5 Dance Phrases to Help You Get More Out Of Your Dancing
Be they catchy and well-loved or used and abused, there’s usually a lot of truth and insightfulness to common phrases and clichés. Here are five dance phrases you can apply to your dancing.
- “Go big or go home.”
- Think of your dancing like a diamond in the rough (Aladdin, anyone?): the larger the diamond, the easier it is to cut away the imperfections while leaving a sizeable and amazing gem! So those Waltz steps you’re hesitant to take? Go big! That polka you’re itching to do? Don’t go home, go big!
- “What’s the worst that could happen?”
- There’s no harm in putting yourself out there. Sure, it might feel like a fate worse than death (shout out to Disney’s Hercules), but that’s because you’re on the unknown side of it. Once you pull yourself through to the known side of that party demo, solo, or [insert specific event], you’ll be all the stronger for it. Trial by fire and all that jazz, right?
- “Whatever you do, don’t look down.”
- You know, the thought of not looking down seems to go against our better judgement. “How will I know if I’m about to run into something?” While the risk of collision is real, you’ll be surprised how well your peripheral vision helps out when you move around the floor. Give it a whirl. You’ll be glad you did.
- “Think outside the box.”
- Sure, we want you to be creative with your dancing, but a lot of the time the opposite is even better: think inside the box (especially if you’re moving forward side together, back side together or vice versa). Just learned a new and complex technique? Apply it to the box. Doing choreography at a competition and someone’s blocking you? Dance a box. Dancing with someone and you’re tripping over each other? Reset with a box. The box is your best friend on the dance floor.
- “Dance like nobody is watching.”
- Much like the awesome scene in “Love Actually” where Hugh Grant, the newly appointed prime minister of the UK, rocks out to the Pointer Sisters when he thinks he’s alone, I’m guessing you’ve gotten a bit crazy when no one is around. And the beauty of it? Everyone is in the same boat! Which means it’s totally cool to get a little bit crazy at that dance party, let loose during your dance demonstration, or be “that guy/gal” who’s clearly having a blast. So my challenge to you? Be a bit goofy, even if it’s for one dance. Who knows? You may like it!
The beauty of phrasing is that it can apply to both life and dance. So use these commonly heard tidbits to add some polish to your dancing and let me know if it helps. Have other phrases you enjoy and see yourself applying to ballroom dance?
Email me at: ross.ambellevue@gmail.com
Written by: Ross, Communications Consultant for Arthur Murray Seattle
