Social Dance: Steps to Success

by Judy Patterson Wright

Overview

Feel confident on the dance floor—step by step! This third edition of Social Dance: Steps to Success will teach you all the moves for 10 of today’s most popular dance styles:

Merengue

Four-count swing and hustle

Waltz

Six-count swing

Foxtrot

Polka

Cha-cha

Rumba

Tango

Salsa and mambo

The first few learning steps in this book introduce you to the foundational skills and concepts you need for success on the dance floor.

Each step you take is a smooth transition from the previous one. As you progress, you learn not only how your posture and footwork affect your balance but also how to connect your footwork with the music, adjust to a partner, make the transition between partner positions, and create sequences from variations of each dance’s specific rhythmic step pattern.

Each of the steps also explains why the concept or skill is important, indentifies the keys to correcting technique, helps you avoid common errors, and provides drills to practice at your own pace. The later steps show how to demonstrate dance etiquette, including how to adapt to a crowded social dance floor. Best of all, the enclosed DVD provides you with 93 minutes of video demonstration and a music soundtrack with 19 tracks for practice and demonstrations of key movements, footwork, and the dances themselves.

Written by master teacher and dancer Judy Wright, this special book and DVD package is part of the best-selling Steps to Success activity series, with more than 2 million copies sold worldwide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780736095075
Publisher:	Human Kinetics Publishers
Publication date:	11/15/2012
Series:	STS (Steps to Success Activity
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	8.52(w) x 10.86(h) x 0.71(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Judy Patterson Wright earned her PhD in 1981 in motor learning and motor development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she focused on the learning process for sequential dance skills and how teachers may facilitate that process. She is an accomplished dancer and educator who has taught social dance at the junior high, high school, college, and community levels since 1971. Dr. Wright's dance experience includes tap, jazz, modern, ballet, social, folk, square, country Western, line, and aerobic dance. She specializes in ballroom and social dance in which she has extensive experience as a competitor, coach, author, and instructor. She has taught courses at Walsh College in Ohio, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Richland Community College in Illinois, and the Wright Way Dance Studio, which she co-owns. She has also presented workshops at the state and national levels for the National Dance Association and AAHPERD, the National Teachers Association for Country Western Dance Instructors, and the National Dance Educators Organization.

Wright has judged and competed in dance competitions and specializes in teaching progressive classes and workshops for both social and competitive dancers. Wright and her husband placed second overall in the UCWDC Silver Advanced Showcase Division at the world finals in both 1996 and 1997. They are the 2009 UCWDC couples gold combined world champions. They also won first place in both strictly swing and strictly hustle at the 2012 world finals in Orlando, Florida. In a career spanning 23 years as an acquisitions editor for Human Kinetics, Wright created the format for the Steps to Success activity series (of which her book is a part) while acquiring numerous books related to dance and exercise and remaining active in the dance community. She resides in North Carolina, where she is a member of the Charlotte USA Dance chapter, the Carolina Ballroom Dance Club, and Lynn’s Dance Club.

Table of Contents

Part I What Every Dancer Needs to Know: Building a Solid Foundation

Step 1 Posture, Frame, and Centering: Looking Like a Dancer

Step 2 Music Structure: Hearing Reliable Cues in the Music

Step 3 Dance Rhythm Strategies: Connecting With the Music

Step 4 Partner Dynamics and Etiquette: Communicating Effectively

Part II 10 Social Dances: Rhythmic Step Patterns, Transitions, and Variations

Step 5 Merengue: Joining the Party

Step 6 Four-Count Swing/Hustle: Keeping the Rhythm

Step 7 Waltz: Moving Stately

Step 8 Six-Count Swing: Looking Jazzy

Step 9 Foxtrot: Dancing Regally

Step 10 Polka: Having Fun

Step 11 Cha-Cha: Being Flirtatious

Step 12 Rumba: Reflecting Romance

Step 13 Tango: Expressing Attitude and Flair

Step 14 Salsa/Mambo: Adding Spice and Flavor

Part III Etiquette On the Dance Floor: Adding the Finishing Touches

Step 15 Dance Floor Etiquette: Moving From Practice to Social Dance Settings

Step 16 Turn Technique, Styling, and Timing Options: Looking Good

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Social Dance is a must-have for all dancers. Judy Wright covers the essentials of performing both smooth and rhythmic dances in this fun and engaging text.”

Pamela Haibach, PhD-- Associate Professor, College of Brockport 

“With more dances, enhanced diagrams, an instructor guide, and an accompanying DVD featuring dances and music, the third edition of Social Dance is a must-have for students. Social Dance makes learning fun!

Judi Fey-- Dance Consultant, Anne Arundel County Public Schools

"Judy Wright is an exceptional teacher, and her ability to explain proper technique in an easy-to-follow way makes Social Dance a must-have book."

Christy Lane-- Dance Educator and Producer, Author of Christy Lane’s Complete Book of Line Dancing

Editorial Reviews

Social Dance is a must-have for all dancers. Judy Wright covers the essentials of performing both smooth and rhythmic dances in this fun and engaging text.”

Pamela Haibach, PhD— Associate Professor, College of Brockport 

“With more dances, enhanced diagrams, an instructor guide, and an accompanying DVD featuring dances and music, the third edition of Social Dance is a must-have for students. Social Dance makes learning fun!

Judi Fey— Dance Consultant, Anne Arundel County Public Schools

"Judy Wright is an exceptional teacher, and her ability to explain proper technique in an easy-to-follow way makes Social Dance a must-have book."

Christy Lane— Dance Educator and Producer, Author of Christy Lane’s Complete Book of Line Dancing

From the Publisher

Wright provides a thorough, step-by-step approach in instructing prospective Freds and Gingers in body alignment and carriage, music recognition, brief dance histories, and basic and variant footwork for five social dances: swing, cha-cha, foxtrot, polka, and waltz. ``Success goals'' and drills at the end of each lesson mark progress. The book even includes a soundsheet (not heard) of sample music, so that beginning dancers won't try to cha-cha to a polka beat. However, until the typical foot-movement diagrams are augmented by video closeups, they may remain puzzling and awkward to many Arthur Miller wannabes. Nonetheless, this self-instructional book can prevent diligent readers from having two left feet. Appropriate for school or public libraries with a demand for recreational dance methods.-- Cathy Sabol, Northern Vir ginia Community Coll., Manassa

Library Journal