The stages of dancing.

To go from a novice to a fully-fledged dancer takes time. There is no limit to the possibilities. Some dance clubs place restrictions on their attendees and confine them. No thumbs, no close holds, no this, no that and only moves that are taught by their dear leader are acceptable. Max Jive has one main rule: Follow when you are following and adapt your leading to reach harmony.

Someone who can follow is a follower. Someone who can lead is a leader. Someone that can do both is a dancer. To follow properly you have to follow the lead and not go off on your own. You wait. To lead properly you have to harmonise with the follower.

• 1. Clueless but openminded.
• 2. Basic moves under your belt.
• 3. Can string moves together. No adapting yet.
• 4. Forward thinking. Decide on the next move whilst in the middle of the current move. Work out how to position yourself and be on the right hand for the next move. Closed minded.
• 5. Can lead and follow. Less narrow minded.
• 6. Can lead and follow both handed. You can do all moves on the right side and left side. Right-handed and left-handed. Free thinking. You can adapt to the follow in your possession.
• 7. Epiphany. Can roll one move to the next without any forward thinking. This requires the ability to do moves left and right-handed equally naturally. You can lead them leading you. Sometimes called back leading - very different to leading yourself. Can dance with the music at a pace of your choosing, sometimes to the beat, to the rhythm, to the time (repeating musical sequences) or to the flavour and in sync with notable parts of a song.

From level one to level seven, heaven. The great thing about the fact that it takes a while to get there is that it gives you more to keep you interested. Easy things are less fun, less satisfactory than hard things. A one-handed boxer is not going to do well against a two handed one. They will knock your right hand out to the side and smash your face in with their left. Box two handed, dance two handed.

When you are leading you decide lots of things and lead by example. Other might copy and take that lead. You are not an evangelist. When you are following you yield to the lead. If you want purity, then that can be expressed when you are leading. By purity I mean dancing in tracks, keeping to a certain style etc.

After countless lessons and freestyle evenings, you head closer to a level seven dancer yet still have some dances that don’t pan out quite as well you hoped. Your confidence can take a knock when things go awry. Occasionally the two of you can’t gel as well as in other pairings. Don’t worry. This is normal and evident the world over. We are all different and we have to accept that some dances will be much better than others. Some of us spot a good groover on the dance floor and can’t wait to have a go with them. When you get them up and it is not as vibrant as you thought it would be, it can evoke a bit of disappointment. That is life. On the other hand, some that you had the lowest expectations of can surprise you a lot. Whilst it takes a while to gain dancing skill, there is one thing you can work on that is easy and just as important. Keenness, respect, enthusiasm, passion, willingness, smiles, tolerance, and a positive attitude. See our gaze as a starting point in relation to this.