Israeli Partner Dances are choreographed, like most folk dances. In Israeli Partner Dancing, the men memorize their part, the women memorize their part, and then they wrestle with each other to see who is right.

That is a joke, but not far from what happens.

Instead, I have been advocating that the women follow the men. It turns out that the women do not need to learn the dances. By applying a few simple rules, the women can follow every step in every dance.

That is amazing, and hard to believe, but it works. You have to see Erin some time, because she literally can do every Israeli partner dance the very first time without instruction and rarely misses a step.

This is what my book Partnership Dancing(tm) is about. I have taken off from running classes for the last year to get the book online, which you can find at

www.PartnershipDancing.com

Kathie was nice enough to help me practice making a video. You can see that video here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRgJw02Ml4I

Over the last few years, some people in Detroit and Chicago have been nice enough to let me show them Partnership Dancing(tm) and a couple have gone through my book. Jeff Subeck has been teaching Partnership Dancing(tm) to some of the people there.

Last weekend was Chagigah which is the big Israeli dance camp in the midwest. Jeff wrote to me about some feedback he got.

Andy,

A Markida [woman dance leader] from out of town recently told me that it was a pleasure to dance with me, that I did not break her arm, and that I was very gentle. This was music to my ears, as I have been working on dancing safely and comfortably, without any pushing or pulling, ever since I attended one of your workshops a few years ago.

Within the same week, I learned that two other dancers with whom I dance frequently were also complimented during a dance camp [Chagigah] this past weekend.

They were both women who were complimented on their following skills, and one of them was complimented by a markid [man dance leader] with whom she danced.

I dance frequently with both of these women, and we work together on skills that you taught at your workshop in Mount Prospect, IL.

I am very pleased that people are starting to realize the benefits of dancing safely, and these experiences are a real testament to your teaching and mine.

Jeff

By Andrew Weitzen, Bronze Inc. (c) 2010

Andrew Weitzen is the author of Partnership Dancing™, How to Communicate Every Step in Every Social Dance Unambiguously.