DK News

Dancing is a Partnership – by Cassie Tucker

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Dancing is a Partnership DK Instructor Cassie Tucker looks at how dancing is a partnership and getting around the floor is not entirely the man’s responsibility… Can I learn a dance or become a better dancer by sending my husband to lessons alone? Maybe; if your husband is training to become a dance teacher?!… But […]

The Lead-Follow Relationship – by Cassie Tucker

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Expectations vs Reality: The Lead-Follow Relationship DK Instructor Cassie Tucker looks at how to improve your social dancing by being a better “listener” on the dance floor… Expectations vs Reality: The Lead-Follow Relationship On occasion, I have danced with ladies who are very difficult to dance with. Sometimes it is because they are unbalanced, on […]

Practicing Tango Walks – by Cassie Tucker

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Practicing Tango Walks DK Instructor Cassie Tucker looks at how Tango Walks differ in movement to the other dances in the Standard Ballroom family… Practicing Tango Walks Tango is the black sheep of Standard dances as it is the only style in which the feet are picked up off the ground.  This means that practicing Tango […]

To Have Two Left Feet – by Cassie Tucker

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To Have Two Left Feet DK Instructor Cassie Tucker looks at how people new to dance often lament they have “Two left feet”. Is this true? Is this possible? Let’s delve deeper… To Have Two Left Feet “I can’t dance, I have two left feet,” or more commonly when a new couple arrives at the […]

Leading Underarm Turns – by Cassie Tucker

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Subtle Signals: Leading Underarm Turns Today, DK Instructor Cassie Tucker looks at how a gentleman (leader) can indicate to his lady (follower) dance partner when to execute an underarm turn… I am sure on occasion you would have heard your teacher use the phrase “Left hand up in a Stop Sign,” when instructing a Man […]

A Tale of Two Dances Part 2: Quickstep – by Cassie Tucker

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  In today’s instalment, DK Ballroom Instructor Cassie Tucker looks at the origins of one of Standard Ballroom’s newer dances, the Quickstep…   A Tale of Two Dances Part 2: Quickstep Quickstep has a very unique history of originally being a march. In the 1850’s Quickstep was a solo dance, common to parades and propaganda […]

A Tale of Two Dances Part 1: Foxtrot – by Cassie Tucker

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  In today’s instalment, DK Ballroom Instructor Cassie Tucker looks at the origins of one of Standard Ballroom’s newer (and elegantly smooth) dances, the Foxtrot… Once upon a time in the year 1912, ragtime music was all the rage and a new dancing sensation was emerging in the African America Nightclubs. A fast, fun, free-form […]

What makes a dance Progressive? – by Cassie Tucker

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  DK Instructor Cassie Tucker asks, What makes a dance Progressive?   Here is an interesting fact you might not know. The term progressive can mean different things when used in conjunction with dance. For one, it simply means a dance where you keep changing partners; where one partner “progresses” to the next. Dances such […]

New Vogue vs Sequence Dance: Is there a difference? – by Cassie Tucker

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  DK Instructor Cassie Tucker discusses New Vogue and Sequence Dancing.   You would have no doubt heard the term New Vogue mentioned at DK. On occasion, you may also have heard the term “Sequence Dance” used, maybe while searching for routines on the internet, talking with people from different studios or even heard the […]

Follows. Not following but Follows. – by Chris Bruce

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  DK Ballroom Instructor Chris Bruce explains what Follows are in regards to Ballroom dancing (in Standard & Latin).   Generally, when we think of follow in dancing we think of “lead and follow”. In ballroom dancing one partner (traditionally, the man) is the leader and the other (traditionally, the lady) is the follower. The […]

What’s the deal with Swivels? – by Cassie Tucker

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What’s the deal with Swivels?   Swivels; one of the most common and challenging actions we face while dancing! Swivels make an appearance in so many New Vogue dances (Merrilyn, Gypsy Tap, Evening Three Step, Lucille Waltz, Excelsior Schottische, Carousel, Tango Carnaval, Barclay Blues, Charmaine, La Bomba, Parma Waltz, Tangoette, Tango Terrific, Tracie-Leigh Waltz, Twilight […]

The Buddy System – Practice made fun! – by Cassie Tucker

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The Buddy System – Practice made fun!   Finding the motivation to practice alone can be tricky. Like with most things, activities done together are more enjoyable, more rewarding, and much easier to commit to when you know you have someone else relying on you. Finding a buddy to practice with can sometimes be that […]

Fear of Falling (Part 2) – by Cassie Tucker

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Fear of Falling (Part 2)   I think that everyone at some time has felt anxious about falling on the dance floor; whether it be fear of being injured or fear of embarrassment. Everyone has had at least one “slip” or near miss that has made us wary of falling. This fear can prevent us […]

Fear of Falling – by Cassie Tucker

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Fear of Falling   I think that everyone at some time has felt anxious about falling on the dance floor; whether it be fear of being injured or fear of embarrassment. Everyone has had at least one “slip” or near miss that has made us wary of falling. This fear can prevent us from dancing […]

To Curtsy or Point? – by Cassie Tucker

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To Curtsy or Point?   Another question we get a lot from our ladies at DK (especially close to Award Presentation time) is, “How to finish your dance: Curtsy or Point? “. Ballroom Instructor Cassie Tucker gives some simple guidelines to help you choose… Every performance needs a clean finish; an opportunity for you to […]

Friday Night Socials – by Cassie Tucker

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Friday Night Socials   At DK, we’re all desperately missing the Friday Night Socials! With any luck we’ll be back in the Studio once more… Until then, Ballroom Instructor Cassie Tucker shares some of her fondest memories…   Friday Night Socials: The highlight of the week! I love DK’s Friday night socials. I often notice […]

New Vogue Lock Steps – by Cassie Tucker

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New Vogue Lock Steps   In this instalment, DK Ballroom Instructor Cassie Tucker discusses the Lock Step in New Vogue dances (& how they differ from Standard Ballroom)…   Figures in ballroom dancing are generally designed with a particular function in mind: some are designed for travel (Weave), some to change body position (Progressive Link), […]

Take the thinking out of Dancing! – by Cassie Tucker

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Take the thinking out of Dancing!   DK Ballroom Instructor Cassie Tucker describes why practice is so important…   I am oddly fascinated by cases of memory loss. I’m not talking about a weekend bender that resulted in a blackout; I’m talking about chronic cases of long or short-term memory loss where parts of the […]