– posted by Maria I was raised in part by teachers: my Mom and the two Grandparents I grew up closest to were professional teachers. Someone who didn’t grow up raised by teachers might not exactly understand the significance of this, so I’ll try to put some words to it. When you grow up with…

Well, perhaps not “of ALL time” because this dance has been around for a lot longer than I have, and for WAY longer than I have been dancing it, but since 2005, I’ve collected three absolute favourite Champion West Coast Swing routines. I’ve embedded them below. They all share elements that I love in any…

Some of our students often express frustration about not having regular partners to practice with. Believe me, I know the feeling. I haven’t had a Hustle partner for more than a year. Right when I feel that I need it most (because I’m competing in Advanced, Open and Professional divisions now), I simply don’t have…

The Scenario: I’m trapped on a desert island. I get one CD (set) with 53 songs. Why 53? Because it’s a prime number and it’s my list. This was incredibly difficult to compile, but a lot of fun. Not all songs are great songs by industry standards, but they are great to me for different reasons….

Neuroscientists who have studied the brain functions involved in dance have been able to show the likelihood that dance was an early form of communication. Interestingly, no other mammals or animals dance. Certainly, we can think of animals that “make music”, like birds, and that move their bodies in curious ways – such as birds…

Take stock of your daily activities – at work, play or home – and identify something that you’ve become very efficient at. Then…

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about neuroscience and specifically its practical applications in personal and professional realms. It’s got me reflecting on many things, such as how people (adults) learn, how habits form, the nature of creativity, why some people think “outside of the box” but most people don’t, why some people embrace change…

Because I was recruited to start teaching West Coast Swing quite soon after starting to take classes, I never had the opportunity to dance as an Amateur in Pro-Am competitions. (Many events define a “Professional” as anyone who teaches the dance even on a small scale, so I have rarely qualified as an Am). But…

This article is written for those of you who want to spend time to improve some aspect of your dance.

For many social dancers, the only opportunity to practice new skills or work on basics will be at a dance. These practice tips can actually improve your *social* dance experience, too.