More on my new hobby...

I wanted to take a second to elaborate on my new favorite hobby (dancing at Fred Astaire with my dad and Mike) and thought I would actually share some tips that we have learned along the way.

1. Always focus on moving in one of four directions: North, South, East and West. (There is no such thing as Southeast, Northwest, etc. with ball room dancing – or at least we haven’t gotten to that level yet.)
2. Let the man lead – this is very hard for stubborn people like myself, but it’s the only way to make it work.
3. If you are doing something like a father-daughter dance, don’t feel like you have to dance for the entire song. Most people can only pay attention for 1.5 – 2 minutes. Stop around the two minute mark, or at least mix things up by inviting other people to dance with you.
4. Proper dancing position means the woman’s arms/shoulders should be in second position, and then the man arms meet her… (For those of you who aren’t familiar with second position, put your arms in a “t” and bend your elbows in from there.)
5. If you go to the Fred Astaire studio ask for the wedding package – not sure if it requires proof of an upcoming wedding, but I think it is the best deal.
6. Just a warning, dancing for an hour like this hurts the balls of your feet. Wear comfortable shoes but stay away from rubber soles.
7. If you are a wanna-be dancer in Greensboro, NC (like we were) I highly recommend Caroline Pendland as an instructor.

I’ll try to share more words of wisdom after our next lesson.