BUILDING YOUR CONFIDENCE ON THE DANCE FLOOR
CONFIDENCE, that word can affect not only a person’s performance on the dance floor, but whether or not they choose to go out in the first place. A man without confidence may hesitate to thoroughly leading a turn pattern, as for a woman; the girl next to her trying to put on a show may easily intimidate a woman lacking confidence. How can someone build his or her confidence? "Who’s looking at me?" is the first thought that runs through a new dancer's mind before walking on the dance floor, while dancing and even while walking off. "Throw yourself out there, make your mistakes, and learn from them." – says Marcus, as he encourages his students to go out dancing more. If you don’t take the chance and practice what you've learned outside a studio setting, you will never get better. When you’re out in a social setting, the person just standing around watching will draw more attention then the person dancing poorly. When you go to a nightclub or social, it’s not about who’s the best dancer, it’s about whose having the most fun. The first start to gaining confidence is being prepared. Similar to taking a taking an exam, a student who is well prepared from studying looks forward to taking the exam because they know their material. Likewise with dancing, a dancer who spends time preparing what they are going to do on the dance floor, dances with a confidence, because they get on the floor with a game plan.
THE MAIN STEPS TO BECOMING BETTER PREPARED:
PRACTICING- As they always say…USE IT OR LOOSE IT! Practice what you are taught! Repetition is the key thing to Practicing, and allowing you to memorize your moves. The Mambo King, Eddie Torres himself said, “There’s nothing you can’t do a million times, and not get it right.” Practicing not only keeps you memorize steps, but helps you clean them up, perfect all your flaws, and build a strong repertoire you can use while dancing. You never want to be like a Magician that always does the same old tricks. Try to mix your moves up, keep everyone guessing. People get intrigued when you have something new to throw at them. Make time to practice, whether it is at work, the elevator, bus stop, while you’re cleaning, cooking etc. There is ALWAYS at least 10 spare minutes in your day to practice. Knowing your material will reduce your nervousness and anxiety.
STEPS TO GAIN, AND SHOW CONFIDENCE ON THE DANCE FLOOR
GO SOCIAL DANCING!!! – The only way a dancer is going to get better, is by dancing with different people! A great dancer needs to know how to adjust to the person they are dancing with, This making them well rounded. Dancing in the shower. Or blasting the music in your living room while you dance with your vacuum, does not count. However, the same energy you use when you dance in comfort of your own home and definitely be used. As the always say, “Dance like no one’s watching.”
TIMING!!! – You can do all the crazy turn patterns in the world, the craziest shines, the greatest amount of multiple turns and splits, BUT if your timing is off it WILL look like a mess. Timing is very important. That’s the first thing a dancer looks at when they observe other dancers. “Are they ON1, ON2” If you want your dance to flow, YOU MUST KNOW YOUR TIMING! A way to perfect this is by exposing yourself to more Latin Music, and really listening for the downbeat. Knowing your timing helps the dance and the music join as one. This way you are able to schynchronize your steps to the music.
YOUR ATTITUDE – Dancing is similar to any social situation. Think about the vibe your giving people when you walk into a room. People attract to positive energy. I can assure you that if you carry yourself in a care-free, down to earth manner, you will not only have a lot of great relaxed dances, you’ll become everyone favorite person to dance with. Try to feel comfortable within your own skin, feel good about yourself, and avoid arrogance. Key thing is to stay humble at all times. When you’re on the dance floor, pat attention to your partner. Make EACHOTHER look good; as you never try to out shine them. (Maintain eye contact)
