Eight Tips for Getting the Most from Dance Lessons

By Phil Seyer

Want to improve your social skills and become a really good dancer? Then you probably want to take some dance lessons. Here are some tips that can help you make the most of them.

1.Buy a nice notebook and dedicate it to your dance lessons. After each lesson write down the tips and names of the dance steps you have learned. Give a short catchy name to each dance figure that you learn. Often your teacher will tell you the name, but sometimes not. In that case, make up your own!

2. If you are taking lessons for a specific occasion or performance, don't wait until a few weeks before the event. Start taking lessons as soon as possible and then go out once a week to a local ballroom and enjoy dancing. Make your goal to become really good so that you can enjoy your dance performance.

3. Practice both the leader's and follower's parts. This is probably the best way to become a really good partner dancer. Followers often find this very difficult because they are used to just being led. But followers who can only follow often don't really know their steps and rely too much on their leaders. As a result they are "heavy" followers. A good follower knows his or her steps and only requires a gentle lead. Leaders who practice following will be much more sensitive to their follower and will be able to visualize the steps they are leading.

4. If possible, video your lessons. Set up a camera on a tripod and record the entire lesson. Review the video before you go out dancing and before your next dance lesson.

5. Write down just the names of the dance figures you know on an index card. Take it with you when you go dancing. When you take a break, pull out the card and review the steps. See if you can lead each of the steps at least one time. (Do this even if you are a follower, because you should be practicing the leaders part too!)

6. Even if you have a favorite partner, dance with many different people. You'll learn to lead and follow much better that way. That's the norm at a ballroom. If you come with a partner, make sure you dance the last dance with him or her.

7. As a leader your purpose is the follower's purpose. With this in mind it helps to have the mind set that if anything goes wrong, it's because your lead was not clear. That will help avoid a lot of arguments!

8. Supplement your lessons with various resources. It's hard, but not impossible to learn things about dancing from a book. Instructional videos can also be very helpful. Be sure to get a video that teaches the same style of dancing that you are studying. For example, if you are learning Argentine tango in your dance class and you buy a video on American or International tango, the video will only confuse you.

Get out of the house and dance! Every day that you don't a dance is a day that is forever lost.

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