By Chang Se-moon
One of the most popular articles I have written in this column is one on dancing that was printed in the July 9 issue of this newspaper. Within two weeks of posting the link to the article on LinkedIn, it got well over 3,000 views. If you missed it, you may go back and read the article, which is titled "Let us dance away all our troubles."
Since the previous article was so popular, I would like to give you some more advice that may be helpful for those who consider learning social dancing.
Many of you are interested in learning social dancing but are hesitating for many different reasons: I am too old, I am too shy, I am not good at dancing, my spouse is not interested, and what have you.
My advice to you, cowards, is to stop hesitating and take lesson 101 from any dancehall with an instructor you can find. Once you're in the door, you will forget all the reasons that made you hesitate, because people surrounding you are just like you who hesitated before they came.
Many of you already have a dancing partner who is your spouse, fiance or a friend. For singles with no partners, note that most places where dance lessons are given state that you do not have to have a partner. To be honest, it is easier to learn dancing if you have a partner with whom you can practice after the lesson. If you are like me, as soon as I get out of the lesson place, I forget the steps I learned. The best way is to practice the same day you take a lesson.
When you learn dance steps with a partner, quite often one of the two learns the steps quicker than the other. As my occasional dance partner, Marilyn, told me, "This requires a lot of patience on the fast-learners side. You must always be helping rather than criticizing. You also must be willing to spend the time to practice the steps you learn together. Mostly, you are not competing with each other, but, rather, you are a team. You are both only as good as you are together as a team."
Fast learners should never make critical comments toward slow-learning partners. Even after learning and when you are dancing, one is likely to dance better than his or her partner. Any critical comments should never be made. If you do, the partner who hears the criticism may simply quit dancing. You may quickly forget that you made critical comments. Your partner who hears the critical comments never forgets them. You should encourage each other.
When I dance with new female partners, we sometimes lose our smooth transition from one step to the next. Quite often, my partners then apologize. I quickly correct their comments by responding that it is my fault. I am not simply trying to be polite. The confusion is likely to have come from weak or confusing signals from me as a leading partner, or my push for steps that my partners may never have encountered before.
As to types of lessons, there are three types: free, group and private. If you belong to a dance group, lessons may be provided free of charge. At some places, veteran dancers who just love dancing may provide lessons free of charge to anyone who shows up. These types of instructors are rare, but I know some near where I live. Group lessons usually cost $10 to $20 per lesson. If you are serious, you may take a private lesson that may cost around $75 to $100 per hour.
Again, if you do not have plans to practice, you will be wasting your time and money, no matter how good your instructors may be.
Once you are brave enough to begin taking dance lessons, you should be brave enough to join dance clubs or participate in social dancing in public places. This is where you need to keep in mind the advice I gave you in my July 9 column: Dance as if nobody is watching you. Do not be judgmental about other dancers. If you hear any uncomfortable comments about your dancing, just ignore them. Keep in mind the only objective of social dancing is to enjoy life.
I know it is easier said than done. I also know you can do it. All you need is your determination. Excuses for not learning to dance today will not disappear tomorrow. If you feel you are too old today, you will be older tomorrow. If you ever thought of learning social dancing, today is the day.
Chang Se-moon is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. Write to him at: changsemoon@yahoo.com.
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Since the previous article was so popular, I would like to give you some more advice that may be helpful for those who consider learning social dancing.
Many of you are interested in learning social dancing but are hesitating for many different reasons: I am too old, I am too shy, I am not good at dancing, my spouse is not interested, and what have you.
My advice to you, cowards, is to stop hesitating and take lesson 101 from any dancehall with an instructor you can find. Once you're in the door, you will forget all the reasons that made you hesitate, because people surrounding you are just like you who hesitated before they came.
Many of you already have a dancing partner who is your spouse, fiance or a friend. For singles with no partners, note that most places where dance lessons are given state that you do not have to have a partner. To be honest, it is easier to learn dancing if you have a partner with whom you can practice after the lesson. If you are like me, as soon as I get out of the lesson place, I forget the steps I learned. The best way is to practice the same day you take a lesson.
When you learn dance steps with a partner, quite often one of the two learns the steps quicker than the other. As my occasional dance partner, Marilyn, told me, "This requires a lot of patience on the fast-learners side. You must always be helping rather than criticizing. You also must be willing to spend the time to practice the steps you learn together. Mostly, you are not competing with each other, but, rather, you are a team. You are both only as good as you are together as a team."
Fast learners should never make critical comments toward slow-learning partners. Even after learning and when you are dancing, one is likely to dance better than his or her partner. Any critical comments should never be made. If you do, the partner who hears the criticism may simply quit dancing. You may quickly forget that you made critical comments. Your partner who hears the critical comments never forgets them. You should encourage each other.
When I dance with new female partners, we sometimes lose our smooth transition from one step to the next. Quite often, my partners then apologize. I quickly correct their comments by responding that it is my fault. I am not simply trying to be polite. The confusion is likely to have come from weak or confusing signals from me as a leading partner, or my push for steps that my partners may never have encountered before.
As to types of lessons, there are three types: free, group and private. If you belong to a dance group, lessons may be provided free of charge. At some places, veteran dancers who just love dancing may provide lessons free of charge to anyone who shows up. These types of instructors are rare, but I know some near where I live. Group lessons usually cost $10 to $20 per lesson. If you are serious, you may take a private lesson that may cost around $75 to $100 per hour.
Again, if you do not have plans to practice, you will be wasting your time and money, no matter how good your instructors may be.
Once you are brave enough to begin taking dance lessons, you should be brave enough to join dance clubs or participate in social dancing in public places. This is where you need to keep in mind the advice I gave you in my July 9 column: Dance as if nobody is watching you. Do not be judgmental about other dancers. If you hear any uncomfortable comments about your dancing, just ignore them. Keep in mind the only objective of social dancing is to enjoy life.
I know it is easier said than done. I also know you can do it. All you need is your determination. Excuses for not learning to dance today will not disappear tomorrow. If you feel you are too old today, you will be older tomorrow. If you ever thought of learning social dancing, today is the day.
Chang Se-moon is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. Write to him at: changsemoon@yahoo.com.
