As an experienced dancer do you ever go 'off form'

[JiveLad]

.......maybe the analogy is a sportman/woman who has a dip in form.

The reason I ask, is because that is how I feel at the moment. I can't quite understand it - maybe it is a mental thing? I sense a little bit of zip and spontaneity has gone. Is it over-dancing from last month? Now it just seems a bit flat......(and I didn't even go to Southport).

Everything has just been a bit 'patchy' - music, my dancing - and think maybe I am have just plateaued or something.

I remember the Master saying something about having to keep 'breaking thru' to the next level.........but I'm not clear about that.

Any ideas or experiences you can share in this context?

[MartinHarper]

I sense a little bit of zip and spontaneity has gone. ... It just seems a bit flat.

You're inhibited. Drink more alcohol.

[dave the scaffolder]

[quote=JiveLad;342618].......maybe the analogy is a sportman/woman who has a dip in form.

Everything has just been a bit 'patchy' - music, my dancing - and think maybe I am have just plateaued or something.





I always compare my improvment in mj to a staircase. As you improve you are ascending the riser and up you go for a while. Then you step on the treader and settle yourself, composing yourself for the next step up. It sounds to me like you have settled, or plateaued for a while. Take this brief respite to compose and consolidate, settle for a while and let things stew, allow yourself to absorb things and review any thing which is niggling you, for example, is there anything in the basics which you would like to improve like bettering your spin technique, posture or smiling etc etc.

Take this time to be brutally honest with yourself, to be honest with yourself is the hardest thing in the world, it doesnt matter what image we like potray to the dance community, the true us is an inadequate one, because we allways inspire to be like somebody else.

I hope this makes you think about your dancing, because i have recently realised the goal is not to be the best, but to enjoy every experience and have fun in your dancing. It is funny because when i first started dancing i used to think how it inpacted my life. Now i am increasingly thinking how my life is restricting my dancing.

Anyway i hope in amongst this rambling there is something of use to you.

Happy revelations. xxx dts

[fletch]

yes, it happens.:tears:

It happened to me for several weeks, I went to Oxford before Xmas and Roy said lets have a dance later Fletch, Roy is a challenging but exciting dancer,:worthy: I was horrified :eek: and said i'm not doing so well at the moment Roy, :sick: He asked why, I think it was that I was dancing with the top 10% of dancers the 'good dancers' and I wasn't moving on in the way I thought I should, he just said .....'well don't dance with them then, dance with people that make you happy':rolleyes:


Light bulb moment!:really: after Oxford I was back to my normal self and progressing at an OK level :clap:

[Sparkles]

Anyone care to Harperlink to some of the other threads on this topic? :flower:

[Lee Bartholomew]

Happens to me all the time.

All of a sudden I'll have a really good night and the forms back.

I have always found weekenders / big freestyles to help as they tend to raise my game alittle.

[TA Guy]

Yup,

Bored, Plateaued and from my sports days, what I call 'Loss of Sharpness' (=patchy? best way I can describe it) are all pretty familiar phases for me and I would guess most experienced dancers.

For the 'Loss of Sharpness', I find that quite tricky. I think it's mainly loss of motivation for me, but it can be induced by different things. Usually I snap out of it after a while.
Different nights, new nights help, weekenders help. If you were that way inclined targets might help, such as a competition, or something more local like asking dancers who your've never asked before.

If you find a pill tho, let me know? :)

[Seahorse]

On a regular basis... it's all in the mind. Can still dance but just not as well I'd wish.

Friends are a great source of support when this happens as are doing classes and ironically, dancing with beginners as the fun returns. If all else fails I go running.

[Double Trouble]

Err....Jive Lad....werent you asking for experienced dancers opinions?:whistle:













Taxi for DT

[jivecat]

Yup. I think it might be permanent this time. Perhaps some veterans, like Trampy, for example, could tell us how they can maintain their enthusiasm to dance so intensively over such a long period of time?


If you find a pill tho, let me know? If only things were that simple! Be a nice little earner, though, you could sell them at the door to the venue at a fiver a throw. Like a sort of dance viagra. What name would you market them under?

[ducasi]

If only things were that simple! Be a nice little earner, though, you could sell them at the door to the venue at a fiver a throw. Like a sort of dance viagra. What name would you market them under?
jivagra?

[Gav]

If only things were that simple! Be a nice little earner, though, you could sell them at the door to the venue at a fiver a throw. Like a sort of dance viagra. What name would you market them under?

Ectaceroc

[dave the scaffolder]

An excellent post.

One which will inspire self criticism in everyone.

Lately i have been in a dancing rut, as shown with my actions and comments about Utopia, i now am thinking about my motivations for dancing and have realised i was feeling inadequate at utopia and therefore choose to blame everyone and everything else for my disasterous night there.

