Freestyle dancing!!

[Sagitta]

Mentions of freestyle has been repeatedly popping up in the DFs the past several days. It was really popular in the 80s and 90s, but do you think that it is as popular now? And what songs do people dance to? So, if you like salsaholic will you freestlye to latin songs, or do you have to do it to another genre...?

[Dancegal]

At a local C&W club I go to, when they play pop songs a lot of people who WCS do so and some folks who don't will form a circle and freestyle. I WCS these, else I'll usually sit it out. I tend to feel like a fish out of water when freestyling since I gotten so used to partner dancing - feel like I need my partner to do "cool stuff". However, I proved myself wrong a couple of nights ago - went to a Christmas party with 7 other women and 1 guy we shared - almost everyone else had dates - but when we wanted to dance we'd just go out there and dance. Somehow, I let it all out :D - they played pop, salsa and merengue (woohoo). And we had a great time! Ok, it left me wanting more :shock: :wink: , but that was okay - still glad I went.

[pygmalion]

Freestyle dancing is my absolute favorite! I don't get to do it as often, now that I'm diong all sorts of other dancing as well. But I'm finding that the formalized dance techniques I learn sort of spill over and enhance my freestyle dancing. Fun!

[Sagitta]

Like dancegal I find myself doing freestyle when I know quite a few people and there is a really extreme imbalance of guys/gals. I also do freestyle as the first step to gettting people to dance. Once they are up freestyling it's not that hard to shift them into partnered dancing!! :) So there definitely is freestyle dancing for me at the every-other month Ithaca social dance. The months when they do latin I find it harder to do freestyle!!

And I do find that partnered dancing has helped out my freestyle dancing, just as you have Pygmailion. In addition jazz moves have helped out too. I need to take more jazz classes/lessons!!!

[Spitfire]

It's been at least five years since I've done any freestyle dancing.

[swingin' baby]

I can't believe more people don't do freestyle, I do it twice a week at the very least! It's absolutely fantastic!

[Sagitta]

It's a completely different dynamic swingin' baby. That's what it is. The connection that you have with partnered dancing is not there. Having said that I agree it is a lot of fun. BUT, partnered dancing usually wins out...

[Dancegal]

It's a completely different dynamic swingin' baby. That's what it is. The connection that you have with partnered dancing is not there. Having said that I agree it is a lot of fun. BUT, partnered dancing usually wins out...

True - at the Christmas party I referred to earlier in this thread, I danced a Two-Step (my one partner dance of the night) and I thought I was in heaven (C&W Two-Step is fine but not my favorite dance). It's like I "craved" the connection with my partner. I can dance salsa and merengue solo if I have to - I mean, the music is MADE for dancing - how can the body and feet NOT move :D ! - however, country/western is strictly a partner dance (except for boot-scoop boogie and other line dances that can be done if there's the floor space and enough people want to join in).

[dnquark]

I generally don't like dancing freestyle, because I don't know how to. Now, you may say that this is the whole point -- of FREEstyle, doing whatever you feel like to music. But I find that I still prefer a framework within which I can express myself, which is what partner dancing has (in addition to the many other benefits :) )

That being said, I did find recently that I was way more comfortable dancing freestyle to pop music than I was before I started dancing. But in order to really enjoy it, I feel that I'd have to spend some time in front of the mirror to at least know what I look like. A modicum of instruction would be lovely, but where are you gonna find that :)

--l

[dancersdreamland]

I rarely free-style dance, but wish I did more. I tend to feel like I have NO CLUE what I'm doing and then don't do it for fear of looking stupid. It's a personal fear I intend to overcome.

[Sagitta]

Well, DDL I would just do moves from your extensive dance background and you probably can do a lot more then most people out there, myself including!! :) I have done jazz moves, charleston moves, salsa shine moves and have had people imitating/trying to imitate me and friends asking me to show them how to do what I was doing.

[Sarah]

I rarely free-style dance, but wish I did more. I tend to feel like I have NO CLUE what I'm doing

You mean you don't find belly dance moves popping out on the dance floor? I tend to find that my freestyling tends to resemble whatever I've been practicing most recently, wether it be salsa, BD or aikido....

