Partner Dancing for Beginners and those with "two left feet"

1. Introduction: Hi, All I'm on this is intro to partner dancing for non dancers or most with two left feet. This place is going to be taking you through just the basics of kind of moving the music with someone. Our goal here is to get more people dancing with each other, weddings or parties or the club, whatever. Just just focused on connecting with people and moving to music. So if you have any desire for that, you're in the right place. So a couple of tips on how to take this class You do not have to have a partner for this because we're going to give you just some basic donation about how to listen to music, how to understand it, and how with it whether or not you have a partner. So it's still useful. But would you recommend that if you do have someone that you can dance with, you practice it with them, especially because it's more fun. It's so much fun to dance people on, and you'll get the most if you're able to practice in between each video, so we recommend you watch one stop and give it a few tries. Practice it yourself and move on gradually. Feel free to go back and watch things as you need Teoh, and that's that's the best enjoy. 2. Music: so we wanted to get my having a little bit about the structure using So usually what you notice about music. Almost daily basis is that has a lot of different layers, and they work together so that there's a lot going on up on time and usually where you see this is in the instrumentation on different instruments and voices that work together. So usually, when people listen to music, they often Tianjin Little's first. That sort of our top level, where the melody is words are meaning of the song. That's what is the most obvious from the start. Then you go layer deeper. Little below that we have our piano, guitar strings, horns, any other melody or harmony instruments that filling the harmony and the texture on the voice and then at the very bottom our foundation is. I'm saying that the drums, any other type of percussion that is on that base layer doesn't nation. That's often the easiest thing to key into what we want to find, something to dance to inside music. That's where we're gonna play first dancers in Iraq now. In order to interact with them, we have to kind of get an idea of how structure most of the music that we danced to, like pop music oh, are written the most common rhythm and at least in the US of the here is a 44 minutes. And that means that in part, what that means is that each time we go through like a, there's emphasis every four meats. So we know 1231234123 or 1234 And what that does is it helps us kind of predict what's coming. It It's a familiar way to interact with our music. I'm not just convincing, but list like you're saying to take Bo four rhythms all day long, unless is three more. That's another really common went on. Everywhere with rhythm is what you would typically here in a waltz that Teoh three. What Teoh? A little bit different. It's a little different eyes, any a little less common for four, but still something going encounter Black, including in popular Now hold work for this chapter is that we're going to start trying to play with those rhythms in music a little bit. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna play a song we're gonna We're gonna show you a few ways that you can kind of interact with these beats and interact with song way Just take Our whole body were just kind of dropped from her knees a little bit way. This whole thing there's no right or wrong. That's what you're decided, Teoh. What? We can do every other news. What? What? You agree? You want way? Do start moving to this class. 3. Stepping: Okay, So now that we have explored a sort of pulsing interest in moving and grooving to the music and we've discussed online condition with, um we're gonna take that with them and we're gonna put it in our feet already using tools, I beat music. So the number one most important day is that's every is uses this you can't get away minutes. We're gonna practice it a little bit, and we're gonna start by putting your weight on one foot. So why put your weight on your right foot? Paul, would you mind turning around? Watch you from the back? So you can practice is a little with us the first before you with another partner. Another human being one into yourself. So you want to really comfortable e on my foot in your own body? So we're gonna start one foot. Benjani's sort of relax into it. Lucy goosey on. Just find your balance. Find comfort here and then once you found it frantic Emory to set Who is your so here? We're gonna better Feet better needs a little bit. Just be really comfortable. And now it's your facts and and and I love it your donation, just simply stubbing with all the business, just I decided to go forward and back, So let's step forward. So the wreck fun. Let's step forward again. We're gonna gather, Make sure balance between each step. So right foot stuff again. But I know let's step to ranch Former we left for Let's step back last four months of the rich and less cool so that I'm honestly, that's a great exercise for dancers of any level like ISS is a great awareness exercise where you're where you're weight is We're gonna now take that and do what we were doing earlier with old saying each beat of the music. But now we're just going Teoh walk. Okay, so you start with what we're still really focusing on changing that way, making very, very clear way changes. And the same thing can happen before way. Go backwards, signed a sign. And if you want to turn your body, what you wanna do worse, we're trying to sound we're making sure, So that would be the example that used to sort