PDA

View Full Version : Classes or Freestyle



Minnie M
7th-October-2006, 09:24 PM
I stopped doing MJ classes about a couple of years ago, unless I am asked to help with leading (when too many women) or if I am asked to join the beginner class to help. I don't enjoy the second class as I am often yanked about so much it spoils the freestyle. Therefore I usually turn up to week day classes just at the beginning of freestyle.

Gadget
7th-October-2006, 10:20 PM
I think the poll should be so that we could see which folk voted for what :flower:

{It's fairly well known, but I do both classes whenever I can - mainly use the beginners to practice simple things and the intermediate to practice more complex stuff. The freestyle I just try to dance :D}

TheTramp
7th-October-2006, 10:34 PM
I think the poll should be so that we could see which folk voted for what :flower:

I voted that I only do freestyle. If that helps. Except when I'm teaching :D

foxylady
7th-October-2006, 10:48 PM
oe except when I'm demo-ing, or if I've arrived early and they need me (either too many men or too many women), or its a teacher I like or.............

Its not to say I don't have lots to learn, 'cause I do, but I prefer my learning to be more concentrated and more focused on me (oh god I'm a hotshot aren't I !!)


FFL

bigdjiver
7th-October-2006, 10:51 PM
I get there as early as I can and usually join in both classes if there are ladies moving on. I might skip intermediate and help in the beginners revision if there are "tell it to the judge" moves or a lack of males in the revision class.

Minnie M
7th-October-2006, 10:52 PM
I think the poll should be so that we could see which folk voted for what :flower:
Didn't want a public vote, thought people would be more honest this way

Northants Girly
7th-October-2006, 10:52 PM
I voted that I sometimes do classes - but I don't think, it registered :rolleyes:

Cos I commute a reasonable distance to work and back I find it almost impossible to make beginners' classes . . . .

then by the time I get to a venue often the intermediate class has already started or I'm so whacked all I want to do is sit down, have a drink and a natter :D

Juju
7th-October-2006, 11:04 PM
Freestyle only. I have a very low boredom threshold and would rather just dance.

jivecat
7th-October-2006, 11:22 PM
I prefer if there's no class but if I'm there when there is one I'll usually do it -unless someone turns up to chat to. It's fun joining in the intermediate halfway and finding out who can actually lead it, and who expects me to!

straycat
8th-October-2006, 12:54 AM
Another one for freestyle only. I've long since turned to other dances for my learning purposes.

Green-eyed Monsta
8th-October-2006, 06:45 AM
:flower: Always do both classes because it's such a great way to meet new people (and say hi to friends)...and when the beginners start staying for the freestyle they dance with me!!:clap: :clap: :clap:

azande
8th-October-2006, 10:58 AM
I voted just freestyle, unless I'm demo-ing

Martin
8th-October-2006, 11:19 AM
I have gone for 'I sometimes do classes'.

If I am wanting to support the venue, I will usually join in beginners rotation and if too many girls , help out with the beginner follow up class.

I did do an intermediate class 3 months ago, out of bordem, went on so long, I joined in half way through for something to do while waiting.

I have just come back from an advanced workshop Viktor did in Sydney today - It was fab :respect: Although I have been dancing MJ for over 12 years, I still learnt new stuff - by new stuff, although there were some cool moves, the main point was all that other wonderful stuff Viktor offers.
I stayed with my partner throughout, as most in the workshop did - makes it a lot easier.

SnowWhite
9th-October-2006, 12:24 AM
I tend to do classes at venues I don't regularly visit. It helps to get to know people and therefore make it easier to ask guys to dance later. :flower:

At some of the venues I go to regularly, they often have lots of spare ladies, so it doesn't make sense to add to the length of the line...

So I usually just use the time to catch up with people and chat! :grin:

Dazzler
9th-October-2006, 10:11 AM
I voted for always doing both classes i must admit the beginners class is more for polishing up the basics and to help out by providing another male for the line-up :grin: the intermediate class i am still learning lots from and i always welcome new moves (well if i like them that is) :rofl:

killingtime
9th-October-2006, 01:34 PM
I tend to do Intermediate plus freestyle. I like doing the Beginner's class but I'll often not finish work in time to get home to do all the things I should get ready before leaving so I miss it most weeks. I find the class is a good way to warm up and often I'll find it really strange to go straight into freestyle.

jacksondonut
9th-October-2006, 02:37 PM
I prefer not to do the classes at normal MJ evenings...(havent joined in for a number of years to be honest..), but is a different story on weekenders, as I get the chance to learn a different dance style..:flower: I will have a go at Blues etc.,

