When I moved to Orange County to pursue growing as a bellydance performer and International Dance artist, one of the things I was most excited to explore was Southern California’s dance world at large.  When my bellydance gigs take me into LA County, I take advantage of being dolled up and out and about at club prime time and head out dancing after my bellydance shows.  I’ve enjoyed checking out the salsa dance scene from Malibu to Newport Beach.

              As a new face in the Los Angeles and Orange County dance scenes, established social dancers do not know me.  Being an unknown dancer can make it harder for a follow to get asked to dance in a developed dance community.  Personally, I like to leave it up to the leads to invite me to dance instead of the other way around.  Call me old fashioned, but really I’m just shy, and to some extent I haven’t needed to do the asking.   Just like dancing, there is some technique involved in getting invited to dance.  Read on as I share a five fantastic strategies to get and keep you on that social dance floor!

1. Have a Good Waiting Strategy

The key to getting asked to dance is to create the least path of resistance for inquirers.  Place yourself close to the dance floor, preferably in a higher traffic area where potential dance partners will be walking by.  Standing up and grooving to the music while waiting will make you appear more approachable and like you want to dance. Make eye contact and smile with other dancers.  Avoid sitting down, burying your head in a smart phone, or... FULL ARTICLE

What is Square Dancing?
This folk form of entertainment is for a group of dancers.  Square dancing is typically done with four couples arranged in a square with one couple on each side facing in towards the middle of the square.  In most American forms of square dance, a directed caller cues the dancers to do movements... READ MORE

It’s a great big world out there.   While I’d like to think I have a strong foundation of dance knowledge, there are new dance forms developing and older forms evolving that I don't even know exist.  Getting familiar with the Orange County and Los Angeles County Dance scene, I’ve seen the word “Kizomba” pop up on fliers promoting Salsa and Bachata events.  Kiz-om-what?! Read on to find out what I discovered about this emerging dance:

Social dancing in Orange and Los Angeles Counties has given me some amazing dance memories.  It’s also given me some dance moments I wish I could forget.  In any social setting there are unspoken rules that help us “play well with others.”  Good etiquette applies to the social dance world although it sometimes feels like the unspoken rules of the dance floor need to be spoken.  In fact, after a particularly uncomfortable dance night I fantasized about printing out a blog I wrote for Bella Ballroom Dance on Social Dance Etiquette and handing it out to dancers in need.  While I wouldn’t actually do that, I share the 411 here on successfully getting your social dance on…

Living and dancing in Orange and Los Angeles counties has given me awesome opportunity to cater to one of my favorite evening activities… Salsa dancing!  The Los Angeles Salsa dance scene differs from the Orange County Salsa dance scene, but one thing they both offer is a variety of dance partners.  As a follow, I find that salseros will often disconnect from their partner for a brief moment to engage in dancing “suelto”, or dancing an improvised solo.  As a dance instructor and lifelong dance student, this inspired me to write a blog for Newport Beach’s Bella Ballroom Dance studio sharing tips and tricks on how to solo in salsa.  Get the details on how to stay connected, “do you”, cheat and more!