4 PRACTICES TO ENHANCE YOUR PARTNERING ABILITIES

PARTNERSHIP is one of the most complex aspects of dance. To see two or more moving bodies in harmony together can be entrancing for an audience member. When you add the element of physical touch such as in social dances, Ballroom Dance, and Contact Improvisation, the overall experience is even more spectacular. However, many different aspects can affect the success of a PARTNERSHIP. With these 4 practices, you'll be well on your way to effective partnering in whatever dance form you choose!

1 -- Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

The first step to optimizing your partnering abilities is COMMUNICATION! There are many ways to communicate in a PARTNERSHIP, however, the most important form of communication is verbal. By engaging in verbal communication with our partners, we can build trust and identify the strengths, weaknesses, and improvement points within our PARTNERSHIP(S)!

2 -- Identify Your Initiation Points & Pressure

The number one way partners communicate in a dance is through their bodies, specifically, in forms where you are in constant physical contact. Because of this contact, we have to be sure to identify our INITIATION POINTS. INITIATION POINTS are the places within your body at which you initiate movement. For example, in Standard Ballroom dances (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, etc.), dancers use their hips and pelvis as their INITIATION POINT compared to using the upper body and arms in Latin styles (Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, etc.) or other dance forms.

Once we know where our INITIATION POINTS are, we can then look at the PRESSURE of which we use them. You can think of pressure on a spectrum from skin to muscle to bone. Some dance forms utilize all variations of pressure such as Lindy Hop and Contact Improvisation while others try to remain in one category of pressure as in Ballroom Dance. For example, if you were to use too little pressure (skin) in a Standard dance, your partner may not know what step you are doing because there was not enough pressure in the initiation. On the other hand, if you initiate with too much pressure you risk knocking your partner over and further miscommunication. By understanding these two aspects of partnering you will have better control of your movement while in a PARTNERSHIP and can begin to explore the right amount of pressure needed to execute movement successfully.

* The image above is a great example of how PRESSURE can be used to perform various tricks. In this situation, the woman was thrown up and over the man by both partners using a combination of muscle and bone to produce the exciting trick.

3 -- Acknowledge Your Active & Passive Voices

No matter the dance form, in any PARTNERSHIP there is an ACTIVE (A) & PASSIVE (P) voice. In Ballroom Dance the Lead, or typically male dancer acts as the ACTIVE voice, and the Follow, or typically female dancer acts as the PASSIVE voice. However, this relationship can change depending on the dance form you are in. You can have a combination of A + P, A + A, P + P, or a mix of both in one dancer. Because of this, it is important to acknowledge who is the ACTIVE & PASSIVE voice in a PARTNERSHIP.

While Ballroom Dance is normally led by the ACTIVE Lead, the PASSIVE Follow can become ACTIVE too if they need to travel more, hold back, or be an ACTIVE voice in a lift or trick. In a form like Contact Improvisation, both partners may become PASSIVE simply reacting to the minute movements and sensations of each other. When we take the time to acknowledge our ACTIVE & PASSIVE voices within movement, we can take our understanding of PARTNERSHIP to new heights and use this understanding to our advantage.

* This relationship also plays a part in our INITITATION POINTS & PRESSURE. By understanding who is ACTIVE & PASSIVE we will learn the correct amount of PRESSURE to apply in certain movements.

4 -- Practice Attunement

The final and arguably most important practice to improve your partnering abilities is ATTUNEMENT. ATTUNEMENT, similar to mindfulness, can be described as 'tuning in' to the needs of your partner(s) and yourself in real time. This includes physical, emotional, and mental sensations as well as acknowledging the space you inhabit as a partner, to better understand how a PARTNERSHIP interacts with space. This idea is used to build a deeper level of trust and communication within a PARTNERSHIP and comes from Contact Improvisation. While this may seem like an advanced practice, there are many ways to begin exploring ATTUNEMENT with a partner. Try the three exercises below to introduce ATTUNEMENT to your PARTNERSHIP.

1 -- Trust Fall Exercise

Begin by selecting a partner A and B, and determine who will catch and fall first. Start small with only about a foot of distance between you. Try to remain in a straight position as you fall (no bent knees or arched backs). The falling partner must use verbal communication to indicate when they are comfortable with more space between the partners. As you build trust the catcher will move further away with each fall until the PARTNERSHIP is satisfied with their distance. Switch places and begin again.

2 -- Back-to-back Exercise

Begin standing or sitting on the floor with your backs pressed up against each other. Take a few minutes and move through your back. You can go side to side, forward and back, spiral, or even try to stand or sit down together. The goal is to move together and never lose contact. Pay attention to the INITIATION POINTS & PRESSURE between you and your partner. After a few minutes, take a moment to talk with your partner about what you noticed. Could you feel the differences in PRESSURE between skin, muscle, and bone? Was it easier or harder to be ACTIVE or PASSIVE?

3 -- Rolling Point of Contact Exercise

This exercise explores the skin, muscle, and bone sensations, similar to the back-to-back exercise. Begin by finding a point of contact to connect with your partner. This can be as simple as touching hand-to-hand or as complex as a leg and a torso. Begin by exploring the sensation of skin and maintaining your contact. Allow the point of contact to move throughout the body and take you around the space. Explore different levels in space and try to switch between ACTIVE and PASSIVE multiple times. Take a moment and reflect again on the exercise with your partner.

* For an added challenge, consider closing your eyes in the exercises to heighten your physical sensations. The catcher in the trust fall exercise must keep their eyes open!

Utilizing these practices can exponentially expand your potential in partnering, allowing for more successful PARTNERSHIPS throughout your dance career!