Top Shelf Dance Studio

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer or deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high acheivement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly..."  ~Theodore Roosevelt

Techniques For Good Dancing

VARIETY: Variety of dances, patterns and partners.

Designed to introduce and reinforce the unique characteristics of each dance, footwork, poise and posture, as well as focus on connection and lead/follow. Additional focus on musicality, timing/rhythm, interpretation and expression.

FIGURES:  Learning the construction of each pattern.

APPEARANCE:

Poise & Posture - developing an upright line of the body and maintaining the line over the appropriate part of the foot.

Footwork - understanding and developing consistancy in which part of the foot strikes the floor and the way the foot works on the floor.

Styling - developing the characteristic style inherenct to each dance.

PARTNERSHIP:

Lead/Follow - developing non-verbal communication between two partners.

Timing/Rhythm - applying movement to music.

Control/Balance - developing muscle memory to regulate movement.

Blending - continuity of patterns, positions and rythms.

Dance Positions - utilizing 13 dance positions to maximize variety of movement and smoothly transitioning between them.

Music Identification - learning to indentify music to dance.

EXPRESSION & PERSONAL STYLE:

Animation - develop personal flair and bring each dance to life.

Music Interpretation - artistic presentation.

Feeling - developing the ability to express your feelings to the music while maintaining your comfort and confidence.

3 Ways to Learn 

Top Shelf Dance strongly recommends that students incorporate private lessons, group classes and dance socials in their program to learn the art and skills of partner dancing.