It annoys me most when someone...

[Dreadful Scathe]

There are some followers who insist on 'orbiting'. It's possible to prevent them from doing so with a stronger lead,

..or a slap round the head.

But it should be added that ladies only orbit EL Gringero because of the gravitational pull of his personality

not entirley true; "curcular" ladies can be led into slots

"Curcles" do not go into slots - you didnt pay attention in Nursery did you ?

[David Bailey]

I tihnk it's a brilliant way to get beginners to loosen up, relax and enjoy the dance..

"Ceroc-Kareoke"! It's a sure-fire thing. How is it no-one's thought of that before?!?! (I'm sure MartinHarper will tell me if they have )

[Lory]

I NEVER sing outloud!!!

[Dreadful Scathe]

CEROC-A-OKE , just wear a head mic

[El Salsero Gringo]

..or a slap round the head.

But it should be added that ladies only orbit EL Gringero because of the gravitational pull of his personality

I think the gravity is caused by a black hole that sits where my brain used to be.

[Gadget]

CEROC-A-OKE , just wear a head mic

you've not been to any of Lorna's classes have you?

[KatieR]

What about 'pays no attention to where they are dancing and who is around them therefore smacking into other couples dancing...'??

[Purple Sparkler]

What about 'pays no attention to where they are dancing and who is around them therefore smacking into other couples dancing...'??

I was about to say the exact same thing!

And ESG- it's more like bees circling a honey-pot (we all know where the Chocolate Nemesis originates, after all!)

[Jon L]

What hacks me off is when you have started dancing and another couple start so close to you that you can't turn or return your partner.

Men over 6' and are broad can be a problem as they can be "blind" and not realise that they take up a lot of room.

I have seen some considerate big men who do look carefully but I have often been struck on the shoulders, and have often thought of putting on chevron tape on mine (I am 5'5'' tall but with quite a broad build)

[Dreadful Scathe]

you've not been to any of Lorna's classes have you?

I dont think I had before but was at her class in Dundee last week, I know see what you mean. Shes hilarious

to quote "and a 5..6..7..awww thats such a nice tune"

[Funky Mado]

I was at an Edinburgh party once and was up on the dance floor having a great dance, but then this couple came charging through and the guy tripped me up (I hope not on purpose ) and I fell!!!
As I sat in shock (and slight wonder if I had flashed as I was wearing a rather short dress ) on the floor for a second I realised the guy who tripped me up was just watching me in a heap on the floor as he just kept dancing but he didn't even say sorry!! My partner got me up and we kept dancing but I was so shocked that A. he didn't realise that he acturally tripped me, B. if he did realise that he had, he didn't even care to apologise and C. that even if he didn't have anything to do with it he didn't show ANY simpathy at all!!
That is what ticks me off, it's not SO much the fact that we bump into each other because if it's crowded it's bound to happen, it's just if it does happen, apologise if you knock them in a delicate place i.e face, chest, ect. or elbow them, or unfortunatly it was a rather hard hit, and if some one falls over, at least help them up!
-I gave the guy the evils the rest of the night -

[DangerousCurves]

he hit my head as he turned me.

That's one I get quite a lot too... partially my own fault as a tall lady addicted to foolish high heels - but I do note that it doesn't tend to be the shorter guys who do it (perhaps because they are used to stretching up for turns) but instead the medium sized guys who are probably used to easily making it over a lady's head.

I have a ridiculously poor startle threashold, so it always makes me jump out of my skin.

Another least favourite thing is being flung around (usually at speed) by an uncontrolled lead. Like I said, I'm not a small lady and I start feeling like the hammer in an olympic throwing competition - if I land on someone I'm going to cause widespread devastation! Its the only thing I've ever stopped a dance with someone for.

[Donna]

People who chew gum while they're dancing
People who stand in the middle of the floor and have a chat after they've finished a dance so everyone has to dance around them for the next track.
People who stand on your feet or knock into you and don't apologise.
There are probably many more, but I'll stop now or everyone will be telling me I'm whinging
S. x

Huh! Someone woman run there three inch heel right down the side of my right ankle in the ceroc champs!!! I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to carry on... and to be honest, it's still quite sensitive now. I think a lot of women should be banned from wearing heels that are more than two inches long and are almost as thin as a needle.....OOOUUUUCCCHHH!!!!

