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Thread: Simply the Best??

  1. #1
    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Angry Simply the Best??

    A number of threads have at some time or another touched on the question of what the Dance Competitions are about. In most completions youÕd expect that it was about seeing who was the best. Having observed a few things over the weekend IÕve come to the conclusion that this is exactly what Modern Jive competitions SHOULD NOT be about. Let me explain my warped logic.....

    At the 2001 Open Dance championships there was, not surprisingly a high standard of competition, partly driven by the fact that teachers were allowed to enter. After the event, however, the couple that came 5th then publicized the fact by putting on their website that they were the 5th best dancers in the UK! IÕm sorry but without trying o show disrespect to fellow dance professionals I can only say that looking at the video of the day I think this claim may be a little suspect.

    To claim ... that you are xth best in the UK you need to compete against the best! Even in 2002's champs, with the likes of Graham LeClerc, Clayton, Roger Chin, Heather etc competing, there were still noticable absences. There was no ÔHÕ, Mick Wenger, Hannah, Jean Harris, Scott, Dan Slape. Moving up a level there was no Nigel and Nina, Viktor and Lydia etc.

    I saw Viktor and Lydia do a demo dance at Stockport Town Hall last Saturday ... and I can honestly say I've never seen anything like it. It wa truly a delight to see and put all my own competition thoughts into perspective. I don't see anyone on the current circuit coming close to them. So, when it comes to competition you can either just give up now and take up Morris Dancing or, far better, take it as an inspiration to see just what the great heights that can be achieved in Modern jive and improve your own dancing accordingly.

    I hope that no one else in future is so vain as to consider that their performance in a dance competition equates to being xth best is the UK. Dance competitons can be great for the ego and be a good incentive to improve BUT they can be incredibly decisive. I know guys who've spent serious amounts of cash in private dance lessons (and still fail), I've seen dancing partners dumped so that the other party would stand a better chance of winning. The only time me and my dance partner have really argued was in the preparation up the the 2002 champs ... and its just not worth it.

    anyway, enough of me and my soapbox ... got any more stories of dancers getting too far up themselves over perceived dancing superiority??

  2. #2
    The Oracle
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    What do you mean be 'the best dancer'? Is it the best leader/follower? The most interpretive? The most stylish? The most inventive? The most knowledgable? The best choreography? The best performers? It doesn't matter who you talk about - no-one would be the best in all these categories.

    A dance competition will never say who is the best dancer. All a competition can do is say "In the eyes of the judges, and subject to the rules of the competition, these were the couples who danced best on the day." And if you believe the rumours, even this is doubtful for some competitions.

    I think it is acceptable to use competition placings when promoting yourself. Although personally I would just mention the competition and the position you placed, and let other people draw their own conclusions.

    So why have competitions? Because they are fun, whether you are watching, or judging, or competing. You get people who want to put on a show. You get others who just go to dance. You get to dance with people you have never seen before, and maybe never see again. And they make a change from yet another freestyle evening.

    One problem you touched on is that not enough past winners of competitions enter again. Some competitions seem to go out of their way to discourage former winners and teachers from entering. Sometimes the dancers themselves just don't want to compete again. They have nothing to win - all they can do is lose. And they might not want to go through all the practice etc again.

    But they will still be amongst the best dancers around, and would still entertain the crowd. If I was organising a dance or a competition, I would try to do something to attract them. It should be fun for them, and put on a show for everyone else. I've suggested a Champions/Teachers Dance With A Stranger before - hopefully someone will try it sometime.

    David

  3. #3
    Commercial Operator Heather's Avatar
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    Matter of opinion

    I would wholeheartedly agree with the point you make about the winners of a competition being the best 'In the eyes of the judges.... those who danced best on the day'.
    All adjudication is a matter for personal response and opinion, be it cake making, cookery,singing etc.
    On the subject of singing I can speak from considerable personal experience, some adjudicators love my voice, others don't and even though I were to perform a piece of music technically correctly,word and note perfect, with correct intonation and musical interpretation ,at the end of the day whether I win a competition or not boils down to the simple fact that the judge likes my voice and found it pleasing to his ear. 'One mans meat is another mans poison ' and all that. Fortunately for me, I am confident enough of my own singing ability not to let it bother me.
    However, not everyone has enough self confidence to take the knockbacks. I am certainly not as confident of my dancing ability as I am of my singing.
    Why bother with competition then? - If I enter,at all, it will be for the fun and for the experience.

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