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Lynn
26th-September-2005, 12:07 PM
Apologies if there is already a thread on this somewhere (I did search).

Following on from the eye contact thread I was thinking about how nice it is when someone smiles when they dance with you. I am aware that not smiling can be due to concentrating, especially on the leaders part - and sometimes I quite like it when a move goes a bit wrong as I find it usually results in a quick grin! I don't enjoy a dance when there is no smile from beginning to end - very rare, but it happens. But I really like it when my partner is smiling for at least part of the dance, not an artificial fixed grin, but a genuine 'I'm enjoying myself' smile - and that sudden big smile that you sometimes get after an unexpected or particularly nice move is just lovely!

Anyone else have any smiling/not smiling dances?

Cruella
26th-September-2005, 12:29 PM
Apologies if there is already a thread on this somewhere (I did search).

Following on from the eye contact thread I was thinking about how nice it is when someone smiles when they dance with you. I am aware that not smiling can be due to concentrating, especially on the leaders part - and sometimes I quite like it when a move goes a bit wrong as I find it usually results in a quick grin! I don't enjoy a dance when there is no smile from beginning to end - very rare, but it happens. But I really like it when my partner is smiling for at least part of the dance, not an artificial fixed grin, but a genuine 'I'm enjoying myself' smile - and that sudden big smile that you sometimes get after an unexpected or particularly nice move is just lovely!

Anyone else have any smiling/not smiling dances?
I think it's lovely when your partner smiles, but sometimes the smile can seem false if it's permanently there. Thats where the eye contact can help as the eyes will show whether it is a genuine smile or not. As long as my partner isn't laughing at me of course!

killingtime
26th-September-2005, 01:00 PM
Actually a partner recently stuck her tongue out at me; which caused me to smile and I asked why she did it and she said "just to make you not look so serious". I used to smile all the time dancing but now I seem to do it less; I'm not sure whether I'm just concentrating more now or some other factor. You are right in saying that I tend to smile when things go wrong more than when things are working just fine. I shall to let my enjoyment of a dance show more though.

:what: :what: :what: :D (<--see)

I think a smile and eye contact (though that's another thread) really are important to how well you think a dance is going. A person who looks bored and is starring off around the room for the whole dance really doesn't make an enjoyable dance for me.

Lynn
26th-September-2005, 01:05 PM
I think a smile and eye contact (though that's another thread) really are important to how well you think a dance is going. A person who looks bored and is starring off around the room for the whole dance really doesn't make an enjoyable dance for me. :yeah: I did dance with a guy like that once - it was a sort of 'look at me, look how good I am' thing and I just felt like an accessory for him to show off with. :mad: I don't mind the 'not smiling' for a lot of the dance but a smile at certain points is evidence that the person is enjoying themselves. No smile at all, at any point or at the end, and I would assume the person didn't enjoy the dance and wouldn't choose to dance with them again.

Dizzy
26th-September-2005, 01:30 PM
Actually a partner recently stuck her tongue out at me; which caused me to smile and I asked why she did it and she said "just to make you not look so serious".

:na: Back at ya!!



I think a smile and eye contact (though that's another thread) really are important to how well you think a dance is going. A person who looks bored and is starring off around the room for the whole dance really doesn't make an enjoyable dance for me.

:yeah: I dance with a particular dancer who is always staring around the room when we dance and I used to feel that he was not paying me enough attention during the dance. Then I realised during one paticular dance that he wasn't doing it because he was bored but he was scanning the dance space around us to figure out where to put me next. :blush:

ducasi
26th-September-2005, 01:44 PM
I think when I was just starting out I smiled more than I do now. Probably because I was always so delighted that things were working, or laughing at things going wrong!

I do think I smile when it's appropriate, when things go really wrong, or really right, to acknowledge my partner, to generally show that I'm enjoying myself. But I think I could smile more, and sometimes I'll make myself smile during a dance by thinking of something ridiculous... I wonder though what my partners make of me suddenly grinning inanely for no apparent reason. :D

Some people in life are just naturally smiley, but I'm not one of them. :sad:

As far as partners go... ignoring those who might as well be dancing with me long-distance, for the lack of connection you get with them...

