How to prepare for prom

Ball season is here and you have invitations piling up on your table or are you buying tickets with a group of friends? Great! Now you need to prepare for this social event. The main program of the evening should not be the consumption of various dishes from the buffet, but dancing. You should have mastered its (minimum) basics, whether you are going to the Volunteer Fire Department's Representative Ball or the Opera Ball. Balls were once the highlight of the social life of many people, especially from the upper class. They were held in the winter and had strict etiquette. Their original purpose – getting to know each other and arranging a wedding – has disappeared, but their popularity has not diminished over the years. At the beginning of the year, many people's calendars are full of various balls and proms, which are organized by companies, organizations, associations, schools... They differ from each other in their formality and pomp. And even though young single ladies are no longer accompanied by their ladies-in-waiting, and you are not going to look for a bride, a ball is an event for which you need to prepare properly.

DRESS CODE

DANCE PREPARATION

In addition to styling for the prom, you shouldn't forget about dance preparation. The ideal time to brush up on your dance skills or learn at least the basic steps of the dances that will await you at the prom is the prom season. So don't waste time and let's get started. Maybe you once attended a so-called wedding party during school or you simply avoided it because dancing was "embarrassing". However, know that every gentleman should master the basic dance steps, whether he attends balls or not. After all, at such a wedding (whether it is your wedding or you are an invited guest) you also often show off your dancing skills. We have good news for you, even a dancer with the skills of "bear, give me your paw" can dance to a level that will amaze his dance partner.

DANCES THAT EVERY GENTLEMAN SHOULD KNOW

While we know from history that group dances require knowledge of choreography, today things are a bit easier. At balls, you will encounter either pair dances or so-called free dances, which basically have no rules. We will introduce you to which two pair dances should be in your basic package. If you only have a few weeks or days until the ball, experts recommend starting with the Viennese waltz. It's faster than its English version, the waltz (which is also popular as a first dance for newlyweds), and you need a little stamina, but the steps are not difficult and this dance can be danced with real grace. And this time, you won't be sitting down during a classic like the waltz On the Beautiful Blue Danube by Johann Strauss.

If you still have time to prepare for the ball, learn the steps of the basic foxtrot. In classic basic courses, this dance is a preparation for competitive quickstep and slowfox and is truly universal. It can be danced to faster and slower music in two- or four-quarter time. Its basic variation lasts 6 beats, and is danced twice in a row for 12 beats, so if you sometimes get out of rhythm, nothing happens, you return to it after dancing the variation. The steps are also very simple - two steps forward, step, close, two steps back, step and close again. In addition to the waltz and foxtrot, basic dance courses will also teach you the aforementioned waltz and the Latin American dances cha-cha and rumba. If you get hooked on dancing and want to continue, you will also learn jive, samba and tango.

A DANCE COURSE WILL GIVE YOU MORE THAN JUST DANCE

Dance is an art, a sport and a conversation between two people in a couple. In addition to steps, a dance course will teach you basic knowledge of etiquette and social behavior. At the same time, dance is also a very aesthetic matter, so thanks to the dance position, it can also improve your posture. And maybe even lose some extra pounds. The man leads the dance floor, but that doesn't mean you should step on your partner's feet just because she doesn't dance exactly according to your steps. On the contrary, your partner should enjoy the dance while you are her support. Even more important than the steps or rhythm is the harmony in the couple. If you dance even if the steps are wrong and even out of rhythm, but you dance them equally and with your heart, you will enjoy it.

THREE CONCLUSION TIPS

The article was created in collaboration with the Dance Art dance school. We would like to thank Karol Brüll and Viktoria Bolender for their valuable consultations.

Karol Brüll and Viktoria Bolender

Just a year after Karol and Viktória started dancing together, they became Slovak Champions . They repeated this success 14 more times. In the following years, they became champions in a combination of 10 dances (standard and Latin American) and participated in many World Championships, Grand Slams, Super Grand Prix around the world. Karol and Viktoria also discovered the magic of showdance and traveled to England, France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, South Korea and Indonesia with several choreographies. They have participated in the most important dance competition in the world – the British Open in Blackpool – several times and have also danced in the famous Royal Albert Hall in London. In 2007, they won 7th place as professionals at the World Championships in South Korea. Their latest great success is 3rd place at the World Championships in Luxembourg in 2016.