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Thread: Where's the fun?

  1. #1
    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Re: Re: Who's dancing???

    Originally posted by Franck
    Wow Gus... Welcome back (I think )
    I find it very sad (ODA notwithstanding) that when you look at a Ceroc dance floor, to quote you: "The vast majority of people on a ceroc dancfloor can't dance"
    When I look at any Ceroc dance floor, I see people so happy, it makes my heart swell with pride and happiness for all of them!

    Franck.
    Ugg ... can't keep the ODA facade up tonight ... confession time!

    Just had what could have been a night from Hell! Went home sick from work with a chest infection, but no cover teacher was available so I found myself battling through traffic to get to my club to teach..... to find us locked out of the venue! Eventualy the keys turned up so with 20 mins to get set up we blitzed away ... only for me to realise that the bag with the cables was in my OTHER case .... still at home. So .... 50 miles roundtrip and 1 hour later I'm back at the club with cables ... and then had to get myslef together to put a rountine together, DJ and teach etc. etc.

    Why am I boring you with all this... well, despite the fact that my blood pressure should have been off the scale... I left this evening feel great. My crew all stepped up to the line, two of them (punkfish's parents) taught an extrememly creditable begiiners lesson while I was away (without mike or music!) while the punters seemed in good spirits. My lasting impresssion was finishing the night with "Late Night Swing" and "Just a Gigilo" and seeing everyone on the dancefloor enjoying it. THATS why I bust a gut each week to teach ... like Franck, its the buzz of seeing people really having good time ....

    ...... oh yes, and if anyone was out of time to the music I didn't notice it

  2. #2
    Registered User Wendy's Avatar
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    I love CEROC (modern jive - wish we had a new name !) because it's the only form of dance (I know of) which allows me to dance by myself with someone else.

    I used to dance exclusively by myself (except for those yummy ones you get at the end of a "disco") and now I can share what I'm experiencing with someone else and they can share with me too of course. I was more of an exhibitionist when I danced alone in some ways even although it was a very internal experience for me ( I used to have my eyes shut all the time). Now I care a lot less about anyone who might be watching me and more about the connection with the person I am with... And funnily enough the more rounds I got through in the Lucky Dip in London, the less I looked at my partner and the more I felt aware of the audience (and I even shut my eyes so I've been told...) I'd love to hear what you have to say on this Mr Nipples....

    Sorry if I've gone off-topic..... this has been on my mind since the Champs...

    Wxxxx




    Wx

  3. #3
    Omnipresent Administrator Franck's Avatar
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    Re: Re: Re: Who's dancing???

    Originally posted by Gus
    My lasting impresssion was finishing the night with "Late Night Swing" and "Just a Gigilo" and seeing everyone on the dancefloor enjoying it. THATS why I bust a gut each week to teach ... like Franck, its the buzz of seeing people really having good time ....

    ...... oh yes, and if anyone was out of time to the music I didn't notice it
    Hehe... That's my man...

    I knew that deep inside you felt that way too... who cares how well we dance, how good we look etc... if we feel happier for a dance, then it is all worth it....

    Forget BTC, dancing is pure fun!

    Franck.

  4. #4
    Registered User Wendy's Avatar
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    who cares how well we dance, how good we look etc... if we feel happier for a dance, then it is all worth it....
    Absolutely 100% agree. (Not sure what the "it is all worth it " means as can't imagine the night Gus just mentioned happening very often. And some of us receive less financial rewards than others for such "efforts"..... )


    Forget BTC, dancing is pure fun!
    I forget about BTC about 99% of the time and the other 1% of the time I have the chance to dance exactly the way I want to because the man who is in charge - let's not forget - gives me the freedom to do so! I think you guys don't realise/just plain forget ! that our having fun or not depends on the guy we are dancing with. You on the other hand can dance with a total muppet and cos, you are leading, are in control of the fun. The muppet thinks she is Ginger Rodgers (and looks adoringly into your eyes) and you get a buzz cos she thinks you are Fred Astaire. We, on the other hand, cannot get the same buzz from a total muppet cos the beat is "wrong", they wrench our arms off, they don't bother to learn new moves year in year out and give us that "this is a male-led dance" look whenever we try to incorporate a little bit of musical interpretation or a wiggle here or there which he hasn't led !!!

    I would love to know how you guys' level of fun would be affected if you danced as a girl to EVERY track one night. You might find yourself feeling a little less happy when one of your favourite tracks comes on and you feel that there is no-one there who gets it the way you do....

    And BTW if I was an exclusive dancer (someone really hurt me by saying this recently !!!) I'd turn up for about 8 minutes at the Edinburgh party once a month and dance 2 tracks "Wade in the Water" and "Little Schoolgirl" with some fine chap and then I'd go home. I wouldn't be a taxi dancer, I wouldn't dance as a man in the beginners' class, I wouldn't get a thrill from helping at beginners' workshops and I wouldn't dance all night at every class night going. I know some female dancers who IMHO are exclusive and dance with the good dancers a Hell of a lot more than I do !!! So they get better and better (cos afterall we are encouraged to dance with men who are better than we are in order to improve are we not !!!???) are therefore more attractive to the better dancers, and they get to know them better and are more likely to get asked back so they get more dances with the better dancers ..... I never dance with my BTC chaps for more than 2/3 dances in a night (well I might at class nights cos we are practising moves or cos I feel I deserve a little treat after taxiing)and that's why it is so important that the track is right. Exclusive females do as far as I can tell !!

    Dancing is pure fun, of course it is. And perhaps if I was a little younger, a little more attractive, a little slimmer etc. the powers that be might even invite me to be a teacher and allow me to pass my love, passion and enthusiasm for dancing on to my fellow man.....ooops hallucinating... it's late... and I've just learned that I've been bumped off !!!

    And BTC is when you connect with someone. And the reason I really connect with someone like Bill is cos we like the same music and want to move to that kind of music in the same way (I assume). I have wonderful dances all the time at CEROC with hundreds of different people - male and female, young and old etc etc etc !!!! I connect with them too. It's just that when I have 5 minutes left to live I won't be listening to S Club.

    Wx

    Ps This may come across as pretty angry cos I'm feeling misunderstood !

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    Hey wendy - looks like you could do with one of these:
    Originally posted by Wendy
    I think you guys don't realise/just plain forget ! that our having fun or not depends on the guy we are dancing with. You on the other hand can dance with a total muppet and cos, you are leading, are in control of the fun.
    It's not quite as straight cut as that: the flip side of this argument is that ladies can relax and have fun while the men concentrate on what moves they can do {/remember} that the lady will be able to follow.
    All the lady has to do is follow the man's lead - he has to make that lead clear, in time with the music, in time with the lady, stylish, flowing, into a blank area of dance floor,... and all the while trying to think on where the lady exits this move, where he will need to be to make the next move, where to direct the lady for the next move, what hand should you be in for the next move,... AND he has to work out what the next move should be; simple because you’ve just exited a complex move, complex because you’ve just done a few simple moves, a preparation move because a break is just about to come up in the song, flowing because you’ve just used push-spins, stops and breaks for the past few moves…
    With all that going through a man’s head, is it any wonder that it’s hard to follow the music sometimes!? And as for having fun – with a good lead, the lady should always be able to just relax and enjoy the dance; no matter what their level.
    {erm… hang on, I was trying to argue the opposite point :sorry:…}
    The man, when dancing with a ‘muppet’ has to concentrate on limiting his moves to those that the lady can follow; be sharp enough to convert ‘mistakes’ into ‘new moves’; lead to the music ‘strong’ enough that both follow the beat; be especially aware of other dancers; remember the beginner’s class… – it’s a lot of work, and not as much ‘fun’ as dancing with someone with more experience BUT the rewards, satisfaction and “buzz” when the dance finishes is the same as taxi’s and teachers get.

    And BTW if I was an exclusive dancer (someone really hurt me by saying this recently !!!)
    I never understood these people – why only dance to one or two tracks in the night, no matter who they are with! I would rather dance with someone who stands on my toes, uses their thumbs, spin out of time, have bad breath, BO and are slick with sweat than sit a song out.

    [quote]Originally posted by Gus
    Most people when questioned about dance may say something involving 'moving in time to the music' ..... if many Cerocers have the ability to do move without heed to the music does that make them dancers or just people moving around with co-incidental music playing around them?
    …yup – dancing is moving “in time to the music”, however this depends on how you hear the music and where the movement translates to; most “proper” dances are taught by placing the feet on distinct beats within the music, but experienced dancers translate the beat to hips, shoulders, hands, etc and don’t just dance to the beat, but to the phrases within the song, the melody, the rhythm of the lyrics…
    Just because everyone dances to a song differently on the same dance floor does not mean that they can’t dance – just that you can’t hear the music in the same way that they do.

  6. #6
    Registered User Wendy's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Gadget
    Hey wendy - looks like you could do with one of these:
    I did need one of those ! Thanks Gadget .

    I didn't say it was easier being a man I hope !!! I try to lead during every class now at some point (with males or females) and I know how hard it is !!! I still have fun doing that too though !!!

    And as for having fun – with a good lead, the lady should always be able to just relax and enjoy the dance; no matter what their level.
    With a good lead you say... and when they can't lead that can be a little less relaxing and therefore a little less fun methinks...

    the rewards, satisfaction and “buzz” when the dance finishes is the same as taxis and teachers get..
    I think you'll find that taxis get more of that buzz than the teachers do....and I get that buzz as a taxi every session. I just like to have the other stuff too.


    Just because everyone dances to a song differently on the same dance floor does not mean that they can’t dance – just that you can’t hear the music in the same way that they do.
    Agree. And when they do, it's BTC...

