A is for Alignment, Awareness and Action

Welcome to the first instalment of the Dancing Alphabet Series.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be exploring Ballroom and Latin dancing one letter at a time. Each letter will represent a key concept, principle or quality that helps us become better dancers. Some will focus on technique, some on performance, and others on the mindset and habits that support long-term improvement.

The start seems to be as good a place to start as any other with the letter A, and for me, three words perfectly capture the foundations of great dancing: Alignment, Awareness and Action.

These three ideas form a powerful trio. They influence almost every movement we make in Ballroom and Latin dancing. Whilst we can look at each one individually, the reality is that they are constantly working together. If one becomes weaker, the others often feel the effect.

A is for Alignment

Alignment is much more than simply facing the correct direction on the dance floor.

Of course, there is the alignment of a figure or routine. Knowing where you are travelling and where your body should be positioned in relation to the room is important. However, alignment exists on many different levels.

There is an alignment of our posture. How our head, spine, shoulders and hips stack together to create balance and stability.

There is the alignment of our feet and legs. The angle of the feet can completely change the quality of movement and the efficiency of a step.

There is alignment within our partnership. How our centres connect, how our frame relates to our partner's frame and how we create a shared direction as a couple.

There is even alignment within individual actions. The relationship between the hips, ribcage and shoulders during Latin movement or the relationship between the standing leg and upper body during Ballroom movement.

When alignment is working well, dancing feels easier. Balance improves, movement becomes more efficient, and connection becomes clearer. When alignment is missing, we often find ourselves compensating elsewhere, using more effort than necessary to achieve the same result.

A is for Awareness

If alignment gives us structure, awareness gives us understanding.

Awareness is our ability to recognise what is happening both inside and outside our bodies.

Internally, awareness helps us understand how we are moving. Are we balanced? Are we creating the correct action? Are we maintaining our posture? Can we feel the weight transfer clearly?

Externally, awareness helps us understand everything around us. We become aware of our partner, the music, the floorcraft and the environment we are dancing in.

A socially successful dancer is often not the one with the biggest repertoire of figures. It is often the dancer with the greatest awareness.

Awareness allows us to adjust. It allows leaders to navigate a busy floor. It allows followers to respond to subtle changes. It allows both dancers to react to the music rather than simply performing memorised choreography.

The more awareness we develop, the more present we become in our dancing.

A is for Action

Action is what brings movement to life.

A step on paper is only a direction. Action is what gives that step character, energy and purpose.

In Ballroom, action might be the drive from the standing leg, the rise and fall through the ankles and knees, or the swing that creates effortless travel across the floor.

In Latin, action could be the use of the foot, the rotation of the hips, the settling of weight or the expressive use of the body.

Every dance is built from actions.

When teachers talk about improving technique, they are often talking about improving actions. The steps themselves rarely change. The quality of the actions does.

A beginner and a champion may dance the same figure, but the actions they apply within that figure are worlds apart.

Action is where movement stops being mechanical and starts becoming dance.

The Power of the Trio - The Triple A!

What makes Alignment, Awareness and Action so important is that they rarely exist independently.

If our alignment is poor, our awareness often suffers because we are busy trying to regain balance.

If our awareness is limited, our actions can become mistimed or disconnected from our partner.

If our actions are weak, even excellent alignment and awareness can leave dancing looking flat and lifeless.

Each one supports the others.

Good Alignment makes awareness easier.

Good Awareness improves the quality of our actions.

Good Actions reinforce alignment and create clearer feedback through the body.

Rather than seeing them as three separate ideas, it can be helpful to think of them as a trio working together in harmony.

Whenever something feels wrong in your dancing, ask yourself:

• Is my alignment correct?

• Am I fully aware of what is happening?

• Am I creating the right action?
  

Very often, the answer can be found somewhere within those three questions.

Alignment gives us direction. Awareness gives us understanding.

Action gives us movement.

Bring all three together, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a better dancer.

Written by Jake Hooker