The hardest thing when you started to learn...

Originally Posted by Gadget

OK so it sometimes takes two or three surprises.

Like being spun into other dancers?

[Gadget]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Like being spun into other dancers?

I went back through all the posts in this thread to see where I said that... of course it was on page 1 and just after a post saying that I found it hard stopping my partners spinning into other people.

Have I danced with you recently? Please register so I know who to go at.

[naughty_scotty84]

I find that my main problem is, well now what I call my signature move and it's the one called the Yo-yo or atleast I think it is. Everytime I get a lady on her right hand I just seem to automatically go straight into it, then because I'm so stuck for moves I'll probably do it again, then again all in a row until my brian conjoures up something else. Then I kinda get worried that things are getting boring for the lady. So yeah I would say the hardest thing is trying to keep the lady interested and not bored when your a male beginner. I've only been going for 6 weeks though so hopefully it's just because of the small amount of moves i actually now and things will get easier once I learn some more. Does anybody else kinda feel intimidated as well when you dance with an intemediate, sometimes I feel sorry for them because I'm not capable of the moves they are and it means they don't get as good a dance as they would from someone else. Also I find that I'm a bit shy to ask intemediates or advanced dancers for a dance. Dam I gotta stop looking at this forum I gotta get back to my college class or dancing won't be the only thing I'm having problems with
Ciao Amigo's

[PretzelMeister]

Originally Posted by TheTramp

....
Also, the other hard part was actually asking people to dance with me. It took me about 2.5 years before I'd managed to ask everyone on my list. I'd always watch the women who were really good, and never feel confident enough to actually go ask them to dance with me. I was sure that they'd hate the experience....

Steve

And did they?

I'm very much in that boat now too. Apart from The Tigger Babe, Wendy & Glasgow Jane who are all too friendly & lovely to NOT be approachable, I steer well clear of asking many of the more experienced ladies to dance for the same reasons as you cite above. As well as being genrally a bit on the shy side anyways .......

Actually, just thinking about it a wee bit, the above para probably does a horrendous injustice to many of the ladies at the Glasgow Tuesday night class - sorry! I think many of them are really very good - just I don't get a chance to see it cos I'm such a poor lead.

Maybe in time?...........

PM

[whistler]

I know exactly how you feel.....Its hard getting over the feeling that the more experienced dancers are not going to want to dance with the beginner.....but the BFG sort of help in that area......spending the whole weekend dancing I got to dance with some really good guys who made me feel really at ease....I found them to be such nice folk as well as great dancers and I wonder why I didnt have the courage to ask them before....

I love dancing with so many different dancers for different reasons and I definately dont mind dancing with folk who are beginners as I have only been dancing for 7 months myself and I remember how hard it was to ask that first person......and I still know what its like to ask that new person you think is just too good.....

[drathzel]

Originally Posted by PretzelMeister

And did they?

I'm very much in that boat now too. Apart from The Tigger Babe, Wendy & Glasgow Jane who are all too friendly & lovely to NOT be approachable, I steer well clear of asking many of the more experienced ladies to dance for the same reasons as you cite above. As well as being genrally a bit on the shy side anyways .......

Actually, just thinking about it a wee bit, the above para probably does a horrendous injustice to many of the ladies at the Glasgow Tuesday night class - sorry! I think many of them are really very good - just I don't get a chance to see it cos I'm such a poor lead.

Maybe in time?...........

PM

Speaking as a tuesday night lady (?) I have to say that you are a very good lead and fun to dance with! You should ask more people, actually no dont, cuz then i wont get a dance ! But if i am being honest with you.... whe i fisrt joined i thought you were a great dancer and wanted to ask you but didn't because you seemed to good!!!

[PretzelMeister]

Originally Posted by drathzel

Speaking as a tuesday night lady (?) I have to say that you are a very good lead and fun to dance with!

Awwww.... shucks! Glad you reckon I'm fun to dance with - you're fun to dance with too!

Originally Posted by drathzel

~SNIP~ But if i am being honest with you.... whe i fisrt joined i thought you were a great dancer and wanted to ask you but didn't because you seemed to good!!!

- But after only a couple of weeks you quickly sussed that wasn't the case! And I'm glad you did.

[drathzel]

Originally Posted by PretzelMeister

Awwww.... shucks! Glad you reckon I'm fun to dance with - you're fun to dance with too!


- But after only a couple of weeks you quickly sussed that wasn't the case! And I'm glad you did.

