Eye Contact

[stewart38]

Couldnt find a thread on this, there must be ??

I dance with someone at Ashtons who didnt look at me once, she just looked at Fire exit and front entrance for the whole time

As there were more women at the time I nearly walked of

This also happened at Berko , and i mean not a glance not a peak

she just looked at the floor and almost like i was some famous Japanese leader who if you glance at you get your head chopped off :angry:

Im no good sometimes at eye contact although im told im getting better but to ignore someone totally and look so dis interested (thats what it feels like is just bad manners)

I told the 2nd girl at the end of the dance that she could look at me sometimes ,she seemed shocked and said she was looking to make sure she didnt bump into other dancers. I've dance with her before and didnt notice it, maybe it was me ??

Maybe this eye contact thing has only been bought to my attention post dance holiday after 10yrs of cerocing :sad:

[MartinHarper]

Couldnt find a thread on this, there must be ?

There is. If you do a search for "eye contact", you'll find a thread titled Eye Contact (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2205), full of information about eye contact.

HTH

[jivecat]

Couldnt find a thread on this, there must be ??



Ermm, can't quite remember, remind me, someone?:rolleyes:

I'm getting a feeling of DejaVu more and more on the forum. If I persist with it long enough perhaps all threads will come full circle, I can be reborn with an avatar and all my forum sins be washed away, as though bound to a mystic forum wheel of existence. Sorry folks, it's halfterm and I'm a bit bored.

You're absolutely right, Stewart38, they should be looking at you.

[stewart38]

There is. If you do a search for "eye contact", you'll find a thread titled Eye Contact (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2205), full of information about eye contact.

HTH


I keyed in eye contact under search and it came up with nothing ???

i must be doing something wrong

[alex]

I told the 2nd girl at the end of the dance that she could look at me sometimeswhether your partner looks at you or not is entirely their choice, NOT YOURS.

[LMC]

I keyed in eye contact under search and it came up with nothing ???

i must be doing something wrong
Typo perhaps? :innocent:

[El Salsero Gringo]

whether your partner looks at you or not is entirely their choice, NOT YOURS.As it is to tread on your feet, spit in your face and curdle the milk in your fridge. But people who do those things aren't much fun to dance with either.

[killingtime]

I dance with someone at Ashtons who didnt look at me once, she just looked at Fire exit and front entrance for the whole time

Let me get this right. She was looking at the escape routes for the whole dance? Had you seen her before? Perhaps she was dancing to try and avoid some men in black?

[alex]

As it is to tread on your feet, spit in your face and curdle the milk in your fridge. But people who do those things aren't much fun to dance with either.yes it is nicer if someone looks at you, but if they dont then it hardly a painful experience. at worst it might mean you cant lead a move that needs a signal. so lead moves that dont need signals.

if someone is actually hurting you, then tell them. but otherwise why risk upsetting them just to increase your enjoyment. unless you believe your enjoyment is more important than their feelings.

[Asif]

yes it is nicer if someone looks at you, but if they dont then it hardly a painful experience. at worst it might mean you cant lead a move that needs a signal. so lead moves that dont need signals.

if someone is actually hurting you, then tell them. but otherwise why risk upsetting them just to increase your enjoyment. unless you believe your enjoyment is more important than their feelings.
I'm sure LOADS has been said on this already but i think looking at your partner is crucial towards the whole dance "experience" and nothing to do with looking out for signals. I don't use signals but i just don't enjoy it when my partner does not make ANY eye contact during the dance - it makes the whole thing feel like they are just going through the motion and that DOES affect my enjoyment. I could rant on for ages but i won't :mad: .

There are loads of ways you can "get" your partner to make eye contact without making it obvious or making your partner uncomfortable. If they still persisit in not making eye contact, just hope it's not a long track, say thankyou when you finish and then get the hell outta there :eek: !!

[stewart38]

yes it is nicer if someone looks at you, but if they dont then it hardly a painful experience. at worst it might mean you cant lead a move that needs a signal. so lead moves that dont need signals.

if someone is actually hurting you, then tell them. but otherwise why risk upsetting them just to increase your enjoyment. unless you believe your enjoyment is more important than their feelings.


