Bobbing ladies

Dan · 19th-December-2003, 01:12 AM

Does anyone have advice on how to dance with ladies who bob up and down with the music? Apart from the fact that they tend to miss the beat, this vertical bobbing is very distracting when you are trying to move across the floor horizontally.
In short, how can you lead them to go sideways instead of up and down?

**Graham** · 19th-December-2003, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Andr
Does anyone have advice on how to dance with ladies who bob up and down with the music?

Try singing "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers". Put special emphasis on the "bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce" part.

Dan · 19th-December-2003, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Graham
Try singing "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers". Put special emphasis on the "bouncey bouncey bouncey bouncey bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce" part.

Thank you Graham
In addition to dealing with the music, leading the moves, the lady's bouncing, the distracting moving parts, I shall be singing as well. How do the lyrics go again?

**Graham** · 19th-December-2003, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Andr
the distracting moving parts

Aha! Now I understand why you're finding it difficult! Try directing your gaze about 40cm upwards!

Dan · 19th-December-2003, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Graham
Aha! Now I understand why you're finding it difficult! Try directing your gaze about 40cm upwards!

Some people! Always imagining the worst.

I shall have to keep singing the Tiggers song until I hear from The Oracle

ChrisA · 19th-December-2003, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Andr
Does anyone have advice on how to dance with ladies who bob up and down with the music?

Anti-seasickness tablets.

Chris

bigdjiver · 19th-December-2003, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Andr
Does anyone have advice on how to dance with ladies who bob up and down with the music?

They want to bob, I bob.

**Jon** · 19th-December-2003, 01:46 PM

You make it sound like they are doing some thing wrong, when theyre not. What you find is there are 2 different types of dancer, the ones who glide and the ones who bop.

I think the ones who bop are the ones who have probably done a lot of hand bag dancing in the past and it's just become a habbit. But to certain music ie not blues or anything like that they look fine. But as with anything if one of you is dancing smoothy and the other bopping then it will stand out and may be awkward to lead or follow but hey thats why ceroc is fun as you dance with people with different styles.

Although IMHO technically speaking the lady should change her style to match that of the man she's dancing with

*Andy McGregor* · 19th-December-2003, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Andr
Does anyone have advice on how to dance with ladies who bob up and down with the music? Apart from the fact that they tend to miss the beat, this vertical bobbing is very distracting when you are trying to move across the floor horizontally.
In short, how can you lead them to go sideways instead of up and down?

I'm right there with Andr. The 'bobbing' (great description) action belongs in R&R dance or something but not to modern jive. In the thousands of classes I've done with hundreds of teachers I've never ever seen it taught as part of Modern Jive and is just a common fault like the bouncy hand.

My advice it to impersonate a handbag

JamesGeary · 19th-December-2003, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon
But to certain music ie not blues or anything ... they look fine.

I agree Jon, it can look odd. My trick is to start bobbing also, but bob in the opposite direction, while keeping perfectly in time with them. They get totally confused, stop, and then you just lead them.

I believe that in Lindy Hop, salsa, ballroom, ceroc, rock'n'roll, ballet, jazz, breakdance, and everything else, as the dancers get more experienced they stop bopping. Tell me if I'm wrong.

If you have 2 completely straight legs and you try and dance (or even walk) then you will bop up and down. This distinctive motion is what you see if someone is not particularly cordinated and walking down the road. It is the motion you see with Charlie Chaplin, or occasionally with Rowan Atkinson. I believe when people say that dancing makes a person more graceful it is removing this particular effect that they are refering to. It is simply not efficient motion to be using energy to move your whole body up and down when you are supposed to be going forward. People who are more effective with their body don't bop.

There are two methods of to absorbing this up and down motion, and which method is employed depends on the style of dance, except for ceroc which is unusual because either or both methods get employed.

Either the up-down motion is absorbed through the knees as in salsa and lindy hop, or the motion is absorbed through the hips as in latin ballroom.

Before you 101 lawyers jump on me, I know that some of the motion is absorbed through the hips in salsa, but it is very very minor. It is almost all through the knees.

If you want to stop bopping, try one of those two techniques.

Nick M · 19th-December-2003, 05:33 PM

Quote:

I believe that in Lindy Hop, salsa, ballroom, ceroc, rock'n'roll, ballet, jazz, breakdance, and everything else, as the dancers get more experienced they stop bopping. Tell me if I'm wrong.

