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Thread: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

  1. #21
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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Terpsichorea View Post
    I think Jamie in another thread said that every man thinks that he knows everything about something at some point, and it's quite sobering when you realise that although you thought you were coming along nicely, you still have vast areas of ignorance and/or areas which need refining.

    Just my two penn'oth.
    The reason I said:

    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie
    every man thinks that he knows everything about something at some point
    ... Is because at one point, I thought I was fantastic, as you do after 7 months of dancing... Being the best at your local venues and being asked to teach for them as well... All kind of goes to your head and you forget about the fact that theres' a huge MJ community out there that you've not even discovered!

    My realisation came when I went to a freestyle in Northampton and saw Centralex dancing... I hated him! How could someone be better than me at my 7 months of dance experience which easily out weighs anyones!!

    So after seeing the man in action, I was full of a burning desire to out-do him!! RAR!!!

    Until a couple of months later, it hit me... There's always going to be someone better than you, (duh... ) and no matter how hard you try, you can bet someones trying harder than you! I decided to relax and just enjoy my dancing and have done ever since... We're friends now obviously and have both laughed about it many times.

    So what I was trying to get at was, yes Alex was a huge ego deflater on my part and made me realise there's better people than yourself out there... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to learn from them and try to achieve what they have. If I'd have given up when I saw Alex dancing, I wouldn't be a Ceroc teacher right now and enjoying the life I have now.

    It's all about perspective.

    /*Disclaimer: not trying to say I thought I was better than everyone except Alex, nor am I saying Alex is the best dancer in the world ever! I'm trying to say Alex had the biggest impact on me because of a few things that were happening at the time.*/

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    There is a major diff between social dancing and comp dancing. My point is Comp dancing is more aimed at showing off, hence dancers in comps normaly look better than they would do on a social floor
    Lee is that your attemp at being seeing doing less 'trolling' on this forum?

    lol it's a bit like saying that pudding is sweeter than pizza. Or something.

    And just for the sake or argumenting, you did say:

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Bartholomew View Post
    I have always thought the best dancers are the ones that have a tendancy to show off 'I can do this so im going to do this' kind of way.

    Maybe that is one of the secerts of great dancing, the ability to show off. After all you see men that are great dancers. How do you know that they are great dancers? Their connection and lead might be all over the place for all you know. It's their ability to look good to other people.

    so it's not my fault if you don't express yourself clearly when you refer to what you consider 'great dancing' or 'the best dancers'. May I recommend you take advice from a professional communicator, I heard there's one around here

  3. #23
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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    nicely put Jamie

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    The reason I said:



    ... Is because at one point, I thought I was fantastic, as you do after 7 months of dancing... Being the best at your local venues and being asked to teach for them as well... All kind of goes to your head and you forget about the fact that theres' a huge MJ community out there that you've not even discovered!

    My realisation came when I went to a freestyle in Northampton and saw Centralex dancing... I hated him! How could someone be better than me at my 7 months of dance experience which easily out weighs anyones!!

    So after seeing the man in action, I was full of a burning desire to out-do him!! RAR!!!

    Until a couple of months later, it hit me... There's always going to be someone better than you, (duh... ) and no matter how hard you try, you can bet someones trying harder than you! I decided to relax and just enjoy my dancing and have done ever since... We're friends now obviously and have both laughed about it many times.

    So what I was trying to get at was, yes Alex was a huge ego deflater on my part and made me realise there's better people than yourself out there... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to learn from them and try to achieve what they have. If I'd have given up when I saw Alex dancing, I wouldn't be a Ceroc teacher right now and enjoying the life I have now.

    It's all about perspective.

    /*Disclaimer: not trying to say I thought I was better than everyone except Alex, nor am I saying Alex is the best dancer in the world ever! I'm trying to say Alex had the biggest impact on me because of a few things that were happening at the time.*/
    OK to be strictly honest, I had a similar reaction when I first saw you and Caz dancing at St Chads. I remember feeling chuffed because I'd learned how to do some hatchlockcombcombo thingy, and was thinking, it's not really difficult this MJ thing. Then I started watching you guys and it was like

    I suppose (again being strictly honest) that it did make me feel envious. I wanted, there and then, to be as good as you. But after a while, I started to think, why do I want this? what am I trying to prove? I know the reason why I felt so anxious at freestyles (at that time) was because I was trying to show everyone how good I was. You know, dancing while looking over your shoulder to see what other people are doing - are they outdoing you? Daft, but that was how it was.

    I remember that I felt dreadfully nervous the first time I danced with you and Caz. You (naturally) want to impress dancers who you admire, and who you regard as a benchmark of ability. But there also comes a time (as has been pointed out) when I again had to say to myself, what am I doing this for? I'm not studying to be a professional dancer, this is supposed to be fun.

    So although I still feel that I have a long way to go when I see great dancers on YouTube, it's also the example of great dancers that makes me learn new stuff and to persist in my development.

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Terpsichorea View Post
    OK to be strictly honest, I had a similar reaction when I first saw you and Caz dancing at St Chads. I remember feeling chuffed because I'd learned how to do some hatchlockcombcombo thingy, and was thinking, it's not really difficult this MJ thing. Then I started watching you guys and it was like

    I suppose (again being strictly honest) that it did make me feel envious. I wanted, there and then, to be as good as you. But after a while, I started to think, why do I want this? what am I trying to prove? I know the reason why I felt so anxious at freestyles (at that time) was because I was trying to show everyone how good I was. You know, dancing while looking over your shoulder to see what other people are doing - are they outdoing you? Daft, but that was how it was.

    I remember that I felt dreadfully nervous the first time I danced with you and Caz. You (naturally) want to impress dancers who you admire, and who you regard as a benchmark of ability. But there also comes a time (as has been pointed out) when I again had to say to myself, what am I doing this for? I'm not studying to be a professional dancer, this is supposed to be fun.

    So although I still feel that I have a long way to go when I see great dancers on YouTube, it's also the example of great dancers that makes me learn new stuff and to persist in my development.
    Wow Thanks Terpsichorea.. Personally I don't regard myself as a great dancer. I used to be quite serious about my dancing but it took all the fun out of it as i was constantly trying to better myself and finding faults with my dancing. Now i have fun.. I love to dance with anyone .. even tho I do admit that I like to dance with the better dancers if only to improve / challenge myself - but I personally think that my love of dancing shows thru which people perceive as making me a "good dancer" but I just enjoy what i do P.S. Looking forward to dancing with you again soon xx

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    For me good dancers are the fuel that fire me to improve my dancing! If not to be like them but at least to be able to pass myself dancing with them!

    I get down when i dance with a good dancer but cant follow them!

    I think that no matter what level you are at there will always be someone you aspire to be and i think that is a good thing!

    However!

    I teach a class and when i started teaching there we only a few people who had done ceroc before (not regularly but had tried it elsewhere) so most people were complete beginner and from then until now i have people come up to me and say "i dont like to ask you to dance because you are better than me" and to be honest it hurts. I never want to seem intimidating because i am a teacher and because of this i am more likely to ask anyone , no matter what level, to dance. There are a few exceptions but only because they are scarily fantastic and i would probably mess up!

    my advice to anyone is look at better dancers and find inspiration but also ask them to dance and maybe that way you can find out something that will help you!

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Caro View Post
    so it's not my fault if you don't express yourself clearly when you refer to what you consider 'great dancing' or 'the best dancers'. May I recommend you take advice from a professional communicator, I heard there's one around here
    Some of the best communicators would work out when they were likely to make a difference to somebody's communcation skill with a simple paragrah and when they will be ignored - I wish I was that kind of cummunicator

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Caro View Post
    so it's not my fault if you don't express yourself clearly when you refer to what you consider 'great dancing' or 'the best dancers'. May I recommend you take advice from a professional communicator, I heard there's one around here
    Yeah, but he's freezing his ass off in a tent in the Isle of Wight at the moment, so you'll have to wait till he comes back.

