Category: Ballroom Dancing

Talking During Social Dances

Social dancing, particularly ballroom and latin, has become a very popular pastime among many people today. It attracts participants from a wide variety of ages and demographic backgrounds because it provides so many benefits.

These benefits include:

Sustained exercise – which is great for your circulatory system, general health, sustained bone density, and weight management

Learning and growing as you memorize new dance sequences, improve your technique and general knowledge of dancing – good for memory and mental alertness;

Moving to music, cultivates a sense of rhythm and coordination, allows you to respond and relate emotionally to the music, and creates a general sense of well-being.

Last but not least, there are the social benefits. You get to meet new people all the time and most of them happen to be of the opposite sex. For single people, this can be a bonus. The familiarity that comes with regular bodily contact with the opposite sex also helps with your confidence in that area.

Not only that, but since ballroom dancing is an acquired art, you tend to see the same people around you doing it on a regular basis. This gives a sense of “family” to the whole experience. Like any “family” there are both good and bad aspects to it. On the upside, there is a sense of belonging and making friends; on the downside, there can be gossip and romantic relationship problems.

Talking While Dancing

But social dancing is meant to be exactly that – a social activity – and this brings us to our topic. Talking during social dances is one of those things you either love or hate. I mean, don’t you just love it when a guy asks you something and then proceeds to spin you a couple of times? He really wanted to hear what you said, didn’t he! Perhaps he was waiting for your words to bounce off the walls and come back to him? Oh! And then he says “pardon?” … and spins you again!  talking while dancing

Some people are a bit shy, but social dancing still provides opportunities for conversation topics. You can talk about the music:- “oh no, not that song again – he always plays that one for this dance” or it might be how you love this song, or how it reminds you of something, or how it inspires you to move.

On the other hand, you can talk about various people you see at the dance. Maybe someone has just elbowed you and you’re planning revenge? Or it might be how a couple dances so well and you’d like to be as good as them? Or how you wonder why that other person even bothers (you always get the ‘plodders’).

You might even have nicknames for different people, such as “Menzies” because he has bushy eyebrows, or “Teddy” because he looks like one, or “Popeye” because he showed you a picture of his muscular bare chest once. Oh yeah! – and then there’s “One Night Stand” because … well … he tried. Either way, there is plenty to talk about on the dance floor if you’re so inclined. When it comes to talking about people, the options are endless.

Talking during social dances can have a number of motives. For some,  it can be about getting to know the opposite sex, or just plain flirting with them. Many women speak of comments made to them by men who come around during progressive social dances. Here, there is a short window of opportunity to make an impression, ask someone for an upcoming dance bracket, or just “be nice”. “Progressives” (as they are called) are an ideal place to say hello to everyone.

When ballroom dancing with a regular partner, talking during social dances can be perceived in either a positive or negative way. If you’re a “beginner” then you’ll most likely be focused on getting the steps right, so talking may be the last thing on your mind. But for experienced dancers, the dance steps are almost second nature, which leaves scope for social interaction.

Social dancing is more than just learning a skill and moving to music – it’s also about enjoying the company of the person you’re with, for an evening. It’s the whole experience that makes it a good time out. Some talking with your partner and others will be done while seated, but on the dance floor, if you’re good friends or lovers with your dance partner, you’ll naturally want to continue interacting. With the right person this can be a lot of fun.

For some, however, talking during social dances is not a good idea, as they tend to forget what they’re doing and where they’re up to in the dance sequence. Next thing, they’re out of time with the music, or forget the correct steps and at this point, become confused, so that they need their partner to remind them where they’re up to. Too much of this can be frustrating for the person’s dance partner. Some can talk and dance, others simply can’t.

For some people, however, it’s “just about the dancing”. The social aspect is secondary to the development of skill and progression as a good dancer. They would prefer to concentrate on perfecting their technique with body sways, arm movements, and good footwork. Too much talking is seen as a hindrance to this.

So in summary, whether talking during social dances works for you or not, will depend on the primary reason why you’re there. Some like to make small talk which adds to the fun, while others want to engage in deep and meaningful conversation.

There are plenty of topics to talk about and a plethora of motives for doing so. Some love it; others don’t like it. Some can talk and dance and have a great time doing it; others just want to feel the rhythm of the music and get lost in the dance. You could be any one of these people, in fact, change from one to the other at any time during one night of dancing. It all comes down to how you feel at the time.

Learning to Dance at Home

There are many different ways that someone can learn to dance if he or she has a mind to do this. The problem is that many people avoid learning to dance, despite a sincere desire for it and the reason is, fear of being observed in the learning process.

This is such an unfortunate reason to avoid bringing the joy of dance into your life and something that can be so easily avoided for anyone who is ready to make the efforts that are required.

To begin with, you can learn to dance in the comfort of your very own home. You do not need a dance hall or studio with mirrors to learn to dance even though they are helpful to the process. In all truthfulness, it is quite possible to learn to dance at home without even procuring a teacher.

Some Advantages in Learning to Dance at Home

There are several DVDs and instructional videos that you can buy that can teach the basics of many different styles of dance. If you aren’t sure what sort of dance you are most enthusiastic about, it isn’t a bad idea to start out by ordering some DVDs or watch videos on YouTube, in order to find out what specific type of dance interests you most.

The good thing about doing this is that you can begin the learning process in your very own home with the curtains drawn and no one will ever need to be any wiser.

Of course, if you are going to learn at home you might want to clue your spouse or partner in and see if he or she would like to join you on the path to discovering the joys of dance as a form of entertainment as well as a means of bringing an extra level of physical activity into your life.

The really good news is that this sort of physical activity won’t feel like exercise and if you play your cards right with your partner it just might lead to other forms of physical activity. Keep in mind that many people find dance to be a very romantic precursor to other romantic pursuits.

Backing away from the romance department you can even find a great and occasionally merciless audience in your children. They also make great practice partners and guinea pigs and if you control the allowance, then you might even manage to squeeze out a compliment or two to help your potentially wounded ego through the event.

Kids are great fun though when it comes to dancing and (younger kids anyway) are almost always willing to kick back and have a laugh at mom or dad’s expense. If you want to make a really fun afternoon of things, challenge your kids to a ‘dance off’ you just might be surprised at who is the last one standing.

Learning to dance at home can be a rewarding experience if you apply the things you learn. Not only do you get the benefit of a new hobby but also you manage to do so without the uncertainty and insecurity that is often a common part of lessons.

Having an audience can be a frightening thing, however, once you’ve passed the child test you should be ready for the most ruthless audience any dance studio can give. You should also keep in mind that other students in the class (should you ever decide you are ready to take an actual class) are probably just as nervous about their level of skill as you may be.