On certain views about ballroom dancing.

[Spitfire]

I've been dancing this time around for nine years now having had been away from it pretty much for a period of fourteen years, but it is only in the last two years that I have been made aware of something; that the term "ballroom" seems to hold a negative connotation in the minds of many people. (eww, ballroom!). :?

The main criticism I get is that ballroom is rigid, structured and done by a set of "rules" rather then being loose and free, that some forms are not authentic, are "invented" by the studios. With regard to the former I am baffled. When I do a Cha-Cha for instance I just don't get any sense of rigidity or strict adherence, but rather that loose and free feeling that I hear about and it's the same way with my other dances. All my dancing is strictly social; perhaps the image people get in their minds is of competitive dancing where this is the case since judges are looking for certain criteria and this image is also being placed on social dancers? :?

I was surprised and dissapointed to learn of this since I thought the dance community as a whole was pretty united by a common interest. Getting back to an earlier post I made about dancing and martial arts comparrisons; it's like the diagreements that exist between practitioners of the different styles of martial arts - another comparrison between the two.

My only "negative" about ballroom dancing is the business practices of some, but not all studios.

[mamboqueen]

You know what they say about opinions, Spitfire, right??!!

Who cares what anyone else has to say? You're enjoying yourself right? Not hurting anyone? Have fun. Life is too short to let people rain on your parade!

[Spitfire]

You know what they say about opinions, Spitfire, right??!!

Who cares what anyone else has to say? You're enjoying yourself right? Not hurting anyone? Have fun. Life is too short to let people rain on your parade!

Oh, I'll NEVER stop with what I'm doing and you are correct mamboqueen; none of what I mention is going to take away my enjoyment of what I do or make me want to change things in any way. I was just surprised to find all this out and thought it might make for a good topic. :wink: :)

[Sagitta]

It can be suprising how vocal people can color the impression one has about something. The thing to do is to make pro ballroom just as vocal. Not only vocal in words, but also in deed, with your actions. I'm a big proponent of all dance and do "practice what I preach". My dancing shoes are a testament to that. They are torn to shreds in the front! :(

[Chris Stratton]

Compared to most social dance forms, or even social activities in general, ballroom is quite rigid. Compared to say ballet, I would think there is a lot more freedom.

[Laura]

Eh, some people are just snobby/uptight/insecure about their chosen passions, and like to make comparisons that denigrate the un-chosen, as it were. Ballroom is what it is, and what it is is just as cool and endlessly fascinating to the people who love it as 'club' dancing is to others or ballet is to others. If people are so uptight about proving their 'style' is the 'best,' then they aren't very good at looking past the form to see the essence of the joy of movement and the satisfaction of making one's body do something it never could before, and to the pleasure of moving in time to the music.

[pygmalion]

Very well said, Laura. As always. 8) :D

[dragon3085]

I've been dancing this time around for nine years now having had been away from it pretty much for a period of fourteen years, but it is only in the last two years that I have been made aware of something; that the term "ballroom" seems to hold a negative connotation in the minds of many people. (eww, ballroom!). :?

The main criticism I get is that ballroom is rigid, structured and done by a set of "rules" rather then being loose and free, that some forms are not authentic, are "invented" by the studios. With regard to the former I am baffled. When I do a Cha-Cha for instance I just don't get any sense of rigidity or strict adherence, but rather that loose and free feeling that I hear about and it's the same way with my other dances. All my dancing is strictly social; perhaps the image people get in their minds is of competitive dancing where this is the case since judges are looking for certain criteria and this image is also being placed on social dancers? :?

I was surprised and dissapointed to learn of this since I thought the dance community as a whole was pretty united by a common interest. Getting back to an earlier post I made about dancing and martial arts comparrisons; it's like the diagreements that exist between practitioners of the different styles of martial arts - another comparrison between the two.

My only "negative" about ballroom dancing is the business practices of some, but not all studios.

To be honest, I can see some of the point. When I go to a salsa club here, I can pick out the hard core ballrooms out very quick for various reasons, both good and bad. But I think that is ;more a function of the individual dancers and not some much just because the happen to go a studio that teaches ballroom. Your right though, the hardest thing I had coming into dance from 20 years of martial arts, is that even though Martial Arts does have the occasional school who thinks they are the 'one true way or style' there does seem to be more comradre even between the different style. So far as I'm concerned, if you like to dance, and I like to dance we should get along. Even if I don't like the way you dance, I don't have to dance that way so there is no problem.