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Thread: Blues - A step too far

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    Blues - A step too far

    Prompted by a sentence in Lory's Hemsby report with regard to the inability to interpret music.

    Having spent most of the evening in the main room we passed thro the blues room and watched for awhile.
    In particular we watched one guy dancing with two separate girls and I was impressed with the connection and intense sensual chemistry from their dancing.
    But,and here is the problem for me.To me they were dancing as if in freeze frame mode.God knows how one or the other knew what the other was going to do next,however impressive.Not only that but whatever they were doing had absolutely no connection,in my small musical interpretation brain to what was playing at the time.The music might just as well have been God save the Queen played on a Jews harp for all the relevance it had.Given that part of me would dearly love to be able to even contemplate taking part in this form of dance,I fear that I have neither the ability to interpret the music in such a way nor the necessary ability to make it appear or feel anything other than the blues dance that it is.
    It is very easy to see how some people feel inadequate and intimidated in such situations(yes I know this subject has been done to death).
    The shame of it is that there were times when I felt very much in that situation this weekend.

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    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by djtrev View Post
    The music might just as well have been God save the Queen played on a Jews harp for all the relevance it had.


    Its rare i've ever had to walk off the dance floor but unfortunately I had one of those occasions this weekend whilst 'trying' to dance to

    It might be a good track, with lots of emotion etc. but really? In the afternoon?

    I'd asked a guy, who'd I'd danced with for the first time the night before and he appear eager, saying how much he'd enjoyed our dance but 30 seconds into the dance, I could tell he'd gone to pieces I said, don't worry, its an incredibly difficult track and we can wait for the next one if you like? And with that, he walked me off and we stood at the side watching (p.s. I know for a fact we weren't the only ones who stopped)

    We stood at the side watching, when suddenly it struck me... I felt like I was watching 'The Muppet Show'

    Some people were just mucking about, laughing and taking the mick, whilst others, were taking it all very seriously, trying to do a good job of keeping time and looking passionate, whilst, in actual fact, they looked like loonatics
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    Re: Blues - A step too far

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    'trying' to dance to
    OK totally off-topic but


    so remind me of

    this
    .
    Love dance, will travel

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    Re: Blues - A step too far

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidY View Post
    OK totally off-topic but


    so remind me of

    this
    .
    Don't give him any more ideas David

    CJ, please don't take it personally but as you know, me and Mariachi just don't see eye to eye and just for the record, I DO like 'some' of the music but its just too much like eating a bag of sweets, when you keep getting a bitter or sour one, it tends to turn one off the whole bag!
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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by djtrev View Post
    Not only that but whatever they were doing had absolutely no connection,in my small musical interpretation brain to what was playing at the time.The music might just as well have been God save the Queen played on a Jews harp for all the relevance it had.
    Ever heard that story, "The Emperor's new Clothes"?

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    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Blues - A step too far

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidY View Post
    OK totally off-topic but


    so remind me of

    this
    .
    My internet connection is terribly slow, so I moved the slider to the middle of the track on Lory's link to see if I recognised it and happened to get exactly that snippet - and that was immediately what I thought of too!

    I'll admit I loved that show when I was a child and thought Avon was great....

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    Re: Blues - A step too far

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post

    I'll admit I loved that show when I was a child and thought Avon was great....

    I'm with you there Lynn !

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by djtrev View Post
    Given that part of me would dearly love to be able to even contemplate taking part in this form of dance
    Frankly, there's only one way to get that good and that's to throw yourself into it (not that I claim to be that good ). The musicality and all the rest will come with practice and if I can do it, then it can't be that hard!
    Seriously though, it's not that hard. OK, so moving slowly like that does highlight basic weaknesses, but you also have a lot more time to think, time to plan what to do, time to hear what's coming in the music, time to discover how to lead without blatant big hand movements!

    Quote Originally Posted by djtrev View Post
    In particular we watched one guy dancing with two separate girls and I was impressed with the connection and intense sensual chemistry from their dancing.
    But,and here is the problem for me.To me they were dancing as if in freeze frame mode.God knows how one or the other knew what the other was going to do next,however impressive.Not only that but whatever they were doing had absolutely no connection,in my small musical interpretation brain to what was playing at the time.
    The thing is, he may have been in a very deep musicality state, or the other reason you couldn't work it out is because he was really sh1t, but he had an air of confidence.
    Trust me, there's a lot of that in the blues room, both male and female.

    Quote Originally Posted by djtrev View Post
    The music might just as well have been God save the Queen played on a Jews harp for all the relevance it had.
    Last edited by Gav; 14th-June-2011 at 08:32 AM.

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    Its rare i've ever had to walk off the dance floor but unfortunately I had one of those occasions this weekend whilst 'trying' to dance to

    It might be a good track, with lots of emotion etc. but really? In the afternoon?
    Pah, that's a doddle. Nuevo until 1:53 then milonga after. Cor, call that a challenge?

