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
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.
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'.
Suggest you find the dictionary and find out what 'oxymoron' means first then worry about thought processes thereafter
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?
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
Do we have to label everything? Why can't it just be dancing to blues music?
Hardly controversial: you'd be joining Lory, Fusioneer, Martin and Chicklet so far.
Suitable for Blues music, certainly.Originally Posted by DavidJames
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:
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?
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!
MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
"If you're going to do something tonight, that you know you'll be sorry for in the morning, plan a lie in." Lorraine
Universal Product Code? This dance gets stranger and stranger....
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