MJ - Hall of Fame _ Amir & Cat

[Billi Wiz]

I may just be relatively new to all this but I've got the UK Champ 07 DVD and keep watching Amir & Cat doing their showcase routine...

If I ever get close to being able to dance like that... I'll be a v.happy Rooster...

[fletch]

Originally Posted by Billi Wiz

I may just be relatively new to all this but I've got the UK Champ 07 DVD and keep watching Amir & Cat doing their showcase routine...

If I ever get close to being able to dance like that... I'll be a v.happy Rooster...

for most of us we will never come close, they are very special

and they didn't win with that showcase

[Spiky Steve]

Originally Posted by Billi Wiz

I may just be relatively new to all this but I've got the UK Champ 07 DVD and keep watching Amir & Cat doing their showcase routine...

If I ever get close to being able to dance like that... I'll be a v.happy Rooster...

I think the expression is "Dream on"

[straycat]

Originally Posted by Spiky Steve

I think the expression is "Dream on"

Nice to see that the spirit of positive encouragement, optimism and nurture is still alive and flourishing on the forum in these troubled times

[Ghost]

Ok so I've looked down the other other Hall of Fame entries and by comparison I think this one might be lacking a bit...... (Oh and Kate should probably get a mention too )

For coming up with a way to dance argentine tango to decent music

For focussing on technique and connection

For a smooth non-bouncy style without semi-circles

For being willing to teach moves that take months to learn

For doing Jango showcases / caberats regardless of whether they're going to win and doing a very fine job


And most importantly for having chocolate cake at the lessons

[Mac]

Originally Posted by Ghost

Ok so I've looked down the other other Hall of Fame entries and by comparison I think this one might be lacking a bit...... (Oh and Kate should probably get a mention too )

For coming up with a way to dance argentine tango to decent music

For focussing on technique and connection

For a smooth non-bouncy style without semi-circles

For being willing to teach moves that take months to learn

For doing Jango showcases / caberats regardless of whether they're going to win and doing a very fine job


And most importantly for having chocolate cake at the lessons

And for being brave enough to wear wooly tights to keep his dancin pins warm ( Very wise though!)

[Andy McGregor]

I've met Amir and had loads of fabulous lessons from him. He is a true great and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

I'm not so sure about Cat. I've never met her or had a lesson from her. I've seen her demo a few times and that's it. But I've heard more negative things about her than I have positive. Those negatives have been of a trivial nature, but they've come from more than one source and it's difficult to ignore the groundswell of opinion. I'm not going to repeat them here because they are not my opinion and would, therefore, be heresay. On the subject of Cat I have no opinion because I've not seen enough first-hand.

Does anybody have something good to say about Cat to balance the negative but trivial things I've heard? It's always nice to strike a balance and we need to hear the good stuff

[Ghost]

Originally Posted by Andy McGregor

Does anybody have something good to say about Cat to balance the negative but trivial things I've heard? It's always nice to strike a balance and we need to hear the good stuff

Oh well in that case Kate definitely deserves a mention (though the stuff I said about Amir applies to her too)

I've always found both Kate and Cat to be insightful on tango and jango moves (I have a tendacy to ask exactly where the centre of balance is during a move and how it changes etc.) Likewise they're not afraid to ask Amir if they're not sure (I'm usually asking from the lead's perspective) rather than fob me off with a best guess which I've always felt was the sign of a good teacher.

Towards the end of last year, Amir taught a few Jango moves with WCS incorporated - I think it's probably fair to say that's Cat's influence.

I've also seen a caberat done at Jango between Cat and Amir that was pure art (the one with Felonious Monk in it) . To be willing to take the time to do something like that deserves credit. Again WCS was involved.

