The Essence of Partner Dance

Dancing can be an expression of personality and musical interpretation.  When we add a partner into the mix, it becomes very different.  We are no longer in a world of our own.  We are in a shared world with another person.  We respond and move to the music, but it is a shared response.  It is a conversation, a conversation through our bodies. 

Connection, connection between dancers, is the essence of partner dancing.  Connection in partner dance can have many components.  It is usually a physical connection.  It can be visual.  It can often have an emotional component.  Our connection is the shared experience of music and movement between two people.  Our connection allows us to have a conversation with another through our bodies.  One person leads and the other follows.  One initiates or suggests a movement and the other follows or responds to the suggestion.  Sometimes we are so in-sync that we move together as a single entity.  Sometimes one suggests a movement and the other responds with their own, possibly different interpretation.  A song may only last a few minutes, but for those few minutes we can share a connection and have a conversation.