Well, I spent my teen years (60s) dancing round a handbag because I loved the music (lots of Tamla and Soul) and cos the chaps all leaned on the bar and I wouldn't have been caught dead dancing ballroom or anything else in hold with any of them!
OH and I have been taking dance classes for 17 years with professional teachers tho in a club run by committee rather than a school run by teachers so no competitions. The teachers we had over the Belgian years insisted on "maintien" or posture and correct hold as these lead to balance and better technique. We also took separate salsa classes and line dancing which includes all the ballroom rhythms and not just C&W so have a wide spread of dance experience and knowledge. I also ran the Hip Hop and belly dancing sections tho didn't do them myself. This weekends pros and guests dance was brilliant - one of the best of the series.
All this to explain that I know what to look for and I know about the rhythms for each dance and I know about how the dances began and how they've evolved. Ballroom tango and English or slow waltz and Slowfox are all danced at about 28 to 33 beats per measure but can seem faster as the steps become more intricate as experience and ability improve and the need to impress is paramount. Quickstep is 48 to 55 and Viennese waltz 56 to 62. It helps if you can count to 8 and hear the 1 which is what is meant by musicality or natural rhythm.
Argentine Tango, Charleston and Salsa on SCD bear no relation to what you'll see on any Saturday night at a normal dance. Like the American Smooth they are for show and showing off lifts.
You don't need to be a competitive dancer to appreciate - or not - what's going on on the SCD dance floor and nor do you have to be a dancer yourself. If that were the case nobody would go to football or rugby or spend hours watching endless golf and snooker or any other armchair sport.
I get fed up with all the hoohah but OH won't let me FF thru it. I get fed up with the poor camera work and the gaudy lighting that hides what the feet are doing but still find it worth watching because every now and again they come up with something glorious that I can watch over and over again and even stuff I can do!
I believe the right 4 are in the final and I hope they all dance well on Saturday with no mishaps so the choreography and the dance shine thru.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Obelixx, Could not agree more. I have the same problem with camera work mainly because i want to see what the judges miss and was surprised when they picked out one in the dance off and missed the other. Shirley knows what she is talking about though a bit technical for some.
Most Boys and these days a lot of girls are playing ball games they read the books and pamphlets about the game, watch TV so have a general knowledge, in my wild oat days it was Billiards, Snooker was for the wimps. On Saturday there was an argument between a dancing daughter and one who thinks it for the old folk I saw the difference between the people who post on all the boards they all see it with different eye's. That difference in outlook is what makes the show, if it did not stir people up it would fade away and BBC know that.
I watched Flavia and Vincent yesterday demonstrating the Argentine Tango, the Club Dancers on Strictly could never come near their performance. I had the pleasure of seeing them live at Hardwick Hall Durham, Vincent was a very good stand up comedian and they changed for every dance they did a good night with dinner and dance plus my Daughter just caught me as a bus load of ladies were on the point of kidnapping me onto their bus. Out of curiosity I then looked up AJ and Chloe's dance on the X show, those two can dance no matter what people think of him.
Shirley may sometimes be a bit technical, but that's what she's there for ... otherwise what's the point of having her ... prior to her Len was the same ... and technical bits get explained on It Takes Two so we all learn a bit more about what we're watching.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That's a daft question SS. I can like or dislike all sorts of people who put themselves forward on the public stage without ever meeting them in perosn.
As for AJ, I have seen him on SCD since he first arrived and on the daily catch up with Zoe because, being interested in dancing, I like all the discussions and tips on choreography and technique. He comes across as brash, selfish, me, me, me and, from the start, his choreographies seemed designed to show how clever he is rather than put his partner in the best light and show off their abilities whilst disguising their flaws. His past successes are all in the Latin and he doesn't seem to understand that in the 5 ballroom dances the man is there to show off his partner and not be a peacock.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
Well, I spent my teen years (60s) dancing round a handbag because I loved the music (lots of Tamla and Soul) and cos the chaps all leaned on the bar and I wouldn't have been caught dead dancing ballroom or anything else in hold with any of them!
