8: What to Focus On

Most dancers (we'd say about 99%) start ballroom dance with the goal of being able to dance at some event—perhaps a wedding, a party, or a company function. Many, having found dancing to a certain style of music with others to be a fun recreation, seek out opportunities or events where they can practice the dance style. The first step, they realize, is to learn how to dance better. Perhaps pick up a few moves here and there.

Most newcomers who join a class tend to be there to learn a few simple steps. Typically, students take a class or two, decide if dance is for them and decide whether to stay or abandon the effort. 

Those who stay with the classes find that there is more to dancing than those first "few figures." Many begin to realize the richness and depth that is possible in their dancing. Thus, the realization that there is more to dancing than just those first steps engages them to learn a few more. 

As we mentioned in the previous article, social dancing is typically an event organized to provide a venue to dance in the ballroom style with others. This style is not usually provided by bars, discos, or nightclubs. The exception is that some of these places may offer partner dancing that can accommodate close quarters—like Salsa, Mambo, Merengue, and Swing (mainly East Coast Swing).

The social dance event is typically (but not always) divided into two parts. The first part (the first hour in most cases) is the group lesson for beginners (which we covered in the previous article). The second part is the actual social dance, which usually goes for two to three hours on average. 

During the social dance proper (the second part), the host may play a variety of ballroom dances ranging from traveling dances, rhythmic dances, and nightclub dances.

A medalist, in dancing parlance, is someone who studies dance syllabi for the express purpose of learning the technique of the same. The focus of the study is not on learning the dance style per se but on how to dance the figures correctly. It is an evolutionary part of the journey to be expected of those who wish to better their dancing and aspire towards artistic expression.

At some point, the drive to improve ballroom dance skills will propel dancers to seek paths toward technical competence. There are many reasons for this change—a recognition that there is more to dance beyond social dancing, a nascent desire to lay the foundation for pursuing better skills, or even the welcome influence of a friend or spouse in encouraging the dancer to improve beyond the current status quo.

Whatever the reason, the journey inevitably brings the dancer to an acquaintanceship with standardized syllabi and the system of levels of competence around it. 

A dance syllabus is a collection of standard figures that are officially defined for a dance style. For example, as of this writing, the International Standard Syllabus has about 106 figures collectively for the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep.

Each figure in a syllabus is described in utmost detail—from how to land the foot, the timing of the step (to correspond with the music), the direction of the feet, the direction of the head, up to and including when to flex the ankle or the knee or turn the head. Each one even has a specification as to which figures can precede and follow it.

Syllabi are typically divided into three sets of figures: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, often corresponding to the increasing level of difficulty or sophistication of movement. 

Teachers will always start their students with Bronze figures. At this stage, new dancers will begin to acquire important foundational skills like footwork, Rise and Fall, direction, and partnering skills, that will serve them later when they start their Silver and Gold studies.
Medalist dancers, as students who pursue syllabus studies might be thought of, typically have one or two goals. The first goal is to pass a medal exam—a test of competence administered and adjudicated by a certified examiner. The second goal is to lay the foundation for advanced dancing that can lead to competitive dancing.

We often think of competitive dancing as that exotic undertaking beyond our reach; that we, mere mortals, can only wish for. Of course, this could not be farther from the truth.
Anyone with the desire to dance in front of a panel of judges, an audience, and their peers, can pay the registration fee and sign up to join a competition. Even newcomers. (In most competitions, there is, in fact, a "newcomer" category, and it is typically well-attended.)
Depending on the geographic area, a dancer might be able to enter a competition anywhere from one to eight (or even more) competitions per year. Some will entail travel to other cities, states, or countries. Although we should note that the latter—travel to other countries—is usually the realm of the higher-level dancer who might have the benefit of sponsorship).

This article is the unabridged version that appeared in an earlier manuscript of Master Ballroom Dance Technique, Volume 1, Partner Technique, by Robert Cura. A shorter abridged version was written for the final version of the book. Posted with permission of the author.

This article is the unabridged version that appeared in an earlier manuscript of Master Ballroom Dance Technique, Volume 1, Partner Technique, by Robert Cura. A shorter abridged version was written for the final version of the book. Posted with permission of the author.