Dance Relationships

All You Ever Need to Know About Relationships

Can be learned in a West Coast Swing Class:

By Skippy Blair

1. Lead her GENTLY and she’ll follow you anywhere. For every ACTION there is an equal and opposite REACTION

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2. Never CRITICIZE a Partner. The only person you can FIX is YOU. (The only person, responsible for making an ADJUSTMENT, is the one who knows an adjustment needs to be made.)

3. A Lead is an INDICATION of direction (a suggestion - never a DEMAND or COMMAND).

4. A DANCE PARTNERSHIP is 50/50. BOTH partners are equally responsible for the outcome of the partnership.

5. If either one of the partnership insists on deciding who is right and who is wrong, they BOTH lose.

6. The FIRST Rule in learning something new is - Don’t Hurt Anybody.

7. Be sensitive to your Partner. Never Blame or ridicule. YOU alone can make the difference. (don’t try to adjust the Partner - adjust YOU). The only thing one should ever tell a dance partner is "You are WONDERFUL."

8. Always concentrate on WHAT is right rather than WHO is right.

9. TEAMWORK gets the most points. (In LIFE as well as the Dance!) YOU are frequently judged by how good you make your partners look (and feel).

10. A good Partnership requires patience, understanding, and an awareness of and a sincere desire to care about the needs of the other partner. Stay focused.

11. The way to help a partner improve, is to do YOUR part so well that you know that you are not part of the PROBLEM.

12. Life is a JOY when we’re both in step to the same BEAT.

13. Praise works wonders. Applaud little accomplishments and bigger accomplishments will follow.

14. We frequently judge others, not by who they are, but by who WE are when we are with them. Make your partner feel wonderful.

15. Every dance is a “Three minute relationship.” If someone can’t complete one “3 minute” dance without criticizing a partner, it is highly probable that when the music stops – the criticism won’t ! RUN!

16. A successful “Partnership” maintains the separate uniqueness of each individual, without losing the connection of the partnership. They must maintain their connection, and are still able to create an exciting new entity, that actually IS the partnership.