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View Full Version : Poll: Which Beginner moves are not safe on a crowded floor.



bigdjiver
26th-July-2007, 12:20 AM
Simple - just pick beginner moves that you think are not safe on a crowded floor, if any.

Ghost
26th-July-2007, 01:09 AM
Simple - just pick beginner moves that you think are not safe on a crowded floor, if any.

Very safe
# Armjive
# In and Out

Safe
# Slo Comb

Neutral
# Side to Side Shoulders
# Backpass
# Manspin
# Shoulderslide
# Armjive Pushspin
# Octopus

Unsafe
# Basket
# Armjive Swizzle
# Cerocspin
# First Move
# First Move Pushspin
# Yoyo

V Unsafe
# Catapult
# Shoulderdrop

NB this is based on how safe I and my partner are from other bad floorcraft so during the catapult and shoulderdrop, there's a huge blindspot behind us.

Obviously it also depends on how you want to define "crowded" and "safe" - I'm talking about being bumped not dropping someone from an aerial.

bigdjiver
26th-July-2007, 01:39 AM
:blush: :blush: :blush: and I missed out the step across, which was the move that inspired the thread ...

Lory
26th-July-2007, 08:26 AM
:blush: :blush: :blush: and I missed out the step across, which was the move that inspired the thread ...

Its OK, i've added it now ;)

Lee Bartholomew
26th-July-2007, 08:47 AM
I've seen a nose bleed as a result of a arm jive push spin once. :what:

straycat
26th-July-2007, 08:55 AM
They're all safe.
And they're all potentially hazardous.

It ain't what you do....

Stuart M
26th-July-2007, 10:43 AM
I thought there was a beginner's move called "The Not-so Hidden Agenda". But then again maybe not.

:flower:

Beowulf
26th-July-2007, 11:37 AM
It ain't what you do....

... it's the way that you do it. (dammit Stray.. I've got that song in my head now)

As someone who ONLY dances beginner moves regardless of the floor being busy or quiet I would say IMHO they are as safe as the person leading them.

I'd rather someone did an arm jive than a drop on a busy floor that's for sure.

I can , and do, keep my followers under control as much as I can, and keep moves small as possible if space is cramped and manoeuvre/turn so moves develop into unoccupied space.

*still singing that darned song :mad:

"You can try hard don't mean a thing
Take it easy and then your jive will swing" :D

Gav
26th-July-2007, 12:06 PM
I would say IMHO they are as safe as the person leading them.

:yeah::yeah::yeah:

It's the same old argument as "are guns dangerous?", "are cars dangerous?" and so on. The answer is always the same. None of them are dangerous, but I'm sure all the moves could be done in a dangerous way if you find a big enough numpty. :rolleyes:

Ghost
26th-July-2007, 01:59 PM
... it's the way that you do it. (dammit Stray.. I've got that song in my head now)

As someone who ONLY dances beginner moves regardless of the floor being busy or quiet I would say IMHO they are as safe as the person leading them.

I used to dance at a very crowded venue where the floorcraft was truly appauling :tears: What I found was that any move with blind spots was unsafe because sooner or later other dancers would come in from that angle and bump / elbow / step on etc.

Pretty much summed up by this conversation
Me - "So how many times to you think you get bumped on an average night"
Her - "10, maybe 12"

I don't dance there any more.....

(and yes, aerials were done on the dance floor)

Spiky Steve
26th-July-2007, 02:00 PM
I think they are all safe. It's just the need to pay attention to other dancers. Especially when joining and leaving the dance floor. It's the awareness of not joining the dance floor and standing too close.

MartinHarper
26th-July-2007, 02:22 PM
If it was truly crowded, I'd probably steer clear of the lot. Anything in open position is suspect in that kind of environment.

Trouble
26th-July-2007, 02:42 PM
I think they are all safe. It's just the need to pay attention to other dancers. Especially when joining and leaving the dance floor. It's the awareness of not joining the dance floor and standing too close.

:yeah:

also its not that enjoyable to do too much flaying around on a busy dance floor. I much prefer the cooch up close and sway method. :innocent: :rolleyes: :D

2leftfeet
26th-July-2007, 09:03 PM
Its not the moves that are not safe....its begginers like me that are not!!!
:waycool:

StokeBloke
26th-July-2007, 10:56 PM
It's all unsafe. I think we should start a petition to get dancing banned.

bigdjiver
28th-July-2007, 11:30 PM
It's all unsafe. I think we should start a petition to get dancing banned.:blush: I am a bad poll designer. I missed the "None of them are safe" option.

Not for the first time I have asked myself a question I cannot answer. :confused: :sad:
I am still trying to decide.

Gadget
30th-July-2007, 12:44 PM
Every one of them can be danced in such a way to increase the likelihood of injury to anyone dancing close. And any one of them can be danced to minimise the likelihood of injury.

As a rule of thumb, the longer a move lasts and the more distance the follower travels, then the more 'dangerous' the move could be. This holds true of any move, not just "beginner" moves.

