swing slate 7: tips for beginners

seven simple swing tips

In my last post I mentioned some of the fears that beginners may face at their first socials so here are a few tips that I hope will help ease the nerves! 

• skip the first half of the song • a simple solution for anyone new to the social dancing scene who's worried that the repetition of the limited moves they know will bore their partner is to wait until the song is about halfway through and then ask someone for a dance as this way it's unlikely the repetition will be obvious. I used this a lot when I started out and it really helped build my confidence.

• don't be afraid to repeat those basics • there's not actually anything wrong with going over the same basic moves again and again - practice makes perfect is a cliché for a reason, but the idea that practice also makes permanent is incredibly true. I have watched professionals dance to an entire song genuinely using only the three or four fundamental moves you learn in your first few classes and it looked phenomenal, so if you can make those moves second nature you're home and hosed.

• do they smile? • before you rush towards someone to ask for a dance have a look to see if they smile when they're dancing with others. This sounds seriously cheesy but it doesn't matter what level you are at: if your partner doesn't smile at all when you feel like you are having fun and pulling your best stuff it can be very disheartening and especially if you've not yet got confidence in yourself. So look for the ones that always have a grin ear to ear when they dance and when you partner up with them you'll feed off their energy.

• dance to songs you know well • this is a great way to take the edge off because if you know the song inside out you'll probably be able to relax a lot more and you'll be more able to feel out the rhythm without having to listen to it intently, mentally repeating "one, two, three-a-four...", BUT, and best of all, dancing to a song you know and love is one of the simple pleasures of swing dancing!

• I ask to dance, not to sex • this might sound a tad ridiculous but for most people the only other environment where people go out to dance is a nightclub where the intentions behind approaching a stranger in a dimly lit room do not always have the noble intentions of dancing/conversation as the end-goal. When you go to a swing social dance, however, the atmosphere (and lighting!) is completely different. I'm speaking mainly as a bloke, here, but it took me a while to get used to the idea that I could saunter up to a girl to ask for a dance without fearing her presumptuous rebuttal. I should say that I'm not so naive as to think that more 'adventurous' thoughts beyond a swing dance don't occur to a few (and as a good middle-ground for that there is blues dancing or kizomba) but beginners should know that you can confidently walk towards a potential dance partner projecting only good intentions.

• experienced dancers don't bite • I've mentioned before that experienced dancers should do their bit to get beginners up and going but I also really want to encourage new folk to ask the seasoned swingers - they were in your position once, will likely say yes, and you'll probably learn more in a few dances than you did in a few weeks whilst looking pretty flash at the same time! You can also use this opportunity to help out your more nervous friends by asking the experienced dancer to get one of them up.

and finally... • have a chat with the person first • it's called social dancing for a reason! Go over to someone, introduce yourself and just get chatting! You are both there for your mutual love of swing dancing so you can ask for tips, how they got into it, how long they've been doing it etc. whatever you want and if that other person has any sense then they'll get the hint and ask you for a dance - and if you time your conversation right it combines nicely with tip #1!