Welcome to my Online Portfolio

Enjoy Images of Nature's Beauty and Elegance

-Thong

Click here to View Model Portfolio Click here to View Model Portfolio 2 Click here to View Model Portfolio 3 Click Here for Members Access Click here to Learn About Thong Click here for Free Tips and Tricks Click here for Model Bookings Click here to Contact Thong Click here for the Cool Links Page Click here to Return to Home Page

Thong Nguyen

USA: DC/VA 571.215.8291

France: Paris
06.63.18.8990


Email

ThongFoto

Beauty, Fashion, Glamour
Nature Photography
and More...


Ballroom Social/Latin Dance
Tips:

I've going to devote a whole new section on the art of Ballroom, Social and Latin dancing.  

It's unfortunate to see many "wall flowers" at dances and parties wishing they could be on the dance floor joining everyone if only they knew how to dance.  As a dance trainer for thousands of students and teachers, I will de-mystify social dancing once and for all.


If You Can Walk, You Can Dance

There's an old adage that says, "If you can talk, you can sing and if you can walk, you can dance".  Absolutely true.  But what is required is some guidance.  Professional singers no matter how gifted will invest much of their time on voice lessons to improve their vocal qualities.  The same is needed to develop into a better dancer.

Dancing is nothing more than sophisticated walking.  It is beautifully synchronized movements with a partner done to music.  The important thing is to make our dancing a natural extension of ourselves without stiffness.  That naturalness is the hardest thing to do... if you decide that it is something that you "must" learn.  Meaning that you already possess it and don't need to help it along. 

The most mindless of activities is walking.  In dance terms, it is called changing weight.  The shift in weight from one foot to the other is a basic requirement for mobility.  Yet, this ability reduces drastically when you first learn to dance.  Suddenly for the first time, you'll step using the same foot twice as if you only had one foot.  Hence, the expression, "he/she has 2 left feet!". You'll wonder why you can't walk anymore and feel as clumsy as a baby taking his first steps.

Using the same foot twice consecutively is a common mistake among beginners.  The more complex the step, the more frequent this error.  The cure is to immediately relax and not think about which foot should move but rather, allow the body to do what it already understands.  

When the mind focuses on too many tasks at once, it interferes with the automatic reflexive system.  The instant you command your nervous system to act, it will short-circuit your brain and bring about the opposite result.  For instance, while walking forward, we instinctively alternate between one foot and the other.  We wouldn't need to tell ourselves, "now that you've just stepped forward onto the Left foot, go ahead and step forward on the Right one next".  This process naturally occurs on it's own accord.  The brain only needs to say, "walk forward!" and the "how" part is a given.

Motorcycle riders always look where they want to go during a turn, instead of focusing on where they don't want to end up.  The body has a capacity to grant you your wish, if you allow it to do so.  Dancing is a matter of telling your body where you want to go and when you want to get there, the how is seldom required.  

Even at the advanced levels when the whole body gets more involved, it's still a matter of telling which body parts to activate and let the activation occur freely.  


Four Basic Elements of Dance

All dance styles can be broken down into 2 groups.  Smooth and Rhythm dances.  The traditional smooth dances are: Foxtrot, Waltz and Tango.  The traditional rhythm dances are: Rumba, Cha-cha-cha, Swing, Samba, Mambo, Hustle.  Both groups emphasizes different fundamentals.  As you get more advanced, you'll learn that there are no rules(but that's for much later). 

There are a 4 basic elements of dance.  Mastering these elements will facilitate learning ANY dance.  There are variances to these elements but they can all be traced back to these primary movements.

Please practice the following until they're as natural to you as breathing:

1) Walking Steps- Walking Steps moves forwards or backwards.  Forward Walks simply move straight ahead with a normal stride.  Backward Walks require more thought.  You need to reach back from your hip joint as if throwing your leg back from the waist down.  A common mistake is to reach back only from the knee joint.  This allows too small a step for your partner to step in resulting in sore toes!  You want to imagine that you're being videotaped moving forwards, and then you watch the movie in reverse.  The size of your forward walks should equal the size of the back ones.  Take several strides forward and back.

2) Side Steps- Side Steps moves to your Left and Right.  Side Step to the Left- Start with both feet together with your body facing a wall(a mirror is better).  First. Step out to your Left side with your Left foot about shoulder width while leaving your shoulders still facing the wall in front.  At this point you should feel like a large beach ball could roll between your legs.  2nd. Close your Right foot to your Left and stand with both feet together.  Repeat the exercise and you should gradually be moving to your left.  Repeat the same exercise and move to the Right beginning on the Right foot.  Imagine that you're in a movie theater and you're trying to climb pass everyone towards the center of the aisle.  The difference is that you're going to steps that are at shoulder width.

3) Triple Steps- Triple Steps are syncopated shuffles which moves to your Left and Right.  You make 3 little shuffle steps to your Left or Right.  Triple Steps to the Left- Start with both feet together.  1st. Step out to your Left side with your Left foot(1/2 the size of your shoulder's width). 2nd. Close your Right foot to your Left(just like the Side Step exercise). 3rd. Step out to your Left side with your Left foot again(1/2 the size of your shoulder's width).  Repeat the same exercise and move to the Right beginning on the Right foot.  The key is to make the 1st and the 3rd steps small.  The entire distance of the Triples steps should equal the distance of your shoulders.

4) Rocking Steps- Rock Steps move Forward or Backwards.  They keep the rhythm of the music by moving twice nearly in place.  Back Rock- Start with both feet together.  1st. Place the Right foot directly behind your Left moving backwards very small(your Right toe should be about 3-6" inches directly behind your Left heel).  2nd. Barely pick up the Left foot off the floor and replace it back down in the exact same spot it had left(in place).  Continue this rocking action back and forth until you feel your balance point.  Forward Rock- Start with both feet together. 1st. Place the Left Foot directly in front of your Right foot(your Left heel should be about 3-6" in front of your Right toe). 2nd. Barely pick up the Right Foot off the floor and place it back down in the exact same spot it had left.  Continue this rocking action forward and back until you feel your balance point. This element requires that you only move the first step(either forward or back) and let the second one simply pick up and land in the exact same spot.  Now return to the beginning and start everything on the opposite foot.

After you've mastered these elements, you'll then learn what the arms do to lead turns.  Without these elements, your dancing will lack meaning.

  Click Below to View the Movie Clips:

Salsa Dance Movie

Swing Dance Movie



Rumba Dance Movie


3 Dance Demos with U.S. Ballroom Dance Champion Chanitya Hardcastle

Cha-Cha Dance Movie


A Cha-cha Demo with the Talented Jacqueline R. Vincent
(Private Member's Section)

Bolero-Tango Show Highlights


Highlights from a Bolero-Tango Performance with Broadway Star Danielle Dufore
(Private Member's Section)


Windows Media Player is Required to View These Clips



All Images/Graphics/Texts and Contents are Copyright © 2000 Thong Nguyen, protected by US Copyright Law and the Berne Convention
No use or reproduction is allowed without the permission of Thong Nguyen