Let’s face it. We dance not just to have fun, but also to look good! Sometimes, knowing what NOT to do, is just as helpful as knowing what TO DO. Below, I’ll show you 5 commonly made mistakes in the International Rumba, and how to fix them. Because…
If you’re going to keep dance, you might as well get better each time you do it!
That’s the Asian in me talking. 🙂 We want results! Even if it’s just some improvements, here and there. Over time, they all add up. So if you are guilty of any of these Mistakes, that’s ok. NOW is the time to fix it. You can do it!
Mistake #1: Lifting Your Feet Off The Floor
Quick Fix #1: Keep your toes in contact with the floor
Imagine your 2 feet with paint brushes as toes, and you will keep those paint brushes on the floor as you dance your steps. Save the “taking feet off the floor technique” for JIVE!
Mistake #2: Heel Leads
Quick Fix #2: Use Toe, Ball, Heel Technique
Mistake #3: Keeping Your Weight In Your Heels
Quick Fix #3: Carry your Weight & Torso over the balls of your feet
Say Goodbye to “Back-weighted” and Hello to “Forward-weighted”. Keep your body weight over the ball of the foot you are standing on.
Bonus: Sometimes, students will ask if that means that you need to keep your heels lifted? That’s not the case! Your foot is still flat on the floor, but you carry your weight over the front of the foot. A good way to check if you are doing this right, is to see if you can lift your heel off the floor easily (like doing a heel raise).
Mistake #4: Falling Back In A Back Rock
Quick Fix #4: Move your leg back first when stepping back
Mistake #5: Stepping on the Count of 1
Quick Fix #5: Count 1, then step on 2.
A final word about International Rumba and ways to improve:
Remember: It’s not practice that makes perfect. It’s practicing the right things, that makes perfect.
Build awareness in what your body is doing, so you can correct the mistakes. Be in the moment and consciously practice each thing, so that you feel what it’s like to do it correctly, and what it’s like to do it incorrectly. If I can do it, so can you!
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