Making Contact
by Tracy Martin
posted October 15, 2008

This past weekend, Juan Calderon and his partner Christina Piedra visited Indianapolis from New Jersey where they own and operate Cultural Explosion Dance Studio and Dance Company. Hosted by IntoSalsa, they came to town to teach several dance workshops on Sunday and Monday. On the Saturday before their workshops began, Juan and Christina performed both a freestyle and a choreographed routine at El Meson. Many people who watched on as they took over the smooth marble floor with their stylistic movement and fun and inspiring choreography were highly impressed by both of them as dancers and as a couple. Even if you couldn't identify what made their connection so strong, it was easy to tell they work well together and look good on the dance floor.

Fortunately, I had the privilege of spending almost four hours in workshop with both Juan and Christina and in order not to allow the benefits of their visit to Indianapolis to be lost on Indy resident dancers, I wanted to share with you my take on the secret to their success as partners. After watching hundreds of internationally renowned dance couples both in salsa and other American, Latin, and ballroom styles, I've noticed that the very best dancers seem to maintain a clear and undistracted focus on their partner. Because of the speed and velocity of dancing salsa, the easiest and most effective way to develop a strong connection is through steady eye contact. I watched closely as Juan and Christina moved through a myriad of different patterns on the dance floor and the most noticeable element present is that they always maintain eye contact when possible. Juan especially, never takes his eyes off of Christina. When he tosses her arm upwards. He follows that arm with his eyes to be sure it's going where he sent it and then he reaches up and places his hand where it needs to be to catch her hand. It looks cool, it creates a seamless movement, and it is foolproof to boot. Through this eye contact, they create and share an energy that allows them to interpret the music and move with balance and equality despite one being the leader and the other the follow. Juan and Christina have perfected this connection. After years of dancing with each other, they probably don't even need to watch to know what the other is going to do, but they do it anyway. Why? Because it looks good and it maintains consistent successful communication on the dance floor.

Ladies, one of the worst experiences to have while dancing isn't being groped or being stepped on, it is being led by a man who does not make eye contact. Even worse, a man who dances with his eyes closed! Wake up guys, there's a live human being at the end of your hand! Dancing without eye contact is about as bad as driving a car on the interstate with your eyes closed. Not only is it unsafe, it's just not any fun.

Since I'm not a guy and only lead women in dancing when I want to teach them something and no male dancers are present, I can only guess at why a man might try to lead without eye contact: If he's a beginner, he might feel insecure or shy around women, and/or he might have his mind on what move he plans to do next. If he's an experienced dancer, I don't even know. Maybe he's busy wondering what he looks like as he initiates each movement of his feet, or his arms, and since the lady complies, he considers these actions successful, a definite source of pride and accomplishment. But because of his bad habits, the disconnected dancer ends up preferring to dance only with experienced dancers who can follow his general arm movements. He will often point to the beginner's lack of experience to explain why she didn't follow his last move. What a shame.

When a lead doesn't make eye contact, first and foremost he creates an unsafe and confusing situation for his partner, who in most cases is wearing high heels and subjecting her most valuable tool as a dancer, her feet, to several dozen other moving, stomping, energetic feet. Secondly, when a lead has his eyes closed, he loses the ability to read his partner's skill level, which will undoubtedly show in her face when she's uncomfortable with the moves he's making. Third, without eye contact, the male dancer won't be able to allow a woman to create style or provide any flair to the dance. So what could be an interesting interpretation of the music becomes the same boring sequence of patterns that most women get very tired of, very quickly. The resulting consequence being that women will not generally seek out this kind of man as a partner.

But, it isn't only the guys with this problem. When a woman doesn't make eye contact, she will have little to no idea about what's coming next, except what she can feel through her arms/hands, if in fact her arms and hands are supple enough to interpret what's wanted. But, when a woman doesn't watch her partner, her arms are usually very tense because she feels insecure about being moved around “in the dark” so to speak. Her tendency is to anticipate what the man might do and then to overcompensate when she is wrong. Her follow often feels controlling, because without the eye contact she feels out of control. Finally, without a clear connection with her partner, she has little time, nor is she aware of the appropriate time for adding style or flair to her movements. She becomes a guy's worst nightmare. Ladies-if you are consistently having the experience that guys ask you to dance one time and then never seem to come back for a second spin, you might want to consider how it feels to lead you on the dance floor and if you're actually tuning in to his lead. You could always try this experiment: focus on his face, relax and listen with your eyes. You might find the experience completely refreshing and comforting.

I was fortunate early on Saturday night to dance with Juan Calderon and even though I'd never laid eyes on him before, we had a great time dancing and I wanted to end here by sharing what I experienced that set him apart from other dancers and made it a pleasure to be led by him. First and foremost he establishes that consistent eye contact that is both reassuring and informative. Without ever having danced with him before, I knew what was coming with each move because he communicated what he wanted very clearly with his hands, his feet, and his eyes. He began simple and only increased the difficulty of the dance when he could tell I was comfortable following what he was already leading. He understood my skill level by paying attention to my ability to follow. He had to watch and interpret . This shows a woman a great amount of respect and that the lead cares about her experience as well, about whether or not she's having a good time too. When couples on the dance floor maintain eye contact, it is also much easier to know when and where arm and foot styling can be added. A guy can open out or separate and then give a nod that lets his partner know she can turn it on. Opportunities for experimentation and sharing creative energy are available for couples that pay attention and then the dance becomes a much more playful and fun experience for both. And finally, Juan shared with all of the guys in the workshop one of his secrets—Even if the woman doesn't perform a move the way you intended it to go, if you pay attention, if you are watching, you will often see an opportunity to turn a botched maneuver into some other move that might end up looking stylish and suave.