Hello Swing 101 Dancers,

Congratulations on stepping out of your comfort zone and into social dancing. One of my Salsa instructors said, “dancing will change your life” and it has for many people.

You all did fantastic.

Do not worry if there were things that you did not get. As the tutor in Blindside said when Michael Oher said he “did not get it.”

She said, “You do not get it yet. You will.”

You will too. Everyone will learn everything you need to learn in this Swing 101 class.

We are not in a hurry. We are going to go at a nice slow pace that everyone can keep up. If this pace is too slow for anyone, you are invited to come to the class for experienced dancers.

Our next class is next Sunday January 29 from 6 to 7. If you know anyone who wants to join us, they still can. They can register here http://dept.sfcollege.edu/ce

Anyone who wants to join the Contra Dancing 101 class that takes place from 5 to 6, immediately before our Swing class, is welcome to join us and can register at the same link.

In our first class you learned the basic 6-count rhythm, which you can count Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick. Slows are two beats of music and Quicks are 1 beat of music.
Men start with their left and women with their right.

For men that would be Left-Slow, Right-Slow, Left, Right.

For women that would be Right-Slow, Left-Slow, Right, Left.

Each count is a step, meaning you change weight fully on each step. You do not just tap your foot. You put your foot down so that you can pick up your other foot.

You learned some partnering skills. Here are some of the rules.
- Everyone maintains their own balance
- Everyone does their own dancing
- Dance with your hands at waist level so they are available for your partner
- No pushing, no pulling, no grabbing, no reaching, no using force, no thumbs
- We learn to dance without giving weight, no tension and no pressure
- The man leads and the woman follows
- Lead means the man goes first only
- Lead does not mean direct or guide
- The man positions the couple on the dance floor
- The man initiates the choreography and keeps time to the music
- The woman follows the man
- The woman moves with the man so you are dancing together as one
- If the man does the wrong thing, the woman should follow the man

Happy Dancing,
Andy