Also trying to concentrate on learning WCS, means, once a week I will do that class and hopefully pick up something new...:) if I get a chance to practise those moves at a Freestyle, then I am over the moon.. :D Nice thing is a lot of people who are at weekend freestyles, have knowledge of WCS etc as well, which is fab.:yeah: :worthy:

:cheers:

drathzel
9th-October-2006, 04:09 PM
I do both classes:devil:

Although, come to think of it even at other venues i do both classes. Females depending, i'll often do them as a man as i really enjoy leading.

whitetiger1518
10th-October-2006, 12:03 PM
I don't have to travel too far for my classes, so do both.. I definitely need the beginners practice, and have only really begun intermediate..

I also find that I can ask for dances while dancing with a partner in the class. It is easier and politer than breaking into someone's conversation or rest.

Cheers :cheers:

Whitetiger

Beowulf
10th-October-2006, 12:18 PM
I always do both classes.. well i try to at least. The beginners i see as a chance to brush up on my basic core moves and to give another male in the line up.

The intermediates class I usually attempt .. don't always succeed.

Actually it's Freestyle I'll tend to skip than anything else :blush: it's a bad habit I need to get out of. It's one thing for a partner to have a bad routine during the int. class, but I always feel bad if I'm spoiling someones freestyle by attempting the int. routine when they just want to dance. I very rarely see people doing the moves they have just learnt during freestyle.

Twirly
10th-October-2006, 12:39 PM
Actually it's Freestyle I'll tend to skip than anything else :blush: it's a bad habit I need to get out of. It's one thing for a partner to have a bad routine during the int. class, but I always feel bad if I'm spoiling someones freestyle by attempting the int. routine when they just want to dance. I very rarely see people doing the moves they have just learnt during freestyle.

You know one way around this is to ask your partner if they would like to practise the routine (or part of it) as you start the dance – I quite often get asked (although those who know me well or are confident with the routine don’t bother to ask anymore). If there is a part of the routine that I really don’t like, then I can say and they can leave it out, or be extra careful if I say I haven’t got a part of it. We might run through it a couple of times, then move onto other general freestyle stuff – that way not ruining the dance if it’s not going well, but having had a chance to consolidate the new moves. Other leads just slot in the one move they’ve decided to keep from that evening – that seems to be the best way for most of them to widen their repertoire.

As for classes vs. freestyle – I do everything! Have to admit that I’ve adopted the habit of turning up part way through the beginners class as I get very bored if I do it all from the beginning. I use it as a warm-up (and I really notice the difference in my dancing if I go straight into freestyle or even the intermediates without doing it). If however there are lots of spare women, then I won’t make things worse by joining in. I do wonder if I’m being rude by doing this though. :confused:

straycat
10th-October-2006, 12:57 PM
Actually it's Freestyle I'll tend to skip than anything else :blush: it's a bad habit I need to get out of. It's one thing for a partner to have a bad routine during the int. class, but I always feel bad if I'm spoiling someones freestyle by attempting the int. routine when they just want to dance. I very rarely see people doing the moves they have just learnt during freestyle.

Back in the day... I would almost always begin the first couple of dances in a freestyle by going through the class I'd just done, at least twice, to help get it into my head. I always got a good reaction from my partners when I did this, because they were generally very keen to do the same. Certainly worth doing.

detomo
12th-October-2006, 12:32 PM
Never enough men, so always dance both classes. Also get to meet the newer ones and chat with the regulars :)

TheTramp
12th-October-2006, 01:30 PM
Never enough men, so always dance both classes. Also get to meet the newer ones and chat with the regulars :)

What? You chat in class? While the teacher is trying to teach? How rude! :na:

SeriouslyAddicted
12th-October-2006, 01:37 PM
Never enough men, so always dance both classes. Also get to meet the newer ones and chat with the regulars :)

I always do both classes - I find that I am more likely to get more dances in the freestyle if I have been able to meet people in the classes - although I am good and always listen when the teacher is talking :whistle:

killingtime
12th-October-2006, 01:49 PM
If however there are lots of spare women, then I won’t make things worse by joining in. I do wonder if I’m being rude by doing this though. :confused:

I really don't see that as rude. Often the teachers in Edinburgh will try and recruit some of the women to lead when there are lots of spare women.

I've not joined a beginners class before because there was exactly equal numbers and I didn't see a reason to start "the lone guy" seat.

