Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Tips to Perfect Your Dance Technique


No matter what level of experience your dancing is, there is always room for improvement. Professional dancers spend their entire careers perfecting their technique and so should you. After all, technique is what separates the best dancers from average dancers. Always remember that perfecting the skills you already know is just as important as learning new moves.  

Here are a few tips to help you dance your way into better and more professional moves:

  • Perfect your posture: Dance is all about body language and movements. Posture is extremely vital for a dancer’s success as well as the delivery of each dance’s story.
  • Watch other dancers for inspiration: Watching old dance movies or professional competitions can be extremely helpful. Pay attention to their technique, posture and body alignment and make a mental note to incorporate these into your own dance style.
  • Find a great instructor: Having the right dance teacher to correct your mistakes and help teach you new steps can really help perfect your skills.
  • Exercise: Make your moves look more effortless by building muscle. Make your jumps look stronger, your turns more balanced and your moves more graceful, all by exercising your whole body.
  • Eat right: As a dancer, your body needs to be healthy from the inside-out. A healthy, well-balanced diet can help you feel more energized.
  • Don’t just dance it, feel it: Dancing is all about telling a story with your body. Facial expressions are extremely important in portraying what you want to say without using actual words. Don’t just focus on the steps – put your feelings into it. If it’s a happy, upbeat song make big sharp movements and smile. If it’s a sad or emotional dance, make sure your facial expressions represent that.
  • Practice makes perfect: Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong! Practice, practice, practice!
  • Stretch: A great dancer makes difficult moves look effortless. Stretching daily will make your body more flexible and help make your moves look more graceful.

Thursday, May 08, 2014

Dancing with the Stars Celebrates Cinco de Mayo




Monday may not be everyone's favorite weekday, but thanks to Dancing with the Stars, it's a definite contender for favorite weeknight!  Where else can you see a handful of your favorite celebrities from past and present learn ballroom and Latin dances from some of the world's best dance talent, including some of our very own Fred Astaire Dance School talent?

This week's program kicked off with a special Cinco de Mayo celebration featuring Mark Ballas, son of former FADS board member Corky Ballas and the "Queen of Latin" Shirley Ballas, showcasing not only his dancing skills but also his musical chops.  Donned in an old-school red blazer, Converse high-tops and bow tie, Mark performed his first single “Get My Name” [available for download on iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/get-my-name-single/id871897350 ] live while the DWTS pros and troupe performed a contemporary Cha-Cha.  Mark stepped in to Cha-Cha during the instrumental section, reminding us that he's a double threat.  Singing, dancing...the perfect Monday night!