View Poll Results: Take me to your leader....

Voters
101. You may not vote on this poll
  • I am a woman and I enjoy dancing with a female lead.

    29 28.71%
  • I am a woman and I don't mind dancing with a female lead if there aren't any available men.

    18 17.82%
  • I am a woman and I don't like dancing with a female lead.

    8 7.92%
  • I am a man - women leading is fine by me!

    39 38.61%
  • I am a man and I don't mind women leading if there aren't any available men.

    7 6.93%
  • I am a man and I don't think women should lead.

    0 0%
Page 3 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 41 to 60 of 99

Thread: Women Dancing as Men

  1. #41
    Registered User Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    London
    Posts
    283
    Rep Power
    11
    Lots of people say Tazmanian Devil is a great leader and I have to agree.

    Although she certainly lives up to her name with the number of continuous spins she does at the end of a dance. I lost count of the number of spins she put me through on Friday but it was at least 6.


  2. #42
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    771
    Rep Power
    12
    Originally posted by TheTramp
    There's nothing wrong with dancing as a follower.
    Steve
    I completely agree. Trampy and James have been known to dance on a 'few' occassions. (Trampy leading, James following) and i think it really helps James with his lead. Sometimes James' lead can be...erm....whats a word for 'not too forceful'?......well anyway, after he has a dance with Steve his lead becomes a little more strong.....in a nice 'i'm alpha male an' i'm leading' kinda way James has this fear of hurting me when he tries to firm up his lead. I try to tell him i'm a tough wee cookie and 'firm' doesn't mean 'rough'. A few more dances with the Tramp and i'm sure he'll realise i'm not made of glass...... the way Trampy throws me about it's kinda obvious i'm not

    ps. No more full loops for James though.....his back can't take it

    cheers Steve...you are a great help to us...even if you don't realise.

    filthycute x x

  3. #43
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Posts
    2,041
    Rep Power
    11

    Women dancing as men

    I've been asked to dance several times by another woman and for some bizarre reason have felt vaguely flattered! I've no objection at all to dancing with just about anyone regardless of gender, race, planetary origin etc but have tried to put my finger on what feels different about it.

    1. There is no sexual chemistry involved. (At least as far as I'm concerned.) I don't choose to think too much about the role this might play when I'm dancing with men but partner dancing traditionally draws on the interplay in various ways between masculinity and femininity and it seems strange when this is absent.

    2. When the above factor is removed it still remains true that the dance is largely about enjoying the music and interpreting it together.

    3. It's generally easier to get to know men at Ceroc than women so I appreciate the chance to build and cement friendships with other women. And hey, dancing with them seems like a perfectly good way to do that.

    4.Women feel a lot softer and gentler to dance with than men so it gives me a bit more insight into how things might feel from the other side! Also women that I have danced with don't pull or use muscular force to lead the dance so I have to be particularly sensitive to follow the leads appropriately.

    5.I don't feel that I have to worry so much about impressing a female partner although personal pride still demands that I give the dance my best. I think it's easier to discuss mistakes,difficulties etc with a female partner.

    That's quite enough. Although I'm still mystified as to why some men would apparently prefer to be burnt at the stake than dance with another chap. Please explain it to me!

  4. #44
    Registered User ChrisA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    3,830
    Rep Power
    11

    Re: Women dancing as men

    Originally posted by jivecat
    Also women that I have danced with don't pull or use muscular force to lead the dance so I have to be particularly sensitive to follow the leads appropriately.
    Hey... not just the women. Not all the time, anyway. And some of the guys have hands that aren't like sandpaper, too
    That's quite enough.
    It is so not enough. We guys need to hear the girls' take on it all a bit more often, I reckon.
    Although I'm still mystified as to why some men would apparently prefer to be burnt at the stake than dance with another chap. Please explain it to me!
    That's easy. The guys are ugly. Why would I want to dance with any of them? The girls are lovely. Why wouldn't everyone want to dance with them???

    Chris

  5. #45
    Registered User Tazmanian Devil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Silly land
    Posts
    5,010
    Rep Power
    13
    Originally posted by Jon
    Lots of people say Tazmanian Devil is a great leader and I have to agree.

    Although she certainly lives up to her name with the number of continuous spins she does at the end of a dance. I lost count of the number of spins she put me through on Friday but it was at least 6.



    Why Thankyou kind sir and dont worry we will get 3 spins out of you yet

  6. #46
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    889
    Rep Power
    12

    Re: Women dancing as men

    Originally posted by jivecat
    There is no sexual chemistry involved. (At least as far as I'm concerned.) I don't choose to think too much about the role this might play when I'm dancing with men but partner dancing traditionally draws on the interplay in various ways between masculinity and femininity and it seems strange when this is absent.

    Although I'm still mystified as to why some men would apparently prefer to be burnt at the stake than dance with another chap. Please explain it to me!
    My own experience is that when I start to learn a partner dance the sexual 'chemistry' helps with an awareness of roles - the standard interplays between men and women (men being gentlemen, ladies accepting the attention for instance) is like a safety valve (or a crutch).

    As I get more involved in the type of dance, I can abstract the pure dance elements easier, a bit of my brain is freed up to make decisions on how to 'view' that three minutes with someone, I'm more confident about the knowledge I may have gleaned.

    I think it's also the case that many men and women come to dancing, if not to actually get off with someone, to at least enjoy a bit of low-level flirting! When they go through a phase of being passionate about the dance itself, that becomes less important.

    I feel comfortable leading a man in jive (challenging as well) and I would like to experience following if there was an easier way to learn so I wasn't so poor at it! That goes for any bona fide moves (as long as the other guy is equally comfortable about it). When it comes to tango I shirk at dancing with a man at close range (as was expected in one intermediate workshop) - I think that is because I feel comparatively insecure about myself as a tango dancer. I wouldn't enjoy the close proximity with a another man if it wasn't a shared intellectual pleasure in dance.

    Slightly off thread, but there's another advantage for me in learning the woman's part, whether I dance it or not: if I know exactly what the woman needs to do I can lead it much better. This is more important in dances like salsa, but applies to some jive moves too IMO - things like awareness of which foot her weight is on. (Again, this something that is not taught enough IMO.)

    Women can teach us so much about the way we dance - I'm all ears!
    Last edited by Chris; 25th-November-2003 at 07:21 AM.

  7. #47
    Registered User stewart38's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Ambrosden it gets
    Posts
    7,480
    Rep Power
    13
    I have felt uncomfortable dancing very rarely man to man.

    No problem dancing the womens role with the man being the women

    One or two spins and I get dizzy.

    Its interesting that some people think no feed back means a positive thing

  8. #48
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    889
    Rep Power
    12
    Ceroc UK doesn't offer any official guidance on this, but women are never (in my experience anyway) formally invited to partner up with other women during a class. This reinforces the traditional element of it being a 'male led dance' (a phrase used by teachers), so I think it is not unreasonable for ladies to say they are there to dance with men.

    It takes all types - I guess it's just a case of being sensitive to whether someone wants to dance with you (female, male, opposite sex or same sex).

  9. #49
    Registered User Sandy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Stonehaven
    Posts
    603
    Rep Power
    11

    It's the boobs thing!

    I've read all the posts and am very interested in the points of view. Generally speaking I don't particularly like dancing with other women but do understand the necessity for it at times (shortage of males at classes) and dancing with Lorna, Lisa, Sheena and a few others has been very educational and enjoyable! Had good dances with Lorna and Chicklet on holiday!

    However, the boob thing comes into effect when doing moves like the "comb" or other UCP moves and I do have a bit of a problem with these!

    That said, I have got used to it much more now and tend to have a laugh when bits clash

    Sandy

  10. #50
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    889
    Rep Power
    12

    Re: It's the boobs thing!

    Originally posted by Sandy
    However, the boob thing comes into effect when doing moves like the "comb"
    In case it's of interest - I find my combs have got better using a technique I found in salsa - especially when combing the follower's hair - the 'combed' hand has a natural direction - which is towards the back of that person's head; turning the hand, where appropriate, before combing (and using fingertip to fingertip hold of course) gives more room and is more comfortable. Try putting your own hand over your head - see how your chest sticks forward more if you try and keep the hand facing down or to the back.

  11. #51
    Registered User Sandy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Stonehaven
    Posts
    603
    Rep Power
    11

    Re: Re: It's the boobs thing!

    Originally posted by Chris
    Try putting your own hand over your head - see how your chest sticks forward more if you try and keep the hand facing down or to the back.
    Could be very interesting Chris

  12. #52
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    889
    Rep Power
    12

    Re: Re: Re: It's the boobs thing!

    Originally posted by Sandy
    Could be very interesting Chris
    Agreed LOL - which also gives clues on the method to use if it gets too interesting

    We also used to go over getting comfortable with eye-contact when I did taxi dancing.

    Jean used to have a great method for teaching combs. I was demoing for her in a workshop and she could see some beginners were getting edgy about the physical proximity of combs. She explained that certain moves included momentary closeness and other moves were built on it, so get over it. To demonstrate she looked at me and said loudly, "Right stick your right leg up close between my legs." I did so and she threw herself into a swayback (Parisienne Lambada I think to UK Ceroccers). That shut them up - combs suddenly looked pretty tame by comparison.


    NB this sort of phrase comes a lot better from a woman - men have to use different polite forms!

  13. #53
    Omnipotent Moderatrix (LMC)
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Sarf East London
    Posts
    1,606
    Rep Power
    11

    Re: It's the boobs thing!

