Glide, Glide....not Bounce, Bounce!

[Listener]

A few weeks ago I did a really useful workshop where the teacher explained about the habit a lot of ceroc dancers have of bouncing their hands to the beat and that it doesn't actually look that good......which was cool as I suddenly realised I did that and have now largely stopped myself!

However I've also had a couple of comments about my whole body bouncing and that I should work on trying to be smoother.....but I find that harder to stop partly as its very subconscious and partly as I kind of felt I was dancing to the rhythm rather than bouncing so am worried if I stop it it'll make me static or rigid to dance with.

Does anyone have any advice/experience on this?

[Caro]

However I've also had a couple of comments about my whole body bouncing and that I should work on trying to be smoother.....but I find that harder to stop partly as its very subconscious and partly as I kind of felt I was dancing to the rhythm rather than bouncing so am worried if I stop it it'll make me static or rigid to dance with.

Does anyone have any advice/experience on this?

There's plenty of threads about bouncing hands / bouncers so if you run a search you'll see how popular they are
Congratulations on not being one of them anymore

As for the body bouncing, how about trying to keep your feet as much as possible on the floor... as if you were 'gliding' or sliding indeed.
It's easyier to do that if you have a smooth sole (leather or suede - again run a search on shoes if you want more details).
Just try to 'caress' the floor with your feet, i.e. always maintaining contact between your feet (or toes) and the floor. It will be a bit weird at first and people may start to wonder what you're doing but just take this as an exercise until you are used to it. That should stop you from bouncing (difficult to bend your knees at the same time!). Then once this has become like second nature you can relax and 'just dance' and use that 'caressing' technique solely to match something in the music (like when it feels like the music (or just an instrument or vocals) is 'stretching' in time. But that will be another journey in your dancing (look for musicality and 'understanding the music' threads if you're interested).

I hope this doesn't sound too patronising , welcome to the forum.

[Gav]

A few weeks ago I did a really useful workshop where the teacher explained about the habit a lot of ceroc dancers have of bouncing their hands to the beat and that it doesn't actually look that good......which was cool as I suddenly realised I did that and have now largely stopped myself!

However I've also had a couple of comments about my whole body bouncing and that I should work on trying to be smoother.....but I find that harder to stop partly as its very subconscious and partly as I kind of felt I was dancing to the rhythm rather than bouncing so am worried if I stop it it'll make me static or rigid to dance with.

Does anyone have any advice/experience on this?

Whoop, Whoop!! Well done to you and whoever told you.

I spent some time watching when I first started and immediately noticed things that I didn't like. Bouncing up & down, bouncing hands & stamping 1 foot behind the other at the end of every move.

No-one ever told me, I just decided not to do it and Caro is spot on. I found that by sliding (or barely lifting) my foot and not actually "stepping" created a smooth movement with no bounce.

But don't stop moving to eliminate the bounce!

I don't know how long you've been dancing but don't let it concern you too much either.

I've only been dancing for 10 months and I think it may be a natural progression in MJ to go from wooden robot, to bouncy bouncy, then onto smooth. And it doesn't end there either, then comes the bits that I haven't got yet, like style, musicality and confidence!

Best of luck!

[MartinHarper]

I am worried if I stop it it'll make me static or rigid to dance with.

Bouncing makes it easier to move, as when you bounce "up" you can move both feet more easily. To glide, you need to be better at transferring your weight completely over one foot and then moving the unweighted foot.

[Lory]

Does anyone have any advice/experience on this?

I'm no expert but how about trying this..

first try to 'walk' balancing a book on your head (like the models do) then progress to doing things like mambo's, etc. in time to music, keeping the top half of you smooth, whilst keeping all the action below waist level?

[bigdjiver]

I bounce and I glide according to mood and music. For me Mj is about freedom.

[Lynn]

I bounce and I glide according to mood and music. For me Mj is about freedom.

Sometimes the music is 'bouncy' and its OK to dance to reflect that. And some followers like a bouncy lead because they like to bounce too (but not a bouncy hand as that can cause problems with clear leading).

Having said that - personally I love smooth and a lot of other dancers do too. So Listener, its good to learn smooth - it can look and feel a lot nicer - especially if the music is smooth.

It may take some practice, but as others have said its something you can work on at home. Try gliding your feet, not lifting them off the floor as far. Try moving your legs and feet while keeping your upper body on a level (but not rigid or static). And observe other smooth dancers to see what they do. Think 'smooth' as you dance. It won't happen overnight but over time your style will smooth out.

And welcome to the forum!

[Listener]

Thanks y'all for the advice, its taken me 20 minutes to type this as the book keeps falling off my head and onto the keyboard

Lots of things to practice andd yes I do lift my feet and tap to the music so will try to start there

[Gav]

Don't forget though, you should dance the way you want to dance 'cos that's what'll make you happy. If you're trying hard to do what everyone tells you you should do, you might not find it as enjoyable.
If you want to change how you dance, pick one thing and work on it until you're happy with it.
Learn from my lesson, I tried to do loads at once and got p1ssed off with myself 'cos I wasn't getting anywhere.

I'm an impatient tw@ so I'm still trying to do it all, but at least I know why I'm p1ssed off now!