I think Ive lost the plot on this one

yes its their right to tread on ones foot as well. ITS THEIR CHOICE OF COURSE

[Clive Long]

I keyed in eye contact under search and it came up with nothing ???

i must be doing something wrong
Anyone have any answer to why when S38 typed in the keyword search nothing came up?

Clive

[stewart38]

Anyone have any answer to why when S38 typed in the keyword search nothing came up?

Clive


Nope and it hasnt worked again

Ill take it up with Tech support :sad:

I type in 'Eye contact' in search and it just lists at a glance current threads

[ducasi]

When I use the quick search the other "Eye Contact" thread comes up at position 45 on the first page of 50, out of 621 hits.

Are you sure you're looking down the list far enough or that you have just missed it amongst all the others?

(Quick search lists in most-recent-post order, not relevance, and so you sometimes have to dig deeper, or use the advanced search.)

[stewart38]

When I use the quick search the other "Eye Contact" thread comes up at position 45 on the first page of 50, out of 621 hits.

Are you sure you're looking down the list far enough or that you have just missed it amongst all the others?

(Quick search lists in most-recent-post order, not relevance, and so you sometimes have to dig deeper, or use the advanced search.)


I only looked at first page ??

whats point of having a search function if it doesnt bring up the words eye or contact ?

[ducasi]

whats point of having a search function if it doesnt bring up the words eye or contact ? The search could certainly be smarter...

To get the best out of it you've really got to use advanced search... For example, search doesn't normally look in thread titles, only in content, so searching for a thread called "..." via quick-search isn't going to find it.

It's good for finding the more obscure content, or that thread you saw just yesterday...

[Gadget]

I normally only remember threads I post on, so I tend to use myself in the "User" field on the advanced form (or someone else that I want to read) It narrows down the results quite a bit.

[Asif]

Well, i think posts #12 to #17 have certainly answered this thread question down to a tee :rofl:

Oh .... my answer ... Errmmmm .... Yes you should! :whistle:

[Andreas]

whether your partner looks at you or not is entirely their choice, NOT YOURS.
What a silly reply! :what:


Why accept a dance if you don't want to actually make an effort? Might as well be honest and say 'I don't want to dance with you'. That would not be any more rude than displaying obvious disinterest.

[Andreas]

I'm sure LOADS has been said on this already but i think looking at your partner is crucial towards the whole dance "experience" and nothing to do with looking out for signals. I don't use signals but i just don't enjoy it when my partner does not make ANY eye contact during the dance - it makes the whole thing feel like they are just going through the motion and that DOES affect my enjoyment. I could rant on for ages but i won't :mad: .

There are loads of ways you can "get" your partner to make eye contact without making it obvious or making your partner uncomfortable. If they still persisit in not making eye contact, just hope it's not a long track, say thankyou when you finish and then get the hell outta there :eek: !!

I actually led a girl off the floor in the past for 'not really pariticipating in the dance'. Just told her that she obviously doesn't want to dance with me so I'd consider it better to stop right there.
Luckily it hasn't happened to me since but these days I'd just do shines and let her stand there for the rest of the song. I have no time for people with rude behaviour.

[stewart38]

What a silly reply! :what:


Why accept a dance if you don't want to actually make an effort? Might as well be honest and say 'I don't want to dance with you'. That would not be any more rude than displaying obvious disinterest.

:yeah: :yeah: :yeah:



Also this women asked me !! Not even 0.5 secs of a glancing eye contact

No one is that shy in dancing :angry: :mad: :angry: :angry: :mad: :angry: :mad:

But all forgotten now

[jivecat]

I actually led a girl off the floor in the past for 'not really pariticipating in the dance'. Just told her that she obviously doesn't want to dance with me so I'd consider it better to stop right there.
Luckily it hasn't happened to me since but these days I'd just do shines and let her stand there for the rest of the song. I have no time for people with rude behaviour.

Wow, Andreas, are you sure she wasn't just too terrified to look at you? Kind of brings back difficult memories of being carpeted in the headmaster's study for mitching off a chemistry exam.

[John S]

1 I actually led a girl off the floor in the past for 'not really pariticipating in the dance'. Just told her that she obviously doesn't want to dance with me so I'd consider it better to stop right there.

2 Luckily it hasn't happened to me since but these days I'd just do shines and let her stand there for the rest of the song.

