[David Franklin]

Almost playing devil's advocate with myself here, as I feel I've fallen into the "polarized opinions" trap that's befallen the forum recently.

Contrary to what you might think, MJ is my "first love", and I can't see me switching whole-heartedly to WCS. I think it is easier to get started in MJ, and from what I've seen in the states, I think most WCS teachers would be thrilled to get the kind of numbers MJ venues get.

WCS has evolved a lot over the last 20 years, and I think MJ is doing the same. I think if we are going to get to the level of the top US dancers, it is more likely to come from an evolving MJ scene than from a wholesale move to WCS, though it's always easier to copy and adapt than start from scratch, so I see WCS being a major influence.

I don't believe it's possible for either dance to be truely successful across the Atlantic. In other words, WCS isn't going to overtake MJ here, and MJ isn't going to be a major force in the US. Just too much established mind-share.

Although I see a lot of parallels between MJ and WCS evolution, one thing that does worry me is the different attitudes towards 'the pursuit of excellence', and how that affects people's learning. Wanting to "be the best" is far more acceptible in the US; I wouldn't say cries of "elitism" are unknown, but it's not like it is here. Unfortunately, I think the attitudes here are counterproductive - not just for the best dancers, but for most everyone else as well.

As DavidB said, competitive MJ is almost becoming a different dance form, bearing increasingly little resemblence to what people get taught at a typical venue. Rather than all evolving together, we're ending up with a split and a real, genuine elite, who go to specialist classes and workshops and learn "secrets" that don't get disseminated. I'm not sure how this will pan out - I don't know how well Ceroc is doing with teaching things like frame and connection these days - and without those basics, any advanced ideas are very hard indeed.