:what: Non-smiling – quite often beginners concentrating... That's OK.
:) Simple smiles – maybe from people just lost in the music. I don't mind.
:o Shy smiles – love these.
:D Fixed grins – seen this once or twice. A bit weird. Presumably taught at the beauty pageant school.
:grin: Grimaces – if you can't smile naturally, please don't bother, you're freaking me out!
:na: Tongue pokes – can make me laugh.
:mad: Face like thunder – Seen this with one or two people. No idea why...
:devil: Sexy smiles – can't get enough of these!
:rolleyes: You've messed up smile – Don't mind, just so long as it's not too often! :blush:
:nice: Natural smile – smiling with me, showing enjoyment. You can't ask for more.

So, smiling is important, but it doesn't take much of it to keep me happy.

Weird coincidence... "Smile" by Nat King Cole has just come up on my iTunes.

:waycool:

killingtime
26th-September-2005, 02:01 PM
:na: Back at ya!!

OK. Now I'm worried that I'm one of the miserable dancer we are talking about :really:.


:yeah: I dance with a particular dancer who is always staring around the room when we dance and I used to feel that he was not paying me enough attention during the dance.

Well there is that element of dance floor awareness and I think I maintain less eye contact ever since I started trying to avoid other dancers (and also when I'm trying to find if there is enough space to do a particular move). If I'm not doing that though I'll focus on my partner.

Piglet
26th-September-2005, 04:37 PM
I think getting a smile while you are dancing is the biggest compliment.

I'm sure that I used to smile more when I was learning as I would be laughing at all the things that were going wrong and the smile just hung around.

Nowadays, a lead will get a big smile from me when he tries a new move that feels really nice, or catches me out, or has a great momentum, or cos I've just been dropped and it was exquisitely executed, or just cos he asks me to dance!! A good tune will also have me smiling cos there's nothing better than dancing to a well loved song - I seem to find I have better dances then, but I might be totally wrong and just fooled myself because the song has got to me in that way. :D

MartinHarper
28th-September-2005, 08:12 PM
Anyone else have any smiling/not smiling dances?

Well there was that time I got all frowny about whether I was smily enough.

Amir told us that the Tango look is about smouldering passion, doomed romance, and other things not conducive to grinning like a ninny. I struggle with that, but it's neat to watch, particularly to appropriate songs.

KatieR
5th-October-2005, 02:24 PM
I was also thinking about watching dancers who are smiling. When watching Sarah at Rebel yell when she was teaching and doing the cabaret, one thing that made me go WOW was how much she really seemed to enjoy what she was doing... can smiling make a persons dancing appear better than it actually is?

under par
5th-October-2005, 02:29 PM
Apologies if there is already a thread on this somewhere (I did search).

Following on from the eye contact thread I was thinking about how nice it is when someone smiles when they dance with you. I am aware that not smiling can be due to concentrating, especially on the leaders part.....


GUILTY (sometimes)

Gadget
5th-October-2005, 08:40 PM
Apologies if there is already a thread on this somewhere (I did search).
How about this thread:
smiley face or sour face? (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5681)

TA Guy
16th-October-2005, 08:16 PM
Must admit I'm one of those who doesn't smile when dancing, or make much eye contact. It doesn't have any reflection on my partner whatsoever, and it's nothing to do with concentration and absolutely doesn't mean I am not enjoying the dance. Dunno what it is really, it's just the way I am.
I do laugh (in a nice way) when things go wrong, I do (I think) smile at the end of the dance and thank/compliment my partner.

I just think I'm more of a laugher than a smiler, and while there are appropriate points to laugh at whilst dancing sometimes, I wouldn't blame a lady for knocking my block off if I laughed all thru the dance :)

doc martin
16th-October-2005, 10:49 PM
I think I smile quite a bit, dancing or not, but that is just the way I am.

What has got me worried is that I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that I stick my tongue out at times. And that I've got it turned upside down too :eek: I have no idea why I have started doing this (or whether I always have done it and never noticed before), and no idea how silly it looks although I have my suspicions.

So if you are dancing with me and my tongue is sticking out, please tell me quietly and I'll put it away.