Cheers
Sarah

[dancersdreamland]

Guess I never really thought of using belly dance or jazz in free style... :oops: I must just be silly not to have seen how natural both would work with free style...I think I may have to find somewhere to dance for New Year's and kick in 2004 with a little sassiness.

Thanks for the SUPER ideas!

[veeann]

WOW !!! I started off with a little classical dance training and fell into my own "freestyle" I love hip-hop dance and found I`m quite good at it.
Partner dancing is such a great feeling of control, sensuality, and exhilaration. But most often I am left without an adequate partner and go crazy with freestyle. you are really missing out on this open form of expression.
also. I need guidance... please help me find people in the detroit metro area that love all dance as much as I... thanks

[dancin_feet]

I may go out to freestyle dance a couple of times a year, but I'm always dancing at home, even at the studio in class if the instructor is showing the man's part, or helping someone else I'll be giving a bit of a wiggle to the music!

Love freestyling!

[motardmom]

I generally don't like dancing freestyle, because I don't know how to.

I rarely free-style dance, but wish I did more. I tend to feel like I have NO CLUE what I'm doing and then don't do it for fear of looking stupid.

This is me!!! I don't freestyle, I just don't know how. It's something I have never done. At one of the places I dance, there's a point that often comes sometime around 12:30-1 am where the dj is playing reggae and people will start freestyling. I've had my partner try to get me to freestyle, and he starts dancing, and it's like as soon as I loose physical contact with him, my brain shuts down and I stand there like a moron doing the 7th grade two step (step together, step together...) My partner will say, "Move your body... you can do it! Come on.... :) " and I'm standing there, petrified. I feel so awkward. I genuinely hate this point of the dance. What makes it worse is the dj starts mixing the music to blend this one dance into one that lasts - seriously - forever! Ok, maybe closer to 15 minutes. My regular partners now know how uncomfortable I am with freestyling, so we'll just do reggae for a little while, then we'll sit the rest of the song out.

It's a drag, I wish I could freestyle better. I know that part of my problem comes from a general feeling of discomfort with how my body moves. I don't know why I'm not uncomfortable when I'm dancing with a partner but I am very uncomfortable dancing alone.

How exactly does a person learn to freestyle anyway?

Maybe this is something like being overly sensitive about the clothes you wear - it doesn't really matter because people really don't care or remember anyway...?

[Sagitta]

When partner dancing there are many cluies that you can follow from your partner. When freestyling there also are clues but they are given differently. Freestyling also invloves a different way of moving teh body, and so if one isn't used to it wouldn't it be uncomfotable?

[motardmom]

so if one isn't used to it wouldn't it be uncomfotable?

How does one learn to follow in freestyle then? I'd really like to be able to participate.

[Sagitta]

so if one isn't used to it wouldn't it be uncomfotable?

How does one learn to follow in freestyle then? I'd really like to be able to participate.

By doing it, not worrying that you look out of place, and just doing it. I've learnt enough dances to know that there are always sticking points where one feels uncomfortable. Just doing your best, and perhaps practicing at home moving to music? I'm not the greatest myself. :oops: I usually grab my partner and get some partner dancing in as well. :oops: :)

[squirrel]

Very rarely... once in a blue moon!

I don't enjoy anything else but Salsa! And the occasional Merengue, Bachata and Cha cha! :)

So whenever we're talking non-partner dance, I am so uninterested! Unless I am in a very good mood, and I am with my friends, and they play something different than the usual Salsa... then I move to the beat...

But I remember one night when I just had to go to our Salsa club (bad night for salseros, and I knew it, but a friend asked me to)... I was with part of the gang, but I hated the music so I sat down for 3 hours! :shock: :shock: :shock:

[Sagitta]

Very rarely... once in a blue moon!

I don't enjoy anything else but Salsa! And the occasional Merengue, Bachata and Cha cha! :)

So whenever we're talking non-partner dance, I am so uninterested! Unless I am in a very good mood, and I am with my friends, and they play something different than the usual Salsa... then I move to the beat...

