View Full Version : Seniors getting to open
tanya_the_dancer
02-07-2010, 08:57 PM
Still look gorgeous. :)
***
Casayoto--Interesting question. In the senior (36+) ranks, we are allowed to wear costumes in syllabus (unless there has been a rule change I don't know about since MAC--but that was less than a month ago.) What is the difference?
-Is the thought that "seniors" have real jobs and the money to buy a costume, and thus it won't keep us from entering?
-That you have to keep those "seniors" happy so they don't rap you with their canes?
-That heck, might as well at least let the old folks try to look pretty?
My guess was that if someone is old enough to enter senior age categories and they are just doing syllabus, it's less likely that they will get to the point of doing open anyway. And this way they still get to have fun with their bling.
Larinda McRaven
02-07-2010, 10:01 PM
My guess was that if someone is old enough to enter senior age categories and they are just doing syllabus, it's less likely that they will get to the point of doing open anyway. And this way they still get to have fun with their bling.
I am considered senior. Assuming that people in senior would not / could not get to open is faulty.
I am considered senior. Assuming that people in senior would not / could not get to open is faulty.
Yaaaah, what she said . . .
Someone was counting their blessings aloud this weekend - eager to say something about I'm not eligible for Senior III for a couple years!
(started syllabus well after Senior . . . )
Which part of "less likely" do you two not get? :p
sambagirl
02-08-2010, 07:15 AM
Well, there's at least three of us, so it's getting more and more likely.
tanya_the_dancer
02-08-2010, 09:28 AM
I am considered senior. Assuming that people in senior would not / could not get to open is faulty.
And how long you've been dancing by now and how old were you when you started?
USA Dance syllabus levels in senior 1,2 (and what else they've got) are for adults who started much later in their lives than you did. It's not a big stretch to assume that they are less likely to get to open levels.
scotttocs
02-08-2010, 09:30 AM
Well, there's at least three of us, so it's getting more and more likely.
I think there is a plausible differentiation between senior competitors dancing at open levels, and senior competitors who are in syllabus levels moving up into open levels.
This absolutely does happen, but is it as likely as younger competitors moving from syllabus to open?
sambagirl
02-09-2010, 07:04 AM
I think there is a plausible differentiation between senior competitors dancing at open levels, and senior competitors who are in syllabus levels moving up into open levels.
This absolutely does happen, but is it as likely as younger competitors moving from syllabus to open?
I can't speak for anyone else, but I started in syllabus as a senior, at 38, though as ProAm first.
tanya_the_dancer
02-09-2010, 08:06 AM
I can't speak for anyone else, but I started in syllabus as a senior, at 38, though as ProAm first.
I just turned 37. I do pro-am silver and occasionally dancesport series events. I can see myself advancing to open on pro-am front. But for me to be able to do same thing in USA Dance events I have to have a partner and I do not see anyone in our local dance scene as the material. We have a few local couples who did compete in USA Dance in silver levels. With one exception, they have started dancing when their youngest children graduated from college. I don't think any of them will get to open.
sambagirl
02-09-2010, 10:09 PM
I don't think it's age that limits the "seniors" (over 35 is not that old, athletically!) in the US from moving from syllabus to open. I think it's life priorities combined with the reduced expectations held by much of the ballroom population, including many in this forum.
Perhaps if we stopped believing that anyone over 35 can't/won't/is "less likely" to improve enough to move from syllabus to open, more people would actually do it.
scotttocs
02-09-2010, 10:25 PM
I don't think it's age that limits the "seniors" (over 35 is not that old, athletically!) in the US from moving from syllabus to open. I think it's life priorities combined with the reduced expectations held by much of the ballroom population, including many in this forum.
Perhaps if we stopped believing that anyone over 35 can't/won't/is "less likely" to improve enough to move from syllabus to open, more people would actually do it.
Life priorities yes, expectations, I'm not as sure. I'm not sure anyone is generically EXPECTED to make it to certain levels.
Warren J. Dew
02-09-2010, 10:48 PM
I don't think it's age that limits the "seniors" (over 35 is not that old, athletically!) in the US from moving from syllabus to open. I think it's life priorities combined with the reduced expectations held by much of the ballroom population, including many in this forum.
I think it's their own expectations that are the most limiting. While there are exceptions, amateur seniors are generally the most reluctant to advance levels when they are supposed to, and many seemingly would prefer to win endlessly at a lower level rather than advance.
Chris Stratton
02-09-2010, 11:12 PM
Most longtime syllabus dancers would get to an open division a lot faster if they drastically simplified their routines, picking material that is easier to make elegant, and then concentrating on the smaller set of problems that remain. Much of the transition out of syllabus then becomes using simple things that werent previously permitted - open natural from promenade in waltz, extended waves, multiple viennese crosses, etc.
