Competition Dance Style

[Gus]

Originally posted by TheTramp
Not just that, but they may have been dancing better last night than they did at the competition!

Trampy

Possibly ... but my personal opinion (for what little thats worth) is that they were well worth a place in the final. They were innovative, interpretative and made impact ... and they were the only couple that looked significatnly different to all the Latin dance that pervaded the final. (lights blue touch paper ... awaits the flaming).

Sorry ... if the trend is for Latin at the moment, then I think its even MORE important for the other variations to be promoted. The skills of the dancers in the final were self evident ... but I'm starting to get bored of the same old performances being trotted out. Lets having some new. Dan Baines ... where are you?? Come to think of it ... how come Taz and partner weren't competeing??

[DavidB]

Originally posted by Gus
if the trend is for Latin at the moment, then I think its even MORE important for the other variations to be promoted.

Sounds like positive discrimination to me. I assume you are proposing that the final be made up of the best Latin couple, the best swing couple, the best urban couple, the best jazz couple, the best ballet couple etc. And with only 6 in the final, then who decides which styles are allowed?

And it should be pointed out that it is not just a 'style' competition. There is also the matter of how well you perform the dance to the music...

but I'm starting to get bored of the same old performances being trotted out. Lets having some new.

Personally I like the 'urban' style, and it is nice to see more people doing it. But no-one has really developed it since Dan introduced it 6 years ago, and taken it to another level.

The only people I've seen doing anything different style-wise (in freestyle) over the last few years are James Geary and Amir Giles.

David

(As I've said before, I didn't see much of Simon & Keely at Blackpool. These are more general statements.)

[Minnie M]

Originally posted by Gareth
Apparently my Sister ,Sarah Bayliss was there last night. Do you know her Minnie?

Sorry Gareth, I am terrible with names, is Sarah the attractive slim lady with short fairish hair and a very nice dancer ?

[Gus]

Originally posted by DavidB
Sounds like positive discrimination to me. I assume you are proposing that the final be made up of the best Latin couple, the best swing couple, the best urban couple, the best jazz couple, the best ballet couple etc. And with only 6 in the final, then who decides which styles are allowed?

Sorry Dave ... wasn't trying to be that radical. The point I was making was more in terms of people talking about and promoting the other styles rather than judging criteria. As you say, at the end of the day the judges must give marks to those who dance 'best' (whatever that means ) ... but personaly I think that results over the last 12 months would enourage dancers towards a more elegant style with lots of drops and chroeographed sequences ... 'cause thats what seems to win. The argument as to whether the dancers doing that style are also the best dancers is maybe another question.

[Simon]

Originally posted by Minnie M
Met Simon (from Bristol) with his dance partner Keeley from Bournemouth yesterday, they danced in the advanced but didn't make the finals

Watching them last night, they were amazing certainly worthy enough to make the finals

Easy, Minnie! I thought we'd got our mutual appreciation stuff out of the way last night when we met (but didn't dance - make up for that next time. Rock Bottoms Torquay?).

Keeley and I had lots of positive feedback at Blackpool and more since, enough to fire us up to have another go at competing. Don't think we'll ever win anything, though, as I'm never going to be able to wear a sequin! Perhaps I need to ask my mate Gareth to educate me in the world of sparkly attire?

[Daisy]

Hi Simon....it's Jane speaking (aka Jane & Ray). I have to say that I think you would look fab in something sparkly, not necessarily sequined. I don't think it will detract from your obvious masculinity one bit so go for it. I have to hold Ray back from trying to out sparkle me and look how butch he is!!

On a more sensible note I would just like to point out to Gus, for what it's worth, that Ray & I have worked really hard over the past 4 years to reached the standard we are judged to be now. Our style, if we have one, has developed naturally with no deliberate attempt to be one thing or another.....we just dance modern jive. We DO NOT dance routines! that's not allowed! and we DO vary the order in which we might string some moves together. We wear what we wear because it suits us and I look better in dresses than trousers, when we are competing.

For you to say that you are bored by the same old performances being trotted out is really quite insulting to couples who compete regularly and are sucessful. If you want to see something different then you go out there and do it and we will all follow, if it's good enough! Competing and winning is about more than a few shoulder rolls and a few body ripples!

Jane

[Gareth]

Ray & I have worked really hard over the past 4 years to reached the standard we are judged to be now

Hi Jane,

I personally thought that you deserved to be placed at Blackpool. It obviously shows that you have been working hard. It takes time and effort to become that smooth and pleasing to watch

As I told Ray on the day, Jill & I find you both inspiring. One day we hope to raise ourselves to your very high standards.

Hi Minnie,
That sounds like her she lives in Whitely!!

Simon,
I can give you a name of a good designer .

[Gus]

Originally posted by Daisy
......We DO NOT dance routines! that's not allowed! and we DO vary the order in which we might string some moves together.........For you to say that you are bored by the same old performances being trotted out is really quite insulting to couples who compete regularly and are sucessful.

I'm sorry if you took my comments personally but I was only making a general comment. A number of people commented that, nice though some of the performances were, similar moves and sequences have been seen before. There HAVE been some innovations, especially from the likes of James G, Kate and Lily ... BUT I was expressing a personal opinion .... albeit a minority view. I'm a great admirer of the likes of C&J and Viktor but that doesn't stop me having a preference for something different. I'm sorry, and I appreciate that you have put a lot of work into your performance ... but I like to see a more 'modern' dance style ... not a comment on your performance, just a personal preference.

Competing and winning is about more than a few shoulder rolls and a few body ripples!

I think that may be something of an oversimplification of what club style dancing is about .... I think the likes of FC & JB, Simon & Keeley and Dan B have clearly demonstrated that

[Mary]

Competing and winning is about more than a few shoulder rolls and a few body ripples!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by Gus


I think that may be something of an oversimplification of what club style dancing is about .... I think the likes of FC & JB, Simon & Keeley and Dan B have clearly demonstrated that

Sheesh, and I've spent ages working on my body ripples!!!!

M

[Gadget]

This "Urban"{Much more funky word than "club" }/"Latin" style is a bit confusing for me... I can see that a lot of moves can be classed as "Urban" or "Latin" ie variants of the same move might invoke a more "urban" feel, and a different variant would invoke a "Latin" feel.
Is this what is meant when people takl about varying their style to suit the music? - Choosing variants that match the flavour.

I think that personal style remains constant, no matter what type of move is performed, so is it just a matter of getting a few more "Urban" moves into circulation.

You then have the issue of "Attitude" - is it seperate from style or moves? Is this what actually changes how you apear to dance with your partner?

{I find it no surprise that a lot of moves are 'latin' in feel - how many latin style dancer are there? How many partner "urban" style dances are there? It involves a lot of work to translate solo urban dancing into partner urban dancing. Similarly, the exposure to this style of dancing is far more limited to the average age group of MJ'ers.

[Gus]

Originally posted by Gadget
Similarly, the exposure to this style of dancing is far more limited to the average age group of MJ'ers.

Arrr ... but look at the age range of the people at the top of the tree at the moment ... Ben, Mick and Cynty, Tas & Adam, Viktor, Lily, Simon, Will & Kate, C&J ... all under 30 (or close to it) .....

[Simon]

Originally posted by Daisy
Hi Simon.... I have to say that I think you would look fab in something sparkly, not necessarily sequined. I don't think it will detract from your obvious masculinity one bit so go for it. I have to hold Ray back from trying to out sparkle me and look how butch he is!!

Jane

Hi Jane,

Great to see you at Blackpool and am really sorry we didn't get to dance together. I remember posting after Rock Bottoms Brighton last November about what a great dancer you are and after the recent comp that's truer now than ever. I love the way you and Ray seem to revel in the atmosphere and are constantly grinning during your performances. You also made the most impressive entrance to the dancefloor of all the Advanced contestants on the day (another example of your style that I aim to steal! ).

If you think I can get away with sequins then I'll give it more consideration. But maybe only one sequin at a time!

Originally posted by Gus
Ben, Mick and Cynty, Tas & Adam, Viktor, Lily, Simon, Will & Kate, C&J ... all under 30 (or close to it) .....

Or too close to it! (10 weeks to go!) I read recently in a magazine that the 30th is "the birthday the average guy wishes he could skip".

[Chicklet]

Originally posted by Simon
If you think I can get away with sequins then I'll give it more consideration. But maybe only one sequin at a time!

A big one, strategically placed and nothing else?????

[Gadget]

Originally posted by Gus
Arrr ... but look at the age range of the people at the top of the tree at the moment ... Ben, Mick and Cynty, Tas & Adam, Viktor, Lily, Simon, Will & Kate, C&J ... all under 30 (or close to it) .....

oh well, there goes that theory...

Perhaps someone should convince them to go to a few "Urban" clubs and see if they could come up with some inspired moves?
{...erm... that is assuming Gus's point about the current repertoir being slightly bland is correct (<-passing the buck )}

[DavidB]

Originally posted by Gus
Arrr ... but look at the age range of the people at the top of the tree at the moment ... Ben, Mick and Cynty, Tas & Adam, Viktor, Lily, Simon, Will & Kate, C&J ... all under 30 (or close to it) .....

[Chicklet]

Originally posted by Gadget
. that is assuming Gus's point about the current repertoir being slightly bland is correct (<-passing the buck )}

hmmm think there's a bit of a difference between bland and just feeling that one has perhaps seen most of it before??

[Stuart M]

Originally posted by Easter Bunny
I also agree that a style of dress can affect the style of your dancing.

Certainly with regards footwear IMHO. "Urban" style, I feel, requires a bit more grip for the bloke (and probably less spinning for the ladies?). I would have thought dance trainers would be the way to go for that slightly stronger grip (there's probably technical issues about friction points etc. here - any physicists on the Forum?).

Plus it looks better anyway .

Conversely, Latin/blues in sneakers looks less elegant, less "slidy". Just my opinion - I find I can't trust my foot placement so much in dance shoes than with trainers.

[TheTramp]

Originally posted by Gus
Arrr ... but look at the age range of the people at the top of the tree at the moment ... Ben, Mick and Cynty, Tas & Adam, Viktor, Lily, Simon, Will & Kate, C&J ... all under 30 (or close to it) .....

Actually, I think that at least half of that list are over 30, some are well over 30 (which is probably why David is laughing so much).

For the record (I know that we're not at the top of the tree in your eyes Gus, even though we recently beat several of the people in your list), I'm well over 30, and Hayley is well under 30!

Trampy

[Gus]

Originally posted by Gadget
...erm... that is assuming Gus's point about the current repertoir being slightly bland is correct

I said what??? The point I was trying to make ... obviously very badly ... was that a lot of what I saw at the Blackpool champs I've seen before. OK ... the word 'bored' was the wrong word to use ... but I was trying to say that it didn't inspire me ... to be honest I was more excited by FC and JBs performance in the Intermediate than I was by the Advanced Final.

That may well be because I've seen many of the Advanced dancers perform many times, and that there is a consistent theme to their dancing .... but please dont quote me as saying "bland" ...... Viktor&Lily = BLAND ... you want to see me disappeared for heresy????

[Gadget]

Originally posted by Gus
I said what???

tee he he

OK, so I was putting words in your mouth; I did edit it from "Un-inspiring", but since I wasn't there to judge for myself I thought I would prod a little more.