I have free floor time at a dance studio. However, I have no partner to dance with. I was wondering if there are any drills or practice routines that would keep me in shape, keep me focused, and not bore me to death. Thanks in advance.

Hey, Mr. LatinMan! I know exactly how you feel, practicing alone is very boring. Curl, however, was right when he said that you have fun at the comps, at showcases, and most definitely when you are out social dancing!

From my own experience, I never knew how much I was relying on my partner even for balance until I started practicing by my lonesome.

Keep working hard man!

training is hard work not fun !! you can get fun and success at the comps.

60-70 % of your time should be practicing movement and posture of your own body, if you cant do it alone you never can do it together. ( in standard, too !!!)

so stand in front of the mirror and practice your basics, stretch your spiral and precisise your movements. (even learn to listen to the beat while clap your hands or fingers is a good training but you can do this at home)

if you excercise only 5 minutes of every basic movement of the 5 latin dances, 2 1/2 hours are gone. after that you can start dancing with your partner.

training is hard work !!! you can get fun and success at the comps.

so dont whine its boring , be a real latin macho and just do it

as my dance teacher says you are dancing with casper. just had to say that. lol

~mindy~

Training is fun, not boring!

Enjoy moving your body; let samba rhythm make your pulse beat faster; express your sensuality in rumba and bolero. Boring drills are for boring people who bore their partners. If music calls, you can do exactly the same exercises in a state of intense joy....or passion or power. Whatever you feel.

So slap on a set of headphones, pick a rumba, and start warming up. Walk the perimeter of the room to the beat of the music. As your body tunes in to the rhythm, focus on more of the music and gradually add the movements it inspires. Stroke the floor like a lover? Feel powerful with each weigh change? Stalk like a predator in the forest? When one piece plays out, choose another. Weave through the other dancers while staying on beat and matching the music's mood. Need to pause while someone passes? Throw in a cucaracha or 2. Change direction? Swivel.

As your body moves easier, put on a different dance. Cha Cha, Samba, Jive, whatever inspires at the moment. Circle through the dancers again while staying with the feeling. Don't look in the mirror and don't push technique. After about 10 minutes when your muscles are fully warmed up, stop and stretch.

Then find a spot where you can see yourself. Starting with your feet and working up through the rest of your body, do the basic step to one dance slowly. Feel how each movement invites the next. See how good technique creates fluid transitions. Gradually increase to full speed, then do the basic to music for 2 songs taking all your technique to the max. Repeat with each dance and finish by stretching.

Muscle memory is built through repetition. There's no getting around it. But why would you want to, when movement feels so GOOD ;-p