But I remember one night when I just had to go to our Salsa club (bad night for salseros, and I knew it, but a friend asked me to)... I was with part of the gang, but I hated the music so I sat down for 3 hours! :shock: :shock: :shock:

I would leave then. Just sit down 3 hour! :shock: No way.

[squirrel]

Well... the friend I mentioned was leaving Romania to study in the States... for I don't know how long... she wanted to be with the gang before she left... there is only one Salsa club in Bucharest... she is a salsera, but she dances also jazz, hip hop, ballroom etc... so she can have fun! I didn't but stayed for her!

[twnkltoz]

I never go freestyle dancing. I don't particularly care for it anymore, because partner dancing is so much better! I got dragged out once a few years ago with a girlfriend, and I felt kind of stupid. I danced pretty much the same way they did, but I still felt stupid. Frankly, I don't feel the need to do it.

Oh, I lied. Sometimes when I'm at these cowboy reenactment events that my husband and I go to with my father and his business partner, they often have dancing with country bands. Hubby and I will do WCS, country 2 step and a little polka. Dad does all the country dances too, but I'll freestyle dance with him...but when we do it, we do this silly monkey dance that's kind of funny. That's different, though. :)

[Swingolder]

I was at a Halloween costume party - very, very crowded - and that is all there was room for (free style). My dh and I hung around a while and then went to our regular Friday night place where we could really dance.

[nominus_expers]

My freestyle tends to resemble martial arts or qi gong (say "Chi Kung"), because qi gong is allowing your body to move with its own rhythm. You get into the rhythm of the music though, and your rhythm and the music become one and the same; you just have to move somehow or you're going to explode! Granted this is not very impressive looking when I do it :( , it tends to look a little more like my signature than I like to admit. If I had any real idea what I was doing (and I wish I did) I'd probably have more fun with it than I already do; I just don't know how to express myself like that. The most experience I have with dance is a few trips to different clubs and the popular "Dance Dance Revolution" video game, which I'd reccomend to everyone, it's great fun.

[Sagitta]

Thanks for the recommendation nominus_expers, and welcome to df. :)

[pygmalion]

Welcome nominus_expers. :D

It takes guts or a phenomenal amount of self-confidence to dance your own way. Go for it. I applaud you. :notworth:


And DDR rocks. Now, if only I could do it. :oops: :lol:

[GalacticDancer44M]

I love to freestyle. It's a way to totally express yourself. I mix in some ballroom steps occaisionally too and some cool spins. I'd like to learn some Michael Jackson moves too.

I like some of the cooler slow pop songs too and sort of try to dance like the singer. Ever notice some rock singers have choreographed moves? I like some of the moves that Richard Butler of the Psycadellic Furs does and also Roger Daltry of the Who. They're not really dancing, but moving in time and looking cool.

I like singing Kareoke and also copying the singer's moves too. Like Richard Butler's and Mick Jagger. It's a blast. Party like a Rock Star!! I usually get a good response from the crowd.

:lol:

[GalacticDancer44M]

What game system uses this Dance Revolution game? Sounds interesting. 8)

[Sabor]

Sabor = 100% freestyler / 100% of the time

+

wouldn't do it any other way even if i wanted to :wink:

[BobbySSDancer]

FREESTYLE IS ONE OF MY FAV'S TOO... IT'S ACTUALLY HOW I GOT MY SPOT AS A BACK UP DANCER..... I HAD TO FREESTYLE.... AND THEN I HAD TO LEARN A ROUTINE...LOL... I THINK FREESTYLIN IS MUCH EASIER THEN LEARNIN A ROUTINE B/C U JUST DO W/E COMES IN UR HEAD...LOL..... BUT IT'S ALOT OF FUN... ESPECIALLY AT THA CLUB WHEN PEOPLE GET IN A BIG CIRCLE.. AND GO AT IT.... :D .. IT'S COOL TO SEE EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT STYLES....

[DWise1]

Riiight! What's free-style?

No, seriously, I'm not quite sure what you mean by the term. Does late-60's dancing apart from each other qualify? Or are you talking about something altogether different?