It is a lot easier to blame someone or something else for my inadequacy, it is very hard to realise, "It is me", there is no one else who is responsible.

On that note may i apolagise to everyone who may have been offended by my remarks on a night that was excellent and which has led me to self criticise and be honest with myself.

On this note i have realised i dont have to be the best in the room, merely the best i can be on any given night.
:worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

I am not worthy.xxx xxx

[Lynn]

On this note i have realised i dont have to be the best in the room, merely the best i can be on any given night.:yeah:

My dancing has been off form for a while, maybe the past 6 months or so. I wasn't even enjoying weekenders that much. My following deteriorated and that was rather depressing.

But something clicked back into place at Southport and I had some fabulous dances and I feel more back on form - though also feel a bit 'protective' of that now. I'm trying to work out what's been going on so I know what to do next time.

[straycat]

I used to go off form from time to time, but now I've realised that if I think it's happening, all I have to do is lower my standards, and hey presto! I'm dancing like my new definition of a 'pro' in no time at all!

Not only that, but everyone else in the venue starts dancing better too, so I'm performing a wonderful public service at the same time :D

[TheTramp]

Yup. I think it might be permanent this time. Perhaps some veterans, like Trampy, for example, could tell us how they can maintain their enthusiasm to dance so intensively over such a long period of time?

Ah. I have days (weeks?) where I don't feel that I'm dancing as well as I could be. And I have the same where I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd like to be.

I don't have any choice other than to keep going through these times though (after all, it is my job). Knowing that eventually I'll come out the other side and be enjoying it as much as usual again.

Thankfully, it doesn't happen that often. And when it does, I do console myself with the thought that everyone hates their job from time to time. And I could be so much worse off!

[jivecat]

Ah. I have days (weeks?) where I don't feel that I'm dancing as well as I could be. And I have the same where I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd like to be.

I don't have any choice other than to keep going through these times though (after all, it is my job). Knowing that eventually I'll come out the other side and be enjoying it as much as usual again.

Thankfully, it doesn't happen that often. And when it does, I do console myself with the thought that everyone hates their job from time to time. And I could be so much worse off!

Ah, yes. I'd actually forgotten that it was your job. Just shows how much of the time you appear to be really enjoying yourself!

The thread's developed two lines of enquiry -

Do you feel that your dancing's off form? JiveLad's original intention, I think.

Do you feel that your level of enjoyment is lower at times?

For me, a usually leads to b.

[TheTramp]

Ah, yes. I'd actually forgotten that it was your job. Just shows how much of the time you appear to be really enjoying yourself!

That's because the majority of the time, I really am :D

[Lou]

Lately i have been in a dancing rut, as shown with my actions and comments about Utopia, i now am thinking about my motivations for dancing and have realised i was feeling inadequate at utopia and therefore choose to blame everyone and everything else for my disasterous night there.


My dancing has been off form for a while, maybe the past 6 months or so. I wasn't even enjoying weekenders that much. My following deteriorated and that was rather depressing.

I'm there too. I had a disappointing night at Utopia, as I discovered that after a year's not dancing, and piling on the weight again, I can't dance for toffee. :tears: I can totally understand DTS's frustrations. And it just becomes harder, as confidence sinks lower.

[Achaeco]

I stopped dancing for two years due to similar feelings.

I decided to go back to my first ever venue and see if i could kick start it off again. When i got there, i found a new teacher but all the old faces still there.
I walked in and everyone noticed that i was back. I was made to feel so welcome after not being there for 8 months.
I decided to stop striving to inprove all the time and go back to basics and just enjoy the night, don't dance all the time, sit and have a chat.
Modern jive is a social thing and you should always remember that.

Good look Jive lad

[Simon]

I'm there too. I had a disappointing night at Utopia, as I discovered that after a year's not dancing, and piling on the weight again, I can't dance for toffee. :tears: Not true. :hug:

[WittyBird]

Good look Jive lad

What was he wearing?
Maybe he needs Luck instead of a new wardrobe?

[Achaeco]

What was he wearing?
Maybe he needs Luck instead of a new wardrobe?

See. another mistake made while trying to do marking. Hope iv'e marked all this work correctly :blush:

[Paulthetrainer]

I get periods when I don't think that I'm dancing very well. Normally a weekender comes around and I get my zest back again. Or sometimes I try and find more new people to dance with (its all too easy to stick to your weekly regulars) just to freshen it up a bit.

I never used to care if I was any good at dancing or not because I didn't want to get too competitive with myself and I wanted dancing to be 100% social, (finished with competitive sport now), but human nature gets the better of us all now and again. I just allow myself to occasionally review my dancing ability but the focus is still on the social aspect of it.