of beach. We can step on each beat off our for 123 But I explored a little bit earlier. We could also choose to step and size derbies brother than every single one. So say we wanted to step on every other beach. Here's rituals do that. We'll go ahead and, sir, right foot well together. Well, bounds And then we're gonna do 1/2 a step bounce step that's We'll start at 11 and thats right, but and Mets? And so you have no proof to it? Well, yeah, step instead. That's step, that's that's still that's still that's step. We really want to just give us tools to agree when you're out there dancing, moving on just I just to think about with this step. Bounce a lot of the things that I like to do this at a tap. And so if we go step, step, step, stay the same kind of feeling. But this time we're just adding a little bit of tap there. Now, again, there's no rules. If you go step by step, what everyone do it so we have to you. But we're trying to use it now, and we're going to be doing different things. We're trying doing those those three combinations of interaction with the rhythm and just trying. If that same song 4. Connection: all right. So a little bit about interacting with music. Let's look a little bit interacting with her. So we're going to start off by just kind of talking about weight. Different ways to connect with your the first and probably most obvious ways to do that would be older. Hence you could do that with two hands. And because that was fast, we're just gonna walk through these different connections. We could go into more kind of like a close position. This'd is more common in a lot of dances. Were here my hand on her back and again, We're just kind of going over. This doesn't have to be any very like specific types of things as long as old people were consenting to it next year. Pretty comparable for this hand would be like a hold up home and connecting this way. Okay, there's also an oasis is like Napoleon dynamite style, right through this for years, connected. Whatever. Anyway, you wanna do it connected. That's cool. That's okay. So traditionally and most part is is and we have to rules. We have a leading role in a falling ball is not generous. Lips in four specific a lot times, Like all my friends are girls will be or all. Follow me. You're going to learn either or both. Oh, but it's like you just want a stick movement. Really? See player going through this class back in which you want to know What is the lead emissions? So, an example of exercise that you can do to practice This is just simply walking around together moments. Okay, we're just walking around just learning to communicate with just lanes or bodies and more bodies. 5. Turns: all right. Continuing to learn to move together, We're going to now jump into a few turns. Now, there's really at the end of the day on Lee, so many ways we can connect with each other and there's only so many. There's two. There's two directions we can turn. It s so we've got two arms and two directions, so we're going to show you a combination thereof. OK, so 1st 1 that left hand to right, right hand right are on. We're going to turn doing outside term. If you want to imagine there's like, pulled down the center of us. That outside turn is going to go away from that whole. Okay, it's gonna turn this way, and we have an insight turn this week. Okay, Now those all of these terms can be done. Teoh Miria! Miria of steps way! Okay, so we've got that combination. We're gonna drop that and we'll drive with this one. We've got outside of this one and we got outside. Turn with this. Okay, Those honestly, that full set, Uh well, last an entire song. And in some, right. You got a lot of different options there Now. What? Over these As much as I want you to know that they are available, the leaves can turn too. So we're here and I'm concerned outside and I Now I am still leading and initiating this. I'm just turning myself okay. Saying with this outside is just really know for follows How this works is kind of like hold hold said which the line down the middle I'm gonna pretend that is attached to my hand directed And if used my hand this leave, my whole body is gonna follow I am able to know which direction to turn and we're sitting That's all I want to know that he's decided to turn instead Because if humans my arm up doesn't send me in a direction that I'm not gonna move, he's probably gonna move it. 11 years you didn't send me anywhere, so I thought this time you move my arms, so I waas Yeah, once you get really comfortable. Those guess what bones Waycross And here conceivable here all the same types of things outside in general, I think on the social dance for especially if you're not looking for any specific, uh, techniques or styling when you do these turns. Just make sure you don't belong to tightly so that you could fix the hands when they get Okay. Well, another. Now for these, you're turning your follow on. Easy way to go about. This is to drop halo over your head. Okay, so I turned drops. All right. What were no about turns? Because this area, everything is where we see the most injuries. So you do need to be careful and has never meet your partner, especially these it follows. Please don't raise your follows farm around. You. Get in your somebody's shoulder. Just do the careful, gentle. Remember this. I like to think of these moves as as a leader asking for a response but not telling. Follow what to do. Right? So I'm going here. Sure, it's not. Instead, go. It's a different. A different type of feeling. So be sick and breakfast. The strings 6. Put it together: All right, now, talk about combining a couple of the concepts that we've talked about. All right, so we have this connection