3 I have no time for people with rude behaviour.

Hmm, methinks there is a logic flaw there somewhere .....:whistle:

[Andreas]

Wow, Andreas, are you sure she wasn't just too terrified to look at you? Kind of brings back difficult memories of being carpeted in the headmaster's study for mitching off a chemistry exam.

I think people who dance with me know that I pretty much always laugh or at least smile when I am dancing. So it is unlikely that she was scared :whistle: :wink:

[David Bailey]

I actually led a girl off the floor in the past for 'not really pariticipating in the dance'. Just told her that she obviously doesn't want to dance with me so I'd consider it better to stop right there.
There've been times when I've considered that. Why is it those are the dances to very long tracks? Actually, it's probably just that they seem to be long tracks, the whole time dilation effect (hot stove / hot woman) thing working again...


Luckily it hasn't happened to me since but these days I'd just do shines and let her stand there for the rest of the song.
Ooh, but wouldn't that be a bit rude? :devil:

I'm getting a Southport flashback here - they're coming to get me! Help... arrghh...

EDIT: Too slow, John S beat me to it, tarnation... :(

[Gadget]

Some people are scared of dancing with people obviously better than they think they are: nothing to do with how friendly, approcachable, smiley they are.

There is one lady I know of that avoids eye contact, but she smiles and follows well; in my book a genuine smile is worth more than a dance full of eye contact. :flower:
(If it bothers you that much as a lead, lead moves where the follower's back is to you lots... or send them over to me and I'll dance with them.:))

[alex]

What a silly reply!why is is silly? it is not the eye contact or lack of it im commenting on. it is the fact that stewart38 criticised the lady afterwards to her face.

it is a social dance, with the emphasis on social. you wouldnt go for a drink after work and tell your boss her dress sense was abysmal. you wouldnt go to a dinner party and tell the host "this food is crap". you would only do something if it was causing you a real problem, like the food not being properly cooked.

why should social dancing be any different from any other social activity. where in "would you like to dance" "yes please" does it say "well i think im better than you, so you have to do it my way to my satisfaction, and if not i will be the first to tell you, whether you want to hear it or not".

as soon as someone asks for feedback then it changes. or in a situation where feedback is implied such as dancing with a taxi dancer or teacher, or in a competition. and if someone is causing you physical pain or discomfort then it is no longer a normal social situation. but after a regular social dance with just another intermediate dancer?

now stewart38 may have phrased it very politely, or it may have come about as part of a question. all im going on is what he originally said "I told the 2nd girl at the end of the dance that she could look at me sometimes"

[stewart38]

now stewart38 may have phrased it very politely, or it may have come about as part of a question. all im going on is what he originally said "I told the 2nd girl at the end of the dance that she could look at me sometimes"


I danced with her many times before and i said it in a nice way . I told the f***** T**** that sh*****


Given im the most miserable dancer on this f***** planet Im of to have my annual apprisal now

im going to give it :what: :what: :what: :what: :what: and :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: then :mad: :mad: :mad: (when i dont get a big enough bonus !!)

[Asif]

The problem with threads like this is that it is very easy to misquote / misread / misinterpret what someone else is trying to say.


why is is silly? it is not the eye contact or lack of it i'm commenting on. it is the fact that stewart38 criticised the lady afterwards to her face.
I agree. It doesn't matter how BAD you think the dance was (lack of eye contact, inability to lead/follow moves, bad odour, sweaty person, much uglier that you thought when you first asked for the dance, etc), you should NEVER criticise your dance partner unless you actually know them well if to know that they will receive this criticism well and not be offended. There's nothing worse for someones enjoyment/confidence (especially a beginner) to get "told off" by someone about their dancing, especially if they don't know them.


...it is a social dance, with the emphasis on social. you wouldnt go for a drink after work and tell your boss her dress sense was abysmal. you wouldnt go to a dinner party and tell the host "this food is crap". you would only do something if it was causing you a real problem, like the food not being properly cooked. Why should social dancing be any different from any other social activity.
Slightly off tangent BUT ..... social dancing IS different to other activities because you are doing it with another person and you BOTH have to feel comfortable doing it to enjoy the experience. Someone dressing differently is personal taste and should not effect your enjoyment of the evening (unless you are in crowded bar and your boss is wearing a thong and nothing else :eek: ) and "crap food" again is personal taste (unless it was really crap in which case you would just have to make your excuses and go off to Burger King :whistle: ).


