Dear Maleva,
Habitually my partner leads me to bump into and boleo other
couples on the dance floor. Should I say something? He's otherwise
a good dancer and I'm afraid he will stop inviting me if I draw
his attention to this.
Bruised in Brooklyn
Dear Bruised,
It's a very tricky thing to
correct someone on the social dance floor and in my opinion
really should never be done, even by teachers. It's not your
place. Corrections are for the classroom or practica. (Warnings
about floorcraft are sometimes given by the organizer of the
milonga - I've heard this done and no one is offended.) If you
really think someone ought to say something to him then go ahead
and speak your mind, but chances are you will just offend him
and he won't listen anyways. (People usually brush off corrections
that are given to them on the dancefloor by thier peers.) But
if you are getting so bruised by dancing with him then why would
you care if he stops asking you? If he really is a hazard, then
you should probably turn him down anyhow -- maybe that will
give him the message that he needs to slow down.
But, if you choose not to
say anything, there are a couple of things you can do to help
avoid collisions.
First, keep your eyes open
and if you see that he is about to step into someone, try to
stop him...squeeze his hand, press his shoulder, inhale sharply,
squeal...these all work!
Second, and very importantly,
guys are not the only one who need to be careful on crowded
dance floors. If there are lots of people around, be conscious
and keep your feet on the ground. Just because your partner
leads a boleo doesn't mean you have to kick your leg up behind
you. Boleos come from a snap in the hips, not a lift in the
leg, and you can do them with your feet together. Sometimes
the snap is even more powerful when you do them this way, as
none of the energy is diffused into the legs.