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QC09012016

42 THE QUEENS COURIER • DANCE • SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Learning to dance makes you a better lover BY SHAWN BYFIELD Learning to dance actually improves your love life. “If you’re looking to spice up your love life, learning to dance is a surefi re way to attract the opposite sex” says Shawn Byfi eld, a leading expert in dance instruction for adults. Besides the obvious ability to show off your new dance moves, learning to dance comes with many other romantic benefi ts. Here are Bayfi eld’s top 10 tips explaining why dancers make better lovers: . BETTER RHYTHM: Hearing the rhythm of the music directly translates into keeping a better rhythm elsewhere. . BETTER CONFIDENCE: Learning to dance improves your confi dence on and off the dance fl oor. The #1 most attractive trait about a partner is their confi dence level. Boldly use your moves to sweep your partner off the dance fl oor and bring them... somewhere more private. . BETTER MOVES: This goes without saying. Watching your partner move well on the dance fl oor is subconsciously a very sexy indicator of how well they’ll partner at other times. . BETTER IMPROVISATION SKILLS: Sometimes, things go wrong. Learning to dance teaches you to improvise and think on your feet. Dancers transform awkward lovemaking situations and improvise new scenarios. . BETTER STAMINA: Out of breath? Not if you dance regularly. The cardio workout from dancing dramatically boosts your stamina. . BETTER SKIN: If sweat grosses you out, it shouldn’t. That sweaty dance workout actually helps clear your pores and releases toxins that create pimples, blackheads and acne. So dance often, and reap the rewards of beautiful skin. . BETTER FLEXIBILITY: Can’t touch your toes? Chances are, your love making experience could benefi t from a dance class. Regular stretching and warm ups improves your fl exibility and circulation throughout your muscles. . BETTER CREATIVITY: A common complaint among couples is boredom. Dancers know how to break the monotony because they’re forced to use more right brain functions – which is the artistic, creative side of the brain. Dancers use their noggin to experience how good change can be. . BETTER POSITIVE ENERGY: Dance releases endorphins in your body, which is one of the chemicals your body releases, leaving you feeling more positive, relaxed, and generally happier. A positive person is always a turn-on. . BETTER FRIENDS: Being a better lover is about building a mutual relationship of trust. Learning to dance teaches you how to listen, respect, love and appreciate yourself and others. So if you’re looking to improve the quality of your love making, and want to develop that sex appeal others won’t be able to resist, make the time to learn to dance. Your bedroom will never be the same again! – © Shawn Byfi eld (www. ShawnByfi eld.com) is an award winning choreographer, show director and a leading expert in dance lessons and industry advice. dance  Cleaner Pickups – the techniques to learn BY SHAWN BYFIELD For most of us, a Pickup (also known as pull backs) is a light, hopping step that has two sounds, done on the ball of the foot. For standard pickups, both feet take off with a brush back. Then you land on the balls of your feet at the same time. With practice, a pickup can also be done standing on one foot. There are variations of the step of course, just like any step in tap dance. Four count (I’ve also heard them called delayed pickups) happen when one foot makes a brush, followed by the other. You then land on the fi rst foot, and the other quickly lands after it. However, you’ll discover the above technique has two major fl aws. The fi rst problem – That brush back adds a “scrapey” sound. If you’ve been tap dancing for a while, you know the difference between a clear brush and a scrape. Listen to your shuffl es; Your taps should resonate with a crisp sound. THE SECOND PROBLEM – Psychologically speaking, once you brush back, your body wants to put the foot down behind you, instead of landing on your start position. This makes you travel backward (ever learned pickups traveling across the fl oor?) and makes it much more diffi cult to stay on the spot. So how to avoid traveling, and make cleaner pickups? Follow these three steps: FIRST: Take lift off. JUMP. Don’t even think about the brush back. Spring off the balls of your feet, and only jump straight up in the air. SECOND: Once you’re in mid air, quickly tap on the way DOWN. You need to time that split second before gravity pulls you back down. Tap in the space before you land. LASTLY: Land on balls of your feet, making sure to bend your knees. NO HEELS! Always keep your weight on your toes. This most likely involves reprogramming the physics that you’ve learned from previous teachers. Because tapping on the way DOWN requires a bit more stomach, thigh and shin muscle strength, as well as perfect timing. But it can be done. Try this today, and make it a habit from now on. The best way to perfect this is to sit in a chair, lift your feet off the fl oor by pushing off the balls of your feet, then tap, then land. Repeat. Once you get it, you’ll immediately hear and feel the difference in your technique. ©Shawn Byfi eld (www.ShawnByfi eld. com) is an award winning choreographer, show director and a leading expert in dance lessons and industry advice.


QC09012016
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