I danced with her many times before and i said it in a nice way.
As part of dance "ettiquette", i don't think you should comment on your partners dancing unless they have asked for feedback OR you know them well enough to be able to just tell them. Just because you have danced with a person many times, it doesn't mean you know them well enough. She obviously didn't think you were telling her in a nice way if she was shocked.

Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No1
Your partner is constantly looking at the floor. You also start looking at the floor BUT make it really obvious you are doing it too. At some point (unless she is BLIND) she will notice you are doing this too. At this point you say something like "I was just wondering what you were looking at" or "Nice floor, isn't it?" or "Have you lost an earring or something?" or (a favourite) "I know i'm a bit clumsy but you don't need to keep looking at my feet - i promise i won't tread on you!"

:whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

[David Bailey]

Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No1
{ excellent tip }


Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No2
Take your partners chin in your hand, lift it up gently so she lifts her gaze, and make appropriate smiley face ("See? I'm up here" / waggle finger / "I'm not that ugly am I?"). The tricky part of this trick is to do the smiley-face thing without it appearing patronizing...

Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No3
(Mainly for salsa) Close dancing - she can't look at her feet it you two are close enough to be intertwined.

[El Salsero Gringo]

The problem with threads like this is that it is very easy to misquote / misread / misinterpret what someone else is trying to say.Indeed it is.
It doesn't matter how BAD you think the dance was (lack of eye contact, inability to lead/follow moves, bad odour, sweaty person, much uglier that you thought when you first asked for the dance, etc), you should NEVER criticise your dance partner unless you actually know them well if to know that they will receive this criticism well and not be offended. There's nothing worse for someones enjoyment/confidence (especially a beginner) to get "told off" by someone about their dancing, especially if they don't know them.It's not a case of telling someone off. But like all things in life, the best way not to get what you want is not to ask for it. If you want some eye contact, a smile, or some recognition of your existence during a dance - just ask. That's a request, not a scold. Likewise, you can ask someone not to yank your arm, to wear deodorant or to towel down. It's not your right to say to someone they 'ought' to wear deodorant, but it's your right and duty to yourself to say you'd enjoy dancing with them more if they did. Etcetera etcetera.

[stewart38]

Given im the most miserable dancer on this f***** planet Im of to have my annual apprisal now

im going to give it :what: :what: :what: :what: :what: and :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: then :mad: :mad: :mad: (when i dont get a big enough bonus !!)


quote of the week, do you think your private use of e-mail/ internet isnt given you the time to do X,Y and Z :whistle:

I didnt make much eye contact :sad:

[Asif]

Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No2
Take your partners chin in your hand, lift it up gently so she lifts her gaze, and make appropriate smiley face ("See? I'm up here" / waggle finger / "I'm not that ugly am I?"). The tricky part of this trick is to do the smiley-face thing without it appearing patronizing...

:rofl: :rofl: But seriously, i hate all that "face touching" that i see guys doing. Yuk! IT'S NOT SEXY!! Quite a few girls have told me in the past that they have felt really uncomfortable 'cos the guy has been touching their face, running his hands through her hair, stroking her arms/other parts of body during the dance. Just sounds like an excuse for the guy to "clean" something off his hands!! :eek:

Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No4
Get a move slightly "wrong". If partner looks at you or says something quizingly, you smile and reply "Sorry - my fault" :blush: . If that doesn't do the trick, ditch 'em the first chance you get :whistle: .

[Lory]

quote of the week, do you think your private use of e-mail/ internet isnt given you the time to do X,Y and Z :whistle:

I didnt make much eye contact :sad:
:rofl:

[DavidB]

Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No2
Take your partners chin in your hand, lift it up gently so she lifts her gaze, and make appropriate smiley face ("See? I'm up here" / waggle finger / "I'm not that ugly am I?"). The tricky part of this trick is to do the smiley-face thing without it appearing patronizing...I would only suggest doing this if you knew the lady very well, and had a very good idea what her reaction would be. I know one lady who would go ballistic if you touched her face. I know another two who would be very upset.


I look at it this way. Women are almost universally better dancers than men. They also take a lot more care over their appearance, clothing, make-up etc than any man (except TwK). This extends to the style they add to their dancing. Any man who makes a habit of telling ladies that they could look better if they did something risks a lot. It doesn't really matter if the man is right or wrong.