[Minnie M]

I wonder why we have good dance days and bad ones - is it our bio-rhythms :confused:

I think we all have them - regardless of ability - and you know from your first dance of the evening if it is going to work or not - what a waste when good dancers ask you to dance too :tears:

[Lee Bartholomew]

Im having a major off form period at the moment.

Have had it for the last few weeks. Norm it goes after a a few night dancing but this one has stuck. Thought i would shake it off at Funky Lush but I danced terrible there and did last night too.

Got to the point I feel like just quitting till I get it back. Doesn't really help with the lack of decent classes / dancers down this way.

Will have a two week break leading up to Storm and just kind of hope that I get the passion back for it if not I might give it a few months rest.

[Double Trouble]

Thought i would shake it off at Funky Lush but I danced terrible there and did last night too.

Rubbish...!

You did a fantastic job on Friday. You danced all night and asked almost everyone in the room (including the men) for a dance. It was much appreciated, given the nightmare gender balance.

If you are going through a rough patch, I can't wait to dance with you when you are on good form. :love: :flower: :love:

[Lee Bartholomew]

Na done awful. Was only the red bull that kept me going.

Very tired and stressed at the mo too which prob doesn't really help.

[Groovemeister]

I lost a lot of motorvation for dancing just before christmas. The best thing I did was have a rest over the christmas period. Found I was right back on form when I came back.

I think some of the problem is that it's the learning process. If you do a lot of dancing/learning new moves/developing your style over a short period (as well as doing your day to day job life etc) your brain just shuts down.

I know in the past when I have done dance shows my MJ dancing goes all over the place. I think it must be something to do with the visualisation to body movement, muscle memory etc eventually you just have to stop and let your system recover.

[Seahorse]

I think it must be something to do with the visualisation to body movement, muscle memory etc eventually you just have to stop and let your system recover.

...and open a bottle of wine.

[Shodan]

Yup, I do go off form all the time. Bad memory so always forget moves and so forth.

At my peak I was doing ballroom medals, competing in salsa and on the rare event did some salsa teaching and jive teaching.

But now I'll be blown if I can do more than the basic steps in ballroom and salsa and with modern jive I have to really warm up with a considerate dancer before my powers come back to me.

Shame really, I used to be quite good. :confused:

[Caz]

Modern jive is a social thing and you should always remember that.


Completely agree...

I may not be what is classed as an "experienced dancer" only doing MJ for almost a year but i dance most nights so what does that say...

We all have off days... depending on what mood we r in.. how our day has been etc.. I see MJ as fun, great to meet people and yeah it can be competitive but u have to enjoy yourself ... if u want to compete and be the best, then be that.. do whatever makes u happy I say :D

[Mezzosoprano]

I'm not "experienced" - although that's something that needs to be defined 'cos one person's idea of experienced is not another's - I've only been dancing for 8/9 months but... I have off nights. I reckon everyone has off nights. The one's where your mind is perhaps not as focussed as you'd like it to be (like the night that I couldn't get anything right 'cos my mind was feverishly trying to work out whether or not I was supposed to have a report in at 9 am the next morning -or when one of my kids is not well....) I hate those nights 'cos I'm pretty sure my regular partners are thinking "what on earth's happened to her dancing!"

[jivecat]

I've got no energy or motivation, my balance is cr*p and my spinning's gone right off. As far as I can remember,as it's 3 weeks since I did any MJ.

Just out of interest, is there anyone at all on the forum who is prepared to own up to their dancing being absolutely fantastic at the moment?

[Gav]

I've got no energy or motivation, my balance is cr*p and my spinning's gone right off. As far as I can remember,as it's 3 weeks since I did any MJ.

Just out of interest, is there anyone at all on the forum who is prepared to own up to their dancing being absolutely fantastic at the moment?

Up and down like a..., well you get the idea.

Awful nights where I can't even dance with my favourite followers 'cos I'm that bad, followed by nights where the music inspires me and everything works nicely.
Bloody frustrating when you have a bad night after a good one. :mad:

[SnowWhite]

As an experienced dancer do you ever go 'off form'?

Yes...:sad:

[jivecat]

Up and down like a..., well you get the idea.



Kangaroo?
Yoyo?
Lift?
Harrier Jump Jet?

No idea.:confused: :innocent:

I used to be much better at mentally averaging out the good and bad nights -or maybe I just used to have lots of good nights?

[Trouble]

everybody goes off form now and then.

Mine completely depends on the atmosphere on the night, the attention i am getting and how my feet feel.:flower:

[Ian W]

I find I "go off" if I try and remember too many new moves from consecutive classes.
This happened last thursday. Very depressing it was too. (I'd also been trying to
copy a few of the moves from the Jamie and Mel video on Youtube :blush: )

I think from now on I will just do the intermediate class once every 2 weeks, and see
if that helps. And just go to the freestyle in the other weeks.

Ian