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Thread: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

  1. #61
    Commercial Operator StokeBloke's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus View Post
    Urrrrr ... The Rokovs did a workshop on the Sunday afternoon precisely on 'Performance Blues' (I still think this is a oxymoron ). Apparently the Blues competitors were so keen to get the inside track that NONE of them attended (myself included ... fell asleep ). If the competitors didn't attend this session, which could have been seen as a briefing session, then maybe that would explain some of the issue?
    Urrrrr ... We bought the DVD and watched Rocky and Val's excellent Performance Blues class a few times in our chalet before the semi-finals. The workshop they did was very helpful, and I would recommend anyone who is considering any form of dance competition to watch it.

    I'm not sure why you consider Performance Blues to be an oxymoron. But then I have always had a problem understanding your thought process Gus - ohh 'Gus' and 'thought process' is that perhaps an oxymoron

  2. #62
    Commercial Operator StokeBloke's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Happy B View Post
    Neither myself or Tom are teachers :P

    Perhaps one day

    Bx
    Although Tom is the current UK Open Champion isn't he?

  3. #63
    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by StokeBloke View Post
    Urrrrr ... We bought the DVD and watched Rocky and Val's excellent Performance Blues class a few times in our chalet before the semi-finals.
    So ... STILL no-one did the workshop (the DVD won't cover all the class) but good thinking in getting some prep in. I've only skimmed it so far. Most of it sounds similar to the stuff you get from Amir, Nigel etc but well tailored.

    Quote Originally Posted by StokeBloke View Post
    I'm not sure why you consider Performance Blues to be an oxymoron.
    Been debated many time before but the core challenge is that Blues is an 'internally' focused style and so does not lend itself easily to performance. This view is shared by some rather well known 'names'.

    Quote Originally Posted by StokeBloke View Post
    But then I have always had a problem understanding your thought process Gus - ohh 'Gus' and 'thought process' is that perhaps an oxymoron
    Suggest you find the dictionary and find out what 'oxymoron' means first then worry about thought processes thereafter

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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    More than anything, its the stance... flat feet, bent legs and bums sticking out to me some of them look like they've had a bit on an accident.
    Thing is, to me this just says that you don't like Blues. If Blues is weight shifts, then interesting Blues is interesting weight shifts. Straighten the lower body out, and there's only one way to shift weight. That's not really a evening's entertainment in itself.

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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinHarper View Post
    Thing is, to me this just says that you don't like Blues. If Blues is weight shifts, then interesting Blues is interesting weight shifts. Straighten the lower body out, and there's only one way to shift weight. That's not really a evening's entertainment in itself.
    to me it says she does not like Lindy Hop

    Having danced with the gorgeous Lory, I can assure you she "loves" blues...
    Last edited by Martin; 18th-October-2007 at 02:31 AM.

  6. #66
    Registered User Fusioneer's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Blues? UK or US styles?

    There appears to be an atlantic divide between the Blues states side which seems to have developed hand in hand with Lindyhop upbeat timing with bent knees (inc. bum sticking out, women appearing to being "dragged" by the men); And what i believe we should have as a smoother less beat orientated dance based on closer moves from MJ adopting the smoother WCS style rather than Lindy from the US that intrepets the music in a subtle but distinctive way.

    Should we define a uk blues style?

  7. #67
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Almost an Angel View Post
    I've found a couple of clips on you-tube that demonstrate this (if I manage to attach them correctly) One of them is even Lucky himself.
    most of them you have to watch to around a minute in and you'll see there is a clear difference in the blues hold and a more open posture and stance - you can also clearly see the double pulse being led.







    Hope that helps explain a little.
    Finally got round to watching these.

    Ummm.

    Interesting.

    Can I be controversial here, and say I don't care for them? To me, watching it, it doesn't reach me - it doesn't inspire me. It's like watching wobbly AT with some turns thrown in, in some ways.

    The best bits (in my view) were where it looked like Nuevo Tango - but then, I would say that

    To me, the only clip that was of interest was this one:

    - that, I'd definitely call AT with hips

    But generally, if that's what Blues Dancing really is, I'm not interested in learning it, it doesn't speak to me. And if that's the criteria for judging an MJ Blues Comp in this country, I can't see many people doing it.

    Sorry

  8. #68
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fusioneer View Post
    And what i believe we should have as a smoother less beat orientated dance based on closer moves from MJ adopting the smoother WCS style rather than Lindy from the US that intrepets the music in a subtle but distinctive way.
    Is WCS suitable for Blues? I don't see it myself..

    Quote Originally Posted by Fusioneer View Post
    Should we define a uk blues style?

    Dozens of threads over the years have tried to do just that...

  9. #69
    Commercial Operator Sugarfoot's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames View Post
    Finally got round to watching these.

    To me, the only clip that was of interest was this one:

    - that, I'd definitely call AT with hips
    Nice clip David.

    All though there is fun and hamming it up it adheres to the lessis more. The 1st time I tried to Tango with Trish (great blues dancer) it some how ended up like this...Tango meets Blues. Hmm...maybe a new tint on workshops from Mandy & I

  10. #70
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Martin View Post
    to me it says she does not like Lindy Hop
    Well - since I love Lindy, but agree with her about those clips, that's not necessarily a valid conclusion (anyway - they don't resemble any kind of Lindy that I've seen)

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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Do we have to label everything? Why can't it just be dancing to blues music?

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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fusioneer View Post
    Should we define a uk blues style?
    We can't even define Modern Jive

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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames View Post
    Can I be controversial here, and say I don't care for them?
    Hardly controversial: you'd be joining Lory, Fusioneer, Martin and Chicklet so far.

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidJames
    Is WCS suitable for Blues?
    Suitable for Blues music, certainly.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fusioneer View Post
    Should we define a uk blues style?
    Sure thing. MJ-based blues, as it stands today, consists of three key elements:
    1) Slow Ceroc.
    2) The guy doing nothing while the girl wiggles at him or on him.
    3) Simple weight changes in closed.

    Here's an example clearly demonstrating each of these three elements:

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    Commercial Operator StokeBloke's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    Do we have to label everything? Why can't it just be dancing to blues music?
    Why can't we just all get along? Think of the children for pity's sake

  15. #75
    Registered User spindr's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinHarper View Post
    Sure thing. MJ-based blues, as it stands today, consists of three key elements:
    1) Slow Ceroc.
    2) The guy doing nothing while the girl wiggles at him or on him.
    3) Simple weight changes in closed.
    I think that the missing ingredient is that there is no notion of "commitment" or sharing -- either committing/sharing weight with each other, committing to a common rotational axis, or "committing to/sharing" a plane (i.e. mirroring each other -- but for each others benefit, rather than the audience's, or otherwise connecting with a joint plane), etc. Not so much occasional "flashlighting" but a complete sense of a continuous shared illumination.

    I only watched the end of the open final -- but that seemed to be the biggest difference (to me).

    SpinDr

    P.S. Isn't tango music simply blues argentinian style -- how about fado -- there must be others?

  16. #76
    Registered User Feelingpink's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    Do we have to label everything? Why can't it just be dancing to blues music?
    Can you define blues music? And would it be blues in the wider 'Southport' definition or something narrower?

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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    Do we have to label everything? Why can't it just be dancing to blues music?
    Well - for starters, a lot of the music used in blues dance isn't blues. And a lot of blues music isn't suitable for what we call blues dance.

  18. #78
    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie View Post
    Do we have to label everything? Why can't it just be dancing to blues music?
    Because the rules of the competition specified Blues dancing ....?

  19. #79
    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus View Post
    Because the rules of the competition specified Blues dancing ....?
    I know, lets just scrap the word Blues

    .. how about

    The UK's first UPC comp?

    Points awarded for

    Connection
    musicality
    passion
    eye contact
    interplay
    dips ans drops
    smoothness

    And taken away for

    Bouncyness
    Ugly feet
    Ugly stance
    flaling arms and legs

    This post started off as 'tongue in cheek' but I quite like the idea now!
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    Re: Blues Championships - was it Blues?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    The UK's first UPC comp?
    Universal Product Code? This dance gets stranger and stranger....

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