Other Dancers in the Family

[Spitfire]

I was just wondering how many of you here have members in your family who also dance other then husbands/wives, but includes in-laws. This question also applies to forms such as ballet, tap, jazz, ect.

I'm the only one in mine.

[pygmalion]

Nope. Not a one, unless you count dancing around the empty house. :lol: :D

[Spitfire]

Nope. Not a one, unless you count dancing around the empty house. :lol: :D

Jenn, that's the quickest reply I've ever gotten. :lol:

I've yet to try dancing around the empty house. :mrgreen:

[pygmalion]

You should try it, spitfire. It's cool, and frees you from so many inhibitions! :D You can dance like no one's watching, because nobody is. :D

[youngsta]

My mom used to dance jazz and african dance. Both my parents were GREAT dancers, I'm the only one it was passed down to :lol: My brother and sister don't care to dance very much.

[Swing Kitten]

I'm the only one who goes out dancing or has ever taken lessons but my sisters and I on occasion really cut a rug... dancing like no body's watching except together and my dad sometimes breaks out with a little two-step when he's being silly. Then I have some great-aunts I got to know better last summer... they do some old tymey stuff... it was a blast to dance with them! I was a little disappointed when they got tired :shrug: understandable

[Sagitta]

My dad and aunt (mother's sister) like ballroom -- they are really traditional, old school. Then one of my cousin's, but not really that many...Maybe they are closet dancers like me. I did not know I liked dancing until this year :shock:

[Spitfire]

I just remembered that a great aunt and uncle of mine both of whom are now deceased did some clogging and put on a demonstration at their 50th wedding anniversary party some years back. Other then this nobody else on either side of my family has had any interest in dancing though they think it's great that I do.

[Swing Kitten]

It's wonderful that they are supportive of you interests even though it's an interest they do not share... that is a wonderful thing!

[Dancegal]

My parents merengue some, but that's it. My brothers don't dance at all :( . I've tried persuading at least one of them to learn swing/Lindy but hasn't worked...yet!

[Adwiz]

It's great having more than one or two dancers in the family. My wife and I do ballroom dancing and our 15-year-old daughter (who has danced most of her life in ballet and jazz) has started getting into both the standard and latin dance styles as well.

So now when we go to competitions or shows it's three of us instead of just two. Having such a wide age range involved also makes it interesting. Her energy and freshness are a great complement to our disciplined approach to learning. We encourage each other and are able to push the others harder, especially when someone is tired or frustrated.

Can't wait till she's ready to look for a competition partner. 8)

[Swing Kitten]

That's awesome Adwiz and Welcome to the Forums! It's nice to have you with us! Sounds like your daughter has some amazing potential-- how wonderful!

btw... your location description gave me good chuckle... very nice to have you on board.

[SDsalsaguy]

Welcome to the Dance Forums Adwiz, glad to have you with us!

[d nice]

Pretty much everyone in my family. Lindy Hop, Steppin, Jitterbug, Texas Hop, various styles of funk, hip hop, etc.

[Spitfire]

Pretty much everyone in my family. Lindy Hop, Steppin, Jitterbug, Texas Hop, various styles of funk, hip hop, etc.

So I guess it comes to you quite naturally d nice.

What dances besides swing are you into? I ask since most of your posts that I see are are on the swing forum

[Spitfire]

It's great having more than one or two dancers in the family. My wife and I do ballroom dancing and our 15-year-old daughter (who has danced most of her life in ballet and jazz) has started getting into both the standard and latin dance styles as well.

So now when we go to competitions or shows it's three of us instead of just two. Having such a wide age range involved also makes it interesting. Her energy and freshness are a great complement to our disciplined approach to learning. We encourage each other and are able to push the others harder, especially when someone is tired or frustrated.

Can't wait till she's ready to look for a competition partner. 8)

Welcome Adwiz,

Vancouver eh? three trips I've taken to Seattle thinking I might go up to Vancouver while I was there, but never did so. I understand the dance scene is great there.

[Adwiz]

btw... your location description gave me good chuckle... very nice to have you on board.

It's a blatant ripoff of Spitfire's. Ad people are used to stealing, I mean adapting, other people's ideas. :wink:

Spitfire, Vancouver does have a surprisingly strong dance community. The largest sprung dance floor in the country is located here -- a place called "the Grand Ballroom" measuring almost 6,000 square feet. It was started about 10 years ago as a true club with dance parties three times a week and a great membership program. Other clubs have taken the idea as well because it works. I think it had a lot to do with how popular ballroom dancing has become in Vancouver. Another large club has also opened up recently with a similar-sized floor, called the "Crystal Ballroom." They have parties every night. There's also a very active Salsa community with many Salsa clubs around the city.