I'll leave it up to someone (NZ Monkey? Alice?) who actually knows about WCS to say whether she's any good at it

As a person I've always found her polite and courteous

Oh and she owes me a dance

And most importantly they both consistently put up with Amir

[Alice]

Originally Posted by Andy McGregor

Does anybody have something good to say about Cat to balance the negative but trivial things I've heard? It's always nice to strike a balance and we need to hear the good stuff

Well, let me see.... She's a brilliant dancer (in several styles). She's often been very helpful to me in pointing out some tiny but important thing I'm doing wrong- lots of lightbulb moments She's also been very kind to me on several occasions when I've not been feeling...on form. She's a fantastic teacher, and very professional in her approach to setting up the venues (etc etc). She brings candles to jango workshops (when she's there) and chocolates to wcs

Oh, and I could watch her dance for hours....


Does that help?

[straycat]

Originally Posted by Alice

Oh, and I could watch her dance for hours....

You don't think maybe she'd find that a bit tiring?

[Mary]

IMO Cat is one of the most graceful beautiful dancers I have ever seen. She can just switch it on and the whole floor comes alive, for example when you see her do NC2S. She is a very knowledgeable teacher. She doesn't faff about but tells it like it is and gets the info across. She will give lots of info that takes some time to absorb, but it's all cracking stuff, and often it's the little comments or observations she makes that gives me the 'lightbulb' stuff like Alice says.

But when it comes to the death stare, eat your heart out Nina. and she is definately on the scary list. But she has a very professional approach to running her classes and venues and a very loyal following.

I have heard some of the criticisms against Cat, but none of us are perfect and I would say that she is just as vulnerable and human as the rest of us. It doesn't detract from the fact that she is an incredible dancer to watch and an excellent teacher and organiser.

I think Kate should be given credit for developing Jango along with Amir, and Amir's teaching skills just go from strength to strength. And lots of to both Kate & Cat for putting up with Amir. (I think someone else has mentioned that as well).

M

[Chicklet]

Originally Posted by Mary

, for example when you see her do NC2S. M

'allo Mary Doll!

I think we post at about the same rate these days!

Would you be terribly kind and tell what NC2S is please?

thanks and felicitations
C

[David Franklin]

Originally Posted by Chicklet

Would you be terribly kind and tell what NC2S is please?

NightClub Two-Step.

[NZ Monkey]

Originally Posted by Andy McGregor

Does anybody have something good to say about Cat to balance the negative but trivial things I've heard? It's always nice to strike a balance and we need to hear the good stuff

It seems I'm a little late to pick this one up but I'll add my two cents anyway.

As Mary has said, Cat's death stare could probably be used as a new weapon for your forces in Iraq with just a little effort and a few mirrors. To this day she remains the only person capable of making my dancing suck (more) with nothing more than an appraising glance

That said, I think it's just a reflection of the standards she sets for herself as a teacher and nothing more than that. Cat has the kind of extremely well developed kinesthetic awareness that allows her to see the whole picture at once, and understand where the underlying causes of any issues are. This is a very rare gift.

She is also able to present her advice in the simplest possible form without losing any meaning in the process, and do it off the cuff as well. Her classes are always very clear, very well pitched to the students experience and very well structured (even the ones that are only made up 15 minutes before the class ). This is an even rarer gift, and combined with the first one makes Cat one of the top teachers I've ever met, in any field or endeavor.

I've found Cat to be encouraging of everyone and as Alice has already mentioned she looks out for her students and can be very kind when they're feeling down or frustrated. She may not mix a lot with her class but she definitely has an eye on them and is more than willing to help out those who would appreciate it. I find it hard to begrudge anyone who does that.

She's an excellent technician, an extremely graceful and musical dancer and a world champion for a reason. If she isn't wanted in the UK we'll have her down here in NZ! Hey, I can live hope can't I?

Right, now that I've officially subscribed to the Catriona fan club I'm going out to lunch

[Degodier]

Originally Posted by Alice

Well, let me see.... She's a brilliant dancer (in several styles). She's often been very helpful to me in pointing out some tiny but important thing I'm doing wrong- lots of lightbulb moments She's also been very kind to me on several occasions when I've not been feeling...on form. She's a fantastic teacher, and very professional in her approach to setting up the venues (etc etc). She brings candles to jango workshops (when she's there) and chocolates to wcs

Oh, and I could watch her dance for hours....


Does that help?

And as far as Amir goes, he is the consumate performer and teacher in our little world as far as I can see.