Larinda McRaven
02-09-2010, 11:15 PM
And how long you've been dancing by now and how old were you when you started?
USA Dance syllabus levels in senior 1,2 (and what else they've got) are for adults who started much later in their lives than you did. It's not a big stretch to assume that they are less likely to get to open levels.
I started in my final semester of college....and I was NOT on a 4 year plan. In any case I work with several senior 1 and 2 couples... all of which are perfectly capable fo attaining open level pretty shortly. It is entirely doable. And I still say a faulty assumption that adults are never going to be good enough to be open dancers. I see plenty of them, but perhaps geography has something to do with it.
latingal
02-09-2010, 11:42 PM
My guess was that if someone is old enough to enter senior age categories and they are just doing syllabus, it's less likely that they will get to the point of doing open anyway.
Can't comment from experience on amateur seniors, but there are a heck of a lot of pro-am senior age students that make it to open.
Most longtime syllabus dancers would get to an open division a lot faster if they drastically simplified their routines, picking material that is easier to make elegant, and then concentrating on the smaller set of problems that remain.
You mean, not trying to dance every syllabus figure in their routine? Just making sure I understand what you're saying.
You mean, not trying to dance every syllabus figure in their routine?
Ummm, isn't the syllabus numbered so you know what order to do everything in? You do 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10a,10b,10c, then back to 1? If you don't do all of them, the numbering gets confusing! :p
Chris Stratton
02-10-2010, 12:06 AM
Yes, pick a few things that are easy to make look good, and learn to make them look very good.
Complexity is really not needed... but an impression of mastery is.
People act like "senior" is ancient. You could be 34 right this second (like me) and still be able to dance senior as long as you were born before 12/31/75. I'd like to think that if I put the time into dancing that I put into say, FarmTown, I could easily dance at an open level sometime before I hit the nursing home. (Ok, I might have to give up Bejeweled as well.)
latingal
02-10-2010, 12:15 AM
geez, I'm feeling ancient right about now....
sambagirl
02-10-2010, 07:11 AM
Life priorities yes, expectations, I'm not as sure. I'm not sure anyone is generically EXPECTED to make it to certain levels.
The problem is that people DON'T expect and AREN'T expected to make it to certain levels.
People act like "senior" is ancient. You could be 34 right this second (like me) and still be able to dance senior as long as you were born before 12/31/75. I'd like to think that if I put the time into dancing that I put into say, FarmTown, I could easily dance at an open level sometime before I hit the nursing home. (Ok, I might have to give up Bejeweled as well.)
Give up those two, and you'd probably be one of the most highly regarded dancers my dear :p
JANATHOME
02-10-2010, 08:06 AM
Has anyone else noticed this strange "thing" about Sr Levels?
They are many Sr dancers in the silver category, hardly any in gold and then picks up again in pre champ and champ. I have always wondered why this is. If you look at the natural progression one would think that the gold category would be pretty large. Mid Atlantic Regional as an example. 9 couples in silver, 1 in gold, 8 in champ. Where are the gold dancers???
As a SR I dance pre champ in Smooth and work towards and fully expect to be dancing Champ before my body gives out! It simply is a matter of desire and what one is willing to do to reach goals.
tangotime
02-10-2010, 08:24 AM
. .
Where are the gold dancers???
.
Hip replacements ?....:rolleyes:
Mengu
02-10-2010, 08:40 AM
I'm 35 and currently dance syllabus. I certainly aspire to dance open some time in the next decade.
If one is competing, and continues to get coaching and compete, regardless of age, they should (at varying rates) progress. Open doesn't feel like it's out of reach. Will someone who started dancing at 35+ years old become a champion? That's another debate (on second thought, not much to debate there). But dancing open certainly seems within the grasp of any dedicated dancer.
On a less related note, I really dislike being categorized as a senior when I'm only 35, just because my hair is thinning a bit. Maybe I'm in denial. But can I please be called middle aged?
Mid Atlantic Regional as an example. 9 couples in silver, 1 in gold, 8 in champ. Where are the gold dancers???
*raises hand*
I think novice took away all the pre-champs who would also have danced gold. And from the silver bucket, we seem to be the only couple dancing up to gold, all the rest of them are dancing down to bronze. From the age perspective, I think we are the only standard couple dancing silver/gold between ages of 35-55 at this comp.
scotttocs
02-10-2010, 08:49 AM
The problem is that people DON'T expect and AREN'T expected to make it to certain levels.
Are they really expected not to? Did you feel that?
I personally try not to expect - but already dancing at an open level in the one style I do, I'm not faced with expectations from outside the same way.