    Wxx

  7. #7
    Papa Smurf
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    Originally posted by Wendy
    And BTW if I was an exclusive dancer (someone really hurt me by saying this recently !!!) I'd turn up for about 8 minutes at the Edinburgh party once a month ...
    exclusive dancer ? i take it thats someone who has a short list of people who they would dance with - so dont bother asking them if youre not on it?

    Thats you Wendy, as long as the list has everyone on it .


    Well I intend to dance as a woman* for a whole class soon, dunno if i'll be allowed to do it, especially if its Glasgow next week... but I can restrict it to the same partner to avoid getting beaten up .


    *perhaps i should rephrase that to 'as a follower'

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    Registered User Chicklet's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Dreadful Scathe

    Well I intend to dance as a woman for a whole class soon, dunno if i'll be allowed to do it, especially if its Glasgow next week... but I can restrict it to the same partner to avoid getting beaten up .
    with a woman dancing as a man ?(we should be saying "lead" and "follow" really I guess:sorry )

    or with another man?

    and here's a question for the men who have done it - who's your favourite man to dance with when you're a woman and more importantly WHY??

  9. #9
    Papa Smurf
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    Originally posted by Chicklet
    and here's a question for the men who have done it - who's your favourite man to dance with when you're a woman and more importantly WHY??
    To be honest Ive only ever been lead by Brady - but he did make me feel special, like I was the only woman in the room .

  10. #10
    The Original Scooby Dave Hancock's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Dreadful Scathe
    To be honest Ive only ever been lead by Brady - but he did make me feel special, like I was the only woman in the room .
    I've also had the pleasure of a few dances with Brady although most have been as part of double trouble but can't say he made me feel that special, maybe he just saves this for his favourite guys

    My favourite guy has probably been Tramp as he's about the only one leads me into lots of dips and drops and really quite enjoy these, although have danced with Bill in his red high heeled shoes which was interesting

  11. #11
    Registered User Wendy's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Dreadful Scathe
    exclusive dancer ? i take it thats someone who has a short list of people who they would dance with - so dont bother asking them if youre not on it?
    No, they probably accept offers but don't ask you first possibly... not sure, I'm not an expert on this.....
    Thats you Wendy, as long as the list has everyone on it .
    God I know - I even dance with Smurfs for Heaven's sake !!!
    Well I intend to dance as a woman for a whole class soon, dunno if i'll be allowed to do it, especially if its Glasgow next week... but I can restrict it to the same partner to avoid getting beaten up .
    I'd be delighted to dance with you for a class !!! I've done that with Stuart a couple of times. It's fun. We don't always make it through the whole class though.... and beaten up in Glasgow ?? Never !!!! Well by the girls maybe I suppose....

    Wxxxx

  12. #12
    Registered User Chicklet's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Dave Hancock

    My favourite guy has probably been Tramp as he's about the only one leads me into lots of dips and drops and really quite enjoy these,

    but was that not just cos he was trying to get your kilt upside down for a look???

    although have danced with Bill in his red high heeled shoes which was interesting [/QUOTE]


    you can't leave that at "interesting" - who gets to lead when one's in a skirt and one's in red high heels?

  13. #13
    The Original Scooby Dave Hancock's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Chicklet
    but was that not just cos he was trying to get your kilt upside down for a look???

    [
    Good point never thought of that, what a dirty wee tramp he is

  14. #14
    The Forum Legend
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    Originally posted by Chicklet
    and here's a question for the men who have done it - who's your favourite man to dance with when you're a woman and more importantly WHY??
    Being led.... by David Barker. Great lead (but then, you women knew that already).

    Doing the leading. Well, it'd be hard to beat the Blackpool double trouble experience, but I think the triple trouble with Brady, Bill and Franck at the Aberdeen party might just do it.....

    And I'm sooooo glad that Fran couldn't get the video camera working. You just had to be there!

    Steve

  15. #15
    Registered User Jayne's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Dave Hancock
    I've also had the pleasure of a few dances with Brady although most have been as part of double trouble but can't say he made me feel that special, maybe he just saves this for his favourite guys
    Obviously he didn't do that thing with his eyes when he did a side-to-side with you then....

    My tummy still flutters at the memory...

    *sigh*

    J

  16. #16
    The Dashing Moderator
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    Originally posted by Wendy
    I think you guys don't realise/just plain forget ! that our having fun or not depends on the guy we are dancing with. You on the other hand can dance with a total muppet and cos, you are leading, are in control of the fun.
    The thing that really affects whether I have fun or not, or how well I dance (& which I don't think has been mentioned so far) is not who I'm dancing with, but the music being played.

    Originally posted by Wendy
    Every time Debster posts I end up singing it for about half an hour oh and wiggling on my chair of course !!
    Wx
    ... well maybe it does affect others too ...

    I've had really good dances with people who barely know what they're doing but to cracking music, and I've had really bad dances with expert dancers who are also wonderful people but where the music hasn't done anything for me.

    If I was a better dancer, maybe I would be able to make something out of any track that's played , but as it is I probably don't .... (sigh!)

    David
    Love dance, will travel

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