[Lynn]

Don't forget though, you should dance the way you want to dance 'cos that's what'll make you happy. If you're trying hard to do what everyone tells you you should do, you might not find it as enjoyable.

Sounds to me more like a 'revelation' - 'there's a different way to dance, I want to learn it' moment than a 'being told to change' thing. The 'smooth revolution' is something that many dancers seem to go through - some not for years into dancing. And of course learning a smoother style doesn't mean you have to dance that way to every track. It just makes you a more versatile dancer.

If you want to change how you dance, pick one thing and work on it until you're happy with it.

Excellent advice.

[straycat]

First I used to bounce like a very bouncy thing.
Then I started to love the smooth gliding feel, and worked like crazy to stop bouncing.

Then I was taught how crucial the bounce actually is, and have been working ever since to get it back, and get it right. This is not a 'visual' bounce - it's a subtle, barely perceptible bounce, which you use in everything, from fast 'skippy' numbers to slow slow smoooth blues. It's hard to describe, but is generally a bounce down into the floor, rather than a bounce 'up' - and it helps to synchronise your partner's weight transfers with your own, and as a tool to communicate your musical interpretation to your partner - amongst many other things.
The bounce is not evil. It is your friend

This is completely distinct from the dreaded 'hand bounce', which simply serves to utterly disconnect you from your partner & make leading a hundred times harder.

[ducasi]

Bouncing your hand is bad. As Straycat, and probably other says, it disturbs the connection you have with your partner.

Bouncing your body is ok* and is some people's style. It's up to you to decide if this is the style you like and want.

*Just so long as you are bouncing your body without bouncing your hand.

[Donna]

Sorry - can't stand the bouncy style. As I've said loads of times before - if we all danced like that at the same time on a Saturday night, this Island would sink!!!

[straycat]

Sorry - can't stand the bouncy style. As I've said loads of times before - if we all danced like that at the same time on a Saturday night, this Island would sink!!!

Probably didn't explain it very well. I don't like to appear bouncy - or even to dance in a way which feels bouncy - basically I don't like the bouncy style either. There is, none-the-less a bounce of sorts there, and there is a need for one. Maybe we need a new term for it

EDIT - the first time I ever saw Ceroc on TV, a very long time ago, it was horrifying. A whole room full of heads bouncing up and down in unison. Luckily, things have changed somewhat nowadays (mostly)

[MartinHarper]

Sometimes the music is 'bouncy' and its OK to dance to reflect that.

More than just "ok". If the music is bouncing and you're not, you may not be dancing to the music.

Then I was taught how crucial the bounce actually is, and have been working ever since to get it back, and get it right. This is not a 'visual' bounce - it's a subtle, barely perceptible bounce, which you use in everything...

I've seen that taught in Lindy, as a "pulse". I've not seen it taught in MJ, and I don't think it really applies there. I'd consider it an import rather than part of the base dance.

[tsh]

EDIT - the first time I ever saw Ceroc on TV, a very long time ago, it was horrifying. A whole room full of heads bouncing up and down in unison. Luckily, things have changed somewhat nowadays (mostly)

Yes - now they'd be bouncing up and down at random, using their own freedom to express the beat.

[Listener]

Wow I seem to have started a debate!

The advise is all good thanks, I don't think I want to bounce (body) if it looks silly....of course its difficult to tell from one's own perspective maybe I'll have to put the vid camera to good use at home (ooooh I can here the jokes now.........)

Straycat - I think I understand what you mean tho possibly this is a little advanced for me - whilst the lead is in the hands the way we position our feet and move our legs/set our body "in anticiaption" of the next move must also impart information to the partner about where we are going next - if that's what you were meaning I can see that up/down bounciness can get in the way of that.

off dancing tonight to see is I can be smoother (because I want to!)

[Lory]

bounce down into the floor, rather than a bounce 'up' -

Yeah its a bit like... two cars travelling down the same bumpy road but ones a morris minor, with shoddy shock absorbers and the other is a Rolls Royce, they both achieve the same end result, just one of them looks and feels smoother!

[Nessiemonster]

To chip in my twopenneth...

...In the last couple of weeks I've come across my first Really bouncy person. As beginners I think we all start out that way as it helps to keep the rhythm, but I know this person is not a total beginner from some of the moves he does.

The thing is I find him SO hard to dance with - I can't tell what's lead and what's bounce!

My personal dancing style is more slinky and flowing, and our styles really don't mix. I find the bouncing (both hand and body) extremely off-putting, and it has almost caused me injury whilst he's been trying to lead a move. There is no connection at all.

However, I can appreciate that 'inner' bounce that keeps you in tune with your partner and the music. That's cool when you both get it right...

[Genie]

I have the opposite problem apparently. According to a friend of mine, I do actually glide. Unfortunately she said it like it was a bad thing. Like I was too graceful and not... how'd she put it? Funky enough?

I don't think I bounce, but sometimes when a lead has absolutely no sense of rhythm and the dance is impossible, I will bounce my hand slightly. Usually that helps. But with leads who have a sense of rhythm, I don't need to. We both feel the beat, so I don't need to bounce up and down like a rampant rabbit. Unless, of course, it's to the tigger song, then bouncing has to happen :p