    But OK, yes, impossible to MJ to.

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    Re: Blues - A step too far

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidY View Post
    OK totally off-topic but


    so remind me of

    this
    .
    That's spooky, I was thinking exactly that also

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Trust me, there's a lot of that in the blues room, both male and female.
    MJ Blues dancing is cuddling with style.

    Err.

    That's it.

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    ... he was really sh1t, but he had an air of confidence.
    Trust me, there's a lot of that in the blues room, both male and female.
    There I was, thinking Gav paid little attention to my blues room dancing, just shows how wrong you can be. Look like I've been rumbled

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    ive not posted on here for quite a while however

    firstly musical taste is exactly that i hate s/funk with a passion and have no idea how to dance to it yet know others love it
    i love the track lori speaks of and would love the chance to dance to it (i have read reports from 4 people who were really pleased it was played at the weekend as they had always wanted to dance to it)

    secondly, generally blues dancing isnt meant to be watched its meant to be felt
    i dont give a damn what i look like when dancing so long as my partner and i enjoy the dance and judging by the amount of people who say they love dancing with me and ask for a second dance i guess i do ok

    i know my style doesnt suit everyone but again we are all different and to be honest if someone doesnt want to dance with me i would rather they tell me than we waist our time going through the motions

    i fully agree with gav if you want to dance in a blues room just do it dont let anyone intimidate you or say your not good enough
    we all are

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by martingold View Post
    i dont give a damn what i look like when dancing
    Good thing too really.

    Quote Originally Posted by martingold View Post
    i fully agree with gav
    Aw, now I feel bad about my comment above.



    OK, I'm over it now.

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Good thing too really.
    its ok i hate you again now gav

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by martingold View Post
    ive not posted on here for quite a while however

    firstly musical taste is exactly that i hate s/funk with a passion and have no idea how to dance to it yet know others love it
    i love the track lori speaks of and would love the chance to dance to it (i have read reports from 4 people who were really pleased it was played at the weekend as they had always wanted to dance to it)

    secondly, generally blues dancing isnt meant to be watched its meant to be felt

    i fully agree with gav if you want to dance in a blues room just do it dont let anyone intimidate you or say your not good enough
    we all are
    Music is very personal and it will bring out passions in people like Martin has mentioned.

    I walked off the dance floor at the same time as Lory, I would happily listen to the song, it is an old classic but as a MJ / blues track I really didn't have a clue. I watched other dance to it and only CJ in his own in imitable style was able to do it justice.

    I love blues music but it scares me and I personally will say it intimidates me when I try to dance to it, luckly I have had some great followers who have back led me and have actually made my hips musical. I have come off the floor with a big smile thinking wow but then I start to think what in the music made her do X and I am lost again

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    Re: Blues - A step too far

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidY View Post
    OK totally off-topic but


    so remind me of

    this
    .
    Ahhhhhh Glynis Barber...............

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    I spend most of my time in blues rooms and must admit that when dancing I frankly don't care what it looks like as long as I and my partner have felt something doing it. That being said I regularly get tracks (and sometimes even whole sets) where the music doesn't do it for me. I remember one event sitting with Zimbabwean and talking for 6 or 7 tracks that didn't float our boat which was crazy with women over. I'll give anything a go, but like others there are times when with mutual consent it is time to leave the floor.

    Sometimes it is good to experiment, and respond to requests. That might lead to some strange choices (Franck's recent set at Dundee listed the Nolans for instance) but for some people they will hit the spot and the occasional off-the-wall track is palatable in my book.

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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by Agente Secreto View Post
    the occasional off-the-wall track is palatable in my book.
    I agree

    I suppose what I found unpalatable was, asking a guy, who I hardly knew to dance, then seeing him crumble before my eyes. He tried in vain to find some way to make it work but he was getting more and more flustered and I could see his confidence vanish.

    Anyone who knows me well enough, knows I really couldn't give a stuff what people think of the look of my dancing, I purely love how it makes me and my partner feel at the time too. And believe me, I have no inhibitions when it comes to 'playing'.
    But I found it hard to see my partner not coping and certainly not enjoying it.

    If an independant freestyle is billed as such, then people know what they're in for and have a choice whether to go or not but when its the only choice, in the middle of the day, at a weekender. I think the music should be more accessible to the 'average' punter, rather than a select few, who love it or can handle it.

    The counter argument one might put is that S'funk or Swingers hour might not be to everyones taste but at least people of every standard can have a go.
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    Re: Blues - A step to far

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    .

    ..... but when its the only choice, in the middle of the day, at a weekender. I think the music should be more accessible to the 'average' punter, rather than a select few, who love it or can handle it.

    .

    This was exactly my thinking at 4.00pm on Friday that was billed as 'social freestyle' but was aimed at one style -blues- for at least the best part of 2 hours.

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