Tag blues at Utopia Ashtons on the 4th April

[Spiky Steve]

I had been trying to remember where I saw this and I found the first clip on the "tag or not to tag thread"

For those intersted in tagging:
I think it's west coast tag
YouTube - Steal Dance

For those who want to stop anyone from stealing here's a funny clip on how to sucessfully block a partner thief


Steve

[robd]

we probably have the strongest group of dancers ever attending a UTOPIA event coming on the 4th.

I know I haven't booked my ticket for the 4th yet Rocky, there's no need to rub it in

[Rocky]

I know I haven't booked my ticket for the 4th yet Rocky, there's no need to rub it in

I didn't say it couldn't get even stronger Rob..

[Spiky Steve]

Steve show me what you'v learned, if your any good a leading I shouold be able to follow

A good follow at tag should be improvise and pave over any mess ups and carry on dancing. You sound perfect for it.

The trick is always to know who is interested. It's one of the reasons I will make the class.

Spiky

[fletch]

A good follow at tag should be improvise and pave over any mess ups and carry on dancing. You sound perfect for it.

The trick is always to know who is interested. It's one of the reasons I will make the class.

Spiky

I hate dould trouble but love Tag

The best Tag I have ever done was on my birthday last year at 'Chill' in the blues room with John and Tom Baker, it was so funny the way farter and son we passing me between them, John kept looking at Tom as if to say 'go on' son

[Sparkles]

Actually hadn't thought about it that way as my view would be that it is only normally one or maybe two dances in an evening that is likely to get hijacked like this - then of course there's nothing stopping you taking up where you left off with the dancer you were originally dancing with. Surely with over 5 hours of freestyle available on the 4th at Ashtons that's not really an issue is it?

Thing is, that maybe under normal circumstances, yes you would only get one or two dances at most in a night of freestyle where you were tag-dancing. But, if you *teach* it as an accepted style then people will do it more and more. And if it is taught before a freestyle with no warnings of 'this is not polite unless you ask first' people may be led to believe that the freestyle is deliberately placed for them to practise this new dance style - and some of the people there may not wish to be practised upon .

In any event we will raise the point you mention at the start of the class, but I can't guarantee that people will necessarily take note of it..

I appreciate that you have taken my comments on board and am glad that you will make some sort of announcement to this effect at the start (and maybe at the end too?) of the class. I know you cannot guarantee that people will heed your warnings but at least if you mention it people might think twice before randomly stealing someone else's partner!

[fletch]

some of the people there may not wish to be practised upon .



I know you cannot guarantee that people will heed your warnings but at least if you mention it people might think twice before randomly stealing someone else's partner!

This has happened a couple of times to me when I thought it would be a good idea, we did it at the 'Rat Pak' in Cannock at the end of the evening, its didn't go down to well, I think it was a new concept for the 'sticks '

[Sparkles]

This has happened a couple of times to me when I thought it would be a good idea, we did it at the 'Rat Pak' in Cannock at the end of the evening, its didn't go down to well, I think it was a new concept for the 'sticks '

I too have heard of a few occasions when it has not been taken well, hence why I was raising some concerns.

[Rocky]

... John and Tom Baker, it was so funny the way farter and son we passing me between them, John kept looking at Tom as if to say 'go on' son...

Clearly John must have started the tagging to get you away from the 'guff' zone only to find Tom sending you back at him before he had a chance to waft suffeciently...

[Spiky Steve]

I hate dould trouble but love Tag

The best Tag I have ever done was on my birthday last year at 'Chill' in the blues room with John and Tom Baker, it was so funny the way farter and son we passing me between them, John kept looking at Tom as if to say 'go on' son

I love double trouble and tag. Double trouble only really works well if the follows are friends. Some think it is for the lead to show off but in reality it's the girls have the most fun dancing with their friend ( whereas one of them might have to lead) whilst the lead tries to work out what to do next.

Your comment on your tag with the contrast but connection of father and son sounds great. I have mostly thought of tag from a leads point of view, in that I get to dance with other leads without having to lead them or follow them and for the surprise on the follows.

Kathleen described her view on a five way tag session (three leads, two follows) as last Friday at Ashton's we had probably our best five way tag sessions, and I asked Kathleen what she thought of it as a follow.

She said it was fantastic. She said each of us leads has a very different style leading to big contrasts which challenged her to adapt for each lead change. She said firstly the dance would be all arms with DJ Warren smoothly and suddenly the lead would change to Craid and comes the long lunges a short while later and's it me with my wiggles (I didn't know she thought this of my dancing). Obviously the contrasts kept happening as the leads changed. Hmmm ... arms, lunges and wiggles. Sounds a bit like padfoot and prongs or whatever from Harry Potter.

Steve

[Cruella]

Perhaps we should wear coloured lights. Put it on red if we want to stay with our partner and green if we want to be tagged.

[Spiky Steve]

I too have heard of a few occasions when it has not been taken well, hence why I was raising some concerns.

I'd agree these ettiquette as a start.

1 Don't steal. Agree the swap with a lead with simple eye contact/nod of the head etc. After a couple of moves return the follow to the lead. This way she gets her original lead back and let them know whether it is ok to continue the swap. This works on most occasions otherwise as in the case of a collision etc be polite.

2 The reverse of 1 is true too. If you are swapped as a follow and get a better lead then don't attempt to keep them from returning you back (If you could).

3 Don't ask the spare lead to dance who is on the dance floor in the middle of a tag. Wait until the end of the track of the before attempting to join in the fun.

Spiky

[Cruella]

So talking of tagging etiquette, was I breaking the tagging rules when you (Steve) and Foxyfunkster were tagging with Kathleen and myself, by stealing her away to leave you two dancing together?

[Gav]

Perhaps we should wear coloured lights. Put it on red if we want to stay with our partner and green if we want to be tagged.

I can feel a new forum T-shirt coming...

"Please don't tag without asking as a smack in the mouth often offends".

[Spiky Steve]

So talking of tagging etiquette, was I breaking the tagging rules when you (Steve) and Foxyfunkster were tagging with Kathleen and myself, by stealing her away to leave you two dancing together?

Nice and welcome move .

Once agreed tagging has commenced it's Thunder Road.
"The rules are: there are no rules"

[Spiky Steve]

I can feel a new forum T-shirt coming...

"Please don't tag without asking as a smack in the mouth often offends".

Another one would be:

"Expect the unexpected"

[Sparkles]

I'd agree these ettiquette as a start.

1 Don't steal. Agree the swap with a lead with simple eye contact/nod of the head etc. After a couple of moves return the follow to the lead. This way she gets her original lead back and let them know whether it is ok to continue the swap. This works on most occasions otherwise as in the case of a collision etc be polite.

2 The reverse of 1 is true too. If you are swapped as a follow and get a better lead then don't attempt to keep them from returning you back (If you could).

3 Don't ask the spare lead to dance who is on the dance floor in the middle of a tag. Wait until the end of the track of the before attempting to join in the fun.

Spiky

I'm not sure about these ettiquette pointers you suggest... and I'm not even sure that *strict* rules are necessary.
However, how about these instead? :

1. If you wish to do a tagging dance, agree with another partnership/s before you begin the dance and do not involve couples outside of this without the prior consent of both Lead and Follow.

2. Once you consent to a tagging dance with another partnership/s only Follows should be swapped between Leads unless it has been pre-arranged that Follows and Leads are happy to dance together should those swaps arise (ie Leads dance with Leads and Follows dance with Follows).

3. At no point during a tagging dance should any person be left without a partner on the dance floor looking like a lemon (ie and have one Lead doing double trouble, for example), unless it has been pre-agreed before hand that this is acceptable to all parties.

[Cruella]

(Psst, Steve and Sarah, it's etiquette with 3 t's.) I think this is starting to sound all too serious, the idea of tagging is supposed to be fun surely. If a couple doesn't wish to join in, i'm sure they can make it perfectly obvious by not giving each other over to the tagger. (If the tagger is persistent, an F' off would probably work) I know I hate to be tagged if I am dancing with a lead that i've been desperately trying to dance with for ages. But if he wishes to join in the tagging then that's tough on me and I'd hope to get the next dance with him to compensate.

[robd]

(Psst, Steve and Sarah, it's etiquette with 3 t's.) I think this is starting to sound all too serious, the idea of tagging is supposed to be fun surely. If a couple doesn't wish to join in, i'm sure they can make it perfectly obvious by not giving each other over to the tagger. (If the tagger is persistent, an F' off would probably work) I know I hate to be tagged if I am dancing with a lead that i've been desperately trying to dance with for ages. But if he wishes to join in the tagging then that's tough on me and I'd hope to get the next dance with him to compensate.

Psst, Di, it's F' Off with 3 Fs

I agree with the point you're making though. A couple of times in the past people have tried to split up myself and a dancefloor partner - I just hang on to her and manouevre away. I would expect it will be pretty clear who is and is not up for tagging 'fun'.

[Sparkles]

Agreed on both counts (and apologies for poor spelling ).
I did say that I wasn't sure strict rules were necessary...

I guess my concerns mainly lie with people who are not as, how shall I put this, 'self-confident' as you and I, Cruella. Not eveyone feels comfortable being put in a position where they need to tell someone to F' off (which however many F's you desire)!