[Cartoon_description="comic strip from the late 60's"]
A young man with long hair (though not hippy) asked a girl to dance.
They go out onto the dance floor and soon are at opposite ends, both doing their own things, not even facing each other.
End of song, he escorts her off the floor and thanks her for their dance together.
[/description]

OK, I'll assume late-60's style, for which I only know the German name (don't ask why), Auseinandertanzen (sort of "away-from-each-other dancing"). In that case, I had never been able to learn at the time, because that was the period of time in which many people tried to teach me by telling me to just follow the music and I never could hear what to follow, so I ended up for the next 25-plus years being branded totally devoid of rhythm and incapable of ever learning to dance. And needless to say, I have absolutely no idea what went on in clubs during the 80's and 90's because I haven't been inside a club since about 1970 (I'm not sure whether the Lindy venues I've been to the past two years or the bars these past couple months would qualify).

When I did try back then, because I couldn't feel what to follow in the music, I had nothing but this horrible feeling that I was hanging out there totally lacking any kind of support at all. Horrible feeling.

So except for those terrible early experiences, the only time I free-styled was New Years Eve a few years ago, starting off the last year that my wife would speak to me. We had just made up after a horrible fight not long before (well, actually she was mad at me, asked for a divorce, and then refused to talk or even acknowledge my existence for an entire week), so most of the evening out was a bit awkward (we were with a group of friends at a restaurant where her friend's husband's blues band was playing). We had had a little WCS a few more partner dances by then, so I had started to get the hang of it. She taught me a simple step, kind of like a subdued "Tackie Annie" without the "&8". We did the last two dances together with that step, though I did take her hands a few times and led her into some swing turns. And this time I was able to follow the beat; I didn't feel like I was just hanging out there to dry.

And that was the last time, ever.

OBTW, I had marked "Rarely" because there wasn't any "almost never" option.

And as I reported elsewhere, an experience last Friday night showed me that I'm too highly trained in partner dancing but have practically no idea what to do when free-style would be called for (eg, when my partner can dance, but doesn't have a clue how to follow). And as I start dating, I am sure to encounter that situation many more times, so I guess I'll be learning it OJT and with a little help from my dates.

I can probably throw in some Lindy steps. Would be the first chance I'd have to put "Falling of the Log" to good use. "Shorty George" might be a bit too much for them. And "Spank the Baby" should clear the dance floor around me for 10 feet.

[nominus_expers]

What game system uses this Dance Revolution game? Sounds interesting. 8)

Plastation, PS2, and I think Gamecube but don't quote me on that. I play whenever I get the chance; they also have it in arcades. I have the home version, which is more difficult; the controller is a pad that you dance on in response to the game. In the home verison, the pads tend to slide around a little or shift during gameplay, especially for some of the fast songs (at least one plays at 300 beats per minute.... it requires some seeeeerious footwork o_o;;;). The arcade version, however, does not shift around during gameplay and in fact has a bar that you can lean back on, so your weight is on your arms, leaving your legs free to move however you choose without losing balance. It takes skillz.

[rbazsz]

Free style is almost all you see in clubs nowadays. It doesn't seem to matter if it's live bands or djs.

My guess is that partner dancing has become almost a lost art in mainstream circles. Personally I prefer partnered dancing but I find it awkward to be at a typical night club or bar and ask a women if she wants to do that. The default dance always seems to be freestyle and it's not that easy to transition in the middle of a tune.

So, there is a clear division. We have big group lessons of partner dancing but the nightlife is all freestyle. Personally I think freestyle is fun but it defeats the part of dance that is all about touching and being intimate.

I would appreciate it if some of you could give some tips on how to transition to partnered with somebody that's a complete stranger that you are freestyling with.

[Ray Sison]

I used to a lot more, but I still love it...

[Subliminal]

Wow Thread Necromancy. ;)

I was never comfortable with it. One reason I like the structure of partner dancing.

I noticed people talking about DDR back in the old thread. I had the chance to play the new Dance Central game for the Xbox recently. It's actually a LOT of fun. Great party game. I imagine if you have no freestyle talent, this game might be a real way to learn. They took the dance moves from real choreographers.

[Warren J. Dew]

I would appreciate it if some of you could give some tips on how to transition to partnered with somebody that's a complete stranger that you are freestyling with.

