CONNECTIONS – VOLUME 6
BY Corina “Cori” Presutti, Owner and President, The Cori Company, Inc.
For me, and I imagine for many of you, the most important things in life and business are Connection, Communication, Community, and Heart. And that is, in the big picture, exactly what dance and music are.
When people ask what kind of dance I teach, I don’t tell them that I teach Ballroom or Latin or that I teach Argentine Tango and Salsa. I do- and ALL of those styles are awesome (you should definitely try them all out)- but I have a much more important answer to that question.
I tell them I teach Social and Partner Dance.
Sometimes I get a quizzical look like “…what’s the difference?”, or more often, “what is that?” And the answers to those questions don’t lie in a definition of style- they are, by definition, about purpose.
The purpose of social dance is to create belonging and that gives us each a stronger sense of community.
Across cultures, when one appreciates social dancing, we grow our community and unify. We share more experiences with total strangers or our loved ones. We are more inclusive and compassionate because that’s what makes you the Best. This social bonding activity of partner dance is something mainstream American society lost touch with about 4 decades ago and which I am working hard to bring back. Credit where credit is due- for any short falls, our grandparents generation had something very right (also I bet most of my 30-something clients that gramps or gran will put you to shame in a frame).
While Social Dance is the bond of that community, Partner Dance is the particular language of this community.
As partners become more fluent in the language of follow and lead and musicality, they create more and more beautiful and enjoyable experiences and have more interesting (nonverbal) conversations with each other on the floor. Partner dance makes us better as individuals and in relationship to other people.
Partner dance teaches us to tap into compassion, intuition, trust, attention to detail, and compromise.
Sounds like magic. I call it the art of non-verbal communication. Something most of us lost touch with as children. But an incredibly powerful capacity that we each possess. And while it’s not quite magic- it’s really cool once you figure out how to use it and is, at the very least, quite a magical experience.
Social Partner Dancing is not about competition. It’s not about being the best or perfect. It’s about being comfortable. It’s about showing up and being in the moment. And it’s about communicating. Things we could all manage to do a little bit more for a happier life.
As a studio owner, instructor, and artist, my mission is to use the arts to very directly and intimately impact relationships, lives and our greater community. It is to reintroduce people to the social bond, and all its’ benefits, that was once Partner Dancing; To allow adults to access experiences, the playfulness of creativity and communication, and skill sets that we forget we have available to us through the art of nonverbal communication; And to use good business practices and frankly, love, to spread these benefits through experiences for individuals, couples, teams and and entire communities.
I am incredibly proud to provide a safe emotional space for people to learn something new and often intimidating and to pour themselves into it emotionally and take their guard down and be raw with their loved one. I’m proud that my studio is identified as a place where everyone is welcome and I’m proud that my clients and staff represent so much diversity.
In a time and space in our world where anxiety and tensions run high, where divisions seem deeper than acceptance, and where cell phones seem to be a higher priority than the person next to us, I am proud to be winning small battles every day in the name of love, of connection, of communication, and of unifying experiences.
Cori-ography is a place where myself, my staff, and our awesome clients, are able to accomplish a lot of good in the world every day. I welcome you to join us! Whether for your own private lesson to begin your dance journey, for my Couple’s Connect Program where you set goals with your significant other and dedicate some real, quality focused time to each other once a week, or for my Corporate Team Building Workshops to help your staff learn about themselves and the art of communication, or even just to drop by to one of our group classes or my big event in a few weeks which is an evening of live music, art, dancing and cocktails at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown on 11/11, we’re always ready to welcome new faces to our little studio community!
Get in touch if you’d like to know more or try out some of my services!