Dancing whilst tired

[MartinHarper]

We've established (sort of) that I shouldn't drink and jive. What about dancing whilst in serious need of sleep? Recently I went out dancing after only having three hours sleep, and it really messed me around, dance-wise. Do other people find the same thing? Do I just need more late night training at weekenders?

[Andreas]

I usually cut down on the complexity of moves when I notice I get tired .. or my partner for that matter. Handholds are just not as good anymore, you notice hands slipping because of lacking tension in the last digit of the fingers etc..

[JoC]

Originally Posted by MartinHarper

Do other people find the same thing?

Yes. My dancing suffers and it used to take me until the next day to realise why I was dancing extra duff. Now I try to sneak in an hour or two of kip before going dancing if I'm feeling that tired but simply can't bear to miss dancing altogether, it makes a big difference to me. In those situations I prefer to arrive a bit late, but rested (if being late is the only way I can fit in the little nap).

[David Bailey]

Originally Posted by MartinHarper

Do other people find the same thing? Do I just need more late night training at weekenders?

Totally - the quality of my dancing varies depending on the quantity of sleep I have.

Which is why I'm definitely in the anti-dance-till-dawn camp - I really need my beauty sleep.

I'd much rather have 1 great night than 2 average ones. In fact, I'd prefer 1 great night to 100 average ones. But maybe I'm just picky.

[ducasi]

to all of the above.

On Wednesday there I was so tired I found freestyle very difficult – I just couldn't concentrate on what I was doing. My limited repertoire diminished even further. I sat out for a few dances, but the wonderful women of Glasgow wouldn't let me relax for long and with their help I found a second wind though and finished much better.

I've tried having a bit of a kip before classes, and if I can get to sleep it does help, but I find that it can disturb my sleep even more at night.

Physical fatigue is something that once I'm dancing tends to go away, but it tends to stop me going out in the first place.

[Minnie M]

Originally Posted by ducasi

Physical fatigue is something that once I'm dancing tends to go away, but it tends to stop me going out in the first place.

I'm guilty of that too, or is it just laziness to get up in that bathroom and get my act together

[Yliander]

I have been known to dance better while tired - as i make much more of an effort A couple of very big moves my dance partner always seem to do so much better when we are tired.

[animaltalk]

But You only need one beautiful lady with one fab track and you're back in the zone and can keep going for another couple of hours.

[Lynn]

Yes, my spinning in particular gets much worse when I am tired!

Doesn't stop me from dancing all night though!

[Gadget]

There has been some reserch in sports (so I hear) that says what you learn while tired sinks in better: if you can do it properly when you're knackered, then doing it properly when you're fresh is simple.

I have found that I get a lot 'lazier' when tired: more walks and sways and just "moving with the music" rather than "performing to the music" {if that makes any sense?}. So perhaps my dancing does improve with the lateness of the hour... or it could be that the more 'challenging' tracks are played later.

[Little Monkey]

In general, my dancing gets worse when I'm tired. My balance goes, I can't spin properly, and I feel heavy and clumsy. But sometimes I can do blues quite well in that state - at least I won't back lead!

I too try to get an hours nap if I'm really tired, between work and dancing. Saying that - I'm an insomniac, and can go for weeks with very little sleep, but still keeping up most of my activities. In the end I usually hit the wall, and either become ill, or sleep for about a whole weekend, and then I'm back into a more 'normal' day rythm again.

Sleepy Little Monkey

[Alykat]

Actually, I tend to find that I dance better when I'm tired, as I'm less likely to anticipate the moves and more likely to just let things happen. For that reason I always enjoy the last few hours of a dance-til-dawn evening.

Mind you, for me it often has more to do with the quality of partner than my state of sleep deprivation, because if they're good I'm more likely to stay upright in moves or assisted spins etc!