Ballroom Beginner's FAQ

[sanityhaven]

I've read through some of the threads here and am amazed at the community here. Everyone is so nice and helpful! So I was wondering if you guys could help me out and point me in the right direction.

A little history about myself: I don't have a dance background and have only a small music background (played the piano for a couple of years). I've been learning the basics in ballroom and latin dancing with a group at my college for about 6 months.

With that out of the way, there was any threads or advice for beginners looking to improve their basics. Places that coverd things like finding the beat, lead & follow excersizes, good practice music, etc.

 

[SDsalsaguy]

Hiya sanityhaven... its almost 2am at the moment and I have a couple of hourse of stuff that needs to get done at the moment, but at least wanted to take the chance to quickly welcome a fellow San Diegan to the DF!

BTW, if I can ever be of help with pointers, etc., for negotiating the ballroom scene here in San Diego please feel free to PM me.

 

[Sagitta]

Welcome to df sanityhaven. There are plenty of threads here. have you tried using our search functionality and looking for threads?

One place to start out is here

As for finding the beat and being comfortable with the basic. Listening to the music. You don't even have to actively listen. Just have it playing and it should make a difference. Everyone whom I have given this advice to, and who followed it, has come back to me thanking me for helping them with their dancing.

 

[pygmalion]

Welcome sanityhaven. Let me take a look around and see if I can find even more beginner-oriented threads. When I find some things, I'll post them here.

 

[sanityhaven]

When I find some things, I'll post them here.

Thanks Pygmalion.

if I can ever be of help with pointers, etc., for negotiating the ballroom scene here in San Diego please feel free to PM me.

I'll be sure to do that.

Thanks for the link Sagitta. I was only looking in the ballroom section. I didn't think of looking in the other sections of DF.

You don't even have to actively listen. Just have it playing and it should make a difference

So what you're saying is I just keep listening to the music I absorb the rhythm by diffusion? That sounds deciptively easy. I'll give a shot.

 

[Sagitta]

Thanks for the link Sagitta. I was only looking in the ballroom section. I didn't think of looking in the other sections of DF.

You don't even have to actively listen. Just have it playing and it should make a difference

So what you're saying is I just keep listening to the music I absorb the rhythm by diffusion? That sounds deciptively easy. I'll give a shot.

Yes. It worked for me for salsa and for argentine tango. You see natives dancing a dance and how they naturally move to it. They grew up just having the music in the background. Even if they didn't really dance it is in their blood.

 

[sanityhaven]

Yes. It worked for me for salsa and for argentine tango. You see natives dancing a dance and how they naturally move to it. They grew up just having the music in the background. Even if they didn't really dance it is in their blood.

I'll give it a shot. Any particular songs that you favor to listening too?