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View Full Version : Dance etiquette ..again ..sorry



kiwichook
24th-November-2005, 08:14 PM
I thought this was brilliant advice, which I found recently on the net and consquently thought others may also enjoy reading this because again, it is something that perhaps isn't obvious on occasions, or even always thought about when we dance!

"People generally tend to dance with others at their own level, but you should try to dance socially with partners of all levels. Dance etiquette frowns disapprovingly on those who only dance with the best dancers on the floor. Although this is not a terrible offence, it is still bad form. Better dancers are especially advised to ask beginners to dance. Not only does this help the social dynamics of a dance, it also helps the better dancer (although it is outside the scope of this discussion to explain why or how).

Unfortunately, there are some social dancers who consider themselves too good to dance with beginners, who cannot ``keep up'' with their level of dancing. It is often the case that these dancers are not as good as they think. They need good partners because only good partners can compensate for their mistakes, bad technique, or other inadequacies. The truly good dancers often seek the challenge of dancing with those at lower levels, and enjoy it. Good dancers make their partners look good."

Minnie M
24th-November-2005, 08:32 PM
......... The truly good dancers often seek the challenge of dancing with those at lower levels, and enjoy it. Good dancers make their partners look good."
WCS World Champ Sara Van Drake said the same thing at Rebel Yell this year....

Lynn
24th-November-2005, 09:08 PM
The truly good dancers often seek the challenge of dancing with those at lower levels, and enjoy it. Good dancers make their partners look good." Even better, from personal experience with good dancers I would add 'good dancers make their partners feel good'.

Ghost
24th-November-2005, 11:31 PM
(Inspired by the 10 commandments thread)
Gotta love dancing with beginners because:

1. You can dance the same move over and over again and they're delighted.
2. They don't know all the moves properly so you can see exactly where your lead needs work
3. They're sooo easy to please
4. They don't lead their own drops
5. They don't randomly add in style points that decapitate nearby dancers
6. They occassionally surprise you with their skills from a different dance
7. They have no idea that you just fluffed a move and improvised
8. They haven't been turned to the bouncy hand style yet
9. They never turn you down because you're not good enough
10. The best dancers are just beginners......

Take care,
Christopher

Whitebeard
25th-November-2005, 12:20 AM
1. You can dance the same move over and over again and they're delighted.
2. They don't know all the moves properly so you can see exactly where your lead needs work
3. They're sooo easy to please
4. They don't lead their own drops
5. They don't randomly add in style points that decapitate nearby dancers
6. They occassionally surprise you with their skills from a different dance
7. They have no idea that you just fluffed a move and improvised
8. They haven't been turned to the bouncy hand style yet
9. They never turn you down because you're not good enough
10. The best dancers are just beginners......

Take care,
Christopher
There is a great deal of truth in all that but, from one who can at best describe himself as an experienced beginner, it is not quite that idyllic.

4. They don't lead their own drops. This mystifies me. Noone has done this on me. Perhaps they just sense that I'm not up to it.

6. They occassionally surprise you with their skills from a different dance. Certainly, right from the start, some beginners are light and responsive.

8. They haven't been turned to the bouncy hand style yet. But, unfortunately, others are heavy, leaden, and unresponsive; really hard work. Perhaps even worse, some seem to either arrive with that robotic bounce or pick it up at the very first lesson. I wish I knew which.

JonD
25th-November-2005, 01:21 AM
I've just got back from Jive - haven't been for 3 1/2 weeks due to work and then a horrible case of "man flu" (ladies, you just don't understand ...)

I had some lovely dances with beginners tonight. There was one woman who was sort of jigging by the edge of the dance floor so I asked her to dance. For the first minute or so she was concentrating so terribly hard: then I led her into a very simple basket walk and the biggest smile spread across her face and she grinned from ear to ear for the rest of the track. Never mind me making her feel good, she made me feel fantastic! What a great feeling. Two minutes later I was dancing with Keeley and had the most fabulous dance - she's just brilliant. Ah, I'm still on a high.

Two totally different dances, both of which left me feeling great. I love dancing! It wouldn't be the same if we didn't have this wonderful code of behaviour which creates such an inclusive and fun atmosphere. Those who ignore it miss out on so much.

TiggsTours
25th-November-2005, 10:35 AM
Good dancers make their partners look good."
:yeah: :yeah: :yeah:

Dorothy
25th-November-2005, 01:33 PM
I have now probably excelled to intermediate level, but would never have got here had it not been for the good dancers helping me out and asking me to dance. Is must be different for a lady than for a man, ie if you have an advanced lady it is difficult for her to be lead by a beginner man, and to "make him look good", whereas an advanced man can easily make a beginner woman look good?

