My Story
I’m Jim, a writer and a guy who used to hate to dance.
I was the only guy in my 7th grade class who refused to take social dance lessons. At parties and celebrations, I was the guy in the back, in the shadow, with my arms crossed. A man confronts his fears, right? James Bond can dance, why can’t I?
I went on a mission with a simple goal:
To be able to walk onto any dance floor, from a wedding to a nightclub to a New Year’s Eve ball to a cruise to a concert, and perform an admirable dance, with any partner, to any music, with confidence and grace.
I took my first beginner’s class in 1984 and I may hold the record for the most beginner’s classes ever taken. For many years I danced ballroom oblivious to the beat. Like a broken clock being right twice a day, I often stepped on the beat by accident so I thought I knew the beat. I was in denial about my lack of rhythm.
Eventually, I realized that all of the dance instruction I had received was lacking some critical elements. When I finally got the correct training in music and rhythm that I needed, it turned out I was not rhythmically challenged; I’m average, probably like you. I turned this training into a book. It’s the information I wish I had known before I stepped into my first dance class, and to guide me through the first year. Think of the book and this website as the “missing manual.” If you’re considering taking classes, think of this material as a “pre-dance” lesson.
Since 1996 I have trained under Skippy Blair, who is considered by many the “teacher of teachers.” Now, I can dance comfortably with anyone, anywhere, to any music, under the most adverse conditions imaginable. So can you.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Jim
Thank you for putting this information together on the rythm and timing. I’ve been through your entire web book and find it to be incredibly clear and useful. I’ve been taking group lessons for two years with my wife and still consider myself “rythm challenged”. I’ve looked at a number of sites on the internet to try to find answers about dance timing and can even read music, but none of this helps. Your material is great, especially the tip about the slow steps being step hold and I’m beginning to think for the first time I may actually get this. Keep up the good work – Mark
PS are you going to post the info on Waltz timing?
oh my word, finally, someone who understands!
i am age 50, going into my sixth year of private lessons, and it is SUCH a shame
that i look so lousy on the dance floor after all the money i have spent.
the worst is that i LOVE to dance, so like a fool, i don’t give up. i just keep
changing teachers. whenever my partner and i are out and about dancing, we
get great compliments because we look the part and dress the part; we also
dance great patterns and amalgamations. fortunately our “look” compensates,
so the better dancers are often overlooked, but “i” am the one who really knows
where the compliments should be paid.
the best way to explain it is with your Chapter Six comparison of disconnected
words in a sentence, and worse yet, disconnected letters. that is exactly how
i am rhythmically (sp) challenged- it seems like i am dyslexic with listening to music. my profession is teaching, so i am super
detail-oriented. i know i can get this if only i have a break through. i never realized this is a natural ability for dance teachers. i do know that my teachers are failing me.
i am going to keep reading and rereading your book. i think like a guy, having
had no sisters, and three brothers, so hopefully, God has blessed me with
divine intervention, otherwise, i will still look like a dancing fool! thanks for putting this book out here.
Hi Jim,
what a great book! is it still in writing? I want more for sure, I’ll be the first to buy it if it’s ever published
Thanks,
Eric