Quote:
Originally posted by Gadget
Ceroc is 80-90% arm movements; dancing from the top, down. Almost all other styles of dance work from the feet, up. (and most comments on what makes good 'style' etc have been on the movement of the feet/body, and not on the actual hand/arm movements that make up the move)
Once you get the timing of other forms of dance and where your body is meant to be, the footwork can be faked quite well   |
I disagree here. Ceroc is not 80/90% arm movements.
While we don't actively teach footwork, because we find that with Beginners it gives them a stilted style and removes the main enjoyment aspects of dancing with a partner, we do not teach arm movements!
The focus is on learning the moves / patterns, and so we move the whole body, we find that if you want someone to move their body, it is enough to tell them so, rather than asking them to pick up their right foot, move it forward, put it down, transfer weight, pick up left foot, move it forward, etc... Most people are quite able to 'walk' through most moves.
This approach is great for giving Beginners enthusiasm for dancing, as it removes one of the main barriers to entry, but as been mentioned before, it can eventually limit progress and style for a minority of dancers who, having discovered the joys of partner dancing, want to take it further. Learning footwork then becomes very important, as it allows you to bring variety in your dancing.
However, your assertion that you can 'fake' footwork if you can move your body correctly, is flawed. Footwork is what will make your body move in a Stylish way!
A good example of that is the hip swaying in Salsa (and most latin dances), a lot of dancers try to add the hip movement, and usually look like caricatures. The subtle hip movement, comes from the footwork, ie transferring weight from the toes to the heel, as if burying your heel into the ground, will make your hips move in a much more natural way...
It is probably more the case that if you learn the footwork properly, you are then able to make it so subtle, that you can have the effects of the footwork on your body movements while appearing not to be moving your feet that much!
Franck.