Jhutch
12th-October-2006, 03:15 PM
Have not been going that long so i just try to do as much as possible:grin: I still go to the beginners class (although i sometimes end up turning up a few minutes late). It is still useful as i have picked up a few tips on things that i have not been doing correctly:blush: It also helps with trying to get my timing right and acts as a good warm-up and confidence builder for the tougher intermediate class:really: Not as active in the freestyle between the sessions as i should be as i tend to spend much of it talking to people i know:blush: Always do the intermediate session and then take part in the freestyle afterwards. I know what Beowulf means about not wanting to try the intermediate routine out as, if i was struggling with it, then i do think that i am wasting a girl's time by trying it out in non-class time. Hopefully they understand though and i try not to take up a whole dance trying it:nice:

Lynn
12th-October-2006, 04:29 PM
I have to be there for both classes every other week when taxi-ing, so admit to have more recently started arriving midway through the intermediate on the other weeks. Not to avoid the classes, I still enjoy doing the beginners classes to work on my lead and meet newcomers, but I'm out a lot of evenings during the week and its nice not to have to rush some weeks.

detomo
12th-October-2006, 06:07 PM
What? You chat in class? While the teacher is trying to teach? How rude! :na:

Only during the practice bits where we're dancing. Honest guv! :whistle:

Juju
13th-October-2006, 09:46 AM
...chat in class? While the teacher is trying to teach? How rude!

One reason I stopped doing classes was that I got bored easily and would start to disrupt the class by messing around. :blush:

(I'm a teacher, btw.)

timbp
13th-October-2006, 11:06 AM
One reason I stopped doing classes was that I got bored easily and would start to disrupt the class by messing around. :blush:

(I'm a teacher, btw.)
It is possible to mess around in class and still not disrupt the class.
At times I get frustrated with the pace of the beginners class, but I still listen to everything the teacher says (I'm often the only person who knows which gender is rotating, and by how many).
Nevertheless, I still learn things in beginner class (:blush: just realised I've probably just admitted to being not as good as the rest of you).

Even if the teacher is not telling me anything new, I can explore other things -- like syncopating my footwork to match extra nuances in the music, without confusing the beginner who is following the teacher religiously.

Or simply try to lead the class routine in a way that makes first timers come and ask me for a dance. And when I get someone I know is more experienced (or even a beginner who has appropriate frame and tension) I'll randomly lead a double (or triple) turn instead of a single.
That gets a smile more often than anything else I do in class.

Gadget
13th-October-2006, 10:08 PM
It is possible to mess around in class and still not disrupt the class.:yeah: :blush: :whistle:

... at least I hope I don't disrupt it too much :D

I just try to dance the moves rather than step through them - quite difficult when you are trying to keep with the teacher's timeing as well.

Frankie_4711
14th-October-2006, 03:03 PM
I always join in both classes. If there is a huge excess of women in the Beginner class I will do it as a man to help out, but prefer to do it as a lady if possible. I wouldn't dream of missing it, or of sitting it out though.

I had theatre tickets for last Thursday which meant I couldn't get to my class until 10.00, and it just seemed to be over so quickly - I felt like I'd hardly got to do any dancing at all. I would really feel like I was missing out if I only turned up for Freestyle every time.

Daydreaming Diva
14th-October-2006, 03:41 PM
It depends on what time I get to the venue. Surprisingly I go for the physical pleasure of dancing, not to stand around doing too much talking. It gives me such a buzz, all those endorphines. I like to socialise, but dancing is the main thing. I'll lead if there are too many females, and really enjoy that. There is always something to learn in any of the classes, from technique, moves, who you enjoy dancing with, down to the more negative - people that you just can't gell with.

Daydreaming Diva
14th-October-2006, 03:49 PM
I just try to dance the moves rather than step through them - quite difficult when you are trying to keep with the teacher's timeing as well.[/QUOTE]

:respect:
Me too - know exactly what you mean. For me, it's one of the things I don't like about dancing lady in the beginners. If there are only beginner men in the line up it doesn't give a lot of scope for 'dancing' - just rather robotic movements, as beginner men are often very inhibited. I never lead lady beginners like that - I try to get them moving rhythmically straight away. Its so important to the enjoyment for both of you.

ShinyWeeStar
14th-October-2006, 04:12 PM
I always try to do two classes as well as the freestyle on a dance night, because the dancer (and cheapskate! :blush:) in me likes to get as much dancing in as I can for my money (especially as I only go to one class night a week). Usually I do the Ceroc Plus 'Body Movement & footwork' class that runs at the same time as the Beginner class and then Intermediate afterwards. If the body movement class isn't on, I've started trying the Beginners as a lead - partly because it's more interesting for me and partly because I don't want to add to the number of women rotating on. One disadvantage I've found to not doing the beginner class much as a follower any more is that it can take longer to get dancing with new men, as I'm not meeting them in class first.


