View Poll Results: My dancing comes more from my

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Thread: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

  1. #41
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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by robd View Post
    One of the issues that limits my dancing and is a hurdle to some of the things I would like to improve is that I feel my dancing is very much from my head rather than from my heart (assuming I even have one ).
    Quote Originally Posted by robd View Post
    Are you saying your like 'Matt Dawson' On SCD. When he's clearly co-ordinate and able to do the moves but isn't really emotionally engaging in the dance.

    So Lila takes him to see an acting coach and they start doing role plays and messing about and he learns to express himself in a really 'theatrical sense'.

    And then when he comes back the next week, he's really going for it and shaking his thang and they almost goes on to win the series?

    I can’t find any clips of what I want but this is similar.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2tS8Y1buSA

    Is that what your getting at or is it something else?

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    When I first read the question, I initially wanted to say... My heart. Yes, I put my heart and my soul into dancing, as I love it so much... However, after thinking about it again, it very much depends on a few things...

    There are some people I dance with where I have to use my head, or else I, or someone else, will get injured...

    There are others I dance with where I use both... And it is still a really good dance!

    Then there are a very small amount of people I dance with where I only use my heart If I have the right partner and the right music, then there is a chance for me to get lost in the moment - but that doesn't happen very often.

    And last, but not least, there is a very special type of dance where there is such a connection that you can't focus on anything but the feeling. And there is no words to describe it. If I am honest... really honest... with myself, I have only ever experienced this type of dance with one person, but many times... You know it must have been "something else" when dancing with them is all you can think about for days after it...

    Lou x

  3. #43
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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Can't the poll have an option for 'Both head and heart' ? Because that's what I would've voted for myself.

    As others have pointed out, it all depends on a number of factors :- the type of music being played, pace of music, ambience/atmosphere of the venue/floor I'm at, how much floor space I have to do some of my more expansive/travelling moves, familiarity with the dance partner (connection, knowing what moves I can/cannot do, etc.).

    As a lead I normally have to use my head to think of the moves to do ahead, such that I try to seamlessly/smoothly transition from one to the next, all the whilst listening to the music and fitting the movement.

    Of course, I don't do this 100% of the time - there are times when my muscle memory and 'instinct' that takes over and I don't even consciously think of performing move XYZ - it just happens! This I believe is what others have referred to, as 'losing yourself in the moment' or 'going with the flow'.

    The ladies I've danced with regularly, particularly at Glasgow Ceroc nights and both the Skegness and Southport weekenders just gone, should hopefully have noticed by now that I'm VERY big into the musicality. I love doing moves to the beat and rhythm of a song - and also interpreting the song's lyrics as best I can and the moves I come up with is a direct result of my paying attention to musicality and song interpretation. Of course I don't get it right and make blunders at times and end up doing moves out of sync with the music - but its what I strive to do wherever I can.

    An example would be a recent dance I had with LuLu Baby, to the song 'Human' by The Killers - when certain phrases of the song come on, I interpreted that into the most do-able MJ/Ceroc move I can muster that fits the music phrase and execute it

    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?
    My sign is vital
    My hands are cold
    And I'm on my knees
    Looking for the answer
    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?

    LuLu Baby, I hope you noticed what I did

    Musicality, song interpretation - these things I ALWAYS try to do from the heart, and invariably I feel alive, energised and excited. And in a state like that, I always find it natural to make every effort to make it as awesomely fun as possible for my dance partner to do what a lady does best whilst dancing with me - style it, sashay, play.

    Incidentally, when I dance by instinct and/or from the heart, my technique becomes sloppy at times, as I simply move to the beat/rhythm as best I can without worrying about footwork, hand signals, etc. I guess this is where it can become 'unstructured'.

    Lastly, I've gotten to learn that Blues dancing is perhaps the best style for nearly 100% / pure dancing 'from the heart'. Maybe others knew of this factoid for ages, but I'm relatively new to Blues dancing (its non-existent back where I danced in Australia) - and it took me 2 weekenders' worth of 'learning by osmosis' to figure this out! .

