The Touch Blog

Hello….here’s a subject I was asked to talk about:

Ladies over styling while partner dancing

Okay, so here are my thoughts….styling is wonderful. It’s a great way to express yourself, your personality, your feelings/emotions, etc. However, when your emotions are expressed in such a way as to interrupt your partner, there may be a problem. I’ve learned from the famous Edie The Salsa Freak, that styling should NEVER be felt by your partner. If you are styling, and you literally pull your partner off his feet, there is a problem.

For example, if you’re partner gives you a cross body lead into a single handed open position (a display), ladies, please be sure not to pull even further away in order to accomplish your big, emotional arm sweep. Again, styling should never (or hardly) be felt by your leader. This is, after all, a PARTNER dance. If you feel that your partner does not make you “look good” so now you must, in order to express yourself, style even bigger or dance on your own, then may I suggest taking up Jazz or Hip Hop where partnering is not involved. =) This over styling also goes hand in hand with head whips that more so turn into body whip lashes. Please also bear in mind that there are other dancers on the floor with you; so be very aware as to where and how you style. I do not suggest (and I say this in all of my classes) doing an arm sweep if there is someone near by that could get raw end of the deal. Also, please be sure to pay attention to where his hands are; he asks for them, you have to give it to him. Being caught up styling and looking in a different direction for too long, could hinder a dance.

I’ll share a personal experience to also place blame on myself for over styling:

I remember, a few years ago, back in 2007, I was dancing to a nice, medium speed salsa song. In the midst of the song, I got so caught up with styling, that at one point when my partner gave me a cross body lead into a display, our hands were so sweaty, that during my emotional styling move I slipped out of his hand and onto the floor….hard! Now, would this have happened had I not styled as much, and been able to control my own body weight…99.9% chance that I would have still been standing.

So, we’re all at fault at some point. However, take it from my experience, there is nothing more embarrassing than falling on the floor in a night club while wearing white pants.

Style to YOUR comfort level, but please be sure to control your weight. It’s not about who styles the most, or the biggest…this is not a competition. Dancing, should be felt with the heart, and expressed with the body. But please don’t let your emotions overflow onto your partners’; contain your emotions as to not affect others around you. Let your personality and emotions shine through with your styling, but be considerate of others as well.

Again, your partner should hardly FEEL your “emotions”—he should just be able to SEE them.

BUT…before I leave you with that….Men—-when spinning at high speeds, be sure that you are A) wearing the proper clothing (no unbottoned jackets allowed), B) wearing deodorant at the very least, and C) having your elbows tucked in as to avoid broken noses or punched chests. There is nothing worse than dancing with a gentleman that spins a million miles a minute, expecting his partner to keep her basic going while having her arm outstretched waiting for him to return to reality to finish his pattern….all while having a flailing jacket hit her face, getting a whiff of his armpits, or worse, getting a broken nose because his elbows were not tucked where they needed to be. Men that spin, KUDOS, however, please use caution!

That’s it for today….check out my next blog: “Dips & Tricks with Strangers”