Trained teachers of more formal classes mostly believe that dancing the syllabus way in an organized setting provides a solid technique ground and a sound knowledge base for you to create your own routine with your own style. It is a fact that all Latin dance beginner classes start with the bronze figures and learners are taught the most fundamental steps and everything exactly the same as the syllabus. When they move on, variation of timing will be taught, delay and syncopation are the two timings that we need to manage. At the same time, 'new' figures are taught. However, 'new' figures are not new, they are basic syllabus figures got broken down and re-combined, plus some fundamental Latin actions in between.
Social dance class focus more on 'social' and less time is spent on technique like centre and balance; however, even social dancers feel the need of proper technique when they come to a point that they find their dancing has come to a bottle neck and they want a break through. Like, proper footwork is needed for precisely predicting which foot the partner will be on so as to determine which foot should be moved next. Without consensus on the weighted foot, leader might accidentally step on the followers' and the followers might find difficulties to maintain harmony in dance.
The ability of applying different rhythms and timings is equally important in creating a good dance. It is not only an essential element in set routine, it is vital in improvisation in which synchronizing the partner's rhythm and cooperating accordingly forms the basis of the dance.
So, the condition for a creative dance depends on the dancers or the choreographers, not the dance itself. If a dancer can apply rhythms and timings, incorporate different dance moves, rearrange figures and actions, plus clever floorcraft skills, every time this dancer on the floor will bring surprise. Some tend to achieve this in a top-down way, some like to take it reversely; no matter whIch way, successful dancers acquire the technique before entering a higher level. If you want to join them, dig your dancing deeper, and learn more about the other dances.
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