Life in the time of COVID-19, Technique Edition

While it’s not replacement for being in person we’ve had time to work on some other projects. Michael has been putting together some explainer videos for some basic technique concepts. Enjoy! There will be a quiz 🤣🤣🤣🤣

update, Jan 14 2024

I was really losing it during the COVID shutdown, but looking back on the videos there is actually a lot of good information there. The thing we all missed out on was the opportunity to use that info IRL. For instance, I think most mid-level dancers have a good idea of how Line Of Dance works, but they could really use more accurate Foot Positions in making their direction changes. That’s mostly a skill that professionals tackle when they are getting ready for their teaching exams, but the purpose of technique is to make life easier.

A little bit of practice lining your feet up right can help make your turns smoother and clearer to your partner - and that goes for both leader and follower. I certainly don’t expect my Ballroom Basics students to be measuring their turns, but getting a good sense of how turn is divided can help your movement unfold in a more natural way. Our mantra at the studio goes something like this “What’s the FIRST RULE of TURNING?… Don’t turn!” That’s a tongue-in-cheek way of saying we want our turns to unfold rather than getting jammed up. We make most of our turns as we exit a foot and measuring it out is another way of assisting the fluidity.