Tell them you what dance you are going to do as you go out on the floor, or just take them in the appropriate dance hold. Just be sure you can lead well enough that they can just follow.

I mean seriously, the only reason most of them are doing freestyle is because the men can't lead.

[rbazsz]

I find that there seems to be two scenes -- the club scene and the dance studio scene.

The club scene is almost all freestyle. Part of it is because most people really don't know how to dance but they do know how to feel the music and move the the rhythm. Clubs are the only place to dance to live music so unfortunately for me since I like live music, I have to freestyle. I don't like freestyle as much but there really is no choice in the clubs.

By random chance it's possible to meet somebody that knows a dance or two but that doesn't happen very often. More than likely they will know a dance you don't do, so that usually means go back to freestyle.

Then there is the dance studio scene. It's all partnered dancing but live bands are very rare.

In my area there is no middle ground. I wish live bands could find a way to encourage partner dancing but I'm not sure how they would without annoying people.

As the guy, for freestyle I just incorporate stuff I learn in a line dance class I take. Men can get away with anything as long as we stay on the beat and occasionally mirror what our partner is doing so it appears like we are doing the dance together. Basically the man's job is to be willing to go out there so that women can strut their stuff and look sexy. Our jobs (as men) are easy in freestyle but the rewards are big because it makes the ladies very happy. If I have a problem with freestyle it's the sterility caused by a lack of body contact.

Freestyle isn't much of a challenge on a crowded dance floor but it's better than not dancing and it's good exercise. More advanced freestyle like Jittin is a challenge for those that are athletic but I'm not able to do those things.

[rbazsz]

Tell them you what dance you are going to do as you go out on the floor, or just take them in the appropriate dance hold. Just be sure you can lead well enough that they can just follow.

I mean seriously, the only reason most of them are doing freestyle is because the men can't lead.

Very few women that go clubbing know dance beyond a simple two step sway. Of course the men can't lead either. I realize that other areas of the country could be very different so I don't want to generalize what I'm saying to everywhere else.

From what I have observed the only ones doing partnered dancing are the couples that dance together. For single matchups freestyle is the only choice 98% of the time.

Usually leading isn't an issue because the ladies will let you know when you try to hold their hands and they pull back. When that happens I have learned that freestyle is the only option.

Am I making some wrong assumptions? If so, please educate me!

I am not claiming I'm a great lead but if I do simple gestures to do a basic swing and the lady doesn't have a clue, she doesn't do partner dancing. Sometimes I'll ask them as we go to the floor but it's rare for one of them to say something like "Yes, let's do some swing".

[Ray Sison]

I find that there seems to be two scenes -- the club scene and the dance studio scene.

The club scene is almost all freestyle. Part of it is because most people really don't know how to dance but they do know how to feel the music and move the the rhythm. Clubs are the only place to dance to live music so unfortunately for me since I like live music, I have to freestyle. I don't like freestyle as much but there really is no choice in the clubs.

By random chance it's possible to meet somebody that knows a dance or two but that doesn't happen very often. More than likely they will know a dance you don't do, so that usually means go back to freestyle.

Then there is the dance studio scene. It's all partnered dancing but live bands are very rare.

In my area there is no middle ground. I wish live bands could find a way to encourage partner dancing but I'm not sure how they would without annoying people.

As the guy, for freestyle I just incorporate stuff I learn in a line dance class I take. Men can get away with anything as long as we stay on the beat and occasionally mirror what our partner is doing so it appears like we are doing the dance together. Basically the man's job is to be willing to go out there so that women can strut their stuff and look sexy. Our jobs (as men) are easy in freestyle but the rewards are big because it makes the ladies very happy. If I have a problem with freestyle it's the sterility caused by a lack of body contact.

Freestyle isn't much of a challenge on a crowded dance floor but it's better than not dancing and it's good exercise. More advanced freestyle like Jittin is a challenge for those that are athletic but I'm not able to do those things.

rbazsz, you make a lot of sense here. Very true. And it is a nice treat when you can go to a dance studio-oriented dance that has a live band. Fortunately there are a couple of regular events in our area that feature that...