Ghost
25th-November-2005, 03:52 PM
I have now probably excelled to intermediate level, but would never have got here had it not been for the good dancers helping me out and asking me to dance.
Welcome to the big leagues - time to forget everything you just learnt :rofl:


"Is must be different for a lady than for a man, ie if you have an advanced lady it is difficult for her to be lead by a beginner man, and to "make him look good", whereas an advanced man can easily make a beginner woman look good?
It depends.... A good lady can cover the man's mistakes which is always nice :flower: If she focusses on smoothness, he may relax more and dance better. She can take care of the floorcraft that he's as yet unaware of. If she can pull off play-time without throwing him, she can make him look fantastic. Promenade is a great example. The guy stands still and holds one hand in the air, yet he can take credit for 'leading' all the wonderful strutting the lady is doing and of course timing the ending perfectly so that she's in exactly the right time and place for the next move :wink: Quite a few of the earlier Strictly Come Dancing dances appeared to be based on "look at the brightly clothed hot lady doing the cool moves, so you're distarcted from the more shadowy dressed guy quietly praying he can remember the next move " :wink:

Take care,
Christopher

JonD
25th-November-2005, 04:14 PM
It depends.... A good lady can cover the man's mistakes which is always nice Which is a pretty fair description of what Keeley was doing for me last night!

Ickle Chick'n
25th-November-2005, 04:57 PM
There's loads of arguments you could get into here but I just have to say I love dancing with beginners and was effectively taxiing before I was asked to be a taxi dancer cos I loved seeing the appreciation on people's faces for the few minutes in a song that I had given them by asking them to dance! I feel you get much more back from beginners in a number of ways:

They may be nervous at the idea of dancing with a more advanced dancer but give it everything they've got, every time, and usually come off the floor smiling which always makes you feel good too. (more advanced parners more often get frustrated at the few 'mistakes' they've made and come off saying how pants that was compared to usual so not quite the buzz you'd hope for at the end of a track, either that or you feel you're pants yourself!).

I find I have to concentrate more on taking myself back to basic, minimise playing which tests how lazy I have become as beginners visualise moves in certain directions so constantly ending in a different place can confuse them! I'm not saying get rid of playing as I often test how well some higher level beginners can cope with a little to get them coping with more expressive music they might normally avoid.

Most importantly is they remember who helped them on their way up and who avoided them, I know I did, so when they become intermediate and advanced who are they most likely to willingly dance with?! There are a couple of people in Plymouth I helped as beginners about 2 years ago and they are lovely dancers now and they always come over and ask me to dance and still say to other people now "she helped me when I first started..." which is the sweetest thing. :blush: Very few are born able to dance, everyone has to start somewhere.

Todays beginners are tomorrows advanced and I'd say I learn as much from them as they do from me at present! :worthy:

ducasi
25th-November-2005, 05:46 PM
... It must be different for a lady than for a man, ie if you have an advanced lady it is difficult for her to be lead by a beginner man, and to "make him look good", whereas an advanced man can easily make a beginner woman look good? I agree with Ghost. Even as a beginner I felt I was "giving" a really great dance when I danced with certain excellent ladies. Even now, whatever my status is, I think I look better when I'm dancing with the best ladies.

But as I don't know the relative "advancedness" between advanced woman and advanced men, I really can't comment on the relative difficulty.

ducasi
25th-November-2005, 05:48 PM
...

Most importantly is they remember who helped them on their way up and who avoided them, I know I did, so when they become intermediate and advanced who are they most likely to willingly dance with?! There are a couple of people in Plymouth I helped as beginners about 2 years ago and they are lovely dancers now and they always come over and ask me to dance and still say to other people now "she helped me when I first started..." which is the sweetest thing. :blush: Very few are born able to dance, everyone has to start somewhere.

Todays beginners are tomorrows advanced and I'd say I learn as much from them as they do from me at present! :worthy: :yeah:

I'm not very good at the moment in a "nurturing" role myself, but I am very grateful to the ladies who helped me as a beginner. :worthy:

MartinHarper
25th-November-2005, 06:39 PM
If you have an advanced lady it is difficult for her to be lead by a beginner man, and to "make him look good", whereas an advanced man can easily make a beginner woman look good?

If a lady thinks that, she isn't advanced yet.

