Top 10 baloney lines for guys when they forget their new dance partner’s name.

  1. The music was so loud last time, I didn’t get your name.
  2. I always remember a great smile, but not always the name.
  3. For some odd reason, I can’t remember the names of the really talented dancers I dance with.
  4. Could you please pronounce your name slowly to me so I get it right.
  5. Do you use the common spelling of your name or. . . . .
  6. I was embarrassed to ask you earlier for a dance because I wasn’t sure of your beautiful name.
  7. You would think I would remember the name of the best dancer I dance with.
  8. My friend says that your name is Mary, but I don’t think that’s right.
  9. The night we first danced I was suffering from a migraine and I’m sorry but I can’t remember your name.

And the best baloney line a guy could use when he forgets his new dance partner’s name:

  1. When I dance with you I keep thinking Ginger Rodgers, but I know that’s not your name.
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Top 10 reasons I didn’t ask you earlier for a dance.

10. I just got here.

9. I’ve been spending most of the evening with my students.

8. I’m dancing mostly with a friend who’s here from out of town.

7. I’m saving the best for last.

6. Ann asked me to help a friend of hers get started in salsa tonight.

5. I’m not wearing my contacts so I didn’t see you all the way across the room.

4. Every time I came to ask you for a dance, someone else beat me to it.

3. You’re getting so good, I didn’t think you wanted to dance with me anymore.

2. I thought you were dancing with a new boyfriend and I didn’t want to interfere.

And the No.1 reason why I didn’t ask earlier for a dance:

1. We look so good dancing together, people are starting to talk.

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Top Ten Ways to be Polite When Asking for a Dance.

  1. Politely ask the lady for a dance; May I have the pleasure, would you like to dance, may I have the next dance?
  2. Not polite to just grab or take hold of a lady’s hand and lead her to the dance floor, no matter how confident you are that she loves to dance with you.
  3. If the lady turns down your request, take it like a man, don’t complain but wish her a great evening.
  4. Not polite to rush ahead of others to ask for the dance.
  5. It’s fine to ask for a second dance, but be polite and don’t continue to hold onto the lady while you ask.
  6. If both partners have an agreement that they prefer to dance with each other all evening, it’s best that they set aside some time to dance with others as well.
  7. If a lady turns you down twice the same evening for a dance, good bet that she doesn’t want to dance with you.
  8. Be polite and let the lady finish the conversation with her previous partner before you interrupt and ask for the next dance.
  9. Be polite and don’t quickly runoff after a dance to ask another partner for the next dance.
  10. If you ask for the dance at the same time with another lead, know that you can score some points by happily giving the dance to the other lead.
  • P.S. I myself, in the past, have violated more than half of these items. But I believe we can all add to the dancing experience by being more polite and by adhering to good etiquette.
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Ten serious things a lead should consider before dipping a partner in a salsa social dance.

Guidelines for dipping in a ballroom social dance are different, as are guidelines for performances and competition. This discussion pertains to dips that are typically executed on the salsa social dance scene.

No.1 The lead should always, always take full responsibility for the safety of the dip. (See below)

No.2 For a first dance, the lead should always ask the lady if she wishes to be dipped. (I have had ladies complain to me for not dipping them, and others for dipping them.)

No.3 If a lady is comfortable performing a dip with one partner, she may not be comfortable performing it with another.

No.4 Never surprise your partner with a complicated dip. Complicated dips should be worked out slowly in practice. (I have seen all too many injuries to the lady because of this.)

No.5 The lead should always lead a first dip, slow, easy and somewhat restrained.

No.6 The lead should always make sure that there is sufficient room for the dip.

No.7 If the partners aren’t perfectly set-up or balanced for the dip, the lead should not go ahead and lead the dip.

No.8 Know that dipping a partner with both your arms on her back is high risk for straining your back.

No.9 Never rush a dip. Let the lady know it’s coming and give her time for a lovely pose.

No.10 The dip is for the lady to present a pose. Not for the lead to show her what he can do.

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The Top 10 Reasons a Guy Has to Dance Salsa 7 Nights a Week

No.10  You Don’t want to disappoint the ladies, the last thing you want to do is ruin their week.

No.9  After three years, it’s a critical time for you to get your timing down.

No.8  You might be losing weight (even though it’s probably from having less time to eat). That settles it, health first.

No.7  You just bought these new shoes and you don’t want them to stiffen up.

No.6  You have a slight muscle strain; better dance to shake it out.

No.5  It’s warm weather and many of the ladies are wearing hot pants, and you really enjoy seeing the designer belts they wear.

No.4  By going to all the dances, you can see which ones are the best so that when you cut down to 5 times a week, you can pick the venues that work best for you.

No.3  You need to dance to save money. Otherwise you’d spend too much going to a movie or a dinner date.

No.2  You just spend a ton of money on private lessons. Must dance every night to see if they were worth it.

And the No.1 reason why a guy has to dance salsa 7 nights a week.

No.1 Just found out your company insurance doesn’t cover medication and rehab for salsa dancing addiction. You’re screwed!

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The Top 10 Compliments Your Dance Partner Will Never Believe

No.10  Your spins are perfect, did you dance in the Bolshoi Ballet?

