It’s amazing to me the difference in the way people move. Some are stiffer while others are completely loose. The people who are more rigid in their movement give a feel that is more of precision and counting. Those who are loose give a feel of expressing the music and just moving to the beat. Neither one of these is bad, they are just different. As I dance with different people I get to know my own organic movement. I’ve noticed that I’m a bit of a reckless dancer (not on purpose of course) my movements don’t have as much structure as they should. While Eddy and Maria are the perfect example of how to be fluid and have structure all at the same time.

When you switch partners I think it helps balance your skills. You won’t always be dancing with one person so it’s good to have a vast understanding of the many different interpretations of one dance. We have a lovely variety of tall and medium height males in our class. If I just danced with a medium height male for the rest of the semester when my time came to really show my stuff at dance with a 6'3 fella, I would probably accidentally take his head off during a spin and be asked to leave the dance studio. The fact that I can practice with all heights of males will prevent such sad occurrences.

Another positive is that you can teach and be taught by each other. If you aren’t able to grasp a move by watching or doing with one person another might be able to help through their interpretation of the dance. It also helps you to feel more comfortable with your surroundings because you know the people around you and that you are all in the same place in trying to learn. If you can “be cool”(excellent advice given by Eddy when I start messing up and getting flustered)  and relax then you can have a truly stellar, fun experience which is what it is all about.