Ghost
25th-November-2005, 06:47 PM
If a lady thinks that, she isn't advanced yet.
Nope, she's advanced all right. Just got a ways to go before she's just a beginner :wink:

Take care,
Christopher

Night Owl
26th-November-2005, 12:23 AM
I have now probably excelled to intermediate level, but would never have got here had it not been for the good dancers helping me out and asking me to dance. Is must be different for a lady than for a man, ie if you have an advanced lady it is difficult for her to be lead by a beginner man, and to "make him look good", whereas an advanced man can easily make a beginner woman look good?


Well as i`ve only been dancing since sept 1 .I class myself as a beginner still,I danced with Lily :worthy:,don`t think ladies come much more advanced, at both the BFG and last w/e in Aberdeen and I got nothing but compliments and I only did a few baic beginners moves the whole dance. :blush: don`t know if I looked good or not but I sure felt good :yeah:

Mind you maybe the kilt swung things in Aberdeen :rofl:

CJ
26th-November-2005, 12:28 PM
Mind you maybe the kilt swung things in Aberdeen :rofl:

Did you do the "Snake" as well?!?!?:whistle: :whistle:

WittyBird
26th-November-2005, 02:44 PM
Did you do the "Snake" as well?!?!?:whistle: :whistle:

Nope will resist *gags self and returns to corner*

LilyB
26th-November-2005, 06:59 PM
Did you do the "Snake" as well?!?!?:whistle: :whistle:

And wouldn't people like to know what I saw whilst 'doing the Snake'? :whistle: :rofl: :devil: :devil: :devil:

LilyB
26th-November-2005, 07:06 PM
.... I got nothing but compliments and I only did a few basic beginners moves the whole dance. :blush: don`t know if I looked good or not but I sure felt good :yeah:
Well, it felt good dancing with you, and that's what counts in partner-dancing.:flower:


Mind you maybe the kilt swung things in Aberdeen :rofl:
And that definitely looked good.:waycool:

Night Owl
26th-November-2005, 10:16 PM
Well, it felt good dancing with you, and that's what counts in partner-dancing.:flower:


And that definitely looked good.:waycool:

Gosh:blush: Thank you again Lily:worthy: :flower:


I`ll need to enlarge the doors going into our venue in Inverness get my head thru:rofl: :yeah:

Long road to travel yet but loving every minute

MartinHarper
2nd-December-2005, 07:02 PM
The truly good dancers often seek the challenge of dancing with those at lower levels, and enjoy it. Good dancers make their partners look good. Good dancers make their partners look good.

So, there's a Lindy workshop a bit South of me this March, and I'm thinking of going. They have the standard problem with "levels", and I liked their "level three - go" definition:


You would call yourself a Lindy Hopper. You aren't afraid to try things out, and would dance with nearly anyone of any standard on the social dance floor to both slow and quick tempos. This is not ‘out and out’ advanced (but is up there).

It reminded me of this excellent thread.

Minnie M
4th-December-2005, 10:06 PM
If a lady thinks that, she isn't advanced yet.
:yeah:


Nope, she's advanced all right. Just got a ways to go before she's just a beginner
sorry - don't understand this ???

Minnie M
4th-December-2005, 10:11 PM
Originally=Night Owl
.... I got nothing but compliments and I only did a few basic beginners moves the whole dance. don`t know if I looked good or not but I sure felt good


Well, it felt good dancing with you, and that's what counts in partner-dancing.:flower:

And that definitely looked good.:waycool:
:yeah:
- although I'm not in the same class as Lilyb - but I remember my couple of dances with Night Owl at the BFG and I really enjoyed them too :flower: thank you :hug:

CJ
5th-December-2005, 04:01 PM
And wouldn't people like to know what I saw whilst 'doing the Snake'? :whistle: :rofl: :devil: :devil: :devil:


Lily, you can do my snake anytime, doll.:devil:

(did you have your contacts in?!?)

Dance Demon
24th-December-2005, 02:37 PM
Well..........a new one last night at Marcos Christmas party........was enjoying a lovely dance with a lady I'd never met before, and another couple actually walked through between us to get onto the floor:really: ...I had to let go of my partners hands as they barged their way through.....then they gave me a dirty look because I didn't step out of their way:mad: some people just don't have a clue:rolleyes:

Night Owl
24th-December-2005, 02:46 PM
Think that may have been the same couple that just about knocked me flying too, on their way off the floor.

Had a brill night other wise tho:clap: