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Thread: At what point does dancing become showing off?

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    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    My style is smooth, flowing, short stepping (well sliding really) or at least I like to think it is.
    Yes, it is, at least from what I recall watching you last Friday.

    David the Stalker...

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    "dumbing down" thats sounds SOOO egotistical its unbelievable I assume you meant the rather less arrogant "adjust" ?
    I think the word woodface is looking for is "simplify". It's pretty obvious that all of us should adjust our dancing to match our partners, and I think all of us do. The trickier question is whether, when dancing with relative beginners, we should also simplify our dancing.

    I'm reminded at this point of some words I've heard attributed to a forumite. She was talking about how she's been improving her following and styling recently, and she said something along the lines of "I've decided that from now on, it doesn't matter how bad my partner is, I'm going to look good".

    Compare and contrast that philosophy with Gav's comment on another thread that "I remember someone saying that men's styling and flashy moves is all well and good, but it doesn't look good when a man out-styles his lady and I have to agree."

    I don't think there's a right or wrong answer, though I've given my opinion earlier.

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by woodface View Post
    Showing off is not wrong. It is just a time and a place for it.
    No-one said showing off was wrong. In cabarets, performance dance etc its vital. In certain situations for a fun element its entertaining.

    Quote Originally Posted by woodface View Post
    The showing off part is more about what a spectator would think. What the other dancers one the sides would think.
    That's the key question I guess, are you dancing for the benefit of how it looks to those around or how it feels for your partner.

    Its OK IMO to dance with an element of 'performance' for those around (I like watching other people dance) but if in a social dance context it should only be done with the knowledge and consent of your partner.

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by woodface View Post
    Yep agreed but it is always nice if you both follow the style of music ie, slow smoth to blusey or tango'y tracks, livley and bouncy to a jive or Rn'R track or, dare I say it, Disco'y do a disco track.

    I have danced with partners who will try and stick to a tango feel to something like from 'paris to belin' Im all for wierness and sometimes it works, but should I not dance disco'y to it just because the other person is too stuck in their blues room world?

    Then who is showing off? Me because i double step or my partner because she is doing big round rhondas?

    Sometimes a mixture of styles works.

    Dance partners are like a box of chocolates........

    Do you compete??????

    I have looked at lots and lots of threads on different forums and when i ask these GREAT dancers who can spin like a tornado and show off all night if they compete i get the same answer........NO. Is this the same with you???
    I know, with all good dancers who like to "show off" do "spins", there is nothing more they would like to do than compete - but seldom do. why?

    You must always remember, Modern Jive has, is and always will be a partner dance.
    Making your partner feel inadequate will soon get round to every venue you would want to visit, and in turn you would find yourself with only a limited few to dance with.

    Remenber - evryone starts somewhere.

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Competing is my new years resolution.

    I have only been dancing a year or so, so im still classed as a newbie .

    You can show off and still make your partner feel special?

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by woodface View Post
    Competing is my new years resolution.

    I have only been dancing a year or so, so im still classed as a newbie .

    You can show off and still make your partner feel special?
    Please dont take this the wrong way - but - if you have only been dancing a year, are you good enough to be showing off ???
    Surly you have to master moves to be able to show off.
    The likes of Victor, Phill, Alex, Roy and other great dancers have earned the right to show off.
    Have you come from a dancing background ???

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by C2D View Post
    The likes of Victor, Phill, Alex, Roy and other great dancers have earned the right to show off.
    please note this is not me

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by C2D View Post
    Please dont take this the wrong way - but - if you have only been dancing a year, are you good enough to be showing off ???
    Surly you have to master moves to be able to show off.
    The likes of Victor, Phill, Alex, Roy and other great dancers have earned the right to show off.
    Have you come from a dancing background ???
    So you can only show off if your a name in the MJ world or have been dancing for along time?

    Sorry I didn't realise. Back to plodding, single rotations and static body for me.

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by C2D View Post
    Making your partner feel inadequate will soon get round to every venue you would want to visit, and in turn you would find yourself with only a limited few to dance with.
    Odd - that's not something I've ever seen happen. I assume you speak from experience. Who have you seen that happen to? What did they do to make all their partners feel inadequate? How long did it take before everyone started turning them down for dances?

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinHarper View Post
    Odd - that's not something I've ever seen happen. I assume you speak from experience. Who have you seen that happen to? What did they do to make all their partners feel inadequate? How long did it take before everyone started turning them down for dances?
    Also what did they do all evening if they couldn't dance?

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by woodface View Post
    Have been accused in the past of showing off.

    It does make me conscious about my dancing but thats just the way I do it.

    Anyone else get accused?
    I guess that my take on this would be that dancing, especially jive, is not for the introvert. It is about performing to the music, being creative with the music and sharing a musical experience with a partner. You can't be shy about it, you have to give it some attitude, surely. This might also attract the attention on an on-looker or two, if the dance is going well, but as long as that isn't the overall intention then I don't think this is showing off.

    It would never occur to me to think that the first couple to get up on the dance floor on a freestyle night were showing off because there was no-one else dancing. Similarly there have been times when Tessalicious and I have been out shopping for dance shoes or skirts and we spontaneously start dancing in the shop - testing out our proposed new purchase for danceability. Now you might say we are just showing off - that's not why we are doing it, so I really don't care what any body else thinks. We are just passionate about the art and want to see if the skirt twirls nicely.

    So Woodface - don't stop dancing as if you were Fred Astaire - dance as if the whole world was watching and let people say you are showing off if they want to, they are only jealous!!

