Newbie doesn't know which way to turn

[Gav]

I'm sure I'll regret this and end up no closer to a decision, but what the hell...

I'm in my 30's, ex-squaddie and rugby player and never danced in my life until January. I've been MJ'ing since then and love it to bits.

Lot's of people talk about doing other dance styles for variety and because it helps to develop your style in MJ.

The question is, what would be of most use?
or which would be least difficult for me to pick up?

TIA.
Gav.

[Feelingpink]

I'm sure I'll regret this and end up no closer to a decision, but what the hell...

I'm in my 30's, ex-squaddie and rugby player and never danced in my life until January. I've been MJ'ing since then and love it to bits.

Lot's of people talk about doing other dance styles for variety and because it helps to develop your style in MJ.

The question is, what would be of most use?
or which would be least difficult for me to pick up?

TIA.
Gav.What is available within commutable distance of where you live? Are the teachers really good?

[TiggsTours]

I'm sure I'll regret this and end up no closer to a decision, but what the hell...

I'm in my 30's, ex-squaddie and rugby player and never danced in my life until January. I've been MJ'ing since then and love it to bits.

Lot's of people talk about doing other dance styles for variety and because it helps to develop your style in MJ.

The question is, what would be of most use?
or which would be least difficult for me to pick up?

TIA.
Gav.

This is a really personal thing, and it will come from your personal tastes within MJ. What sort of music do you most enjoy dancing to? Which tempo do you prefer? Are you an upright and elegant dancer? A fun and bouncy (in a good way) dancer? A smooth and clean dancer? Or just downright dirty! :devil:

The best styles to have a look at if you want to get an idea (as in easy to get a "taster" of to see if you fancy taking it any further) I would say are:

West Coast Swing - Smooth and clean, a little bit sexy, but still lots of fun.
Salsa - Elegant and smooth to downright dirty! If you love the latin, give it a try
Street - If you like the funky stuff, not alot of partner street dance around, but worth looking at.
Lindy - My favourite! If you like the swing stuff, and you like to have fun on the dancefloor and not take it too seriously, there's plenty of bottom kicking to be had!


That's just my thoughts, I'm sure other people will have different ones.

[Twirly]

Since you're going to Camber, why not try some taster workshops and see what appeals?

[Tessalicious]

Also, what kind of music do you like, and what methods of teaching suit you?

The closest thing to the Ceroc format is probably a formal Salsa class (as opposed to one in a bar), but some ballroom/latin aimed at beginners can be similar too. WCS is useful, but very tricky if you're still getting used to MJ - ditto Lindy (and you'll end up not liking slow music). Tango takes a long time to learn and is (from what I can tell) quite demoralising at the start - but then you may find it's the easiest time to get into it, when you're still able to accept yourself for being a beginner.

If solo dance is (or could be) your thing then some street can be really good for learning how to use your body to express a dance without feeling inhibited, but can be daunting to start with, and if you don't really like RnB you'll get bored after a few lessons.

The best way to start might be to find a few classes in things you are interested in, go to one of each on successive weeks and decide which you prefer. A dance style you don't enjoy learning won't help you at all. Or you could just arrange to go to the MJ workshops that give you tasters of other styles like blues and latin, and see where that takes you.

[straycat]

Try a few different ones? Then pick your favourite.

I myself favour Lindy & Tango, but you need access to good venues & good teaching to make the most of 'em. WCS would be great if there's somewhere good near you, and there's always Salsa. Oh - and the various ballroom / latin dances.

Out of the ones I know, Salsa is probably the least 'technically useful', can't speak for WCS (though I really want to learn it), ballroom & latin would be good from a technical point of view, but I don't find them nearly as much fun. When the teachers are on a par with each other, Lindy and Tango are probably neck and neck for how much they'd benefit your dancing - on a technical level, Tango possibly edges out Lindy (hard to judge, because they're so vastly different in), but I find swing music a lot more accessible than tango.

It's all very subjective though.

Also, some of the solo dances would help a lot - jazz classes, tap, contemporary, street, hiphop - anything which teaches dance technique.

Try it all! See which you like :)

[TheTramp]

I have to say, that if you've only been dancing since January, unless you are one of those people that takes to it like a duck to water (Dazzler from Inverness for example! :respect: ), then I think that the best way to improve your MJ at the moment, is probably by learning to do MJ.

