Saturday, August 20, 2011
... the night away
Dancing is so fun, no wonder people do it every week. Just gotta go with the right people. What I noticed is: you gotta be a certain shape and size to dance salsa, but you can be any shape and size to dance swing. Interesting. XD Wheeeee!
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I don't think being a certain shape and/or size is what it takes. Going with the right group of people may make the night better and more fun, but I think it really comes down to the lead and how well you both know the music and each other's dancing styles. This is true for both salsa and swing.
ReplyDeleteFor salsa, sure you gotta have hips and know how to move them to the beat. But the right body is definitely not all it takes. You have to feel the music and have the "flavor" of it in your body as well. Salsa is sassy and sexy. Not everyone can pull it off and I admit that I probably looked awkward a few times.
Now, for swing dancing, I've seen videos and competitions and performances of women with all sorts of body types...from petite ones being thrown into aerials to tall ones getting along fine with Balboa. So, yes, swing dancers may be any shape and size...but not everyone can dance swing still. I've seen girls dance and take classes for more years than me and they still look like beginners. You need to feel the music and watch pro dancers and learn your own styling and gain technique and experience out on the floor. I think I've taken 3 classes on moves and/or styling for swing, but I never learned too much from them. I learned everything from traveling to different cities to dance in workshops and at their own venues. Every city has a different style, a different approach, and a different way of feeling the music. I've danced with some truly amazing leads and we've had some really, really good dances...but sometimes it just doesn't click and you have an off night with that lead. Everyone has a different style and sometimes your styles don't match up the way you'd like them to. No matter how hard you try and how much you are dying to dance with a certain someone, sometimes it still doesn't work out and it's a terrible dance. Another thing is sometimes the song just isn't the one for the two of you. Like you aren't feeling the beat at the same time or your styling is totally off... Yeah, it sucks when that happens. You just need to keep movin' and groovin' any way you can.