    Quote Originally Posted by LuLu Baby View Post
    And last, but not least, there is a very special type of dance where there is such a connection that you can't focus on anything but the feeling. And there is no words to describe it. If I am honest... really honest... with myself, I have only ever experienced this type of dance with one person, but many times... You know it must have been "something else" when dancing with them is all you can think about for days after it...
    Wow - that is so well put! As a male lead, I hope to someday find myself in a dance THAT special, so much so that its indescribably good.
    Last edited by AussieJ; 22nd-March-2009 at 11:52 PM.

  4. #44
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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart



    Quote Originally Posted by AussieJ View Post
    An example would be a recent dance I had with LuLu Baby, to the song 'Human' by The Killers - when certain phrases of the song come on, I interpreted that into the most do-able MJ/Ceroc move I can muster that fits the music phrase and execute it
    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?
    My sign is vital
    My hands are cold
    And I'm on my knees
    Looking for the answer
    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?
    LuLu Baby, I hope you noticed what I did
    I just have to say that you are someone I'd like to dance with more, and for this reason... I LOVE to play with the music, and when dancing with you, you let me, and you also play along We "hear" the same thing, if you know what I mean? Musicality is very important to me I don't think I managed to fit in my favourite move with you though... But there's always next time... Very surprising! Maybe I'm all body-rolled out!

    Quote Originally Posted by AussieJ
    Lastly, I've gotten to learn that Blues dancing is perhaps the best style for nearly 100% / pure dancing 'from the heart'. Maybe others knew of this factoid for ages, but I'm relatively new to Blues dancing (its non-existent back where I danced in Australia) - and it took me 2 weekenders' worth of 'learning by osmosis' to figure this out!
    Absolutely! I haven't really done very much blues dancing either, but I fell in love with it instantly...

    Quote Originally Posted by AussieJ
    Wow - that is so well put! As a male lead, I hope to someday find myself in a dance THAT special, so much so that its indescribably good.
    Once you have experienced this type of dance, there is nothing better... It just leaves you longing for more It's what dancing is all about...

    Lou x

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by LuLu Baby View Post
    I just have to say that you are someone I'd like to dance with more, and for this reason... I LOVE to play with the music, and when dancing with you, you let me, and you also play along We "hear" the same thing, if you know what I mean? Musicality is very important to me I don't think I managed to fit in my favourite move with you though... But there's always next time... Very surprising! Maybe I'm all body-rolled out!
    I'm really chuffed to hear you say that, its great to dance with people who's got a thing for musicality! 5 seconds into dancing with you on Saturday, I knew I could give you a 'runway' to strut your stuff, to the beat of the music - and wow, you did that VERY nicely!

    You were body-rolled out at Rutherglen?! Gosh, I'm in for a treat the next time I get myself to a dancefloor with you on it!

  6. #46
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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by AussieJ View Post
    ... An example would be a recent dance I had with LuLu Baby, to the song 'Human' by The Killers - when certain phrases of the song come on, I interpreted that into the most do-able MJ/Ceroc move I can muster that fits the music phrase and execute it
    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?
    My sign is vital
    My hands are cold
    And I'm on my knees
    Looking for the answer
    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?
    LuLu Baby, I hope you noticed what I did ...
    Works for "I'm begging you for mercy" too.

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by AussieJ View Post

    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?
    My sign is vital
    My hands are cold
    And I'm on my knees
    Looking for the answer
    Are we human?
    Or are we dancer?

    LuLu Baby, I hope you noticed what I did
    Here's one I've done a couple of times .....

    Here I Am With You
    And I Know That It's True
    Despite All The Feelings
    Your Putting Me Through
    I Try To Walk Away, Something Makes Me Stay

    I did this, with someone I'm very intune with, who instantly picked up on the fact I was interpreting the lyrics... he responded by following me, catching my hand and wrapping me back in, to a very tight embrace... Peeeeerfect

    But, I also tried it with another guy, who, didn't catch my hand and when I turned around, was almost about to walk off in the other direction ... he was looking quite alarmed and VERY confused

    See, musicality is lost on some people
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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by bigdjiver View Post
    Works for "I'm begging you for mercy" too.
    Also works for "I'll get down on my knees and pray" lyrics in "Revenge".

    This happened to me, although the guy only got down one one knee.

    (....was a bit worried at first, but then heard the lyrics )

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by Astro View Post
    Also works for "I'll get down on my knees and pray" lyrics in "Revenge".

    This happened to me, although the guy only got down one one knee...
    ONLY one knee?

    The bar keeps getting higher (lower )

    I have tried on both knees, but getting down fast enough can be painful when the knees hit the ground, and getting up fast enough can be a strain. I am still practising using both knees on carpet when lighting the gas fire, how sad is that?

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    The problem with all this going down on a knee stuff is that the follower may think you are about to propose. Actually, no, the more serious issue is that it can start to look cliched and obvious (especially if there is repetition of the same thing in the same track) and I think that the fact I would say that speaks volumes for my position in the head/heart debate. I would expect that someone dancing from the heart really wouldn't care for the consequences of what they did whilst dancing (the 'dance as if no-one is watching' line) and I have never felt that way. Having said that, I did lead an arm-jive on Tatiana this weekend Given Spice n Easy's insistence on my love for that move maybe I really am starting to dance from the heart?

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by jim View Post
    Are you saying your like 'Matt Dawson' On SCD. When he's clearly co-ordinate and able to do the moves but isn't really emotionally engaging in the dance.

    Is that what your getting at or is it something else?
    I'm not really sure.

    It stems from the observation I get quite frequently when I have a private lesson about the predictability of my dancing and, I know, within myself that a lot of what I dance is polished but un-engaging. I do what I am thinking of doing rather than what I am feeling. There are, of course, exceptions to that but then that's the case for everyone - I think the feedback on this thread has shown that no-one is exclusively head or heart.

    I do think there's a belief that dancing mostly from the heart is somehow 'better' than dancing mostly from the head. I'm not sure how true that is.

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by robd View Post
    I do think there's a belief that dancing mostly from the heart is somehow 'better' than dancing mostly from the head. I'm not sure how true that is.
    I know what U mean, but not sure I agree. My personal take is that dancing from the heart feels better: it is more of a feeling experience, by definition. However, I would say that dancing from the brain looks better and is probably executed better. Again, because the brain is more in control of physicality than the heart.

    Thoughts?

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Funny thing at the weekend at Morris and Judith's party. I was dancing with a lady I've not danced with very much recently and we started off really well. I was definitely dancing from the heart right up to the point where she decided to put herself into a drop. I only just stopped gravity taking this to its logical conclusion.

    'I expected you to be stronger' she said.

    'I don't expect ladies to start drops on their own' I replied.

    We carried on dancing but from that point on my head was ruling the dance, wondering what she might do next and positioning myself so that whatever it was didn't hurt my back......or her

    We had 2 more dances that night - and in both of them I found myself switching my dance mode from heart to head straight away. I think that we both enjoyed the dances, but I definitely did not get lost in the music like I did with lots of other ladies that night and found myself dropping into a far more basic and predictable pattern. Picking up on Robd's thought - they were probably less engaging than my dances with others.

    So I still think I try to dance from the heart, but realise that I too switch back to head entirely under some circumstances.

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by robd View Post
    The problem with all this going down on a knee stuff is that the follower may think you are about to propose. Actually, no, the more serious issue is that it can start to look cliched and obvious (especially if there is repetition of the same thing in the same track) and I think that the fact I would say that speaks volumes for my position in the head/heart debate. ...
    I have a lot more dancing deficiencies I have to overcome before I have to worry about looking cliched and obvious.
    Being tall I take every opportunity I can to get down to partners level, or lift her to mine.

    One advantage of only going down on one knee is that I have the opportunity of embelishing a repetition with ending by sitting my partner on my knee. (All in the interest of equalising levels, you understand)

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by robd View Post
    I do think there's a belief that dancing mostly from the heart is somehow 'better' than dancing mostly from the head. I'm not sure how true that is.


    Quote Originally Posted by CJ View Post
    I know what U mean, but not sure I agree. My personal take is that dancing from the heart feels better: it is more of a feeling experience, by definition. However, I would say that dancing from the brain looks better and is probably executed better. Again, because the brain is more in control of physicality than the heart.

    Thoughts?

    Yeah Rob I can see that. Is that because people are making the assumption that if you can/do dance from the heart you are therefore a more natural dancer, and in turn a better dancer?

    Personally I agree with CJ. I'm not saying that dancing from the heart can't/doesn't look good. Just that I am aware that when I dance from my heart it alway feels good for me (and hopefully my partner) but I know that it doesn't always look great.

    The brain is more in control of physicality than the heart, so dancing from the head is more likely to give a dance that looks better and is probably executed better as you are focusing on technique. However, as you become a more experienced dancer, I would say some of the technical aspects that make a dance look good will be locked into your muscle memory, so that even when you dance from the heart it can still look good!

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by bigdjiver View Post
    IOne advantage of only going down on one knee is that I have the opportunity of embelishing a repetition with ending by sitting my partner on my knee.
    If we ever have a dance, can you please show me how you would pull that off? There's someone at one of my local venues who went through a phase of continually trying to get the girl to sit on his lap. But rather than an obvious lead/fluid movement, it seemed to always consist of him randomly stopping, kneeling down, and saying "this is where you sit on my knee". Of course the girl, looking confused, would stop and do it, but it did feel "a tad forced" to put it lightly.

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by Princess Fi View Post
    If we ever have a dance, can you please show me how you would pull that off? There's someone at one of my local venues who went through a phase of continually trying to get the girl to sit on his lap. But rather than an obvious lead/fluid movement, it seemed to always consist of him randomly stopping, kneeling down, and saying "this is where you sit on my knee". Of course the girl, looking confused, would stop and do it, but it did feel "a tad forced" to put it lightly.
    We start with a double handed return. As she comes around I go down on one knee.
    I change the double hand hold to having my hands in the "pray" position, her hands clasped between mine. "Praying for the answer" "begging you for mercy".
    Pull her towards me, using both hands
    Both out to the right as she comes close in, turning her 90 degrees.
    Change to one hand on tummy, one on her back guiding her down to the sitting position, stopping if there is any resistance.

    ====
    Another more useful way:-
    ( Caution - I am a big strong guy. My long legs means that the lady has less distance to go down to sit. Any I have plenty of strength to hold the lady, and plenty of practise with this move. In my early attempts I have once finished on the floor with a larger lady)

    A more common "sit" move is at track end. R to R over turn whipped return, ending with my right hand lowered onto her waist and her side on. At the same time I am going down on my left knee. A slight nudge with my right thigh/knee at the back of her knees and she is going to sit. Raise my left hand in the air as a dramatic gesture at end of track.

    (then apologise because, once again, the track does not end where I thought it was going to )

    HTH

    Once again - be careful

  18. #58
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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    I dance with my heart, but after 9 years of dancing it just flows through me, when I was a beginner it was my head, but that was in the last century, good luck and keep dancing, oh I think I'm quite good now

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Heart mostly - apart from when I know the track and/or partner well and I decide to play... then I have to plot my moves

    Whitetiger

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    Re: Do you dance more from your head or from your heart

    Quote Originally Posted by robd View Post
    I'm not really sure.
    Quote Originally Posted by robd View Post

    I do think there's a belief that dancing mostly from the heart is somehow 'better' than dancing mostly from the head. I'm not sure how true that is.


    As a general rule (and I mean general) I would say do lessons with your head and freestyle with your heart.

    I remebered this quote from The Last Samuri film and though it was relevant.





    I personally feel just like Tom Cruise !lol.

    But on a serious note some of my best dances have been a total mental blur.

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