Most people after 6 months of dancing, are still very much in the learning stage. At this point, there's so much that you can (probably) still work on. And for style tips, I'd suggest watching the people around you whose dancing you like, and trying to copy what they do. There may also be style workshops around. But only do those if you like the style of the person teaching it! :rolleyes:

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be a benefit, trying to learn another dance style, just that you may well end up rather confused and disheartened. I'd suggest getting one under your belt, before moving onto another.

[Gav]

Since you're going to Camber, why not try some taster workshops and see what appeals?

Good point, I'd forgotten about all the different classes they have!

[Gav]

I have to say, that if you've only been dancing since January, unless you are one of those people that takes to it like a duck to water (Dazzler from Inverness for example! :respect: ), then I think that the best way to improve your MJ at the moment, is probably by learning to do MJ.

Most people after 6 months of dancing, are still very much in the learning stage. At this point, there's so much that you can (probably) still work on. And for style tips, I'd suggest watching the people around you whose dancing you like, and trying to copy what they do. There may also be style workshops around. But only do those if you like the style of the person teaching it! :rolleyes:

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be a benefit, trying to learn another dance style, just that you may well end up rather confused and disheartened. I'd suggest getting one under your belt, before moving onto another.

Thx, truth is that I just get a bit frustrated with myself sometimes and although I have infinite patience with most people, I'm very impatient with myself, hence trying to find ways to get better quicker!

[TiggsTours]

ditto Lindy (and you'll end up not liking slow music).
Who told you that? I love dancing to slow stuff, lindy blues is just fantastic, and if you do WCS too, learning lindy will really add a certain edge to it. I just don't like a whole night of the slow stuff!

[whitetiger1518]

Thx, truth is that I just get a bit frustrated with myself sometimes and although I have infinite patience with most people, I'm very impatient with myself, hence trying to find ways to get better quicker!

I've been MJing since June, and have so much to learn..:eek: . However I started to learn quickly once I found several lovely guys (you know who you are! :respect: :hug: ) that will stretch me by introducing new steps and moves into our freestyle dances, but will stop and teach me the move if I don't get it instinctively.


The best way to learn MJ (or any style) I think is to:

A) Smile and say Yes to all requests to dance
B) Smile and ask people of all levels to dance with you
C) Dance, Dance, Dance

Enjoy yourself whatever you do :grin:

Whitetiger

[clevedonboy]

Who told you that? I love dancing to slow stuff, lindy blues is just fantastic, and if you do WCS too, learning lindy will really add a certain edge to it. I just don't like a whole night of the slow stuff!

:yeah: People seem to think that Lindy Hoppers only dance at stupidly fast tempos. It's not true when you look at the structure of the dance you can see how easy it is to adapt to slow tunes - ok a lindy turn just won't work at 90 bpm and nor will Charleston steps but there's just so much else to do that it doesn't matter. Blues dancing existed long before MJ and is seen by many as an offshoot of swing dance & don't forget that the Ballroom dance for slow stuff (Foxtrot) goes Quick Quick Slow Slow, just like most swing dances

To the OP - if you want to have a go at other dances then more power to you. You will find any of them hard to begin with because as a beginner you HAVE to move your feet in a regimented fashion not expected in MJ. That said they're going to improve you as a dancer.

If you like the music associated with the dance then Lindy is the one I'd choose. WCS is cool but hard to find classes. Ballroom / Latin is not as hard to pick up as a beginner as some people like to make it sound and there are lot's of classes - so many choices

[MartinHarper]

I have to disagree with Trampy. I think there's a lot to be gained from learning another dance after six months or less of MJ. By mixing things up a bit earlier, you're less likely to find your MJ knowledge getting in the way when you try a new dance.

Yes, there is a risk of general confusion. However, if it does all get too much, it's easy enough to stop the other dance for a bit and refocus on just MJ, and that problem will soon sort itself out. This depends a bit on your personality. Some people hate being confused, and want everything to be nice and orderly. Other people are at their happiest navigating in a sea of uncertainty. Try it, find a level where you're comfy, and go with that.

[TheTramp]

I have to disagree with Trampy.

Right. That's it. I'm going to neg rep you. Threaten you with physical violence. Come 'looking for you' at Southport. And make an anonymous log-on, where I can criticise you and your friends without anyone ever knowing that it's me! :whistle:

[TiggsTours]

Right. That's it. I'm going to neg rep you. Threaten you with physical violence. Come 'looking for you' at Southport. And make an anonymous log-on, where I can criticise you and your friends without anyone ever knowing that it's me! :whistle:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[timbp]

Lot's of people talk about doing other dance styles for variety and because it helps to develop your style in MJ.
they've probably been dancing much longer than you have.


The question is, what would be of most use?
What do you feel you need?

I started dancing ceroc from a non-dancing background. In Sydney we have ceroc footwork -- and it is different for beginner and intermediate classes. I did some salsa classes because salsa has footwork, teaches it from lesson 1, and classes are always available within walking distance.

That's jsut one example -- I had a problem in ceroc, decided it would be helped by another dance style, identifed that dance style, took lessons, and it did help me.


or which would be least difficult for me to pick up?
irrelevant (silly) question.

Ceroc will be least difficult for you to pick up. Only when you recognise something you need that you are not getting from ceroc classes should you consider other dance styles (after you've considered ceroc private lessons).

At nine months, don't panic. You've probably just hit your first learning plateau. Work through it. Keep doing beginner classes. If you finish a beginners class and have not learned anything new, it's more likely your lack of attention to what the teacher said, rather than a deficiency in the teacher.

If you really want to try another dance style, consider the music first. You will not dance unless you like the music.

[David Bailey]

I'm sure I'll regret this and end up no closer to a decision, but what the hell...

I'm in my 30's, ex-squaddie and rugby player and never danced in my life until January. I've been MJ'ing since then and love it to bits.

Lot's of people talk about doing other dance styles for variety and because it helps to develop your style in MJ.

The question is, what would be of most use?
or which would be least difficult for me to pick up?
Hmmm... I dunno.

As a few people have already said, don't get too carried away by what other people say about learning new Dances.

Yes, doing other styles will (eventually) help your MJ dancing. But I don't think you should dance another style just because it may improve your MJ - you should dance another style because you want to.

Also, most people take a while to get used to a dance style, and 9 months is quite a short time in which to reach a plateau - I'd imagine standard Ceroc classes and workshops will be helpful for a while yet.

So I dunno - if you want to try another dance, by all means do. But if you want to improve your MJ, I think you can still explore the opportunities for progression within MJ - private lessons, other classes, cerocshops and so on.

In terms of difficulty, I'd rate some common partner dances as follows (1 = dead easy, 10 = impossible):

Merengue: 1
Ceroc / MJ: 2-3
Salsa: 4-5
WCS: 6
(Any one*) ballroom / latin dance: 7-8
AT (taught properly): 9


I think there's a "dance difficulty" thread somewhere...?

* trouble is, you usually learn several at once.

[bigdjiver]

I'm sure I'll regret this and end up no closer to a decision, but what the hell...

I'm in my 30's, ex-squaddie and rugby player and never danced in my life until January. I've been MJ'ing since then and love it to bits.

Lot's of people talk about doing other dance styles for variety and because it helps to develop your style in MJ.

The question is, what would be of most use?
or which would be least difficult for me to pick up?

TIA.
Gav.Loads of good advice above.

Pick out the guys whose dancing you admire and find out what other dances they have done / do.

[clevedonboy]

In terms of difficulty, I'd rate some common partner dances as follows (1 = dead easy, 10 = impossible):

Merengue: 1
Ceroc / MJ: 2-3
Salsa: 4-5
WCS: 6
(Any one*) ballroom / latin dance: 7-8
AT (taught properly): 9


I think there's a "dance difficulty" thread somewhere...?

* trouble is, you usually learn several at once.

Lindy obviously is so difficult to master that it doesn't register on you list :devil:

[TheTramp]

Lindy obviously is so difficult to master that it doesn't register on you list :devil:

Nah. It's just that no sane person would want to do that!! :whistle: :flower:

[clevedonboy]

Nah. It's just that no sane person would want to do that!! :whistle: :flower:

I've often been described as "special" now I know why ;)

[TheTramp]

I've often been described as "special" now I know why ;)

Was that by your mommy?? :rolleyes:

[Gav]

Loads of good advice above.

Pick out the guys whose dancing you admire and find out what other dances they have done / do.

That sounds like a good one. I'll be pestering them all next week!

[David Bailey]

Lindy obviously is so difficult to master that it doesn't register on you list :devil:
Is Lindy a common dance then? I assumed it was a bit more niche.

I also didn't include line- or pole- dancing :devil:

[straycat]

Is Lindy a common dance then? I assumed it was a bit more niche.

Bit like Tango then :wink:



I also didn't include line- or pole- dancing :devil:

And yet the line-dancers have twice come second in SDF (and in my opinion been the best all-round dancers in each show), which is an interesting one...

Even pole-dancing got a look-in as a teaching aid - whereas MJ just seems to have elicited a 'I hate modern jive' response from the judges. Food for thought :devil: :devil:

[TheTramp]

whereas MJ just seems to have elicited a 'I hate modern jive' response from the judges. Food for thought :devil: :devil:

But that's just from the judges who do Lindy, isn't it?? :whistle:

[clevedonboy]

But that's just from the judges who do Lindy, isn't it?? :whistle:

It was Vanessa who muttered those immortal words to the camera. I would love to know what Ryan thinks of MJ

[straycat]

But that's just from the judges who do Lindy, isn't it?? :whistle:

:what:
None of the judges has a clue what Lindy is... :whistle:

Stray (wondering whether to remove the last three words from that sentence) :cool:

[TheTramp]

:what:
None of the judges has a clue what Lindy is... :whistle:

Stray (wondering whether to remove the last three words from that sentence) :cool:

I thought that it was Ryan Francois' damning verdict on MJ. And he does know what Lindy is...

[straycat]

I thought that it was Ryan Francois' damning verdict on MJ. And he does know what Lindy is...

Ryan - well yes - he would have at least heard of it :whistle: :worthy: . But then - we wasn't exactly a judge...

I suppose I'm basing my opinion of the judges on Arlene. Anyway - probably better hand the thread back to the original topic.

Boogie woogie's great fun... :waycool:

[Gav]

I'd never considered that anyone could hate modern jive!
I don't suppose they qualified that statement, did they?

[robd]

You need to consider your ability and willingness to travel too. It's all very well wanting to do WCS, say, but if the nearest classes/workshops are in London then how realistic is that for you?

[TiggsTours]

Is Lindy a common dance then? I assumed it was a bit more niche.

I also didn't include line- or pole- dancing :devil:

No, its a very common dance, far less niche than tango which made it on to your list!

As for dancing difficulty, I think that is a very personal thing, I found lindy easy to learn, because its the way I love to dance and the music I love to dance to, I find latin styles very difficult to learn, because I don't really enjoy it.

If you can "feel" it, then (with tuition) you should be able to dance it. Lindy (contrary to popular opinion!) is so open to interpretation, the basics mean that you would dance through 3 eight beat counts, then break for 8 beats, giving you plenty of "play" time! I personally find the latin harder because it doesn't give me that "play" time, so I feel that I don't have the opportunity (as a follower) to interject my own interptretations, and I get bored.

I'm not saying that "latin is boring, and lindy is great", its all down to personal taste, my taste prefers lindy, other people prefer latin, others prefer WCS, others prefer MJ, no one style is better than the other, they're all different that's all.

[clevedonboy]

I'd never considered that anyone could hate modern jive!
I don't suppose they qualified that statement, did they?

Blimey it is a sheltered life in Norfolk isn't it?

It's only when you start to encounter dancers from other styles that you wll begin to hear how many people look down on MJ as inferior (and those are the kind words)

[TiggsTours]

:what:
None of the judges has a clue what Lindy is... :whistle:

Stray (wondering whether to remove the last three words from that sentence) :cool:

:yeah:

It also didn't help that the people selecting the music had no idea what Swing music is, all of them except one couple danced to Rock and Roll, only one couple danced to true swing (I think it was Darren and Lydia, from what I remember).

A little bird also told me that the lindy routines were the only ones that were coreographed by the expert teachers, all the others were coreographed by the contendants. Ryan & Jenny took one look at their first attempts, and insisted on coreographing every routine, in the space of a week!

