Dance smaller

[Vin]

I thought we could start a thread with tips on how to dance smaller.

Smaller steps, almost sliding

If dancing slot style, make sure you step parallel n cross body leads.

before letting go on a cross body lead make sure the space is there.

Do cross body leads from closed position.

 

[Nik]

do cross body lead from open position. Like in cha-cha, start out like you're about to do fan and then turn really quick. Also sincopate(sp?) timing.

 

[MacMoto]

For followers, a good tip for dancing small is to keep the thighs together. Practise with a sheet of paper between your thighs, or even tie your thighs together.

For back breaks, go down rather than back. Keep the connected arms bent, not stretched out.

Visualise your slot and try not to step out of it.

 

[hopelessly_addicted]

This may be sidetracking the topic a little, but I think for a follower, keeping the elbows close to her body also helps to dance smaller. First, it would create smaller space between you and your partner, and second, less likely to elbow others. This tip's been given by salsachinita's friend, sugarglider btw 8)

 

[azzey]

Lead using your body and only fine tune with your arms. Staying constantly connected to your partner and leading her with your body will naturally create smaller steps both in closed position and when in open position or doing cross body lead variations.

Using this method the cross body lead for the guy (if dancing on 1) becomes the first three steps (1 2 3), then a tap in the direction you want to lead her (and therefore naturally leading her with your body) on 4 and then stepping back (i.e. moving in the opposite direction) on 5, 6, 7.

Through this your leading may change from a feeling of push connection to pull connection (e.g. CBL into an open break), but always a constant soft connection using the body to lead.

The same pretty much goes for dancing any style although in the Cuban basic step the dynamic is opposite - i.e. step back and because of your body connection lightly pull the girl towards you, then step forward and lightly push her away. Bouncing off each other like two spring things. LOL.
These steps can be as little as an inch or so, it's all about the connection and the spring effect not how far you step. When you get the connection right the steps will be small naturally.

Part of the difference between how Cuban, NY and LA dancing is percieved differently is to do with the spot where the guy moves the girl to and how much he moves himself.

In LA style the guy often moves very little and he moves the girl from one side of him to the opposite side of him in CBL moves, which makes it look faster and more punchy.

In NY style the guy moves the girl less in CBL moves and he moves himself more equally. This is partly why NY girls complain about LA style guys should make smaller steps, actually what they're saying is move yourself more not me!

In Cuban you both move, sometimes the guy is in the centre and the girl is moving around him, in other moves the guy moves a little more around the girl. The essential here is small steps keeping you moving and lots of variation.

This is a generalisation and more of a guide for beginners to these styles or if you're a confused mixer of styles. To really understand what I'm talking about look at some video clips of professional dancers of each style and compare them.

Lastly if you've tried everything to make small steps and had no luck then tie both your shoe laces together and that should sort you out.

 

[Vin]

Wow great tips, I had never thought about the difference in the cross body leads but I did remember thinking the other day(dancing ny style on a crowded floor). How when doing cross body leads it was alot more of an exchange of positions than it is when I dance on1.

Im going to concentrate on using my body more than my arms when leading.

Thanks, let's keep em coming

 

[azzey]

This may be sidetracking the topic a little, but I think for a follower, keeping the elbows close to her body also helps to dance smaller. First, it would create smaller space between you and your partner, and second, less likely to elbow others. This tip's been given by salsachinita's friend, sugarglider btw 8)

Careful about this as bringing your elbows almost in-line with your body then makes it very hard to keep your arms relaxed and have a good connection between your partner and your body. Also bringing your elbows close to your body in the horizontal direction makes your arms and shoulders stiffen. Try hugging your elbows to your body and then move them away and feel the difference.

 

[hopelessly_addicted]

This may be sidetracking the topic a little, but I think for a follower, keeping the elbows close to her body also helps to dance smaller. First, it would create smaller space between you and your partner, and second, less likely to elbow others. This tip's been given by salsachinita's friend, sugarglider btw 8)

Careful about this as bringing your elbows almost in-line with your body then makes it very hard to keep your arms relaxed and have a good connection between your partner and your body. Also bringing your elbows close to your body in the horizontal direction makes your arms and shoulders stiffen. Try hugging your elbows to your body and then move them away and feel the difference.

The way i was taught to bring elbows close to the body was to bring them not in-line with the body but around 15 degrees outward if that makes any sense to you... I guess there needs to be tightening and relaxing of the elbows in response to the lead though.. Some leads like having elbows this way because they feel followers are more responsive to their leads when their elbows kinda lucked in like that.

But thanks for the reminder Azzey because having stiff shoulders and arms do make a follower "heavy".. I should post this as a new topic as I have some issues with elbows in general...

Back to the topic; like Vin said earlier, it useful to glide across the floor so as not to step on others when it's crowded but I find it very hard to glide when am dancing cuban style.. in fact, i find it hard to dance smaller cuban style.. is it just me? :? Any tips for dancing smaller in cuban style?

 

[Sagitta]

Partner dancing really is about dancing with another human being. Concentrate on that and being together. You naturally want to remain close then and everything becomes smaller. If all your moves, including upper body are small then the lower body moves become smaller as well. If you are having a problem with taking smaller steps try and make all your arm moves smaller. Just making them smaller encourages the follower to take smaller steps and then you in turn take smaller steps to match her.