Water dancers hate to stand still for more than half a bar, and if the dance requires them to do so, they get this vaguely uncomfortable look on their faces, or start swaying in random directions just so as to be moving. They also don't like to move fast, unless given several beats in which to speed up and slow down again. Worst of all they hate sudden changes in direction, and will re-interpret the figure to replace these with loops or twirls. At their best, they can make you feel as if you are floating through the dance in a much lower-impact way than you had believed possible. At their worst, they can be icily unforgiving of any roughness in your own style.
Fire dancers sparkle and glitter and are full of energy.
Many of them wear eye-catching clothes or ornaments, the better to attract an audience. You can often tell the latter kind by the puzzled expressions on their partners' faces. Worst of all is when a beginner gets burned. Perhaps it's just the understanding that the world really is made up of all four elements, and each of these four approaches to dancing has its merits. Maybe it will help you think about your own dancing and how you respond to a particular caller, tune, or partner.