The Dancing Grapevine
1,404 FOLLOWERS
The Dancing Grapevine began as a personal blog in 2013, designed to give its author Laura Riva a creative outlet to write down her thoughts on dance. Laura Riva is a passionate lover of dance in all its forms. Since 2008, she has dabbled in everything from Blues and Swing to Tango and Salsa.
The Dancing Grapevine
6M ago
Most social dance styles frequently discuss whether variations, changes, and interpretations are “authentic” enough to be considered the same dance. From West Coast Swing to Salsa, Bachata to Brazilian Zouk, it happens constantly – especially as dances evolve and change ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
11M ago
If you’re a community leader or teacher in any capacity, you will eventually run across a student or attendee that exhausts you. In my experience, this is not about their skill level, ability, or financial situation – it is their ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
1y ago
Dance can cause a lot of emotional responses. A lot of the time, we focus on the joy; sometimes we call these “dance highs”. But, every high has a low. One of those lows can be envy. What triggers envy ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
2y ago
There are so many events to choose from, which means there are some tough choices. For some attendees, part of that choice involves identifying organizers who appear to have the best interests at the community as part of their decision-making ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
2y ago
Most leaders have been in a class where they learn a new combination that works on all the follows in rotation. They get excited that they’ve learned something new, head to the next social… and then watch their lead fizzle ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
2y ago
Followers, have you ever had a mediocre dance night? What about nights that needed to have a really great dance with a really great lead to get back on track, or nights with “not enough (good) leads”? What if there ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
2y ago
Partner dance is a world where up-and-coming artists are plentiful, the competition is stiff, and opportunity limited. Much like many other artistic ventures, a small percentage of artists end up very successful – while many others struggle to get their ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
2y ago
Recently, a Bachata DJ came forward with a post lamenting the use of they/them pronouns, followed by an extensive (and since deleted) posting about his deeper feelings. The initial post read as follows: Pronouns… It was either “he” or “she ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
3y ago
In many partner genres, steal dances and three-way dances (or more) are becoming more popular. But, with this growing trend, there are considerations of consent, agency, and culture that need to be discussed to be sure that everyone is happy ..read more
The Dancing Grapevine
3y ago
Are you super, duper passionate about social dance? Are you ready to take advantage of every opportunity possible? Are you prepared to dig deep and put in all the work to become great at this new passion you’ve discovered in ..read more