about how to behave, talk to more experienced dancers, and read blog articles like\u00a0\u3010\u8dd1\u8db4\u7cfb\u5217\u3011\u7b2c\u4e00\u6b21\u53c3\u52a0 Salsa \u821e\u6703\u5c31\u4e0a\u624b<\/a> and\u00a0\u3010\u8dd1\u8db4\u7cfb\u5217\u3011Salsa \u821e\u6703\u5230\u5e95\u662f\u751a\u9ebc\u6a23\u5b50\u5462\uff1f<\/a> so you have a better idea of what to expect and what others expect of you.\u00a0 After that, you just need to actually go!\u00a0 After you experience it a few times, you will get over the fear of the unknown.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– (Leaders) Forgetting our steps and not knowing enough moves to dance a song without boring our partners<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leaders, you will definitely forget the patterns you\u2019ve learned, and your dances will not have much variety in the beginning.\u00a0 But that\u2019s just how it is in the beginning!\u00a0 When you begin social dancing, you don\u2019t have muscle memory from improvisation, so you can only use things that you can clearly think about.\u00a0 However, the environment of the party is much different than class, and you won\u2019t be able to focus the same way.\u00a0 So even if you memorized a lot of patterns before, you will probably not be able to think of most of them, and they won\u2019t come naturally without muscle memory.\u00a0 It\u2019s better to start dancing socially early so you can build up the muscle memory gradually \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

Will followers be bored?\u00a0 Yes, it will happen, but you can reduce that a lot by choosing your partners well (see Choosing Social Dance Partners as Beginners<\/a><\/span>)\u00a0 Don\u2019t go to the party as a new dancer and chase the most popular, visible dancers.\u00a0 Those people have probably danced for quite awhile and put a lot of time and effort into developing their dance skills, and unless they have the patience of a saint, they probably will be bored.\u00a0 It\u2019s normal.\u00a0 Instead, focus on dancing with followers that are around your level or newer, and ask dancers that are waiting on the sidelines after the song starts so you know that they weren\u2019t about to dance with someone else. Followers that are also new and aren\u2019t being asked to dance constantly are more likely to enjoy dancing with you, and you will feel less anxious.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– (Followers) Not knowing what the leader is asking for or not being able to do it well<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you start social dancing as a follower, you will get lost all of the time.\u00a0 Leaders will try to do all kinds of things that you haven\u2019t learned, and you will feel very confused.\u00a0 So isn\u2019t it better to take a lot of classes before so you can understand what the leaders will do?<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course you should take classes.\u00a0 You need to learn the basic steps and rhythms, how to maintain your frame, compression and elasticity\u2026 many things. \u00a0 But learning patterns in class will not fully prepare you for following socially simply because there is so much more variation in a 3-4 minute social dance than in the isolated pattern that you learn in a class. If you are a new dancer and you start social dancing and feel lost, it won\u2019t feel surprising.\u00a0 But if you go to class for many months or even years and then go to a party and feel lost, you may feel very frustrated!\u00a0 Better to go to parties early in your dance life and learn to follow the basic patterns as you are learning them in class.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the takeaway of all this?<\/em>\u00a0 Simply this- if you want to dance in a real party, don\u2019t wait until you are perfect because you never will be!\u00a0 \u00a0Get out there as soon as you are brave enough.\u00a0 Take a few friends or classmates with you.\u00a0 Yes, you will be lost, and you will make mistakes, but that\u2019s normal and OK.\u00a0 You will gain experience and confidence and meet new friends, you’ll learn a lot faster than if you only dance in the classroom, and although you might be frustrated sometimes, hopefully you’ll also find joy and inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n

See you on the dance floor!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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