In order to make your dancing look natural, we must first study the human body – a remarkable machine. It produces many ‘magical’ natural functions.
To help you understand and improve your dancing style and technique the NATURAL way, means without effort or pressure – without consciously exerting a lot of energy – in other words, very simple easy or effortlessly.
Stand in front of a full-length mirror and study your image very closely. Look at you head, arms, chest, neck, etc. Which part of your body creates your inner and outer energy and power? Which part creates your movement?
When a baby enters the world, what is the first thing he does? The answer: he breathes and then he cries.
This is the first instinctive movement of life. In order to be alive, you must be able to breathe. The part of your body that creates this natural energy and movement is the lungs. We can now say with 100% accuracy that our lungs are our body’s’ natural generator of power and energy.
Our lungs control all of our body functions. They transport oxygen through every cell of our body. Every time we inhale we create new power. Our body uses this power to create movement. Of course like a balloon, if all we do is inhale, we will eventually burst. That is why we must exhale. Our body converts the oxygen into carbon dioxide and to eliminate this we must exhale.
What has this to do with dancing? By learning to harness this natural function and effectively use it will make your dancing look more dynamic, expressive and professional.
Do you know when to inhale and when to exhale? You inhale on the strongest (shortest) beat of the music, and you exhale on the softest (longest) beat. In Rumba and Cha Cha, inhale on the 4-1. The long beats are 2-3, so exhale.
Stand in front of your mirror again and practice, first observe how you usually dance, then remember to inhale on the 4-1 and exhale on the 2-3. Notice a difference?
Another point to think about in regards to incorrect breathing while dancing is that if you breathe too slowly, you might collapse because not enough oxygen gets into your lungs. Besides being dangerous to your health, you dancing will look boring. On the other hand, if you breathe too fast, your body will go into overactive gear, which could also have dangerous consequences like a heart attach or heat stroke. Then your dancing will look too pressure and have a labored “working too hard” look about it.