No.9  I don’t remember your name, but I’ll never forget your smile.

No.8  Could you give me a second, I need to pinch myself to make sure this dance is real.

No.7  I’m glad I know where they keep the oxygen bottles, I’m going to need one after this dance.

No.6  I wish I knew more about Astronomy. You’re such a wonderful dancer, you must be from another galaxy.

No.5  After that breathtaking dip, I think your going to need to hold “me” up.

No.4  Please forgive me for a moment, I need to see if my socks aren’t knocked off.

No.3  How could anyone not have good eye contact with your beautiful eyes?

No.2  I’m sure your wearing a beautiful dress, but I can’t seem to get past your smile.

And the number one compliment your dance partner will never believe:

1) I could kill myself for missing that Physics class in college, now I’ll never be able to stop time.

 

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A Great Salsa Dancer

This week I learned of the passing of one of my great friends in the Seattle salsa dance scene, the great Jim Hadley. (See the first picture in the “Photos” menu in this website.) Ann and I had visited him at his shoe store just two weeks ago to give him a promotional copy of the book, which he was very much a part of. He was weak, but he maintained his great spirit, and we had a wonderful conversation.

I learned very much from Jim, probably from his friendliness toward all, more than anything, and his ability to ignite and inspire new talent. Years ago, he was in charge of a very popular weekly salsa dance in the university district of Seattle. I used to help him set up the sound equipment and took note how he would give new DJ’s a chance to get their feet wet with their own music selection. Those were great dances. Chapter 5 is an account of an hilarious adventure in dancing I had there, and I’m happy that we mentioned his contribution on page 44.

Jim was an outstanding salsa dancer. He would dance with the best and then help promote them. Sometimes, after he danced with one of his remarkable partners, he would walk her over to me and insist that I dance with her to have the pleasure as well. My friends. . . . when’s the last time that we have experienced such class and friendship on the dance floor?

On other occasions, my wife and I would stop by his shoe store and have a blast. Sometimes he would stop everything to turn some music on just to dance with Ann, and draw a crowd with his customers as they witnessed how fun it was to salsa dance.

I cleaned out his store of corrugated polyester shirts which I use to this day, and I remember Ann buying her best shoes there. But what I remember most, was when the three of us, during quiet moments in the store. would start talking about salsa dancing. Inevidently, we would get into hysterical laughing fits at how child-like we all were, and how the funniest predicaments would appear on the dance floor, if you only stopped to think about it. For sure, these late afternoons of hilarious story telling, encouraged me to eventually write the book.

To mention all the goodness that Jim brought to all he met would fill a book in itself. God Bless you Jim, and don’t forget about us in the Spiritual World.

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The Perfect Salsa Dance

Yesterday, one of my friends told me about an article that examined how choir members sometimes sing with synchronize heart beats when all good things of the moment come together. I suspect (with no scientific study) that it happens to dance partners as well.

Dancers look for different goals, different feelings and different ways to experience fun when on the dance floor. And some dances bring partners together more than others. But during those special moments when the stars line up: a favorite song, a favorite dance partner, and space to move, dance partners too can be moved by the moment. The lead surrenders to the music and only leads with the faintest of signals, and the lady moves to the song’s rhythms and is free to express herself with uninhibited styling. When dance partners feel this, I believe they both succumb not only to the music, but to each other’s charms as well. It’s a powerful and euphoric feeling, and can cause confusion when it happens for the first time.

As mentioned earlier, there is no scientific study to confirm this, but I strongly suspect that the magic of dancing with the right partner, at the right time, can bring heart beats together for an experience hard to beat and almost impossible to explain.

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A Casual Early Evening Salsa Dance

Just last week I attended a casual early evening salsa dance in Seattle. It often makes for great dancing with a large dance floor and a wonderful attitude of fun that’s hard to beat. With the warm summer days and evenings, guys often come with T-shirts and the ladies show up with hot pants or short skirts to deal with the warm air that keeps getting warmer and warmer as more dancers arrive throughout the evening. I enjoyed a particularly awesome evening of salsa; running into old friends and new acquaintances who all made the dancing so delightful. One dance was the kind you never forget, and it can only happen when things are just right. It happened at the beginning of the evening when I still had all my strength, there was still plenty of room to dance around the perimeter of the floor, it was a fast song, and I was blessed with a magnificient partner. Right off the bat, she encouraged me to pull out all the stops and guide her around the dance floor with thrilling spins and jaw dropping pivots that made the background become a blur. For those five minutes, I lost all contact with reality, and succumbed to my partner’s charms and absolute joy of the dance. It’s a dance that stays with you a long time, and makes you wonder about writing a whole new chapter about it.

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Continuing Adventures

Since we published the book, it seems as though my adventures are only increasing. I have had some memorable moments presenting promotional and free copies to some long time friends that have all helped and inspire me to be a better dancer. Several of the studios have interrupted the dancing for a few moments to allow me to describe the book. I am grateful for that. We are also encouraged by feedback that some of the the first readers have given us; hard to put down, chuckling and laughing out load, staying up way to late reading story after story.
Thank You!
Also, since the adventures are continuing on the dance floor, we are considering putting out another short story, but on the web site for our interested viewers to read free of charge.
Keep reading, and thanks for stopping by.

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