Competitive Ballroom..Is it really this bad?

[ShyDancer]

I found this article and was amazed reading it.

http://www.rpmerleon.com/articles/97etique.php

I have only attended one competion so far, and that was as a spectator, I never saw anything like this article describes.
Even in social dancing I see taps on the shoulders warning of oncoming dancers, and the on or both couples hold their position and wait for the other couple to pass.

This article makes the world of Ballroom seem very bad!

[Oaktown Dancer]

ShyDancer:

I go to my first "Official" competition as a spectator in a few days...

I will be sure to let you know what I see. I think the article is "dated" but I will give you the 2004 perspective fresh off the press.

IMHO, the Ballroom Dancing Competition "hit piece" rings of sour grapes.

If his dancing was anything like his attitude he probably came out pretty good! GRIN

Oaktown Dancer

[dancin_feet]

It certainly can be that bad. Friends were always amazed when I told them that Strictly Ballroom may have been a send up, but actually quite accurate.

I have a friend of mine who competes in Standard and her partner is a real stirrer. If he notices a couple on the floor who have a difficult time freestyling away from their set routine when they get cornered, he will corner them at least once. He doesn't do it aggressively though (doesn't run into them or anything) he just calls it "playing the game". While I can't condone his actions, I can see how it would add a bit of excitement to a competition, and maybe even help the other couple out by highlighting to them a weakness that needs to be worked on.

[Adwiz]

It's seldom that bad, but I know one male dancer who makes a point of being like that. In my view, his aggressiveness is setting him back in the standings. Not long ago, during a championship-level comp, I could see in his eyes the planning that was going on in his mind as he trapped another couple in the corner during the Quickstep, delighting in taking as long as he could. I'm sure it wasn't lost on the judges who could view that corner quite clearly. Doesn't help anyone, and didn't help him make it to the finals either.

[Genesius Redux]

Like AdWiz, I think that the competition rarely gets that bad--although it makes a great story when it does. The competitions I've seen have been very friendly, and the competitors mutually supportive. Of course, there will always be a little jockeying for position on the floor--just like in baseball runners about to be tagged will always charge the plate.

[delamusica]

Not to be promoting stereotypes or anything, but I have heard that it's more common for dancers to be like that who are used to competing or training in Russia and Eastern Europe - perhaps their Dancesport culture is just more competitive than here in the US, where couples always seem very supportive of each other.

[Seini]

I have seen, and been 'involved' with some really difficult situations on the social dance floor. The reasons vary from skill level to one-up-man-ship (?). You could consider the interactions like commuting during the first snow fall. Anything is possible, have your skills up to speed, and deal with it :)

I learned my best floor craft from social dancing with a like skilled partner. We had to deal with both lesser skilled and higher skilled couples. When you are comfortable with your own skills, then what other people do aggressively is an opportunity to show off your control and skills.

(I also believe that the judges notice and consider aggressive and interfering moves, or at least I hope they would... :? )

[Pacion]

Have only been able to scan the article quickly, but I am surprised. My former teacher told us that we would either lose points or be disqualified if we bumped into another couple. How exactly it would be determined who bumped into who, we did not want to find out, so therefore were very mindful of our space :?

[delamusica]

Sometimes, though, bumps are inevitable . . . I once had another girl get her heel stuck through my fishnets - neither of us noticed and then off we tried to go in opposite directions . . . needless to say, it was rather unsuccessful. And I've seen people stop suddenly in their routines for some open work and get slammed by a couple who was too close behind. I know that that's not what the article was about, but as far as the judges paying attention, well - I guess what I'm trying to say is that the fact that it does happen accidentally (and when it does, you're supposed to just ignore it and keep dancing rather than stop and apologize) makes it difficult to impossible for the judges to determine intent on the spot.

[Genesius Redux]

Sometimes, though, bumps are inevitable . . . I once had another girl get her heel stuck through my fishnets - neither of us noticed and then off we tried to go in opposite directions . . . needless to say, it was rather unsuccessful.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm sorry, delamusica, that just such a funny visual.

I had a friend do a theatre arts routine which was supposed to be really sensitive--doughboy goes off to WWI and must leave his sweetheart. And his partner got a section of her dress caught on his uniform button--so when she tried to step gracefully away from him, the string of her gown made her bounce back like a rubber band. Then she tried again, and it happened again. The third time, they untangled her and went immediately back into their sentimental, tragic reverie--and it was just about one of the funniest things I'd ever seen! Got it on tape....

[tsb]

i had dinner tonight with a friend who's competed internationally (including blackpool). her observation is that about 40% of her competition actually did behave like that. moreover, in some cases when someone initiated serious contact with her that could have caused injury, they've never apologized. yeek!

[Warren J. Dew]

I'd just like to note that the people that article is talking about are not the ones with sufficiently good floorcraft to trap other couples in corners without touching them, but rather the ones that are so locked into their own routines that they simply can't avoid a collision even when they see it coming.

I know this first hand, having been knocked twenty feet across the floor in the quickstep the first time I went to Blackpool. The guy wasn't trying to run into us, I'm sure - rather, he simply had no control over where he was going. In fact, he had a very apologetic look on his face as he zoomed away, still unable to deviate from his routine!

Fortunately my partner came to in a matter of minutes. Still, it makes me more favorably inclined toward anyone who can keep similar menaces to navigation bottled up in a corner for a while.

[Larinda McRaven]

as he zoomed away, still unable to deviate from his routine!

I think 9 times out of ten this is the case. In fact most of the times as we step onto the competitive floor with a couple who is going out for their first time, there usually is a round of joking apologies they will make. Somethng to the tune of "hey just to let you know we are going to run into you, nothing personal, I just can't steer yet."

The other 1 time I think of more as playing "chicken"...both couples wondering who will back down first, will unfortunate results. Although the action was deliberate, the outcome was not.

[Adwiz]

Not to be promoting stereotypes or anything, but I have heard that it's more common for dancers to be like that who are used to competing or training in Russia and Eastern Europe - perhaps their Dancesport culture is just more competitive than here in the US, where couples always seem very supportive of each other.

Interesting, because this guy is from one of the former Soviet countries (can't remember which one, I think Ukraine). You could be right about the culture, because in person he's the nicest guy. Even during practice he has shown thoughtfulness to the other dancers. It's only on the competition dance floor that he becomes a real jerk.

[SDsalsaguy]

I honestly think a lot of the blame for this belongs with the vast majority of judges. As much as many of them wil go on and on about the importance of floorcraft, their marks seldom reflect this. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen an excellent couple place exceptionally well... despite being the only couple from the semi-final on to bump into every other couple on the floor. I certainly understand that judges only watch each couple for a fraction of the time, so may miss most of this, but, over time, they do see the regular couples again and again and again... and often times when not judging that specific event. If judges won't take floorcraft seriously neither will most competitors. Sad, but true.

[Warren J. Dew]

place exceptionally well... despite being the only couple from the semi-final on to bump into every other couple on the floor.... If judges won't take floorcraft seriously neither will most competitors.
A simple solution would be for the judges not to mark either of two couples involved in any collision ... though the 'not at fault' couples would lose a few marks unfairly, the 'at fault' frequent offenders would lose a lot of marks, so overall it would work out right.

In the Quickstep case I mentioned, I'm pretty sure we got one of that couple's marks because of it ... we had exactly three marks in each dance except quickstep, where we had one extra mark.