    Oh, and

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    there're donkeys on the Isle of Wight ?

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    it hit me... There's always going to be someone better than you, (duh... ) and no matter how hard you try, you can bet someones trying harder than you!

    AKA the "Fastest Gun in the West" Syndrome.. There's always someone waiting to challenge you for the title.

    Sorry Dad was into tacky westerns and used to force feed them to me as a kid !

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    The thing to remember about MJ is that it is a fun dance. So long as you're having fun, it doesn't matter if other people are better dancers than you. In fact, if you're having more fun than those "better dancers" I'd say that you've captured the spirit of MJ - maybe that makes you better, who knows?


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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    there're donkeys on the Isle of Wight ?
    Err, probably I guess. Why are you interested?

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Good post Jamie, I had a similar experience one night at Peterborough after I had been dancing 6 or 7 months and SnowWhite and Andy Martin were there and he was just a different class to anything I had seen locally (hadn't been to a weekender at that point). Now I am quite happy dancing alongside him (until he glares at you for daring to step within his 3m exclusion zone ). I don't say that in order to compare us as dancers just that perspectives change as you gain exposure to more people.

    In general I find great dancers neither a significant inspiration nor depressing as I take quite a pragmatic view of my own abilities and know I'll never get anywhere near the level of the top people - I'll never spin as well as Jamie no matter how much practice I put in . What I do find inspirational are those people who have what I consider to be good style or musicality, etc at a level that is attainable by myself.

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by drathzel View Post
    I get down when i dance with a good dancer but cant follow them!
    I'm so with you on this one!

    But we have to question ourselves... Are they so great? Yes, they look good and others may rave over them but if they make 'us' as good follows' feel inadequate (down), then surely they can't be 'that' good?

    Its back to that 'look good verses feel good poll' (hmm, I have to search for it now! )
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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    its very rare that you see GREAT dancers on the usual MJ nights. You might see good dancers, sexy dancers, not so great dancers and bouncers etc etc.... GREAT dancers are usually seen on floorshows such as Southport and Camba and on the TV.

    What i see when i watch people are smiles, fun, connectivity, sex, boredom, cheeky, seduction and overal a spirit that makes us all feel great. That for me is what Great dancing is and this inspiration comes from all of us dancers who are great in our own special little ways.

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Now then Now then Now then, whats all this here.

    Just enjoy your dancing, like anything in life if you enjoy it, the joy will shine thro and be visible by all around you, they will want to be part of this joyous experience and ask you to dance. Your dancing will improve in time whatever happens, enjoy the journey and experience of dancing. Do not over analyse or complicate things Just enjoy it. I also danced with Tatiana at Sp and had a great dance with her, i did the hair pull move on her and she loved it.
    ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY.
    Who cares if someone is better than you....Fairplay to them, Enjoy
    XXX XXX DTS Dave
    Last edited by dave the scaffolder; 23rd-August-2007 at 04:44 PM. Reason: Not enough enjoys in there.

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames View Post
    Err, probably I guess. Why are you interested?
    cos you said he's freezing his donkey off in a tent - and I have NO idea what that would entail

  18. #38
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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    When I first started dancing, I found all the other dancers very intimidating.

    That didn't last long, and a few guys became inspiration to me.

    Now I look around on an average night and strangely it's still the same few that inspire me. It's all the others who depress me.

    Just kidding – we all dance as best we can or want to. Those who look up for inspiration are likely to get better, and maybe will become inspiration for others in turn.

    But as the great philosopher, DTS said, "Just enjoy it."
    Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Inspiration: When I watch great dancers or dance with them.
    Depression: When I waste time trying to get dances with rather than just dancing.

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    Re: Great dancers...are they a source of inspiration or depression?

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi View Post
    But as the great philosopher, DTS said, "Just enjoy it."
    philosopher awww blesss xxx

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