Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! ~Constanze
I have been taking salsa class for about 4 months now, and I love it. I wish I could have started earlier. It has been quite a challenge, especially for such a quiet person like me, because I’m forced to express myself. Sometimes I actually catch myself smiling and playing around in the mirror. That may not seem like much, but that’s coming a long way for me. There is just so much room to grow as a dancer, and as a person.
Salsa (and now I’m taking Cha-Cha too), has a huge technical aspect to learn, but it’s the underlying philosophies of these dances that have made the most impact with me, because they can be applied to other areas of life. The lessons below are by no means exhaustive. There are probably hundreds of ideas that I left out for the sake of brevity.
However, I encourage you to keep the knowledge flowing and leave a comment. What has dance taught you? Tell me what you think!
10 Things I’ve Learned About Salsa Dancing and Life
1. Keep your feet moving. I’m still trying to work on this one. Dancing with two left feet might feel embarrassing, but not moving your feet altogether is a far more heinous crime. No one remembers the wall flower at the party. If you are out there to dance, then just keep it simple and move your feet. Make believe you are standing on hot coals if you have to. Just kidding, don’t do that, but you get the idea. Better to make mistakes and move them wrong rather than keeping your feet parked in the garage. Otherwise, you will look disinterested, and drain your partner’s energy as well.
Keep your feet moving toward your goals. Don’t stop. Ever.
2. Taking smaller steps will let you move faster. At first, I could not figure out this concept to save my life. I used to think that to get from one place to another as fast as possible you have to take huge steps. If I was sprinting to an ice cream truck to get a vanilla cone with sprinkles, maybe that would be right, but salsa dancing is not like chasing Mister Softee. Huge steps make me look awkward and clumsy, especially when I step on someone’s foot behind me. Not the coolest thing ever.
I try to take the same approach with accomplishing goals. If I set my mind to accomplish something like, “I want to run the NY marathon next year,” I have to break up that goal into smaller, more manageable, steps. If I didn’t, then I would probably fall so behind reaching my goal that I would become discouraged and quit. When you break things up into smaller steps, nothing is beyond your reach.
You could eat a hippo if you wanted to, one bite at a time.
3. Remember the basics. In the beginning of each class, the teacher always starts with 15-20 minutes of basic mirror work. This repetition of basic steps, even for the most advanced student, is crucial to being comfortable and confident while executing more advanced moves. When you practice basic steps enough they become second nature, and the more advanced moves seem easier. When the basics are ingrained in your head, your mind is free to be creative. Without a strong foundation, you’ll be dancing on thin ice.
Advancing in any discipline requires having a firm foundation in the basics. Even top athletes warm up before their events with basic drills.
4. Don’t look at your feet. Think about what you accomplish when you look at your partner’s feet or your own.
A. You can tell if the floor needs buffing.
B. You can save your partner from Larry the rat, who has a terrible habit of nibbling on ankles.
C. You can avoid terrorist biohazards like banana peels and bubble gum.
You see where I am going with this? You could be missing out on some serious Shakira action. Don’t dance with someone without looking at them unless you are Van Damme in Bloodsport, who can fight Kung-Fu masters while blinded by teriyaki sauce.
Don’t look down. All your goals in life are straight ahead.
5. Have fun. I can remember so many times when I completely aced a dance combination, but didn’t feel as good as tripping over my partner’s feet in laughter. If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you may accomplish beautiful things, but it won’t feel that way. Everything is not about the end goal. If I couldn’t enjoy the process of meeting new people and learning with them, then I probably wouldn’t care about fulfilling my goal of being a great dancer either.
Spread the fun. Be engaged in what you are doing, and your rewards will feel much sweeter.
6. Practice, practice, practice. This might seem obvious, but many underestimate the time and practice it takes to be really good at something. If you want to be a great salsa dancer you have to eat, drink and think salsa. This doesn’t mean you have to be dancing 18 hours a day, but you can listen to salsa music during your lunch break to get familiar with the rhythm. Sometimes I do basic steps while brushing my teeth or walking across the street with my dog. I know…I’m a little obsessed. Integrate salsa into your life, and you will find that you will be mentally prepared the next time you dance.
Do you think me winning the gold medal for connect four at the 1984 Olympics was easy? No. That took blood, sweat, tears, and a redunkulous amount of red chips. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but you can come close.
7. Lead and listen. Salsa puts a lot of pressure on the guy to lead, because the girl has no idea what your next move is until you give her a proper signal. To ease my fears of this tremendous responsibility I make believe that I am Michael J Fox from Back to the Future (only about 3 seconds into the future though). When I make my next move I say to myself, “I knew that was going to happen.”
Salsa isn’t just a one-way street where guys give out orders and ladies obey. Dance is a conversation. Not only must the guy be a good leader, he must also be a good listener. When the girl shows off with individual moves, that is not a signal for you to steal her shine with a triple axle jump. Let her speak. Listen to her body language, and you will be appreciated more. Your leadership is based on your undivided attention to her.
Be a leader, not a dictator.
8. Smile. Always carry an extra smile in your wallet. If your partner isn’t wearing one for you, give them yours. Stepping forward with a smile is more important than stepping forward with the right foot. If the girl likes you, she will remember the smile and not you tripping over your feet. Just make sure not to step on her feet.
9. Ask questions. That’s what teachers are for. Pick their brain like a vulture till they kick you out of the studio. When they are too busy, ask other students. There is something to be learned from everyone. I feel weird writing that, because I’m very quiet myself. When I don’t ask questions I feel like I’m not being true to myself. Everyone should let learning creature inside themselves outside to play.
Don’t be cheap with your own knowledge. Help others when you can. When you teach others you reinforce the concepts in your own head.
Everyone is a student and teacher. Forget social hierarchy.
10. Use your magic. Dancing salsa is like being a magician performing a trick. You have to keep your audience and partner entertained with illusions. The same way magicians smile and raise their voice when they talk to direct your attention from their hands shuffling cards, you can smile and shoulder shimmy to hide your next surprise on the dance floor. I used to think the feet were everything in salsa, but that is just an illusion. You have to dance with your whole body to make everyone believe your trick.
I couldn’t figure out why most of the teachers at class wore tight jeans and shirts. Even on Friday practice sessions, people were coming in with clothes that looked like they were painted on. I finally figured out that wearing form fitting clothes accentuates your movements. It’s all part of the illusion.
Life is not all about what you do, but what others think they see.
Laterski