Beowulf
30th-July-2007, 12:51 PM
As a rule of thumb, the longer a move lasts and the more distance the follower travels, then the more 'dangerous' the move could be.

News flash.. Ceroc to introduce tape measures and stop watches to all dancers to limit dance floor collisions.

;)

Mr Cool
30th-July-2007, 01:25 PM
I would rate the windmill as one of the most dangerous moves :rofl:
some of the men try to rip the arms off their victims.:whistle:

:waycool: :waycool: :cheers: :cheers:

Raul
31st-July-2007, 11:25 AM
News flash.. Ceroc to introduce tape measures and stop watches to all dancers to limit dance floor collisions.

;)

And along the lines of the Driving Test, they have an exam all beginners must pass before hitting the freestyle floor.

YouTube - Ney Melo & Jennifer Bratt "La Bruja" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elMyNZId4Zc)

bigdjiver
31st-July-2007, 11:51 AM
... before hitting the freestyle floor..." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elMyNZId4Zc)Could have been phrased better?

Raul
31st-July-2007, 12:04 PM
And along the lines of the Driving Test, they have an exam all beginners must pass before hitting the freestyle floor.




Could have been phrased better?

... before striking out?
... before stretching their dancing legs?
... before giving it large?

:innocent: :wink:

bigdjiver
31st-July-2007, 12:58 PM
The MJ I have seen taught is with the dancers in close packed lines. They learn from the first not to stray sideways, and aclimatise to finishing in line. As a natural process they learn, from the first, to dance in 'their space' and the dimensions of that space. They learn as if on a crowded floor. We all remember those that get it wrong, but any first time viewer of an MJ freestyle could be forgiven for wondering why the floor is not littered with casualties.
My final conclusion is that all of the moves are safe if done responsibly in a crowded, but disciplined, environment. If the dance floor is not generally safe then it probably qualifies as over-crowded.
As has been said, some dancers that have been spoilt with lots of space can lose discipline, and be dangerous, as can some in other categories, like intoxicated or 'carried away'.

Raul
31st-July-2007, 03:10 PM
:yeah:

You can tell as you arrive that the first lesson has just ended because they are still dancing along lines .. until some "better dancers" come along and scatter them apart with a travelling triple spin. Many of them learn to copy the "flash" dancers.


p.s. It would appear from the poll that we should stop doing the step across as it is the most dangerous beginner move. It it goes wrong it is all our fault, remember!

DundeeDancer
17th-August-2007, 12:18 AM
10 weeks in and I think all the beginners moves are pretty safe...have I got a lot to learn...:grin:

I do notice the more experience dancer do cover more floorspace and fairly often they come thundering in towards my partner when were are spreading out after a return say. When I see this happening :eek: I isntinctively pull my partner towards me out the way of the danger. Does kind of mess up my next move but better me looking a little silly than my partner getting covered in bruises.:eek:

Maybe when I get a bit better I'll be able to turn these pulling my partner out of danger moves into something swish?

Any thoughts :confused:

happygoldfish
17th-August-2007, 09:26 AM
I do notice the more experience dancer do cover more floorspace and fairly often they come thundering in towards my partner when were are spreading out after a return say.

Maybe when I get a bit better I'll be able to turn these pulling my partner out of danger moves into something swish?

Any thoughts :confused:

After a left-handed return … if you see this happening, finish the return by sweeping your hand to your right, between you and your partner, as soon as it comes down. This wiil stop her from stepping back, and indeed will make her step across herself to her left. Then do a Cerc-spin if it's safe, or some fancey footwork if you know any … or just stop, and start again, and explain how you rescued her! :)

After a right-handed return … go straight into a slow comb … smile! … and use the oppotunity to steer her round to somewhere safer, and to diss the opposition! :nice:

But you're already a good dancer …


When I see this happening :eek: I isntinctively pull my partner towards me out the way of the danger.

That makes you a good dancer, and them bad dancers! :wink: :respect:

:cheers:

David Bailey
17th-August-2007, 09:36 AM
I do notice the more experience dancer do cover more floorspace and fairly often they come thundering in towards my partner when were are spreading out after a return say. When I see this happening :eek: I isntinctively pull my partner towards me out the way of the danger. Does kind of mess up my next move but better me looking a little silly than my partner getting covered in bruises.:eek:

Maybe when I get a bit better I'll be able to turn these pulling my partner out of danger moves into something swish?

Any thoughts :confused:
The only advice I can give is to try to always be aware of the couples dancing around you - unfortunately I think this is something you can only develop with practice. Trying to do that, and to lead your partner as well, is very difficult - I re-discovered this in Tango social dancing.

But in theory, if you're aware enough, you'll react before the thundering "experienced" (!) dancer comes along, because you'll have seen them thundering around and be more aware of their habits. So you'll adjust your dancing to accommodate this, without needing to react at the last minute.

I've been very reliably informed that one of the key indicators of an advanced leader is how quickly they spot potential problems and how smoothly they can avoid them.