    PS - I'm a singer btw and have been known to break into song in all sorts of places, even the supermarket. Now I've had some wonderful comments from people like 'you sound happy', 'you've brightened my day', 'sing up, I like that song' etc. However, there have been folks who have told me to stop showing off - well, I sing because I can't help singing, and so, because you can't please everyone I just have to please myself. If I feel like singing I sing, so there.

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by C2D View Post
    Please dont take this the wrong way - but - if you have only been dancing a year, are you good enough to be showing off ???
    Surly you have to master moves to be able to show off.
    The likes of Victor, Phill, Alex, Roy and other great dancers have earned the right to show off.
    Have you come from a dancing background ???
    Surely anyone has the right to show off.

    The question is: does one have the ability. Thing is - anyone can show off all they like. Unfortunately, many who do fail to realise they don't look half as good as they think.

    Of course - someone like Viktor doesn't actually need to show off. He's amazing to watch even if he's just playing it cool and enjoying a minimalistic non-showy dance...

    Quote Originally Posted by woodface View Post
    So you can only show off if your a name in the MJ world or have been dancing for along time?
    Hardly. But it can make all the difference between looking great, and looking like you're trying too hard....

    Just a thought

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by straycat264 View Post
    Surely anyone has the right to show off.

    The question is: does one have the ability. Thing is - anyone can show off all they like. Unfortunately, many who do fail to realise they don't look half as good as they think.

    Of course - someone like Viktor doesn't actually need to show off. He's amazing to watch even if he's just playing it cool and enjoying a minimalistic non-showy dance...



    Hardly. But it can make all the difference between looking great, and looking like you're trying too hard....

    Just a thought

    Would like to see tha amazing Viktor.

    I don't try too hard. Don't have the energy

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    I have been dancing for 8 months now and I ahve only started to ut my own style into my dancing...grnted it is unique but people say it looks good, but I dance to how the music tells me to. but I try and keep the same style with my partner and make sure we look together rather than two individual dancers

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by Clueless View Post
    I have been dancing for 8 months now and I ahve only started to ut my own style into my dancing...grnted it is unique but people say it looks good, but I dance to how the music tells me to. but I try and keep the same style with my partner and make sure we look together rather than two individual dancers
    I'm not sure that styling is 'showing off' - if I style I do it for myself and my partner - not really for the people sitting along the side.

    I guess that is maybe the difference between styling and showing off? That styling and musical interpretation is done for yourself and your partner and 'performing' (I prefer that term to 'showing off') is done for an audience? (Whether that be an official one or just people standing/sitting around watching.)

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by TheTramp View Post
    It's always the coffee ones left at the bottom?? (Except in my house, where it's the nuts that are left! )
    That must be why I always get them then

    I like to show off, but then you all know that anyway
    Last edited by mikeyr; 29th-November-2006 at 06:03 PM. Reason: Dance with me or die................The choice is yours :D

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    I don't think there's a problem with showing off. The whole point of dance should be to express yourself (ignoring those who do it to pull or keep fit etc. ) That kinda indirectly implies an element of showing off even if it's understated. However, it's very possible to be too overstated, then be prepared to be sniggered at The art is to show off without looking like your showing off. Things like glancing at the audience to see who's watching every turn are a dead giveaway

    I also don't think anyone needs to adjust their dance 'downwards' simply because their partner is, say, a beginner. It's not that bad. Of course, you may simplify, sometimes quite a bit, or leave out the triple twist pike aerial or whatever, but you don't need to make yourself look like a beginner just because your partner is In fact, if a dancer who happens to be not so experienced as you wants to learn, they may not actually like to much simplification. It's about knowing limitations, theirs, and yours.

    I do agree that you should adjust your dance according to your partners style tho. That is one of the marks of a great dancer. Make it complimentary. 'Dance with your partner, not at her' sums it up whoever wrote that

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    I like to show off, as long as I don't feel it's adversely affecting the dance for my partner, although it's not always showing off for showing off's sake ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Daydreaming Diva
    It would never occur to me to think that the first couple to get up on the dance floor on a freestyle night were showing off because there was no-one else dancing.
    At my local venues, it's not the norm to get up to dance before the Beginners class, but I like to do this to warm up (and just get a couple of extra dances in ... I'm not obsessed really!) and know a couple of partners who don't mind doing this with me, so being the only couple out there I 'feel' like I'm showing off just because I know a lot of people will be watching. Likewise at busks we are there to be looked at, and are obviously trying to dance our best, so I would, in a way, class this as showing off. But again, it's not being done just for the sake of it.

    One partner I dance with regularly will specifically take me from one end of the dancefloor to the other because the people at that end haven't seen us do a particular move (for instance). I don't mind doing this at all, because between the two of us we are still enjoying the dance, and we would still be doing the same move even if no-one was watching, but I wouldn't set out intentionally to do that sort of thing myself.

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by straycat264 View Post
    Anyone can show off all they like. Unfortunately, many who do fail to realise they don't look half as good as they think.
    I dunno. I watch folks who are showing off and not looking too hot (to my taste), and I don't get the feeling that they think they're dance gods. More uninhibited and extrovert. And occasionally somewhat drunk.

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    Re: At what point does dancing become showing off?

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinHarper View Post
    I dunno. I watch folks who are showing off and not looking too hot (to my taste), and I don't get the feeling that they think they're dance gods. More uninhibited and extrovert. And occasionally somewhat drunk.
    That's pretty well what I meant, yeah. I think I should give up trying to be subtle on here.

    Not that I was trying to be subtle, come to think of it.

    Or was I?

    Hmm.

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