I find the class is a good way to warm up and often I'll find it really strange to go straight into freestyle.

I use it as a warm-up (and I really notice the difference in my dancing if I go straight into freestyle or even the intermediates without doing it).
:yeah:


I always feel bad if I'm spoiling someones freestyle by attempting the int. routine when they just want to dance.

You know one way around this is to ask your partner if they would like to practise the routine (or part of it) as you start the dance ~snip other good points~
I quite often notice men practising the class moves with me in freestyle and don't mind it at all, providing they don't spend the entire track doing those same three or four moves (except for the first track into freestyle, then it's allowed :na: )... It can actually be quite helpful to go through the routine again with a familiar lead and iron out any bits I might be sticking on too. I'd much rather spend time dancing through class moves a few times during a night to help guys get the hang of them than have them forget all the nice moves that get taught. What's the point in being taught nice moves if you're not going to be able to use them? You have to practise and that's what the class nights are for after all... so I'd say go for it Beo! :hug:

Nessiemonster
14th-October-2006, 05:54 PM
I'd much rather spend time dancing through class moves a few times during a night to help guys get the hang of them than have them forget all the nice moves that get taught. What's the point in being taught nice moves if you're not going to be able to use them? You have to practise and that's what the class nights are for after all... so I'd say go for it Beo! :hug:

:yeah:

Genie
14th-October-2006, 06:39 PM
I voted 'depends on my mood', in case anyone's interested :what:

FirstMove
15th-October-2006, 07:00 PM
After 3 years, I only recently started turning up mid-way through the beginners' class. Before that I was there for both classes. I haven't been in a beginners' class with rotating ladies for about 6 months! Even the intermediates' usually has men to spare. I guess the Ladies have all moved to your local classes instead.:blush:

Going to the beginners' class is all about meeting new people and there don't seem to be many of those any more, so why bother?

I can safely say I don't get anything out of beginners' classes. Usually it's just a chance to embarass myself when I join mid-way through and dance the routine on the board, not realising that there's an extra-in and-out or a missing return in the routine.

Applying my personal rule that I shouldn't spend less time at a dance than travelling, I can't give up the beginners' class completely :tears:.

FirstMove - Aspirant Hotshot :waycool: :flower: :blush:

firefly
16th-October-2006, 12:36 PM
...{snip}...

:yeah: Agree with all of Shiny's post...lots of good points :hug:

Alice
16th-October-2006, 05:04 PM
It is possible to mess around in class and still not disrupt the class.
At times I get frustrated with the pace of the beginners class, but I still listen to everything the teacher says (I'm often the only person who knows which gender is rotating, and by how many).
Nevertheless, I still learn things in beginner class (:blush: just realised I've probably just admitted to being not as good as the rest of you).

Even if the teacher is not telling me anything new, I can explore other things -- like syncopating my footwork to match extra nuances in the music, without confusing the beginner who is following the teacher religiously.

Or simply try to lead the class routine in a way that makes first timers come and ask me for a dance. And when I get someone I know is more experienced (or even a beginner who has appropriate frame and tension) I'll randomly lead a double (or triple) turn instead of a single.
That gets a smile more often than anything else I do in class.
:yeah: :yeah: :hug:
(smile)

I find it's a great way to get to know the beginners as they start, and to get to know people in general- for some reason people are far more likely to ask you to dance later in the freestyle if they're already familiar with your face/style/ability/sense of humour:wink:

tiger
23rd-November-2006, 04:53 PM
surely this depends on whether you are bothered about learning new jive moves or you are happy with what you've got and just want to dance some freestyle.
Hardly the crime of the century if you want to chat(quietly) a bit and dance later?:wink:

Gadget
4th-December-2006, 01:55 PM
So you can only learn moves from the classes and extra practice they give then?

{And I know you can still learn loads from freestyle...:rolleyes:}

Dai
27th-December-2006, 03:24 AM
So you can only learn moves from the classes and extra practice they give then?

I do tend to pick up a couple of moves from the intermediate class, or links, or just parts of a move - but watching others dance in freestyle is fantastic - i pick up moves from others to add to my repertoire, although i must admit i don't always get them right first time!!

Then of course there are the moves that you make up, hlaf of them fail miserably, but the others seem to work, if only you could remember how you did tem in the first place!!