WCS or Smile, your face won't crack

[robd]

it is all about having fun ( for me anyway).

At Southport i was watching the Godlike West Coast Swingers and nearly everyone of them had a face like a smacked arse, no smiling or laughing and no fun.

FUN thats the key word sport fans. It is all about fun,


we are in a social dance scene not a professional one it is all about fun IMHO.

If you have to concentrate too hard on your footwork then you are missing the point



I will say me and my Trouble did all of the WCS lessons with Graham Fox and really enjoyed them, and we are now going to do WCS on a weekly basis, so look out you hot shots Westies DTS and Trouble are on your case.



And thinking hard I am struggling to recall ever seeing a westie dancing with a smile on their face.


Amusing as it is to see DTS decide he wants to stop having fun when dancing (that is the logical conclusion from your posts above isn't it Dave?) I really don't know where this idea that all WCS dancers are miserable b*stards and all MJ dancers are smiling, fun loving, happy go lucky folk comes from. Cruella and I do some WCS from time to time - anyone unfortunate enough to be dancing nearby will attest that there's plenty of (highly audible) fun happening there. I don't deny a few of the regular crowd have quite a serious outlook but I see just as many miserable, face like a wet weekend leaders and followers at Ashtons or wherever as I do at WCS events (and no, smartarses, that's not just when they are dancing with me :rolleyes: ). Your personality defines your attitude on the social dancefloor a lot more than the style of dance.

[Steven666]

I saw two FANTASTIC WCS'ers at Hyde a while back and they looked so happy. But they were so good so it's unlikely that they had to contrate.

Concentrating automatically gives you a face like a smacked arse.

[Rebecca]

Benji and Heidi? Now that's smiling! :D

[pjfrad]

Why does somebody have to have a big smile to be having fun and enjoying themselves. I've seen a lot of sports on a social level where people aren't smiling, but if they didn't enjoy it they wouldn't do it.

[LemonCake]

I think there's something about the style of dancing and the style of music you're dancing to that does influence facial expression. Expression mirrors mood (in the unguarded, anyway). Cheery cheesy pop for MJ is more likely (in me, at least) to inspire smiles and even a giggle (depending on lead) than, for example, blues for UCP when expression will probably reflect quiet contentment. I've done a very little bit of WCS (and find it necessary to laugh at my mistakes) and depending on the music it can either be fun/giggly or more serious. I've not done any Tango but somehow can't imagine that it prompts silly grins and merriment throughout. :rolleyes:

That said, I do sometimes feel the need to smile encouragingly all through a dance, which does get tiring. I find this more when dancing with new partners, as the better I get to know someone the more relaxed it is possible to be and they'll know that just because I don't have a fixed grin plastered on doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it.

[David Bailey]

I've not done any Tango but somehow can't imagine that it prompts silly grins and merriment throughout. :rolleyes:
It depends.

Vals does - the whole point is to be light, frothy, romantic and playful. Similarly for Milonga, I believe.

[Chef]

I am only just getting to the point where I smile and dance some fairly basic WCS at the same time. When I first started I felt a mixture of intense concentration, panic as I completely lost the plot, and feelings of deep sorrow for what my follower was going through. I still get those same feelings but not quite so often.

It is very difficult to have a cheery, nonchalant smile on your face when you can feel the coordination between hands, feet and body are going to hell in a hand basket below you.

I felt exactly the same way when I was learning waltz and cha cha. When you are learning then the concentration is intense and your are not at sufficient ease to smile as well. There is just too much tension everywhere, including your face to smile like air stewardess.

The lack of smiling is due to the concentration required by all but the most able in a dance. It is not like anyone decides that they are miserable sods and that a dance like tango or WCS would suit their natural hang dog expression better.

Just watch an MJ follower trying to recover from a spin that they are falling out of or being put into a drop by a leader who obviously no idea of what they are doing. You won't see much smiling there either.

[Lory]

Why does somebody have to have a big smile to be having fun and enjoying themselves.

You don't 'have' to :rolleyes:

But in my eyes, a smile is always welcome and very reassuring for your partner. :o

A simple smile can speak a thousand words of encouragement!;)

Confusion can occur, when a lead gets frustrated with themselves for going wrong and pulls a stern worried face. It can often translate to their partner that they're cross with them :(

A smile also makes you less intimidating and more approachable to ask!:nice:

But then again, I reckon some people purposely go out of their way to achieve the 'intimidating and less approachable' persona.. it saves them the hassle of being asked by all and sundry! :devil:

[MartinHarper]

I have an excellent photo of me at Beach Boogie, dancing West Coast and not smiling.
My partner, on the other hand, is doing an excellent imitation of a Cheshire cat.