It’s so great to have an enjoyable dance with either a new partner or someone you have been dancing with for a while and receive a compliment on your dancing. I think we should all be much more open to praise our partners – it is a great feeling to hear that someone enjoyed dancing with you.
Don’t hesitate to be specific. Telling your partner you love a specific move or styling that they use is great feedback as well as a positive lift to the dance. I always try to tell my dance partners that I enjoy dancing with what I enjoyed about the dance. Whether it is the smoothness of the lead, the lightness of their follow, the energy they demonstrate or the shines they use, compliment, compliment, compliment. It will brighten up someone’s day.
This is especially great when you see improvements in your partner. You see the hard work that they have been putting towards developing the dance technique with additional salsa classes or salsa practices. When you point out their improvements all that hard work will have been worth it for them and you will inspire them to continue to develop.
You never know when someone is feeling down about their salsa progress and these compliments are a great boost. Whenever a student tells me about a compliment they received they are so affected by it that it makes me realize how important a little positive reinforcement can be on the dance floor. So go out dancing and let the compliments begin!
