In partner dancing, particularly salsa, Matthew David Parker says that we dancers commit to gathering their senses around the music as well as moving together. But while that’s the case, many dancers often overlook the importance of grooving solo in favor of movement techniques and partnering skills. Not to say that this is not important, but in order to master shared groove, both partners have to learn how to bring their groove to the partnership.
Unfortunately, in salsa dancing, people often misunderstand the significance of the ‘leader is the frame and follow is the picture’ ideality. Follows assume a role of just following and don’t think while the leads forget to respond to their partner well. As a result, partners end up not owning to musicality and their movements while dancing.
Unfortunately, in salsa dancing, people often misunderstand the significance of the ‘leader is the frame and follow is the picture’ ideality. Follows assume a role of just following and don’t think while the leads forget to respond to their partner well. As a result, partners end up not owning to musicality and their movements while dancing.
There are several effects of trying to groove with your partner when you haven’t mastered the art of grooving solo and these include;
- Dancers don’t know what to do when not following or leading a specific movement and, as such, lose the groove when space opens up in the partnership.Dancers feel the groove in their basic steps but when it comes to more complex musicality or movements, they lose it all.
- Dancers tend to rely on their partners to establish musicality and/or timing. They hear the music but don’t know how to respond as they give little beyond what’s required to movement execution.
- Dancers tend to get bored while dancing as they can neither really feel the music or truly connect with their partners.
When it comes to learning salsa dancing, learning how to groove solo is one of the essential elements one should consider. It improves enjoyment, confidence, expression, creativity, improvisation, musicality and body awareness, thus allowing one to develop better shared groove with their partners.
But how do you start practicing grooving by yourself? There are several techniques that one can take advantage of and all of them can be learned in a salsa dance studio with a professional instructor. One of those places is Lafayette Salsa Dance Studio which was founded by Matthew David Parker. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He founded the studio in 2010, a year after graduating from the university. He has helped many people develop their salsa dance skills and he can also help you learn how to groove solo.