[DangerousCurves]

[QUOTE=Donna
I think a lot of women should be banned from wearing heels that are more than two inches long and are almost as thin as a needle[/QUOTE]

That's a good one!

I once had another lady's stilletto slide inside the heel of my shoe. We were fastened together, as she took a step unwittingly but couldn't slide it out again. She nearly fell, and I got a nasty cut to my heel. We were both pretty shocked as well - a complete freak accident but NASTY!

[LMC]

Goody! No-one has yet mentioned yankers on this thread so I can have a lovely little rant all of my very very own about tonight's fine example - a woman who was leading in the beginners class.

She told me my arms were stiff and I wasn't following 'flexibly'. That was because I happen to like my shoulder joints to be in their sockets - darned inconsiderate of me I know.

She hit me over the head a couple of times on turns too - which very rarely happens with even much shorter guys - shorter than her even (I'm 5'11 in my dancing shoes).

So I got a weeeeeeeeee bit stroppy and told her that I refuse to duck. So there. Well, it doesn't look nice does it?

[Northants Girly]

So I got a weee bit stroppy and told her that I refuse to duck. So there. Well, it doesn't look nice does it?

Well it's better than being smacked in the head

[LMC]

Well it's better than being smacked in the head

Might knock some sense into me? Probably more a case of where there's no sense there's no feeling.

Actually, I do duck when necessary - but there shouldn't have been a need to duck with her, she wasn't that much shorter than me. The problem was caused by her [censored] yanking.

[Trousers]

Goody! No-one has yet mentioned yankers on this thread so I can have a lovely little rant all of my very very own about tonight's fine example - a woman who was leading in the beginners class.

She told me my arms were stiff and I wasn't following 'flexibly'. That was because I happen to like my shoulder joints to be in their sockets - darned inconsiderate of me I know.

She hit me over the head a couple of times on turns too - which very rarely happens with even much shorter guys - shorter than her even (I'm 5'11 in my dancing shoes).

So I got a weeeeeeeeee bit stroppy and told her that I refuse to duck. So there. Well, it doesn't look nice does it?

To actually get up the guts to say to the person you are dancing with "you are stiff" or "slow down" is quite a feat. Even in a class.

Therefore as an impartial, It wasn't me, I wasn't there type of Forumite I would suggest that possibly ..... just possibly there may have been the slightest bit of stiffness in your arms..? maybe

If your lead told you that you were stiff then take a deep breath, step back, put your brain in gear and think about it. What has the lead got to gain from sayin those things? Nothing but a better dance.

[LMC]

To actually get up the guts to say to the person you are dancing with "you are stiff" or "slow down" is quite a feat. Even in a class.

Fair comment - I was too chicken to tell her she was yanking me (she's a taxi).

Therefore as an impartial, It wasn't me, I wasn't there type of Forumite I would suggest that possibly ..... just possibly there may have been the slightest bit of stiffness in your arms..? maybe

If your lead told you that you were stiff then take a deep breath, step back, put your brain in gear and think about it. What has the lead got to gain from sayin those things? Nothing but a better dance.

I WAS stiff, she was right - but only because she was yanking me about. I have frequently been complimented on being a good follower for someone who's only been dancing 6 or 7 weeks. Obviously, compliments are easier to give than constructive criticism, which I usually take in the spirit intended and am very grateful for - but the way this woman phrased it just really p****d me off.

[David Bailey]

I WAS stiff, she was right - but only because she was yanking me about. I have frequently been complimented on being a good follower for someone who's only been dancing 6 or 7 weeks. Obviously, compliments are easier to give than constructive criticism, which I usually take in the spirit intended and am very grateful for - but the way this woman phrased it just really p****d me off.

Tricky area. On the one hand, there are yankers, and they are of course Evil People. And people giving advice in the middle of a class are not always the best to listen to.

On the other hand, some people require, ahem, stronger leads than others, and a main function a taxi dancer is to give advice...

Possibly this taxi may not have been an experienced leader, and may have applied excessively-strong leading, and you got stiff because you didn't like being yanked, and so it went all downhill from there...? I dunno, it's all speculation really.