Dance In Your Space

Part 3 of Awareness

What is “your space”? For want of a better definition, your space is the area that is more or less reasonable for you and your partner to use on the dance floor. Generally speaking in club dancing, that space is a rectangle with a line running down the center where you and your partner stick. In formal terms, this is called “slot-dancing” and it is generally the best way to make a predictable and comfortable dance space. The key for dancing in the slot is drawing these imaginary lines -- North, South, East & West -- and following them without fail.

The Slot

Probably everyone has heard of "the slot", but not many of us dance with a real awareness of it. Most styles of salsa dictate that you move in straight lines. Every cross body lead, enchufla, and turn must start and finish on the lines. For leaders, that means getting out of your partner's way (being exactly perpendicular) and establishing a clear path that can only be followed one way. For followers it means following that line and staying within the boundaries your partner is trying to set. Dancing with this awareness and control will not only make you safer, it will improve your turns and make everything you do even better.

Adjusting to the Dance Floor

As other couples on the dance floor change positions, and the floor becomes more or less crowded, you may also have to re-orienting your slot. As the length of the slot you are in changes, you need to change your movement. When space is limited one can not expect to go very far so your movement must be smaller too. Leaders can initiate turns earlier and followers can reduce the length of their steps. This is of course common sense, but few us are truly aware of how far we are traveling and what exact direction we are going.

A Shining Example

Here is a couple doing a great job of staying in their space on a crowded dance floor -- Andres Giraldo and Elisa.


Notice how close they stay to the center of their space, maintain that straight line and how close they stay to each other. All the while they are dancing full out. The are also completely aware of the people dancing next to them and the instant she starts going further than he feels is safe, he is right there. The average salsero probably can't pull everything off as cleanly as them, but hopefully we can all learn a bit.

Practice Makes Perfect

No doubt if you take lessons, your instructor is constantly telling you to stay on your lines. There are some simple things you can do to see more clearly how well you are staying on your lines:

• Mark a spot on the floor when you are practicing and see how well you stay at that spot as you practice your turns.
• Draw lines on the practice mirror with a dry-erase marker and see how close to center you stay when practicing footwork or partnerwork.

Most of us will see that we drift a lot more than we think. But this awareness is a step towards gaining control and advancing your dancing.

Observe the Floor

If you observer a typical dance floor - you will notice that most of the couples (beginner, intermediate and even some advanced) drift without a clear pattern or a set location. This is really why the dance floors are so difficult to navigate. Most couples are completely unaware. Imagine how much room there would be if the couples maintained the center of their space and and moved on their lines...

Hit the Floor

With all that in mind, hit the dance floor and see if it makes a difference in your dancing. It takes a lot of practice but dancing in one's space and more in control can make it a better night for everyone,

Previous: Protect Your Partner <--> Next: Step Lightly, Turn Tightly

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