So on my journey with this crazy world of dance, I have stumbled upon a lot of funny things. Things like my own growing pains, injuries, crazy moments on stage that made me chuckle and more than enough experiences on the social dance floor.
Ladies! Have you ever danced with “that guy?” You know him….THAT GUY. He’s the one who will make his turn pattern happen NO MATER WHAT. I have always been of the opinion that dances are way more than turn patterns, but that’s just me…
Fellas! How about the “ahem” heavy follows who my old friend and I would refer to as ‘death by styling.’ These girls are the lovelies that seems to do the female version of ‘no matter what’ and will tear your rotator cuff of to get that extra body roll in.
As I guide my amazing students down the journey with me, I realize that we as educators must also touch upon a thing that is rather ambiguous:
What constitutes a good dance?
Great question. I have my feelings, as does Laura, but we took it upon ourselves to ask our students one day. The answers were both expected and insightful!
The ladies don’t like creepy guys. Um, I can’t help you with that fellas, a breath mint and a haircut/shower/shave should mostly do the trick. Other than that, I found a sense that women like to feel safe with their lead. In other words, watch out for them and be aware of your spacing! Also, stop clamping the hands! I don’t think anyone likes to feel like a lobster is leading them. A few other things of note were timing, roughness and being too close. Laura likes to call that ‘all up in the grill.’
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Now then! The ladies don’t get off that easy…Some of the complaints were ranged from letting the guys know they are doing OK, to over styling to the point you are not worth dancing with. Another was lack of a simple smile here and there. By far one of the biggest complaints I heard was the matter of being a heavy follow. There IS a way to control this, but the details aren’t often taught and the end result is dislocated fingers and the fetal position at night. Guys also want a little slack, they have a TON to think about and just want some patience while they get the hang of things.
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Is anyone right or wrong here? Hell if I know. The thing is, I have my own thoughts on the matter after all this time in the game, but maybe I will save that for another post. I am happy that my students have given me more insight on the he said, she said that goes in our scene.
Now that I think about it…in relationships as well, no?
I hope this gives everyone some food for thought and I’ll talk to you all next week!
To your dancing,
_del