09/28/2026
**ARE WE TEACHING THE DANCE — OR TEACHING OUR OWN STYLE?**
**THEORY BEFORE PRACTICE**
To every dance teacher, instructor and student reading this:
**We need to have an honest conversation about how dance is being taught and learned.**
Have you ever trained in one school, travelled to another city or country, stepped onto a social dance floor —
and suddenly found yourself struggling to lead, follow, connect or communicate with someone trained somewhere else?
Why does this happen?
Sometimes, the problem is not that the dancer cannot dance.
**The problem may be that they were taught a particular teacher's interpretation as though it were the foundation of the dance itself.**
And there is a major difference between the two.
**LET'S CLARIFY THE TERMS**
Before practice, we need to understand what we are actually practising.
**1. DANCE & MUSIC CULTURE**
A dance does not exist in isolation.
It can be connected to:
**music • rhythm • history • community • social practices • values • cultural context • lived experience**
This broader context helps us understand **where the dance comes from and why it developed the way it did.**
**2. THE FOUNDATION OF THE DANCE**
The foundation is the underlying movement vocabulary and principles that allow people to participate in and communicate through the dance.
This can include:
**timing • rhythm • posture • weight transfer • body mechanics • movement patterns • connection • relationship with the music**
The exact expression can vary between communities, teachers and generations.
But there is still a foundation to understand.
**3. INDIVIDUAL STYLE**
Then comes personal expression.
Your interpretation.
Your musicality.
Your body.
Your personality.
Your creativity.
Your individual styling.
**And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.**
The problem begins when **personal interpretation is presented as though it were the universal foundation.**
**THE PROBLEM IN THE STUDIO**
Individual style is not the enemy.
**Styling is not the enemy.**
Innovation is not the enemy.
The question is **what comes first, what is being taught, and how it is presented.**
If a teacher teaches a personal variation without explaining that it is a variation, students may naturally assume:
> **“This is how the dance is supposed to be.”**
And when that student encounters another interpretation, another community or another teacher, confusion can follow.
They may have learned **one dialect without realising there was a larger language.**
**THE ALPHABET ANALOGY**
Think about language.
The alphabet gives you the basic tools.
Your handwriting is personal.
Two people can write completely differently while both understanding the same language.
**Dance can work in a similar way.**
**Foundation = the alphabet.**
**Personal style = your handwriting.**
Your handwriting should be yours.
But if you never learn the alphabet, you cannot expect your personal handwriting to communicate clearly with everyone else.
**THE GOAL IS NOT TO MAKE EVERYONE DANCE THE SAME**
This is important.
**I'm not arguing for robotic dancers.**
I'm not arguing that every teacher must teach exactly the same variation.
I'm not arguing that legitimate regional or cultural differences should disappear.
And I'm certainly not arguing against creativity.
**Quite the opposite.**
I want dancers to have **more freedom**, not less.
But freedom becomes more meaningful when you understand **what you are choosing to change.**
If you understand the foundation, you can consciously interpret it.
You can adapt it.
You can experiment.
You can create.
And you can clearly say:
> **“This is my interpretation.”**
rather than unintentionally presenting your interpretation as
**the definition of the dance itself.**
**TO TEACHERS**
Be transparent.
When you teach something personal, say so.
For example:
> **“This is the foundational movement.”**
> **“This is my variation.”**
> **“This is one interpretation.”**
That simple distinction can make a huge difference.
Because once you teach something to others, **your personal choices can become someone else's understanding of the dance.**
**TO STUDENTS**
Don't be afraid to learn.
Don't rush straight to styling because it looks impressive.
Don't confuse complexity with understanding.
**Learn the culture.**
**Understand the foundation.**
**Develop your technique.**
**Then build your own expression.**
And once you understand more, **you are free to experiment.**
**THEORY BEFORE PRACTICE**
This is not about telling people to stop enjoying social dancing.
Dance to escape.
Dance to connect.
Dance to have fun.
Dance because the music moves you.
**You don't need to become a historian before you can enjoy a dance floor.**
But if you are going to **teach, represent, modify or redefine** a dance for others, then understanding its foundation and cultural context matters.
Because what you teach today may become someone else's starting point tomorrow.
**And that responsibility matters.**
**THE QUESTION IS SIMPLE**
**ARE WE TEACHING PEOPLE THE DANCE — OR TEACHING THEM OUR VERSION OF THE DANCE WITHOUT MAKING THE DISTINCTION CLEAR?**
That's the conversation.
Not **old versus new.**
Not **traditional versus modern.**
Not **teacher versus student.**
Not **one dancer versus another.**
**FOUNDATION FIRST.**
**UNDERSTANDING FIRST.**
**THEN EXPRESSION.**
Because the goal isn't to eliminate individual style.
**The goal is to make sure individual style doesn't erase the foundation it came from.**
📚 **GO DEEPER — RHYTHMS & MOVEMENTS**
This is also at the heart of my book series:
**RHYTHMS & MOVEMENTS — DANCE MUSIC CULTURES**
Exploring the relationship between **dance, music, culture, history and human expression.**
Because dance isn't only about learning steps.
**The steps are only one part of the story.**
**The bigger story is human.**
📚 **Explore the books:**
Salsa Everybody — Books
**Thomas Tcheuffa**
*Dance & Music Culture Educator | Author | Choreographer*
**Salsa Everybody**
