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Welcome to Episode 57 of the Salsa Kings LIVE podcast
This week, Andres wants to go back to when he discussed meeting others halfway. Andres is here to tell you that this give-and-take is not always a pure 50/50 split on the parts of the dancers. While you want to sync physically, emotionally that split will often be a lot of imbalance, be it due to the inexperience of one part, the needs, or perhaps a need to learn how to sync up better. Dancing is of course a type of communication. It isn’t just a physical connection but to feel the person themselves.
To connect on somebody’s wavelength, sometimes you can put too much pressure. Don’t scream when your inside voice will suffice. Don’t force your energy on other people needlessly. This will be wasted effort and can alienate your partner. Instead, try and match their energy and try to sync up with them. Sometimes you will also just need to put in more energy or will get it due to circumstances. Maybe you’re tired, or you’re not feeling the music, or are anxious about something. Whatever the reason, sometimes you will need to provide that extra enthusiasm, or have it provided for you. Dance isn’t a purely transactional experience where everyone robotically acts the same way.
Watching skilled dancers can show this, how a lead will give the following chances to show off or how a to follow will push a lead to do it. By reading each other this way they can understand the energy their partner has and needs. By accounting for the other dancer at the time, a good and empathic dancer can realize how much energy he needs to provide. Sometimes it will be more and sometimes it will be less. By reading the needs of your partner, and by having a partner able to read you your dance can excel.
While the physical nature of dance is often a very basic give and take, the emotional aspect of dance is much more complicated. A good dancer needs to be able to read not just the physical queues of a partner, but emotional ones as well. By understanding the kind of energy you need to bring to your partner, be it more or less. It’s not always 50/50 after all.
“If you’re really going HAM that entire time you’re gonna run out of inspiration. This is why we talk about the breath as well. Allowing yourself to breathe, giving yourself time to shine, giving yourself time to rest giving yourself time to be inspired, giving yourself time to reciprocate that to your partner than receive that inspiration back again after they get the same from being inspired by you.”