Are you trying to find someone who you can connect with, communicate with, share similar passion, and enjoy being with that person as a life long partner? I’ve been there and I believe many people (unless they like to be alone… :)) has thought about it, too. Well, dancing is THE activity that requires a partner. With another person, you need to learn how to move, make your dance look beautiful, practice together, and spend a loooooot of time with that person to develop the quality of dancing you are trying to achieve. Yes, it is very very difficult, lol! So how can we develop partnership in dancing as well as regular life? What do Dancers go through to improve their relationship with their partner to make their dancing look so beautiful? Here is my first introductory story for the relationship series called “Developing Partnership through Dancing”.
Topic #1: Get to know yourself and be responsible for your own part
Typically in dancing, teachers tends to teach the men more steps, how to lead, and most of the time, women are taught to just follow the men. It could work if all men are so quick at learning the steps, timing, how to lead, what type of lead to give the lady, how to avoid traffic on the dance floor, stay on beat with the music etc. all at once. And, if the women doesn’t complain a thing and be patient with whatever the men does. But, seriously, where does that kind of perfect situation exist? How can a women just follow along everything what a men does in the world of dancing, when women are encouraged to be more independent at work or in real life? It could work for some couples and there’s nothing wrong with it, but I believe in a relationship where both people contributes their share to the relationship.
So, in dancing, I believe the man needs to learn his steps, timing, how to lead. And the lady needs to learn her own steps, timing, what lead to expect from the man, and what the lady can do to support the man when they dance together. After both people know their own part and is comfortable with their own part, then we can join 2 people together to create 1 unit. Yes, it might sound like more work to do for you ladies, but won’t you feel happier if you can contribute something to the relationship and the unity of dancing with someone important to you? The result will be much more rewarding and your relationship with your partner will dramatically improve for sure. Trust me, your man will feel so much easier to dance with you and feel more support and encouragement from you if you know what you’re doing!!
In summary, all relationships has their own dynamic between 2 people, and it’s the same in dancing. So whether you are looking to dance with your significant other, or just starting to learn to dance, or you might be an advanced dancer already, keep an open mind when learning how to dance. There is no one way to learn how to dance and the traditional approach of men learning everything and ladies following does not necessarily work for everyone. At the end of the day, Dancing is art. It’s created by 2 people dancing together in harmony. So why not both men and women contribute our own share to the partnership?
Stay tuned for the next topic!
Dancer at Heart 