The only criticism I've heard is that technique isn't taught as strongly as it might be. But that seems to be changing. The annual Snowball Classic held here every February features the top IDSF world amateur champions and has done a lot to promote quality technique.

[MadamSamba]

Ohhh...there are two families at my studio. It's so nice to see the dad dancing with the daughter or his wife...I'm a bit jealous!

I wish someone in my family danced. My mum and sister are both knockout dancers, you know, the natural ones who just have "it", but haven't taken lessons. Other than that, I'm the only dancer in the family.

[pygmalion]

I wish someone in my family danced. My mum and sister are both knockout dancers, you know, the natural ones who just have "it", but haven't taken lessons. Other than that, I'm the only dancer in the family.

Do not despair. A lot of times non-natural, trained dancers surpass the people with natural talent, because they work hard at it. You hang in there. One of these days soon, your sister and your Mum may get jealous and come along for the ride. I bet they'll be impressed at what a great dancer you've become! :D

[Spitfire]

Ohhh...there are two families at my studio. It's so nice to see the dad dancing with the daughter or his wife...I'm a bit jealous!

I wish someone in my family danced. My mum and sister are both knockout dancers, you know, the natural ones who just have "it", but haven't taken lessons. Other than that, I'm the only dancer in the family.

There are a couple of families at my studio. This man and his wife often come to the dances with their daughter and one of the instructors who recently quit has a sister, brother and mom who regularly attend. The sister is turning out to be quite a waltzer.

[Swing Kitten]

Talent seldom surpasses effort for very long. To achieve any sort of potential, talents have to be developed. I like to think that I am talented in any way that I choose... that works for me-- if I'm not talented at something rightaway then I work at then I become talented ;)... if it is something in which I choose to be talented... I know that this contains flawed logic but in part that's the point.

Sometimes someone would look at something I'm working on say "you're talented" They are not looking at my talent but they are looking at the result of my work and practice to develope that talent.

I say "thank you" although I know the truth.

[MadamSamba]

Jenn, I agree fully, but some people have "it'' and perhaps it has to do with SwingK's point (great logic, btw!), that you sometimes work so hard at something and people assume it comes naturally, which isn't always the truth. "Talent" is sometimes fostered with blood and sweat! :)

[Spitfire]

btw... your location description gave me good chuckle... very nice to have you on board.

It's a blatant ripoff of Spitfire's. Ad people are used to stealing, I mean adapting, other people's ideas. :wink:

Spitfire, Vancouver does have a surprisingly strong dance community. The largest sprung dance floor in the country is located here -- a place called "the Grand Ballroom" measuring almost 6,000 square feet. It was started about 10 years ago as a true club with dance parties three times a week and a great membership program. Other clubs have taken the idea as well because it works. I think it had a lot to do with how popular ballroom dancing has become in Vancouver. Another large club has also opened up recently with a similar-sized floor, called the "Crystal Ballroom." They have parties every night. There's also a very active Salsa community with many Salsa clubs around the city.

The only criticism I've heard is that technique isn't taught as strongly as it might be. But that seems to be changing. The annual Snowball Classic held here every February features the top IDSF world amateur champions and has done a lot to promote quality technique.

Adwiz,

I've heard about the Crystal Ballroom. I got on their website once and sent an email to them. When they replied I was asked some questions about USABDA; I forwarded it to the local chapter since they could give them a better answer.

Yes, I've heard that there's dancing seven days out of the week there; must be nice. 8)

[HothouseSalsero]

My mother was apparently a very good jitterbugger at one point. She gave it up when she married my father (a Methodist minister), because some elements in the church did not approve of it. She had also taken ballet lessons as a child. I wish she had lived long enough to see me salsa dancing. (Although it wasn't part of her background, she used to sometimes listen to salsa on the radio when I was a teenager, but I never especially liked it at the time. I thought it was cool that she listened to it though.) Otherwise, I know that my aunt (my mom's sister) has done some dancing of various sorts, and her daughter (one of my cousins) was taking swing dancing for a while. My sister did some old school dancing (as in baroque) when she was in college and when I've seen her dance at weddings, she obviously can dance.

[DancingMommy]

I do! An aunt/uncle who worked together as singer/dancers on cruise ships, the Pconos and Branson, MO.

That same auntie was also on Broadway as a child actor.

Her mom was also a jazz singer.