As far as salsa is concerned, I was taught from day 1 that you should keep your head on a level, and any vertical movement is taken up below the waist - through the ankles, knees and hips.

Apart from the drops and dips of course

nick

JamesGeary · 20th-December-2003, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nick M
As far as salsa is concerned, I was taught from day 1 that you should keep your head on a level, and any vertical movement is taken up below the waist - through the ankles, knees and hips.

Apart from the drops and dips of course

nick

Ankles. Good point. I don't do that. But when I think about all the good dancers I know, they do. They kind of point their foot as it first lands, and extend their foot as they propel off it, giving the leg an inch more length when the foot is at maximum distance away from the body. Cool. I'm going to go and try that next freestyle.

Its all a lot to think about though. Maybe just tell the beginner to imagine they are balancing a book on their head while they are dancing.

**Minnie M** · 20th-December-2003, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JamesGeary
..... as the dancers get more experienced they stop bopping. Tell me if I'm wrong.

You are quite right James - think it is all about trying to dance on your toes

By the way there are some leads who bob up and down when dancing, however they too are relatively new to MJ (by the way it is an English 'Ceroc' thing. Not noticed it elsewhere

)

**Martin** · 20th-December-2003, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Minnie M
You are quite right James - think it is all about trying to dance on your toes

By the way there are some leads who bob up and down when dancing, however they too are relatively new to MJ (by the way it is an English 'Ceroc' thing. Not noticed it elsewhere )

Kangarros are common over here BUT they are vermin, shot on site.

No relevance.

**Minnie M** · 20th-December-2003, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Martin
Kangarros are common over here BUT they are vermin, shot on site.

How about calling these bobbin dancers Joey

then

*Andy McGregor* · 20th-December-2003, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Minnie M
How about calling these bobbin dancers Joey then

And the ones with the bouncy/flicky hands could be called Flipper

**Martin** · 20th-December-2003, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Minnie M
How about calling these bobbin dancers Joey then

Call them what you like BUT no bobbin dancers here, that is the result of some ceroc UK venues - not seen Joey's here in dance time...

Any bobbers get quickly corected.

*Andy McGregor* · 20th-December-2003, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Martin
Call them what you like BUT no bobbin dancers here, that is the result of some ceroc UK venues - not seen Joey's here in dance time...

Any bobbers get quickly corected.

Maybe that's why the Australians beat us in comps. They don't have to spend ages in the Bobbin Wilderness and work it out for ourselves - they actually have teachers who give you personal feedback (for more than just beginners) rather than just teaching moves in a remote bubble at the front of the room.

Stands back for flaming...

**Minnie M** · 20th-December-2003, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Minnie M
........ (by the way it is an English 'Ceroc' thing. Not noticed it elsewhere )

That's why I made a point of saying English Ceroc thing

**Martin** · 21st-December-2003, 01:25 AM

A whole new word for Ceroc,

That's a Joey venue.
There goes that Joey teacher.
Great place although they do have a Joey problem.

19th-December-2003, 01:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 86 Rep Power: 3 Reputation Total: 26	Bobbing ladies Does anyone have advice on how to dance with ladies who bob up and down with the music? Apart from the fact that they tend to miss the beat, this vertical bobbing is very distracting when you are trying to move across the floor horizontally. In short, how can you lead them to go sideways instead of up and down?

19th-December-2003, 01:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jon Taxi Dancer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Posts: 283 Rep Power: 3 Reputation Total: 10	You make it sound like they are doing some thing wrong, when theyre not. What you find is there are 2 different types of dancer, the ones who glide and the ones who bop. I think the ones who bop are the ones who have probably done a lot of hand bag dancing in the past and it's just become a habbit. But to certain music ie not blues or anything like that they look fine. But as with anything if one of you is dancing smoothy and the other bopping then it will stand out and may be awkward to lead or follow but hey thats why ceroc is fun as you dance with people with different styles. Although IMHO technically speaking the lady should change her style to match that of the man she's dancing with __________________ It's only one dance. What's the Worst that could happen!

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21st-December-2003, 01:25 AM	#20 (permalink)
Martin Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gold Coast, Australia Posts: 1,836 Rep Power: 3 Reputation Total: 317	A whole new word for Ceroc, That's a Joey venue. There goes that Joey teacher. Great place although they do have a Joey problem.

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