Welcome to the Dance Floor!... or Not.

Whether you are in your usual social or at a festival, or checking out another city’s dancing scene, as a veteran dancer or a newbie – the first thing we all do is check out the dance floor, feel the vibe.  Sometimes it’s loud and joyful and others you just want to give it some coffee with loads of sugar. Or it’s just plain and simple starting at you like: You sure you belong here?

Most of the time you go to the social that speaks best to you, where you feel more at home, where your people are. But you can’t really choose if you’re visiting another city or in a festival, so for every “new social”, you just hope it will be good.

But why do you think this happens?  Why is the dance floor not always lively and saying nice things? Why do you feel more comfortable in some socials but not in all? I guess everyone has their own theory, and of course there are variables we can’t control: The DJ not playing the songs you like, the people you know are not around, it’s way too crowded to dance … All this contributes to an unwelcoming dance floor. But I think there is one element we CAN control: us. I mean, you, me, the group next to you... Us dancers.

I think the atmosphere of a social is the energy we all send out; it mixes and matches and transforms into something we all can feel. So when you, yes YOU, come in with a big fat smile and move your booty to a Maykel Fonts song approaching your group of friends, YOU are already creating a fun moment.

 When you wave to that dancer across the room asking for the next dance – you just created complicity. When you sway your hips, while you’re waiting for your drink, you’re creating a vibe. Put all these individual moments together and you have it: A vibrant dance floor.

I am not saying that you always have to be cheerful or you should pretend to be hyped when you actually fell like being grumpy… but whenever you can, come with a generous and flexible mindset, ready to join something that will bring you joy or maybe you will bring it to someone.

Do you want to test my theory?

Let’s make a challenge and see what happens. For this summer… Ok that might be too long, for the next three or four socials, try to do (at least) two of these things:

• Smile to everyone, even if you don’t know them (or give them a half smile with a nod):  smile when you’re looking at people on the dance floor. Dancers always like a happy crowd.
• Dance with someone you don’t know or have never danced with: we all tend to go either to the people we always dance with or with the good cool dancers but it is also good to dance with someone new: we might even learn a thing or two… or maybe not, but then it’s only one dance right? So, there’s not much to lose.
• Dance with a beginner: dancing is about sharing the joy, about community and connection, so let’s make the beginners feel we have a welcoming community… (You were a beginner once; you know it takes time and courage to dance)
• Try dancing on the sideline while you’re waiting for the next dance: we all wait standing straight and looking at the dance floor but next time, wriggle it a little bit, do some footwork, maybe a rumbita…. Soon you’ll have your friends joining you.
• Sing… sing as if you have spoken Spanish all your life! go with your Leoni Torres, and sing even if you have no clue what you are singing.
• Connect with your partner and enjoy the dance, even if it turns out to be a bummer. partner dancing can be tricky, there are times when we do not have the connection we would like but we can still have a good laugh at mistakes and miscoordination – try to make it enjoyable anyway. And if not possible, well, as I said before: it’s only one dance.
• Move your booty at the bar: Ok, sometimes there is no space, so let’s not push it. But while you’re waiting for your drink, do a little dance, move with some sass… you’ll see it will spark some conversations or some dancing. This one never fails.  

I am sure you can think of more fun moments and complete this set, you get the gist.

One last thing

As dancers, we all enjoy a good party. We just need to remember that we are an active part of the party and the dance floor, so whatever WE do and how we do it, as an individual, will impact the vibe; So let’s dance, smile, sing, share, laugh and be kind… with everyone. Okay, maybe that’s too much… with everyone near you. Let’s make the dance floor say: Vamos a Pasarla Bien*.

* Los Van Van