[David Bailey]

No, its a very common dance, far less niche than tango which made it on to your list!
Coz I do it :)


As for dancing difficulty, I think that is a very personal thing, I found lindy easy to learn, because its the way I love to dance and the music I love to dance to, I find latin styles very difficult to learn, because I don't really enjoy it.

Can I suggest we move this discussion on to the Measuring the difficulty of a dance (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6703) thread?

Although, for Gav's benefit, where would you put Lindy in that list?

[Gav]

Blimey it is a sheltered life in Norfolk isn't it?

It's only when you start to encounter dancers from other styles that you wll begin to hear how many people look down on MJ as inferior (and those are the kind words)

You don't know the half of it!
I'm from Dartford/Crayford originally so it came as quite a shock when I moved out here.
Still can't get used to it. Still find it tough to think of Norwich as a city!

[JonD]

Ah great - another Lindy Vs MJ debate. Time for my second smiley I think. :sick:

Back to the original point. I'd tend to agree with those who think the best way to improve your MJ is dancing MJ. 9 months from a standing start is probably a bit soon to begin branching out into other dance styles and bringing elements of those into your MJ. I've a similar background - ex-squaddie but didn't start dancing until I was 41 - and feel that I'd have been confused by doing another style so early in my dancing life (mind you I was truly awful and didn't hit the beat, other than in passing, for the first 3 months or so).

I started doing other styles after about 18 months - a bit of Salsa and rather more Lindy. They're fun and are styles that provide elements which can easily be brought into MJ. I've only done a tiny bit of WCS but I guess that would also offer some interesting elements. Since I became addicted to AT, 2 years after I started, I dance nothing other than that and MJ.

By the way, being able to slow march is a useful intro to AT: you've got to change the styling but it gives you a bit of a head start!


It's only when you start to encounter dancers from other styles that you wll begin to hear how many people look down on MJ as inferior (and those are the kind words)
Sadly that's true - and they're mostly talking b****cks. I find the most pompous ones are those who can only do figures and don't have a clue about actually dancing to the music with their partners. You find them in every style - Salsa, Lindy, AT, MJ, whatever. Freestyle partner dancing, for me, is about expressing emotion and connection in the context of the music and that's the same challenge in any style and none of it is easy. Picking up figures or body movements from one style may help you to express in another style and that's great. Just dance, never mind the b****cks.

[TiggsTours]

Coz I do it :)



Can I suggest we move this discussion on to the Measuring the difficulty of a dance (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6703) thread?

Although, for Gav's benefit, where would you put Lindy in that list?

I wouldn't have done a list, because I don't know Gav, and I don't know what he likes, and its very personal. According to your list any fool could learn merengue (have to agree, it is really easy) but I know fabulous lindy dancers who can't do it for toffee, because its just not their style! What happens if Gav is more of a swing king, he goes off to merengue, because that's so easy, and doesn't get on with it? If Lindy was classed as a 7 (for arguments sake) he'd take one look and say, "well if I can't do merengue, I'll be blowed if I'm trying that!" whereas it may be just his thing, and he may find it a breeze!

[TiggsTours]

Ah great - another Lindy Vs MJ debate. Time for my second smiley I think. :sick:
You're missing my point, I'm not trying to do a Lindy vs MJ thing here at all, all I'm saying is, don't dismiss a dance style because people on here are telling you its difficult, or not much fun, just because its not their thing, doesn't mean its not yours.

If you look at my first entry, I mentioned a number of styles that Gav could try, and tried to match them to tastes, lindy was just one of them, that's all.

[Gav]

Mmmmmmmm...
Seems to me that I need to decide whether it really is time to try something new or not.
Once I've reached the point when I think I'm ready, I'll need to at least look at all of the dances available locally and decide which ones would be most suitable and which ones I'd like to have a bash at.

BTW, There are squilllions of forums out there on various subjects and from what I've seen so far, this one is one of the best.
I'll be telling everyone I dance with about it.
Thx. :respect:

[clevedonboy]

By the way Gav - I recently came across a web site for a buch of Lindy Hoppers in Norwich http://www.rocktheblock.co.uk/ - I have no more insight into them I'm afraid

[MartinHarper]

Seems to me that I need to decide whether it really is time to try something new or not.

You'll do better if you try something new, and then to decide whether you want to persevere with it - you'll have more information to play with that way.

[Minnie M]

..........I would love to know what Ryan thinks of MJ
He doesn't knock it :flower: even though he is now very pasionate about Savoy Lindy

Check him out on the 'Jive Bunny - How to Jive" video, he looks a little different with hair :what: That's the one with Simon DeLisle teaching/demo and David & Lily dancing in the background too :worthy: (before Lily became Mrs.B)

[David Bailey]

I wouldn't have done a list, because I don't know Gav, and I don't know what he likes, and its very personal.
I dunno, I reckon some dances have a much steeper initial learning curve (which is what I meant by "difficulty", sorry if that wasn't clear) than others.

Obviously (I hope), no dance is inherently more "difficult" than any other - it's possible even to merengue with style. Possibly.

But for a beginner-dancer, I wouldn't recommend AT, but I might recommend salsa, as an alternative.

(Although, actually, I'd recommend sticking with MJ for another 6-12 months.)

[JonD]

You're missing my point, I'm not trying to do a Lindy vs MJ thing here at all, all I'm saying is, don't dismiss a dance style because people on here are telling you its difficult, or not much fun, just because its not their thing, doesn't mean its not yours.
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to the "this judge said that" interlude.

I completely agree with you. My passion happens to be AT and people say it is more difficult than other partner dances but I'm not so sure. It's a slow dance so any deficiency in balance or control shows up - you can't cover it easily. But, if you watch really good dancers of any style you'll see that it's their musicality, balance, control and quality of movement that marks them out. I'd suggest that you need the same basic skills to do any dance really well. Selection of styles is down to individual taste and the advice of others should be read as purely subjective opinion or generalisations which may be, more or less, valid - like the variation in learning curves that David refers to.

Once I've reached the point when I think I'm ready, I'll need to at least look at all of the dances available locally and decide which ones would be most suitable and which ones I'd like to have a bash at.
Different music, different tempos, different styles of movement - it's like a cookie jar! Have fun. (I danced with a lovely AT dancer from Norwich a few months ago - you might find her here: Norwich Tango (http://www.norwichtango.com/homeframe.html))

[straycat]

But for a beginner-dancer, I wouldn't recommend AT

Why on earth not? I know people who've come into AT having never danced at all, gotten hooked, and become very good at it - sure - they found it difficult at the start, but so did most of us.

[Minnie M]

By the way Gav - I recently came across a web site for a buch of Lindy Hoppers in Norwich http://www.rocktheblock.co.uk/ - I have no more insight into them I'm afraid

Run by Alan & Sue - really nice couple, DJTrev knows them - they run weekenders at a really great place in Norfolk (pm me for details) for small'ish groups (about 100 max) with great teachers - usually on one pair teachers for a weekend to keep the costs down. They sell out every year !

[clevedonboy]

Run by Alan & Sue - really nice couple, DJTrev knows them - they run weekenders at a really great place in Norfolk (pm me for details) for small'ish groups (about 100 max) with great teachers - usually on one pair teachers for a weekend to keep the costs down. They sell out every year !

Yeah sounds good - I found their site via Hasse & Marie's (now they can dance) site as they're teaching there soon - sold out though :tears: (fortunately I found out that H&M are teaching in Reading next spring so I'm on that mailing list good and early)

[El Salsero Gringo]

But for a beginner-dancer, I wouldn't recommend AT, but I might recommend salsa, as an alternative.

(Although, actually, I'd recommend sticking with MJ for another 6-12 months.)My experience of Salsa was that the learning curve was more of a vertical wall, with the experienced dancers sitting on top of it kicking the beginners back down.

I'd try some ballroom: it's different enough to MJ not to confuse you (which is why I think Lindy or WCS would be unhelpful) - the teaching methods are usually vastly different, yet you understand what lead and follow is about a little so you'll be streets ahead of most ballroom beginners. Also you might find that the posture and positioning of some of the ballroom dances gives you a new take on how you hold yourself in MJ.

Good Luck.

[Zuhal]

And another thing.

Some of the other dance styles do not provide the instant gratification of MJ ie can be fun on day1. Structure is good at helping beginners.:waycool:

I told myself I would do 20 lessons in the new genre and if I was enjoying anything at the end of those lessons then I would carry on. First few were dire, partly because of the difficulty and partly the unstructured teaching.

