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007
21st-October-2003, 02:52 PM
I have only been dancing a few years. In that short time i have been lucky enough to find someone to enter a few of the "NATIONAL" competions. i have entered advanced and even open sections. To my dismay i have found that it no longer seems to be about Dancing ability(Maybe a bit strong). Neither is it to do with Style, Music Interpretation but it's all too do with how many Air Steps you can do out of time with the music in two songs.

i there should only be Airsteps aloud in Airstep sections no more no less. Don't get me wrong i do enjoy watching them but some people for whatever reason cant do them.:confused:
Am i completly Wrong???

Keith
21st-October-2003, 06:46 PM
The Open should never be classed as an Airsteps competition.
It should be a category which allows dancers to use moves, which they feel, are innovative & entertaining, allowing them to stretch the barriers.
If an airstep is used, in time with the music & executed well, then points should be awarded, if an airstep is used poorly, ie not in time/relevant to the music, then it should be seen in the same nature as any move executed badly.
The judges should & I'm sure are always looking for; well executed & well timed moves, unfortunately they are only human & can also get caught up on the day in the euphoria, albeit hopefully not to the same degree as the crowd.
Unfortunately as a dancer in this category, you are aware of the crowds responses, & this is usually more ovatious when an airstep has been performed. This can have a knock on effect if you are not careful, trying to woo the crowd with another airstep yourself!
I honestly feel that if there was an airstep section, this would allow the airsteppers to utilise this section & allow the others to perform there dancing with a couple of aerials if they see fit.
I also understand how difficult it is to fill an Airsteps Category!
No easy answer I'm afraid.
Keith

Martin
21st-October-2003, 07:19 PM
Airsteps ~ a tough call, being debated by the judges in Australia as well

Firstly hard to do to music that you do not know as it takes a lead move to get into it and a move to get out of it, if you want to execute it cleanly and smoothly.

So if the music changes mid-stream you are "buggered", the 'floor dancers' can adapt to the changes in tempo so much quicker.

It has clearly become a part of modern dance and does please the crowd. It has also got to be acknowledged as having a fair level of difficulty.


Personally I favour an advanced catogory that does not allow airsteps and a fully "Open" catogory, with no restrictions. That does not mean to say that the "open" is one step above the advanced, purely that it is a chance for dancers to show what they can perform.

On judging I would look very closely at the smoothness of entry and exit.
Also I would expect music to have a faily consistant beat and be well known to allow for the bigger moves that take time to execute.

whereas in the advanced catogory (floor moves only) I would expect tough music which changes tempo, preferably music that is not well known. This would sort out the "routine dancers" from the dancers that 'dance' to the music.

Personaly in an open catogory I would look to do 3 airsteps, one near the start, one in the middle and one near the end, to show your range of ability and fill the rest with style, interpretation and other "shines" you wish to execute.

Lets face it, if we all danced "regular" moves as taught in class it would lead to a very boring champs.

In Australia I have seen one couple win an open with only one medioca airstep, due to thier supierior floorcraft.

Marty

DavidB
21st-October-2003, 08:45 PM
Originally posted by 007
To my dismay i have found that it no longer seems to be about Dancing ability(Maybe a bit strong). Neither is it to do with Style, Music Interpretation but it's all too do with how many Air Steps you can do out of time with the music in two songs.
I've only seen 2 Open competitions in the UK - Ceroc and Brighton

- In the Hammersmith final, there was only one couple doing big aerials that other couples would find physically impossible (Ben & Debbie from Australia)
- At Brighton I can't remember any big aerials - Will and Kate did a few smaller ones, and Simon & Christine did several (especially in the early rounds).

In judging at Brighton, there was no specific criteria for marking aerials. So I just treated them the same way as any other move - was it done well, did it fit the music, was it 'danced', etc? But the only comment I heard from the other judges specifically on aerials was to check if someone had done more than the rules allowed.

On a personal level (talking about the Brighton Open only), it did make it 'interesting' to judge.
- No-one did any aerials that really impressed me, or brought a new standard to the event. The judges would know if something was new and innovative. But if you see the same lifts that you have seen before, you have a standard you can judge against.
- The aerials that were done happened so quickly - if you weren't actively watching that couple, you would have missed it. That in itself makes judging them very difficult - you are supposed to judge the entrance, the aerial itself, and the exit, but frequently all you see is the exit.
- Several couples choreographed an opening to the dance, with a short bit of dancing into a lift (or a drop in the Advanced). What you might gain on content you risk losing on it being choreographed.

In my opinion the standard of dancing (technique, musical interpretation, partnering, style) would have to be significantly better, or the number of aerials increased dramatically, or the rules changed to specifically reward aerials, before I would feel comments such as 007's had any real justification.

David

Jon L
22nd-October-2003, 12:17 AM
I agree with David here.

If they are used creatively then great, but as with drops and seducers just using them for the sake of it shouldn't impress the judges that much.

MartinHarper
15th-May-2005, 11:30 PM
I'm a little confused about what constitutes an aerial, mini-aerial, air step, jump, etc. Anyone care to explain what the differences are? If I see some guy doing a tuck jump during a return, does that count?

David Franklin
16th-May-2005, 01:44 PM
I'm a little confused about what constitutes an aerial, mini-aerial, air step, jump, etc. Anyone care to explain what the differences are? If I see some guy doing a tuck jump during a return, does that count?Why do you care? If it's a competition, look up the competition rules. If it's not, surely the most important question is whether or not it's safe. Note that the move below is arguably not an aerial, but is far more dangerous to other dancers than 99% of aerials I can think of...

Lou
16th-May-2005, 02:12 PM
Note that the move below is arguably not an aerial, but is far more dangerous to other dancers than 99% of aerials I can think of...
The exit to that one must be very tricky.... ;)

MartinHarper
16th-May-2005, 05:06 PM
Why do you care?

Mainly because I hear folks say that (eg) "aerials aren't safe on a social dance floor", or "aerials look fantastic", or whatever, and it's not always obvious what they're talking about.

Good Q, though.

David Bailey
16th-May-2005, 07:56 PM
Note that the move below is arguably not an aerial, but is far more dangerous to other dancers than 99% of aerials I can think of...
:rofl: - reminds me of a 70's martial-arts movie :)