Tips For becoming A Better Dancer

These tips will help you become a better dancer:

1. Find the right dance instructorHave you ever had a teacher who made you feel great and brought the best out of you? Persevere in finding such a person and work with them on a regular basis in order to improve. Choose your instructor carefully if you are new to dance classes. A dance teacher not only teaches new steps and techniques, but also corrects mistakes. The more you dance, the more you realise what qualities you prefer in a dance instructor. If you have been taking lessons for a longer period and don’t seem to be improving, enjoying the class, or learning anything new, consider looking around for a different teacher.

2. Love itIf you want to dance, you’ve got to love it. If your heart is not into dancing, you will most likely give up when you cannot do certain moves, and this will decrease your sense of control and confidence.

3. Perfect your posture
Stand up straight, push your shoulders down and back, and hold your head up. It’s truly amazing what good posture does for a dancer.

4. StretchDaily stretching will make your body much more flexible. A big goal in dancing is to make each move look effortless. The more limber your legs are, the easier it will be to move them. Make it a habit to stretch every day. Flexibility is important.

5. Feel the movementLet movement come from deep within, allowing it to emanate outwards. Try doing the moves with your eyes closed. Do each movement repeatedly to develop muscle memory.

6. RelaxYour body will dance its best in a relaxed state. Take a few deep breaths and clear your mind. Teach yourself to unwind to the music.

7. Keep practicingOnce you’ve learnt a few techniques, practice them at home on your own. Not only will you be getting good exercise, you’ll also be developing your technique and style. Watch other dancers on television, instructional DVDs, or in other venues and note body alignment, posture, and techniques. When you have free time, practice – just anywhere around your home. The more you practice, the more you develop your craft. Good technique is what separates good dancers from the best dancers. Learn new moves, but strive to perfect the skills of each step. Working towards a specific goal can accelerate your learning tenfold. Specific goals are critical to achieving success, because without them you will not be challenged to grow. If you have a specific goal, such as a competition, performance, or exhibition, you can be sure that you will improve and grow as a result of the pressure.

8. Surround yourself with positive peopleSurrounding yourself with people who make you feel good about your dancing is key to performing well. Dancing is a visual art, and people who feel good about their dancing appear more confident and are more fun to watch. If you are around a negative group of people who isolate you or put you down, find a better crowd to associate with. Doing this will dramatically increase your happiness and performance.

9. Perform!
Be proud of your work and enjoy every performance! A smile is an expression of pleasure, happiness, or amusement. If you smile while you’re dancing, people will get the feeling that you love what you’re doing. Even if you are dancing alone, smile at yourself. You love to dance, so let it show!

10. Expect challenges, and don’t give upSome days you’re going to dance poorly and feel tired, unfocused, and not confident. Accepting this reality can help you see it for what is which is completely normal! Everyone has good days and bad days. The key to overcoming these challenges is to acknowledge the way you feel, tell someone you trust about it, and keep working hard in spite of it.

How to Survive Your First Dance Class

As a dance school, we can tell you most everyone does fine in their first swing dance class.
But we've tried giving the “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” advice, and it doesn’t work. Beginners still worry about looking stupid, so telling you not to worry is pointless.
Instead we’ll tell you what you do when you are a newbie:

Find out what to wear. One fear we have as beginners is that we’ll look stupid before we even start dancing. (Imagine an adult taking their first dancehall class.) This is pretty easy to remedy.
Call or email or text or whatsapp the studio or instructor (Diblo De Dancer). Ask what clothing and shoes should be worn for the class. If you don’t have what he or we suggest, ask about alternatives or where you can go shopping.
Watch some videos. Don’t take our

How to Dance - For Average Guys And Girls

Dancing is one of those inescapable facts of life. It comes up over and over again in social situations. You might as well learn to become passable at it. It's not as hard to pick up the basics as you may think, it's smoother sailing once you know how to do it, and it tends to score you points in lots of situations.

You don't have to reach a particularly high standard

You just need to be good enough that you can get on the dance floor, blend in with everyone else, not look like an idiot, and not feel too uncomfortable while you're there (lots of people are at least somewhat awkward about dancing, that's why they have to down a few drinks and wait for the dance floor to get busy before they step out on it). You don't have to look like someone out of a music video, you've just got to be decent enough to get by. Being better than the minimum never hurts of course, but just knowing the basics will put you way ahead of all the non-dancers out there.

Reasons to why we dance

As a choreographers and dancers (though we confess we are far more comfortable to claim the former than the latter), we get asked to share our opinion about a myriad of dance related topics from the practical:

“How can dance help you get in shape?”
“What is the best way to practice my footwork?”
“What are the three most important partnering techniques I should learn?”

To the existential:
“Is my dancing a projection of my self-image?”
“How can dancing improve relationships?”
“Can dancing help you overcome fear?”

All good questions with good answers to be certain, but today we want to answer, or at least try to answer, the questions we get asked most often. The question we think matters most…

Coping With Mental Stress As A Dancer

Mental stress and strain can lead to burnout and depression, and it can be a major roadblock in not only a dance career, but in leading a healthy life. Here are a few thoughts on how we, as dancers, can take steps to support our mental health…and that of our fellow dancers.

Resist Negative Thinking

It is part of the human condition for our brain to make up stories. Our psyche connects the dots with the information we have to draw a conclusion for a scenario. How many times have you not been cast, and your brain thinks, “I am not good enough for that role” or, “I shouldn’t be in this company, I don’t fit in?”

Rarely would it say, “There must be something better coming” or, “I think the role I am in will challenge me in the exact way I need to grow.” Simply recognizing that our brains may tend to slant towards the negative is empowering and helps us evaluate whether or not this “story” our brains made up is actually true..