No its was because we danced in a class and realised you weren't as scary as first thought!

[TheTramp]

There aren't any scary dancers. Are there???

Trampy

[drathzel]

Originally Posted by TheTramp

There aren't any scary dancers. Are there???

Trampy

Of course there are, especially when you are only a beginner and people are being all good and stuff!

[TheTramp]

Originally Posted by drathzel

Of course there are, especially when you are only a beginner and people are being all good and stuff!

Ah. Yes. A beginner!!

Trampy

[drathzel]

Originally Posted by TheTramp

Ah. Yes. A beginner!!

Trampy

i wasn't talking about you, you, just you as in the general all people term!

[Cornish Pixie]

Originally Posted by Franck

A second thing I struggled with when starting Ceroc was learning to relax after doing a couple of years of Jive, the very strict footwork was deeply set within me and I literally spent hours trying to get rid of it.
Franck.

Can i ask how you did this?

Although i did not do jive i have from the start of me dancing learnt to move my feet to the half beat. While this is not necessarily a bad thing even the slowest of songs knacker me out!

[Franck]

Originally Posted by thewurlitzerrocks

Can i ask how you did this?

Although i did not do jive i have from the start of me dancing learnt to move my feet to the half beat. While this is not necessarily a bad thing even the slowest of songs knacker me out!

No specific trick there, I just had it drummed into me to simplify my footwork whilst teaching. It just took some time.
Of course the irony is that I now spend a lot of time teaching workshops where I try to add footwork to dancers.
A good example was this week-end at the Beach Ballroom where I was teaching a workshop on 'How to dance to unusual speeds'. We danced to music around 80/90bpm and also in the faster range (180/200bpm). Most of the technique consisted in adding footwork and adapting the speed of the footwork to fit the challenges of more extreme BPMs.

When I started, the problem I had, was not the footwork, I still use that footwork and variations of it, but breaking down the limitations the footwork imposed on me. Having unlearnt the strict pattern, I was able to start with new patterns and dance to more varied music, thus becoming a 'true' Ceroc dancer!

As an aside, during the above workshop, it was amazing to see people's reaction after dancing to a 84bpm track, when I played a more 'normal' bpm (110) the song felt really too fast!

[skippy]

Hi there
As a taxi dancer I always say and truely believe most women would prefer to have five or six moves executed well than be thrown into a move which hurts or feel not good.
As a beginner it is always hard to not feel you are not good enough but it takes time and the more you practise the easier it will become. It may take 10 weeks or more to feel confident to move up to the next level but don't feel you have to too soon. If you are still finding the beginners moves hard or can't find your feet it maybe something simple. Have you tried a workshop this is a very good way to work on anything that may not be able to do.
I've helped out at several now and I still learn new things everytime I go. It is also fun and you will definately gain more confidence.
Hope we have a dance soon.
Gail

Originally Posted by naughty_scotty84

I find that my main problem is, well now what I call my signature move and it's the one called the Yo-yo or atleast I think it is. Everytime I get a lady on her right hand I just seem to automatically go straight into it, then because I'm so stuck for moves I'll probably do it again, then again all in a row until my brian conjoures up something else. Then I kinda get worried that things are getting boring for the lady. So yeah I would say the hardest thing is trying to keep the lady interested and not bored when your a male beginner. I've only been going for 6 weeks though so hopefully it's just because of the small amount of moves i actually now and things will get easier once I learn some more. Does anybody else kinda feel intimidated as well when you dance with an intemediate, sometimes I feel sorry for them because I'm not capable of the moves they are and it means they don't get as good a dance as they would from someone else. Also I find that I'm a bit shy to ask intemediates or advanced dancers for a dance. Dam I gotta stop looking at this forum I gotta get back to my college class or dancing won't be the only thing I'm having problems with
Ciao Amigo's

[MartinHarper]

Originally Posted by skippy

I always say and truely believe most women would prefer to have five or six moves executed well than be thrown into a move which hurts or feel not good.

When I started to learn, I had to figure out what women would prefer:
* Five or six moves executed badly?
* One move executed badly?

[Whitebeard]

Originally Posted by MartinHarper

When I started to learn, I had to figure out what women would prefer:
* Five or six moves executed badly?
* One move executed badly?

Shouldn't that be:

*One move executed badly?

*Five or six moves executed even more badly?

I know, I've been there, and for all I know I'm still there!!!