You know you're a dancer...

Eye contact: an art-form

I don't know how many times people I've danced with have told me this! Whenever I'm dancing with someone who is at a higher level than me, I tend to look at my feet just to make sure that I'm doing the moves right. I'm sure many other people feel the same way.

What we do not realize though, is that we are so focused on getting the steps right that we don't allow ourselves to be led properly by our partner. Yes, knowing the steps is important but being able to follow as females is even more important. It doesn't matter if you're doing the moves perfectly or not, it will not look good if you don't follow your partner when he leads you. Obviously the more advanced you get, the better you get at being able to follow and thus relying less on getting the sequence right because you know your partner will just lead you into it.

Another problem with looking at your feet when dancing is the loss of eye contact. It is important to have some sort of connection when you're dancing with someone. Chat. Smile. A bit of eye contact is important. Of course too much eye contact can get a bit awkward too especially if you're dancing with someone you're not familiar with. It all comes down to balancing your eye contact though.

As dancers in ballroom dancing or any other partner dance, it is important to have eye contact because it is a tool that helps you connect and communicate with your partner without speaking. It is therefore a good idea to practice and master it. Make it a natural thing and make it a habit when you dance. This discipline is really more of an art form within the art of partnered dancing.

And remember, making eye contact and giving a smile also makes your partner more comfortable. You're basically letting them know you want to be there and you're enjoying yourself. if you make you partner comfortable, they will probably make more of an effort to do the same for you.

Dance quotes

A lot of people will start every day off thinking about some of the famous quotes that have been said throughout our history. It helps to keen them focused on their goals in life as they think about these great men and women who have helped to shape our world. Furthermore, quotes inspire us and keep us interested in any activity that we are partaking in. Dance quotes are no different.

All dancers love to see a few quotes that show how important dance is to them. Most of the quotes are usually made by ballet dancers but there is no reason why we cannot all translate that into any type of dance.

Dance quotes for me are especially important because they show that there are other people out there who feel the same way that I do. I constantly search for dance quotes on tumblr and pinterest all the time and I am always so excited when I see a quote that I haven't heard before or when it has been creatively put in with a new dance picture.

Below are a number of dance quotes that I absolutely love. One of my favourite quotes is 'I dance because there is no greater feeling in the world than moving to a piece of music and letting the world disappear.' There is no other quote that describes how I feel than this one. I find myself being swept away in music and wanting to do the waltz or a contemporary routine when I listen to music and it just takes you to another place. I have said I don't do contemporary dancing so that is just wishful thinking on my part though.

Another of my favourites is a quote by Martha Graham. She says “Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion.” Nothing could be truer. I always want to tell people to just relax and enjoy themselves when I see them stressing about looking perfect or not getting the moves right. Dancing is about having fun and meeting new people. In a social setting, no one cares really. As long as you are having fun, people forget to look at your dancing. Perfect moves come with practice, but in the meantime, we should enjoy ourselves while we learn and have fun learning this craft.