OH and I have been taking dance classes for 17 years with professional teachers tho in a club run by committee rather than a school run by teachers so no competitions. The teachers we had over the Belgian years insisted on "maintien" or posture and correct hold as these lead to balance and better technique. We also took separate salsa classes and line dancing which includes all the ballroom rhythms and not just C&W so have a wide spread of dance experience and knowledge. I also ran the Hip Hop and belly dancing sections tho didn't do them myself. This weekends pros and guests dance was brilliant - one of the best of the series.
All this to explain that I know what to look for and I know about the rhythms for each dance and I know about how the dances began and how they've evolved. Ballroom tango and English or slow waltz and Slowfox are all danced at about 28 to 33 beats per measure but can seem faster as the steps become more intricate as experience and ability improve and the need to impress is paramount. Quickstep is 48 to 55 and Viennese waltz 56 to 62. It helps if you can count to 8 and hear the 1 which is what is meant by musicality or natural rhythm.
Argentine Tango, Charleston and Salsa on SCD bear no relation to what you'll see on any Saturday night at a normal dance. Like the American Smooth they are for show and showing off lifts.
You don't need to be a competitive dancer to appreciate - or not - what's going on on the SCD dance floor and nor do you have to be a dancer yourself. If that were the case nobody would go to football or rugby or spend hours watching endless golf and snooker or any other armchair sport.
I get fed up with all the hoohah but OH won't let me FF thru it. I get fed up with the poor camera work and the gaudy lighting that hides what the feet are doing but still find it worth watching because every now and again they come up with something glorious that I can watch over and over again and even stuff I can do!
I believe the right 4 are in the final and I hope they all dance well on Saturday with no mishaps so the choreography and the dance shine thru.
Obelixx, Could not agree more. I have the same problem with camera work mainly because i want to see what the judges miss and was surprised when they picked out one in the dance off and missed the other. Shirley knows what she is talking about though a bit technical for some.
Most Boys and these days a lot of girls are playing ball games they read the books and pamphlets about the game, watch TV so have a general knowledge, in my wild oat days it was Billiards, Snooker was for the wimps. On Saturday there was an argument between a dancing daughter and one who thinks it for the old folk I saw the difference between the people who post on all the boards they all see it with different eye's. That difference in outlook is what makes the show, if it did not stir people up it would fade away and BBC know that.
I watched Flavia and Vincent yesterday demonstrating the Argentine Tango, the Club Dancers on Strictly could never come near their performance. I had the pleasure of seeing them live at Hardwick Hall Durham, Vincent was a very good stand up comedian and they changed for every dance they did a good night with dinner and dance plus my Daughter just caught me as a bus load of ladies were on the point of kidnapping me onto their bus. Out of curiosity I then looked up AJ and Chloe's dance on the X show, those two can dance no matter what people think of him.
Frank.
Shirley may sometimes be a bit technical, but that's what she's there for ... otherwise what's the point of having her ... prior to her Len was the same ... and technical bits get explained on It Takes Two so we all learn a bit more about what we're watching.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Of course AJ can dance but he's still an unpleasant little oik.
Tee hee. He really is!
How do you know AJ is unpleasant, do you know him personally?!
That's a daft question SS. I can like or dislike all sorts of people who put themselves forward on the public stage without ever meeting them in perosn.
As for AJ, I have seen him on SCD since he first arrived and on the daily catch up with Zoe because, being interested in dancing, I like all the discussions and tips on choreography and technique. He comes across as brash, selfish, me, me, me and, from the start, his choreographies seemed designed to show how clever he is rather than put his partner in the best light and show off their abilities whilst disguising their flaws. His past successes are all in the Latin and he doesn't seem to understand that in the 5 ballroom dances the man is there to show off his partner and not be a peacock.
So......eho are you hoping for
Joe for me SGL.
Good evening everybody , it’s started