    Originally posted by Sandy
    However, the boob thing comes into effect when doing moves like the "comb" or other UCP moves and I do have a bit of a problem with these!
    Hee hee..have to say I generally avoid using these moves when leading, unless I am hamming it up with a friend . In a lesson if a comb comes up and I am leading someone who doesn't know me well enough to stare soulfully into my eyes at close quarters then I turn sideways!

    I did have a very funny experience once during a class when I was leading and the move was that one where the lady puts her hands on the man's chest. The lady who was following must have forgotten I was a girl *ahem*. She was more embarrased by her mistake than I was. If that move comes up in a lesson now I tend to say 'go for the shoulders!' to the lady I'm leading, just to make sure it doesn't happen again...

  14. #54
    Registered User spindr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Brizzle
    Posts
    1,617
    Rep Power
    11

    Plus ca change

    Plus ca change...

    "But it's not the same in the end
    For a lady is never a gentleman, though
    She may be your bosom friend."

    From: OLD TYME DANCING (STATELY AS A GALLEON) by Joyce Grenfell

    It's worth checking the full lyrics at: http://www.monologues.co.uk/Stately_as_a_Galleon.htm
    [they were just too long to post in their entirety].

    Neil.

  15. #55
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    889
    Rep Power
    12

    Re: Plus ca change

    Originally posted by spindr
    It's worth checking the full lyrics at: http://www.monologues.co.uk/Stately_as_a_Galleon.htm
    What a gem of a poem!

  16. #56
    The Perfect Woman!
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Singapore, Singapo
    Posts
    978
    Rep Power
    11

    Re: It's the boobs thing!

    Originally posted by Sandy
    However, the boob thing comes into effect when doing moves like the "comb" or other UCP moves .....

    Last week in Cliff and Penny's class at the soon-to-be-defunct-I-hope Jive Bar, I did the intermediate class with a female friend of mine because there were far too many women, and most of the men were of a fairly dubious standard... One of the moves involved a 1.5 turn wrap (can't remember what it was called), which I have done frequently with men, but two women, shorter arms and two sets of boobs to consider it was completely impossible...... but so.. so.. funny - I laughed so much I cried...


  17. #57
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Leeds
    Posts
    1,596
    Rep Power
    11
    Originally posted by foxylady
    I only do it because I'd rather dance than stand around, but I feel that I am regarded as having 'other' (!) motives....

    Anyone else feel the same ??
    I've just recently started taking the male lead in the beginners class sometimes when there are a lot of spare women. I quite enjoy it and I always try and make light of it with each woman partner in the line-up. Some absolute beginners are really glad to dance with another woman, some done't seem to be bothered and just occasionally I'll get one who clearly doesn't like it.

    I'm the same as you Foxy, I do it cos its better than standing around not dancing and if the women who DON'T

  18. #58
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Leeds
    Posts
    1,596
    Rep Power
    11

    ooops hit the send button too soon

    AS I WAS SAYING...... the women who DON'T like it, then tough. Stand around like a lemon instead!

  19. #59

    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    .
    Posts
    242
    Rep Power
    0

    Re: Re: Re: Re: It's the boobs thing!

    Originally posted by Chris
    Agreed LOL - which also gives clues on the method to use if it gets too interesting

    We also used to go over getting comfortable with eye-contact when I did taxi dancing.

    Jean used to have a great method for teaching combs. I was demoing for her in a workshop and she could see some beginners were getting edgy about the physical proximity of combs. She explained that certain moves included momentary closeness and other moves were built on it, so get over it. To demonstrate she looked at me and said loudly, "Right stick your right leg up close between my legs." I did so and she threw herself into a swayback (Parisienne Lambada I think to UK Ceroccers). That shut them up - combs suddenly looked pretty tame by comparison.

    Perhaps anyone with a shy barrier to get over should do my "strictly sinfull" classes at camber and Bignor.. If nothing else I can gaurantee every move after that should be less intimidating regards proximity...

  20. #60
    Omnipotent Moderatrix (LMC)
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Sarf East London
    Posts
    1,606
    Rep Power
    11

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: It's the boobs thing!

    Originally posted by Mikey
    Bignor..
    Is this a freudian slip?

    PS Mikey if you leave the /b and /quote tags at the end of the bits you are quoting then they will show as quotes instead of...what you're getting

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Women over 30
    By WittyBird in forum Chit Chat
    Replies: 51
    Last Post: 8th-December-2005, 02:08 PM
  2. How best to support women subject to rough dancing
    By Clive Long in forum Let's talk about dance
    Replies: 25
    Last Post: 5th-March-2005, 04:51 PM
  3. What are women really for
    By thewacko in forum Let's talk about dance
    Replies: 32
    Last Post: 22nd-November-2003, 12:41 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •