Should wristwatches be banned on the dancefloor?

[rubyred]

Since I started dancing I no longer where watches, bracelets and rings during the dancing ,and got into the habit of not wearing them outside of dancing too, but have started again [ I know you all really wanted to hear that piece of boring information YAWN].

What gets me is when you get scratched by the bracelet of the watch, also annoying but a bit off thread are keys and mobile phones in pockets, OUCH they can hurt

[timbp]

What gets me is when you get scratched by the bracelet of the watch, also annoying but a bit off thread are keys and mobile phones in pockets, OUCH they can hurt

Reminds me about a year ago I saw a couple dancing VERY close. Then she suddenly jumped away from him.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a mobile phone and started talking.

[rubyred]

Reminds me about a year ago I saw a couple dancing VERY close. Then she suddenly jumped away from him.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a mobile phone and started talking.

have to say I thought about something else here

[Yliander]

Since I started dancing I no longer where watches, bracelets and rings during the dancing

although I did have a couple of braclets that I would wear for dancing but run-ins with people wandering through the dance floor damaged them however if I am demoing or teaching I do wear a watch as it's the easiest way to keep track of time

[Astro]

My personal gripe on this one is the guys who wear massive watches and then insist on leading the 'dropkick' - leaving large ugly bruises and scratches underneath my arms.

I reserve the right to sabotage, or possibly cause some reciprocal damage of my choosing.

There's also the technique of contact whereby the lead leads uses his arm on the follows arm. The hands are not used.
Sorry hard to describe and I don't know the name of that technique.

Anyhow, a watch would get in the way.

Also the move side by side where the two dancers move away from each until both their arms are extended fully. I like to trail my hand down his arm, if he's not wearing a wristwatch.

I suppose if the watch is well hidden under a long shirt cuff, then it won't catch.

[RichardP]

I'm completely on the fence on this one - I personally never notice if my partner is wearing a watch or not and one of my demos has never mentioned it to me so I guess she's the same, however, my other demo gives me evils if I'm even close to starting a class and still wearing mine!

I feel a poll coming....!

[mabraham]

With the profusion of mobile phones, does anyone really need to wear a wristwatch on the dancefloor?

I've been scratched a few times on my bare arms.

The also seem to get caught in my hair.

I don't want my watch inconveniencing anybody else, and as I have my phone for the few times I care what time it is, and dance several times a week... I usually lose track of where my watch is for months at a time One time this year I re-found it in the pocket of my best suit jacket... where it was after taking it off to dance at the last wedding!

[jemessex]

.. where it was after taking it off to dance at the last wedding!

what your's????

[tanjive]

Personally I do not wear a watch and have had no trouble with followers who have. I do find followers with chunky rings much more common than those with long nails. Both of these can turn an otherwise good dance into a horrible experience.

[RedFox]

I've never been injured by a watch but don't normally wear one myself. Over the years I have, however, been injured by fingernails, a ring and the pin on a hair slide... It's certainly an issue that should be taken seriously.

[mabraham]

what your's????

errr, no... I tend to wear this suit to weddings and formal dinners and that's about it!

[mabraham]

I've never been injured by a watch but don't normally wear one myself. Over the years I have, however, been injured by fingernails, a ring and the pin on a hair slide... It's certainly an issue that should be taken seriously.

I once *thought* I'd been injured by a chunky ring, in that after a rotational moves workshop I found a curvy red line of bleeding under the skin on my right upper arm. I spoke up at the end of the class and asked ladies to check their rings, but another guy there said "Nah, mate... that was one of their shoes!"

He was right, too. We were doing a move where the guy crouches and the lady swings her right foot onto his shoulder, but his arm was such that if she couldn't get that high, she'd land on his upper arm somewhere. If she misses entirely, however, her heel would get the upper arm... as happened here! Intent on keeping her balanced in this position, I never noticed it happen!

[Beowulf]

I wear a watch all the time. If you're going to ban watches then as said above you'll have to ban long nails (on both sexes!) rings, bracelets , dangly earrings, long sleeved shirts etc and anything else that can get caught up.

I scalped a woman once by somehow wrapping her hair round the cuff button in my shirt. I put my hand far enough above her head but somehow it still got tangled.

As for the phone thing.. I always also wear my mobile on a belt clip (I usually get funny comments anout being on call.. or carrying my pager) I danced with someone once who ran their hand along my belt .. and when i turned round she was looking rather sheepish.. and handed me my phone she'd accidentaly unclipped

perhaps we should all dance nude and with bathing caps on.. nothing to get tangled up/in then

[Astro]

perhaps we should all dance nude and with bathing caps on.. nothing to get tangled up/in then

Would certainly solve the heat problem at Chiswick.

From FRESH to FLESH - a new concept.

[ducasi]

I wear a watch all the time. [...]

As for the phone thing.. I always also wear my mobile on a belt clip [...]

Have you ever found that you really needed to know the time or make a phone call in the middle of a dance?

If not, why can't you leave them in a jacket pocket?

[Beowulf]

If not, why can't you leave them in a jacket pocket?

nope.. am very paranoid .. and would probably spend the whole dance watching my bags/ jacket !

[Crazy Shark]

perhaps we should all dance nude and with bathing caps on.. nothing to get tangled up/in then

Trust a man to say that LOL

[Astro]

Have you ever found that you really needed to know the time or make a phone call in the middle of a dance?

If not, why can't you leave them in a jacket pocket?

That's not to mention the laptop strapped to his chest, the mouse in his pocket, the VDU screens inside his glasses and the headphones under his hat.

[Beowulf]

That's not to mention the laptop strapped to his chest, the mouse in his pocket, the VDU screens inside his glasses and the headphones under his hat.

have we met? You seem to know an awful lot about me

(Actually I do have a PDA with a little database of dance moves and a few video's I use when I go dancing. It's ok.. but I've not perfected the partner-harness yet that allows me to position it on their shoulder when I'm dancing with them and be able to read the screen. )

(am joking about the harness.. but sadly not about the dance database on my PDA )

[killingtime]

I used to wear a watch that I started taking off for dancing. Eventually I stopped wearing it all together. I tend to use my iPod or phone to get the time when about and I don't really find I need to know the time when dancing (though there is a clock on the wall I can glance at). Hopefully people will discover that their watches/rings/platemail armour gets in the way and eventually chose to be more practical. I think banning them seems a bit extreme though but then I'm one of those liberal types that thinks that men should wear shorts if they are comfortable in them so what do I know?