Up to this evening our ballroom dancing classes have focused on the “structure” of the dance – the beat, dancing the box step, the under arm turn, and the quarter turn. Tonight we learned the forward and back progressions. This breaks us out of the box type movement and into using the full floor.
Doing this step solo wasn’t too hard. The same basic footwork patterns moving forward instead of just in a box. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Breaking out of that “box” mindset after 2 weeks is hard. Moving in sync with your partner is challenging. And thinking ahead about when to turn, how to avoid other couples, in addition to the footwork is a lesson in improvisation within the confines of a structured set of movements.
As the lead, I’ve got a lot to think about now as I move with my partner around the floor. I’m sure it’ll feel more smooth with practice and the passage of time but for now I’m battling the “oops I’m at the wall now what?” kind of dancing. Luckily my partner is quite understanding since she’s learning how to be a follower. As I said in the last post, 2 type “A” personalities dancing together is interesting.
This structured improvisation that we’re learning must be like good Jazz music – the improvisation of Jazz working within the confines of the music structure. For type A’s, improvisation is something to get comfortable with.
