Do you dance like a fool at home?

What makes someone a good swing dancer?  Is it knowing a lot of moves?  Is it having devastatingly good looks? Is it having great connection?  Maybe its pulse?  

Could it be that a great dancer, dances??  Let me explain.  I spend a lot of time watching all levels of swing dancing, teaching the first two levels, observing the other levels and dancing with all and i think i have figured out what makes a good dancer.

A good dancer stops thinking of the grand moves, stops relying on brute force and starts actually enjoying whats going on, listening to the music, and moving to the swing. 

In your beginner days, you listened to ME!!  Oh how I yell in those classes, I tell you when to rock back, I tell you when to send your partner out, when to come back in, hell if I could tell you when to breathe I would (hang on, there have been classes where I have done that!!).

As time goes on, you start to listen less to the yelling, and start to listen to your own thoughts, you start to see how the pieces fit together, and for a while, you think you are dancing.  You look good, it feels pretty good.. little do you know, its like wearing tight pants after dinner, sure you look good, they are doing their job, but when you take them off and flop on the couch, its only then you realise how comfy you can be..

Am I saying that being a good dancer is like dancing with no pants on??  I guess I am.  When you stop listening to me, and you stop processing every thought that goes into a move, and you start listening the music (and your partner leads), you can suddenly feel so comfortable, and finally feel like you are dancing, rather than making move after move.

If you have had this moment, this blinding light bulb moment, I encourage you to share with your fellow dancers, Shan last night told me that she finally feels like she is dancing when leading Bal.  Shan has followed bal forever, and has been leading it for a little while, but finally, she feels like she is dancing when she is leading, and it feels good.  

It does not happen straight away, and sometimes we want it to happen so badly that we try to rush it but like being thirteen and waiting for our boobs to grow, your bra stuffing eventually gets found out, so relax and let the music carry you away!

If you are in a place where you are still waiting to feel like you are dancing, try shaking it up a little, come back to beginners or level one.  When you lead or be led by a dancer that is at a level "below" you, its much easier to see where your strengths are, where you weaknesses are, and what you are completely awesome at.  By the same token, ask someone beyond you for a dance, sometimes their feeling of dancing rubs off on you, and it can be completely inspirational. 

The biggest tip i can give you is an old fav of Duncans actually.  Go home, turn on your music (I love wearing my head phones.. they are massive and drown out all other noises), close the curtains and dance like a crazy person.  Feel how your body moves, when it works, when it doesn't, how your feet touch the floor, how heavy your hands are when your waving them round like you just don't care.  If you can do that and not feel like a complete berk (it gets easier) then your swing dancing moment is yours for the taking, any moment now.