BASIC DANCE INFORMATION
Congratulations! You're about to embark on a marvelous, fun-filled journey! Ballroom and Country dancing, including Two Step, Waltz, East and West Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Samba and lots of line dances are now in vogue all over the country. The basic patterns are easy to master. With practice you'll be dancing after just a few quick lessons.

DANCE TERMINOLOGY
Following are a series of terms used in both ballroom and country dancing. You should be familiar with these as this knowledge will make learning quicker and easier. Much of this information will also be introduced to you during the early stages of instruction.

LINE OF DANCE
(or Direction) is always counterclockwise around the dance floor. One very nice feature of country dance emporiums is the large size of their dance floors. This offers dancers plenty of room to move comfortably. However, with the popularity of country dancing, almost every place is crowded with enthusiasts. There are three distinct groups of dances: One group moves around the floor counter-clockwise and is referred to as "Smooth"; (such as the Two-Step, Waltz, etc.) Another group is danced more-or-less in a "Spot" (the Swings, Cha Cha, etc.) and "Line" dances where it is unnecessary to have a partner. You will be taught to perform your smooth dance patterns in the proper line-of-dance.

DANCE ETIQUETTE
The occasional "bump" into another couple, or the stepping upon your partner's foot, is often unavoidable. However, should this occur, you should always apologize to the other party. RIGHT OF WAY: The partner moving forward (to the other partner moving backward) always has the "right-of-way." If you step upon the partner moving backwards, it means they did not correctly "reach" with the toe in order to get out of your way. The partner who was stepped upon should learn better toe-reaching technique and apologize to the partner moving forward. Later in this material we will also discuss common-sense courtesies for the gentlemen as well as the ladies.

BIGGEST BEGINNING DANCER MISTAKE
is trying to learn too much too soon. As a result, many attempt to learn too many step patterns without a complete understanding of the Basics, and the techniques involved. In the overall grand scheme of things, PATTERNS ARE THE LEAST IMPORTANT PART OF LEARNING TO BECOME A GOOD DANCER! Most people take dance instruction in order to learn enough to go out socially and have fun. Our primary purpose with these dance classes is to HAVE FUN as we instruct you in the proper use of Basics. For those of you who wish to progress further, we also offer Intermediate and Advanced material. Only the most dedicated devotees of dance ever think about entering dance competitions, especially in the beginning. With that in mind, we'd like to tell you—up front—that far more important than Step Patterns are the following:

Timing, Balance, Posture, Poise, Partner Relationship, Footwork, Leading, Following, Smoothness, Costuming and Pattern Amalgamation. As you begin your instruction, you first are introduced to the individual step patterns for each dance. However, you can see by the list above that they are last in importance to overall good dancing enjoyment. Next is a short definition of each of those items:

TIMING
is the single most important part of dancing. Timing should never be confused with Rhythm. Every human being is born with rhythm...heartbeat, breathing, walking, running...all these are rhythms. Timing is the ability to move through a variety of step patterns to various types of dance music and STAY IN TIME WITH THE MUSIC AS IS PLAYS! Music for each dance can be played very "slow", "medium", or "fast". Very seldom—if ever—does recorded music begin at one speed (or tempo) and then speed up or slow down...the possible exception being slow songs that fade out at the end.

Being able to dance to the correct tempo of the music, regardless of its speed, is what truly makes the movements "feel good." As you will soon see, Country Two Step, while somewhat similar to standard ballroom Fox-trot, never changes and is always counted Quick, Quick, Slow, Slow. This is a total of six beats of music per pattern. Below are some additional terms you need to commit to memory to make your learning easier.

BALANCE
Good balance is a most important asset to good dancing. Like walking, you dance on only one foot at a time. Good dancing can only be achieved by the development of good balance. We will give you several exercises to aid you in the development of better balance. Unlike walking, dancing is done with a more erect bearing see Posture). The proper placement of the hands and arms are equally important. They should remain up with the elbows lower than the shoulders on a slightly downward angle. This "upper body line" needs to be retained at all times whether you are in closed or open position to your partner. Think of a tightrope walker. Their arms are up and holding a long balancing pole.

POSTURE
Good dancing requires that both partners should have good posture at all times. This requires keeping the head and chest lifted, the spine straight and the weight center-forward over the balls of the feet. Nothing can wreck the appearance of a dance couple faster than poor posture, regardless of how many step patterns they do or how well they perform otherwise.

POISE
is the confidence you gain from dancing in time to the music, with a big smile on your face, good posture and an understanding of Partner Relationship.

PARTNER RELATIONSHIP
Every time you step onto a dance floor you become a "performing artist." You are creating a "show" for everyone sitting around the sidelines watching. You and your partner are now a "team" and each must understand their own respective "role." You must know how to properly "relate" to one another as you move around the floor (see Lead/Follow).

FOOTWORK
As stated previously, you do not "dance" like you "walk." Understanding the correct footwork is an equally important phase of learning. When moving forward, always lead with the heel of the foot, instantly transferring the weight to the ball of that foot. When moving backwards, always lead with the toe extended from the ankle, reaching from the top of the thigh—not the waist or hips. You will be shown how and where to turn the foot either outward or inward in order to make smooth turns, pivots and spins.

LEADING
One of the most often misunderstood terms is "leading." A man should merely "indicate" through the top part of his body (and occasionally through his arms and hands) where he wishes his partner to dance. The lady must likewise know enough of her own part to dance the movement effortlessly. The gentleman should never push, pull, shove, jerk or otherwise intimidate the lady. For a gentleman to correctly and properly lead his lady, it is far more important for him to know WHEN to lead. If you lead too quickly or too late, the lady will have difficulty following and she looks (and feels) bad on the floor.

Good men dancers are a very rare breed. They've spent time, effort (and in some cases a lot of money to purchase dance lessons) in order to learn and gain confidence and self-assurance. They are in constant demand everywhere they go! If you want to be a popular, sought-after dance partner, develop the correct lead for every pattern you learn! You will quickly learn that no two lady partners are ever the same. Even though you go through your "routine" of patterns virtually the same way with each lady, it will "feel" different every time you change partners.