PMS is nothing compared to PCC (Post Clothing Comment).

David

[Lory]

PMS is nothing compared to PCC (Post Clothing Comment).

David
What about if you get the timing wrong and combine PMS with PCC :whistle:

[David Franklin]

What about if you get the timing wrong and combine PMS with PCC :whistle:http://www.dvc.org.uk/~johnny/atomic.jpg

[David Bailey]

:rofl: :rofl: But seriously, i hate all that "face touching" that i see guys doing.
and

I would only suggest doing this if you knew the lady very well, and had a very good idea what her reaction would be. I know one lady who would go ballistic if you touched her face. I know another two who would be very upset.

Blimey, hold on a second, guys - I'm not suggesting stroking / face holding, just a gentle finger under the chin is all. Good grief...


Quite a few girls have told me in the past that they have felt really uncomfortable 'cos the guy ... running his hands through her hair,
Yeah? Oh, ZW...? ZW...? Anyone seen ZW? :whistle:

[Gojive]

http://www.dvc.org.uk/~johnny/atomic.jpg

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

A picture can indeed tell a thousand pms "words"! :eek:

[DavidB]

Blimey, hold on a second, guys - I'm not suggesting stroking / face holding, just a gentle finger under the chin is all. Good grief...A "gentle finger under the chin" was the move that made the lady go ballistic.

[Asif]

Take your partners chin in your hand....

Blimey, hold on a second, guys - I'm not suggesting stroking / face holding, just a gentle finger under the chin is all
So, which one is it..?? Are you using your finger or your whole hand? :whistle:

To aviod any "confusion" why not just grab her face in your hand ** (with her now looking like a surprised fish) and just say "OI, my face is up here luv!"....

** 0hhh, the things we would LOVE to be able to do ....

[David Bailey]

A "gentle finger under the chin" was the move that made the lady go ballistic.
Really? How strange. I've never had that reaction (although I've now got an image of you launching her into space with one finger... :) )

Hmmm, thinking about it, I sometimes don't even touch the chin, it's usually enough to put a finger close under the chin and make lifting gestures.

But if a follower is going to go nuts about that minor level of contact, it's maybe not a tragic loss if you never dance with her again.

[ChrisA]

I'm slightly troubled by all this talk of eye contact, and how to make people do it, or how to make them smile more.

In general, people look at what they want to look at, and smile if something pleases them. Forcing them (or encouraging them, or whatever) to do it will usually result in something fake, if it works at all.

Mostly people look serious when they're dancing because it's taking all their effort to do the dancing, and it's not easy and relaxed enough to let all the other cool stuff that goes on between two people dancing actually happen at all. In those cases, it will get easier.

I think the best way of getting someone to make eye contact is to make the dance as nice for them as possible, and smile at them when something happens in the dance that justifies it (so that it's real, not use of "technique"). If they're enjoying it, they'll smile back. I've found this works occasionally with even the most infrequent smilers.

Some people (in very extreme cases) are just so unengaged, though, that it's more than just concentration that stops them, in which case I confess that I tend to give up - if they don't want to engage with the dance, it's not my role to force them, so I'll just dance with someone else.

There was one time, though, when I was very glad someone said that it was Ok to smile. And it wasn't all that long ago, either. It was the first time I saw Carol (of Viktor and Carol, Jivemasters 2004 champs :worthy: ) dancing.

Now for those that don't know her, she's a total angel as a dancer, and I watched her, somewhat in awe. Then when I danced with her, I was so desperate to do everything perfectly, that I must have been looking really serious... so she said (about a minute in) that it was Ok for me to smile. It broke the ice, and the rest of the dance was much better.

So sometimes it works... but I reckon only if there's something stopping a genuine expression coming through. Not if it puts pressure on someone to do something they don't really want to do.

[pawplay]

I am in no way shy but could be described as slightly vertically challenged!! If i am really enjoying a dance and the lead is great, i'm concentrating on his hands (honest) not on his face, but i do make the point of smiling to show how much i'm enjoying the dance!! I also danced with a guy a little while ago who had his eye's closed for ages! Was the song so great he was away with the fairies or dreaming of who he wants to be dancing with......could be interpretd in many ways. I plan to keep watching hands.....:wink: honest!

