first, decide which dance you want to do. is it a book dance or one of your own creation? if a book dance, read the dance as it was performed in the book(s) to know the general guidelines for the particular dance (there are many sites with the book dances on them). if you are creating your own dance, have a picture in your mind of what you want to perform. writing a dance is like painting a picture, you have to see it or picture it in your mind as you write it.

writing an outline is important as it will give structure to your dance as well as help you organize your thoughts. write down whatever comes to mind at first, then expand and grow upon each thought. repeating the editing process will only make your dance that much better. make sure to have a definite beginning and ending; try to be clear on what you are doing, as the audience does not read minds *s*.

the length of both the dance and the individual posts are important. too long of a dance tends to lost the attention of the Masters and Mistresses watching; too short of a dance seems to be over before it starts. try to keep individual posts from five to eight lines long; this allows enough space to be descriptive without losing the reader's interest or getting lost in the scroll or buffer, test your dance out in private chat so you can be sure that each post is not cut off due to length.

try and keep your posts flowing, your movements fluid. a girl has seen some dances where the dancer has gone from one position to another without looking at it closely. many of the movements would be impossible to do. some girls find that performing their dance before a mirror helps; she can see it from the perspective of the audience, and test out the movements realistically.

dances are more than just movements though; they are expressions of emotion. as you write, think of what the dancer would be feeling, thinking, how her feelings would affect her movements and choice of words or actions, what she wears, even her breathing. Give the Masters and Mistresses something to focus on, and remember to let your feelings show in your dance.

and what is a dance without music? *s*. while there is usually no actual music when a dance is performed, you can use music to help you get creative, or practice the movements. also, remember that to the audience, there should be music as well; take some of the musical instruments of Gor and weave their sounds into the web of your writing. describe the tempo, the beat, the emotion of the music.

timing is -very- important in a dance. make sure to give your audience enough time to read your post before posting again. usually, 60-70 seconds is enough time between posts. a girl suggests you read your post as it is posted. this is usually helpful in determining time between posts, but you may also discover something in your dance that you wish to improve upon before you perform it next, or you may wish to respond to a Master or Mistress's comments in your dance

remember, you are dancing to please your Master or Mistress, more than anyone else in the group watching, as He or She holds the key to your heart and very life.

and, last but certainly not least *s*, have fun dancing, enjoy what you do *s*.

a girl hopes some of these pointers will help her newer sisters begin to master the dance.