As you may have guessed, my writing enthusiasm wore out for a few weeks there. In my defence though, I am fortunate to live in a place where Covid is nearly gone and so a return to semi-normality has begun. This includes, of course, dance lessons at an actual studio.
While most students are still stuck being awesome line dancers though, I am even more blessed as my dance partner is my life partner, and so it's all hands on so to speak.
Naturally my enthusiasm for finishing this project I set myself has waned. But there are two more dance styles I wanted to cover before calling this done: ballroom dance, and hip hop.
Today's lesson folks, therefore, is ballroom dance.
Now, I'm obviously not going to go into heaps of detail, as there's just not enough blog room for that. But I think this is a relevant discussion given the rise in online competitions, encouraging you to film your performance in your lounge room and upload it for judging. Which brings us to the biggest issue with online dance lessons. Space. Room to move. Once again, it becomes an issue. And quite a big one, if you're wanting to learn standard dances and not just latin.
For those not in the know, standard dances are: Waltz, Tango, Quickstep, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz. Danced in very formal attire. The latin dances are: Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive. These are danced in as little as possible, usually! If you're after extra information, see my earlier posts or click here for a more detailed rundown.
Standard dances take up quite a bit of room - three steps danced perfectly can span the length of a medium-sized living room! So learning online is probably not going to work for most people unless you take up the Latin dances.
Firstly, I decided to look at videos by Oleg and Kristina, who own a studio in Los Angeles according to their YouTube page. The Cha Cha basic choreography video is not, in my opinion, for beginners. It is good for those who know basic steps and want to better understand technique and learn different choreography though. All the videos I clicked on were all of the same.
Next up was Howcast.com's 'How to master simple ballroom dancing'. And it is HILARIOUS! But only because it gives good basic information on the waltz, and this you could actually teach yourself in your lounge with little to no space. I will say no more. Just watch it, you won't be disappointed.
If you're looking for something slightly more detailed and serious, check out Mr Smagris's videos. I can't call him by his first name, I just can't. It's a teacher/student respect thing. Sorry.
He has some excellent videos for all levels, and he even has a playlist for complete beginners covering both styles: check it out here.
Other videos I viewed either had poor technique demonstrated, or were old accounts and/or not as engaging as they could be.
Bottom line, if in doubt, go with Mr Smagris's videos!
Ballroom dance is really best enjoyed in a class environment though. As restrictions around the world change, consider looking for a local dance fitness class where you'll learn the basics in a line instead of with a partner. And it's not just for the beginners and fitness nuts.
Solo competition is now a thing. Check out some of the kids here, and while there's nothing I could find for the adults (it seems to be more of a trend for the younger set), there are plenty of solo salsa competitions out there that prove you don't need a partner for a partner dance necessarily. Together, but apart. Apart, yet connected.
While I feel solo competitions in ballroom dancing have a long way to go, it will be interesting to watch it grow and evolve into it's own, respected, little niche in the ballroom world. I have just started learning my own routines solo, to better understand many aspects of technique and I highly recommend it if you don't practise this way very often. At the moment, most of us don't have a choice in the solo aspect, so just give it a go!
See you on the dance floor, and good luck!
-randombaubles
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| CC BY 2.0 - image by Liza, courtesy of Flickr |
Standard dances take up quite a bit of room - three steps danced perfectly can span the length of a medium-sized living room! So learning online is probably not going to work for most people unless you take up the Latin dances.
Firstly, I decided to look at videos by Oleg and Kristina, who own a studio in Los Angeles according to their YouTube page. The Cha Cha basic choreography video is not, in my opinion, for beginners. It is good for those who know basic steps and want to better understand technique and learn different choreography though. All the videos I clicked on were all of the same.
Next up was Howcast.com's 'How to master simple ballroom dancing'. And it is HILARIOUS! But only because it gives good basic information on the waltz, and this you could actually teach yourself in your lounge with little to no space. I will say no more. Just watch it, you won't be disappointed.
If you're looking for something slightly more detailed and serious, check out Mr Smagris's videos. I can't call him by his first name, I just can't. It's a teacher/student respect thing. Sorry.
He has some excellent videos for all levels, and he even has a playlist for complete beginners covering both styles: check it out here.
Other videos I viewed either had poor technique demonstrated, or were old accounts and/or not as engaging as they could be.
Bottom line, if in doubt, go with Mr Smagris's videos!
 |
| CC BY ND 2.0 - image by michael_swan, courtesy of Flickr |
Ballroom dance is really best enjoyed in a class environment though. As restrictions around the world change, consider looking for a local dance fitness class where you'll learn the basics in a line instead of with a partner. And it's not just for the beginners and fitness nuts.
Solo competition is now a thing. Check out some of the kids here, and while there's nothing I could find for the adults (it seems to be more of a trend for the younger set), there are plenty of solo salsa competitions out there that prove you don't need a partner for a partner dance necessarily. Together, but apart. Apart, yet connected.
While I feel solo competitions in ballroom dancing have a long way to go, it will be interesting to watch it grow and evolve into it's own, respected, little niche in the ballroom world. I have just started learning my own routines solo, to better understand many aspects of technique and I highly recommend it if you don't practise this way very often. At the moment, most of us don't have a choice in the solo aspect, so just give it a go!
See you on the dance floor, and good luck!
-randombaubles
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