Now I divide my time and am on genre 3 but that will take 200 lessons. (AT)

Zuhal:waycool:

[David Bailey]

Why on earth not? I know people who've come into AT having never danced at all, gotten hooked, and become very good at it - sure - they found it difficult at the start, but so did most of us.
Simply because I believe AT has a bigger learning curve than most other dances. I'm hooked now, but I've had a difficult time of it, and without the LTFG support I'd probably have given up.

Most of the people I know who've done AT have done other dances first, so I think it's less usual for people to come into it "bare" than other dances.

I could be wrong, of course - it could be a doddle to learn, and I'm just thick... :sad:

[David Bailey]

My experience of Salsa was that the learning curve was more of a vertical wall, with the experienced dancers sitting on top of it kicking the beginners back down.
Yes... you've done Elder's classes haven't you? :rofl:

(Maybe time to change the name? :na: )

[Gadget]

Lot's of people talk about doing other dance styles for variety and because it helps to develop your style in MJ.

The question is, what would be of most use?
or which would be least difficult for me to pick up?
Are you interested in developing your "Style" /look 'cool'? or how to lead better? or how to input more musicality into your dancing? or how to perform impressive moves? ...

Once you decide, then perhaps ask your local MJ teacher for some input. Or/and people you regularly dance with.

If you think that you're stagnating and aren't learning anything more from the classes, then I would suggest trying another style and seeing what it awakens. But personally I'm still finding stuff to learn in MJ... and that's measuring my time at it in years rather than months.

{but perhaps I'm just a bit slow with things... or maybe overanalytical? :whistle:}

[spindr]

I would suggest that you might like to try and ask the local dancers which classes that they recommend. Then you can:

1). Go to other jive classes than those organised by your current organiser/franchise. If you can take a technique/move from venue A and dance it well at venue B and vice versa, then that will help your lead and follow no end -- *especially* with followers that don't frequent both venues.

2). Go to the classes that the dancers who admire recommend -- be that tango, WCS, ballroom, bangra, or whatever.

Faliing all that have a look at http://www.afterfive.co.uk/maps/Index-links.html (may need a few minutes to draw it all :( ) might give you an idea of *some* of the local classes.

SpinDr.

[Lynn]

If you really want to try another dance style, consider the music first. You will not dance unless you like the music.I would agree with this - I wanted to learn blues because of the music I heard in the blues room. It made me want to dance but I didn't know how to express that.

I've been sampling other dance styles over the past few years - mostly at weekenders, but also at local classes for several months. And I've found a dance style that suits 'me'. I don't do it because its going to make me a better MJ dancer than any other style, but because it just resonates with how I want to express myself to music.

Don't rush, take your time - you'll end up a better dancer for it.

[Gav]

Well I couldn't have asked for much more help and advice, thx guys :cheers:

Anyway, it's all really highlighted the main problem which is my lack of patience with myself.

FWIW, I spent my 1st 3 months doing the beginners only class, which I would recommend for any new lead. So many try to do the beginners/intermediate from scratch and really struggle, whereas I was confident with all the basic moves before I even tried intermediate ones.

Since then I've always done the beginners session at the start of the night as well as the intermediate later on. The main reason is because I want to be able to do all the moves I like **** hot and not just be able to do hundreds of moves adequately.
While watching others I quickly realised that there is a big difference between someone who knows 200 moves and can perform them all technically well and someone who is a good dancer. I want to be the latter, so learning new flashy moves is not high on my agenda, but I can see how one might fall into that trap.

I guess I've gone from being someone who +ly avoided dancing for his whole life, to someone who now loves to dance and I want to make up for lost time.

Thx for all the advice and support. I already watch the leaders that I admire and try to copy some of the style points that I like, but I'm also going to ask them about their experience and stuff too. I'll also talk to the teachers.

I actually did give Blues a try, because I love the music. I got the DVD and practiced with a friend, but they don't teach it around here and it's a struggle to get the DJ to play a slower track occasionally.

I'll let you know what I end up doing about it and thx again.
x.

[Lynn]

While watching others I quickly realised that there is a big difference between someone who knows 200 moves and can perform them all technically well and someone who is a good dancer. :clap: I think some guys take years to realise that (and some never seem to). You've certainly got the right attitude. :D