[bigdjiver]

If I am trying to get eye contact I do a couple of in-and-outs, (at waist level, not the Ceroc way), followed by the slow "Hallelujah", accompanied by some sort of quizzical expression or a smile. If the lady is concentrating too hard I try talking.
I have seen others using an over-emphasised grumpy look, or other weird expressions in a jokey context, during a comb. (I very rarely do combs).

[Zuhal]

It is often true as ChrisA points out that concentrating on the dance, uses a lot of your mental capacity.

I tried an experiment.
Using a class that was only using 50% of my brain power I used the other half to consciously use my eyes to engage each partner and if possible even suggest the direction of the next move.
(Animated eye contact-not inane staring)

The result was that several (a greater than normal number) of those partners came and asked me to dance during the freestyle. :clap:

Zuhal

[stewart38]

The problem with threads like this is that it is very easy to misquote / misread / misinterpret what someone else is trying to say.

As part of dance "ettiquette", i don't think you should comment on your partners dancing unless they have asked for feedback OR you know them well enough to be able to just tell them. Just because you have danced with a person many times, it doesn't mean you know them well enough. She obviously didn't think you were telling her in a nice way if she was shocked.


:whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

:yeah:

I know the girl and will dance with her again

Ive had feed back on dances Ive had ,face to face , later in the evening or even on here :sad:

All that wants me to do is next time is try and make the dance better for the partner

I would NEVER tell someone I didnt know A,B,C etc I probably wouldnt dance with them again (If i FELT it went that badly for what ever reason)but that issue has been discussed elsewhere.

[doc martin]

I tried an experiment.
Using a class that was only using 50% of my brain power I used the other half to consciously use my eyes to engage each partner and if possible even suggest the direction of the next move.
(Animated eye contact-not inane staring)

The result was that several (a greater than normal number) of those partners came and asked me to dance during the freestyle. :clap:

Zuhal
Just to play devil's advocate here :devil:, perhaps there could be another explanation. If the class only took 50% of your concentration then presumably you knew the moves (or close variations thereof) from previous classes. So you may well then have been leading them better than other leads who were learning the moves for the first time.

So the ladies may have been saying to themselves "He led the moves so nicely that I'll ignore the funny looks he kept giving me and ask him for a dance anyway".

To be clearer about this you need to do the rest of the experiment. First you need to find other classes you can do using only 50% of your brain (preferably the same 50%), then you need to do the following. First class, do all the eye contact, but lead the move badly and mess up on all possible occasions (if you need help with this I can give advice), then record how many times you get asked in the social dancing. Second class, lead the moves perfectly, but with no eye contact whatsoever and again record how many dances you get asked for.

Finally report the results back here. :cheers:

[Wendy]

Eye contact is hard !!! I have been told that I overdo it sometimes and guys must think I'm about to pin them to the wall or something.. and then I look down too and get a row from David Chu :flower:. I don't think I smile as much as I used to...

I saw a lovely beginner girl at the weekend who looked down a lot and I told her that she could look up more... I probably wouldn't do it with a guy I was dancing with....although I did tell this grim-faced eye-contact-less guy that he looked bored... he laughed and it helped a bit...

I had the cutest compliment last night...I was trying to help my partner by leading a little (well a lot!!- I know I know !!!) and he said "thanks for leading cos it really helped "... :eek: So I stopped and said I wouldn't do that cos it was really really bad.. and then he said "thanks for helping".. and I looked confused cos I was really trying to be relaxed and follow like Mary's little lamb and he said "with your look " Of course in French it was "avec votre regard"... sigh.... Leading with my eyes.... DavidB will be asking for a private lesson next :rofl:

Wxxxx

[lainey]

Are you scaring all those french blokes now wendy:devil: :

[lainey]

seriously though i think the best thing to do if you're not getting any eye contact, or contact at all from your partner is to make them laugh:rofl: it always works with me (although that could just be because i look really stupid) it tends to break the ice anyway:clap:

[DavidY]

Ways to get partner to make Eye contact - Trick No4
Get a move slightly "wrong". If partner looks at you or says something quizingly, you smile and reply "Sorry - my fault" :blush: . If that doesn't do the trick, ditch 'em the first chance you get :whistle: .This one usually works for me. Sadly I don't need to do it deliberately - I get enough moves wrong by accident.:blush:

It often breaks the tension and gets a smile though.