thing, we're communicating. But now we're going Teoh at mia's. I'm gonna take the leading now, and I'm going to try communicating some of the rhythms that I'm choosing to do with Lord, So we'll start here and actually we'll start Leicester. Huge. And I'm just gonna do, like, a step tap step. Okay? And because I'm using my full body to do this, she didn't feel that, and she could see it. And you step waken, try any of these rhythms having done or any other rhythm's really in these different positions If we wanted to change it. Probably the most important thing that I'm doing is committing those wages, right? Because she can feel that through my connection points. Yes, Paul is very clear about where is the are what put on. I usually tell through our connection. It's the hands, their arms on my back, wherever we are. I didn't feel what this is doing, and then I It feels very awkward if he's leading something like Step tap and I continue to step, okay? I feel like I'm matching what he's doing. So if I pick up the rhythm that lead is doing that all choose to match it. And then that's how we communicate. That's how we get together. And again. You can get really creative with these actions. Get stay. She's here. Heres If I'm again committed to my weight, I feel yes, try. 7. Shapes: all right, We're gonna now put it this all together. Before we dio would want to talk about a few different a couple more options that you can throw in as kind of flavoring when you're doing these dance. And the 1st 1 will talk about his shapes, level changes, anything that kind of fits and do not necessarily what we've talked about. So the ships, for example, say said walking like this and if I want to lean away different shape But we're still just walking right way leave together whatever you want. Todo say something wants to drop below anything you wanna do We really want to explore, explore shapes on then movement across the floor is the second thing That can be really fun way We don't have to have this and fold. Say we go here, for example. We're just in a while. E Guess what we want right away for a minute. Walk around again, Riel. Really Basic step, Tatchell, Walk, rocking. We don't have to do the same thing. We're just really playing with music playing. So those air somebody s to take what we've done and to kind of move around the Lord and, you know, really big fueling dance. Not just steps. That and know that Everything, all together. So So we'll do this. We're just gonna kind of talk through our ideas right now. We're not even having just talk through our ideas, and then we'll show you in the next chapter. Shows you a demo. Yeah. So here, connected here. I'll start with step. Do you know what? Let's turn and I'm going to actually change the shape of this or the direction. Back to step temps. Really? Morris here, Laura Mission to maybe responsible are doing well. Not exactly a movement she's playing with with ideas of Paros. Always is definitely not role in the nice. Oh, yeah. 8. Partner Dancing Demo: - Yes . Yeah. 9. Project: all right. It is over time. And what we want to see from you is a video of you dancing. Uh, we realized that this is scary people, you know, like watching videos I even professional dancers don't like all oftentimes do not like watching videos of themselves dancing. But the internet is our medium, and we want to see our students s. Oh, please, please, please submit some footage. Would love to see you dance. Laurie's gonna talk about what we want. So if you do not have a partner, then feel free to try it yourself. Video yourself dancing. I know that's a little scary, but give it a shot. Be brave on. We want to see your polls. We want to see a group to the music, pick your favorite song or it's just a song that makes you want to move, does your group and shows your step touches, shows your steps steps and let's see what you got out of this. Plus, if you do have a partner than we want to see your pulse in your group together, we want to see your step Dad steps, steps your step touch. Uh, you're turns your movement around the floor on. We want to see you working together and using the things that we try this. Plus, if you practice this stuff and really bring the stuff out onto the dance floor with confidence, chances are you will be one of the better dancers in the room like a wedding that you know any kind of social gathering. It is really just a fun way to connect with someone. And that said, You don't have to It doesn't have to be with a significant other. That's something concerned about you can. You can dance, really ask anybody to dance And if they're not used to that idea, they think it's a little weird. But it's We want to try to promote this social dance idea, like getting out there just connecting with somebody grooving with somebody. It z a fun thing to do. Aside from that, please, if you if you enjoy the class, please leave a review. It's very helpful on skill share on, But again, we would love, love, love to see footage of you dancing. But if that's absolutely out of question, feel free to just ask questions and give back in general uh, other ways you can contact us or watch us dance. Usually we are streaming on twitch twitch dot tv slash whole dances I do Lindy hop We both could be How primarily on We like to share our dancing with world So we go out and take our take a look camera live stream from different answer events My practices and there are also going to be more videos on skill share that are based around swing gets so using this is kind of a booster to get into swing dancing Please move on to the next lesson. Once you got this down and, uh, we'd love to see you there as well things for do your class enjoy and have fun.