Dancing is as physically demanding as some of the most mainstream sports out there. Here is a video that proves
that this is so. Professional “Dancing With The Stars” duo, Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo were motion captured to observe the strength, speed and flexibility they exude when dancing. A few key points from the video: A professional dancer doing Jive can reach foot speeds of 15MPH. A professional dancer spins at 180 RPM – Which is 4 times the speed of a record player spinning. I found out that the average tennis serve speed is of 175 RPM. Alright! We got 5 RPM on those tennis players! After watching the video, do you still have any doubts about the athleticism dancing requires?
Max & Beata-Charlie Chaplin Dance Shows 1 & 2
Ever since Max Kozhevnikov had stopped dancing competitively, he has been performing shows all around the world with the lovely Beata. I must say that their shows are extraordinary! They are not the usual Latin and Ballroom shows that mainly run through their competitive dance routines. Instead, their shows are filled with many genres of dance mixed together and lots of acting. In a way, Max and Beata are revolutionizing the way dance shows are performed… WATCH BOTH VIDEOS
Inspiration Butt-Kicking (For Dancing)
Have you ever gone through a month of intense reluctance to attend your dancing lessons? You just did not feel like going. You have not gone social dancing for a while, and you were losing the excitement you once had for learning how to dance. Something that used to keep you up late at night is not all that it used to be. That is perhaps when inspiration needs a little butt-kicking! CONTINUE READING
The Out-Of Syllabus Dancesport Competition
In the syllabus levels of a Latin and Ballroom dance competition, there is a series of dance steps that couples must adhere to and dance only the steps that are appropriate for their level. Having been competing in the pro/am (teacher/student competitions) syllabus levels for the past 2 years, there had not been a single competition where I did not spot at least 1 out-of-syllabus incident. Is there someone on the floor monitoring this? For most competitions, it looks like there is not sufficient oversight.
Most would agree that couples often need to grab the judges’ attention in order to get noticed and place well in Dancesport competitions. Couples that incorporate dance steps from the higher levels will often have an advantage because they will be more visible on the floor. They would be performing the faster, more intricate, some would say more interesting dance routines. This is not fair to the couples who stick to the rules. One of my competing students had also spotted couples dancing “all these cool” moves in her category and began implying that I should be letting her do them as well. “No one cares for the rules, Leon”, she said. Here I am, a professional dance instructor who teaches his students stick to the syllabus and I found it hard to justify why the syllabus rules matter (other than that I stick to it for myself as a teaching method). Mind you, these pro/am students pay very well in competition fees to at least expect a fair competition system in place. CONTINUE READING
Slavik & Anna’s First Rumba Show Video
Slavik Kryklyvyy is, without a doubt, one of the best male dancers on this planet. He had just recently teamed up with 
Anna Melnikova (who used to dance with Stefano Di Filippo). This is the first video made public of their Rumba show dance. The song is called “I Finally Found Someone” by Bryan Adams & Barbara Streisand, and I think it makes a lot of people wonder whether Slavik has really finally found the one? CONTINUE READING & WATCH VIDEO
Results Not Going Your Way?-Dance For The Following Reasons Instead!
The subjectivity of Dancesport competitions can cause the results to vary greatly. As a dancer, you can only 
control how you dance. The resulting placement is in the judges’ hands. Therefore, being attached to results is quite futile and may lead the dancer to feel drained and frustrated.
It may even make him/her question whether or not to continue dancing at all. For instance, doing well in one competition makes you feel ecstatic. However, at the next competition you do not make the finals and you cannot help feeling miserable. Your emotions swing from one extreme to the next, leaving you feeling unfulfilled and disappointed. CONTINUE READING