Now that this can of worms is open, I really want to understand!
ChaChaMama
02-10-2010, 08:49 AM
Can't comment from experience on amateur seniors, but there are a heck of a lot of pro-am senior age students that make it to open.
Given that USA Dance defines "Senior" as 36+, the VAST majority of pro-ammers are senior!
As someone who dances both, I will say that it is comparing apples and oranges in some respects. That's not because pro-am dancing is any less real. Believe me when I say I feel AT LEAST equally challenged when dancing pro-am, and in many ways much more so!
But in am-am syllabus partnership, among the other challenges:
1) You have two people with low skills set working on technique problems and possibly aggravating each other's problems (e.g., weak male lead/female backleading)
2) You MAY have two people with opposing sets of problems that make them look awkward and not like a partnership that keep them from progressing and placing in syllabus (e.g., one person with too much looseness and upper-body movement in samba, the other with a stiff samba)
3) You are much more likely to run into musicality problems,
4) You have the problem that there is a vast undersupply of male dancers. Thus, if someone has a male partner who does not have an equal level of commitment to practice, etc., she is still going to be reluctant to split up the partnership.
I do think I have a better chance of getting to open in pro-am than am. ***Other people's mileage may vary tremendously, of course.*** They may not face any of the challenges I have outlined.
And of course, some senior couples do just decide to dance open, regardless of whether their technique is ready for it. That may explain the absence of gold dancers, JANATHOME, though I have nothing empirical to back up that speculation. Or maybe we "seniors" just don't like being associated with a term that smacks of "golden oldies."
(Extreme tangent: I must say that I have often thought that The Jack is really smart not to market their station as "oldies," even though they are in fact playing music from the 70s/80s/90s.]
vcolfari
02-10-2010, 09:15 AM
Are we including Novice and Pre-Championship in the "Open" discussion (which USA Dance does)? If so, then sure, Senior competitiors can and do get to Open. Senior dancers also get to Championship level but it occurs less frequently. Getting to Championship level is one thing--being highly competitive at the national or international level in Championship is a different story. The ceiling for dancers who start as children, teens, or young adults rather than as "Seniors" is likely to be higher.
I'm 35 <snip> But can I please be called middle aged.
/OT
Noooooooooo! You most certainly may not be called middle aged!!! How about 'young adult'! That fits me and I'm in my 30s. Times are a changin' -- middle age starts somewhere close to 50.;)
For whatever reason, from the very first time I saw the age categories, the word senior never seemed a connection to 'old' age or 'senior citizen' ...maybe because of the use of 'senior' in high school and 'senior' in college......but middle aged!!! Nooooooooo.
<ends potentially delusional off-topic rant-- hopefully taken with a smile>
/BOT
Larinda McRaven
02-10-2010, 09:42 AM
Has anyone else noticed this strange "thing" about Sr Levels?
They are many Sr dancers in the silver category, hardly any in gold and then picks up again in pre champ and champ. I have always wondered why this is.
Obviously in American style it is the lack of any unified consensus on what is actually Gold...
Bailamosdance
02-10-2010, 09:42 AM
I am in a SR II partnership, Am/Am, dancing open in Latin and Standard. I started at 47 (I'm the guy); she started at 43. I am now approaching 59.
Altho the field in Latin is usually just barely a semifinal the field in Champ Standard II can be 3 rounds, so there certainly are a lot of folks who 'make it to open' - many more in our division than other fields - and tho we are newbies with such a short timeframe of competition, we work as hard or harder than many A div amateurs, let me tell you LOL.
As in any competitive sport a lot has to do with genes, focus, attitude, $$s, and time. Yes, the body does change over time but the mechanics of technique are still applicable to the older body as well, and when absorbed can produce quality dancing.
tanya_the_dancer
02-10-2010, 09:57 AM
Has anyone else noticed this strange "thing" about Sr Levels?
They are many Sr dancers in the silver category, hardly any in gold and then picks up again in pre champ and champ. I have always wondered why this is. If you look at the natural progression one would think that the gold category would be pretty large. Mid Atlantic Regional as an example. 9 couples in silver, 1 in gold, 8 in champ. Where are the gold dancers???
As a SR I dance pre champ in Smooth and work towards and fully expect to be dancing Champ before my body gives out! It simply is a matter of desire and what one is willing to do to reach goals.
I've seen the same thing about pro-am competitions. Bronze and silver levels for the largest age groups (45-55 & 55-65) can get huge (especially for american style here in midwest, I'm talking quarter-finals and first rounds), and everything above, for the same age groups, it is tiny.
And I just want to add to this - it is contributing to my mid-life crisis. :) I mean, I've been competing for almost 6 years by now, and since I come to some competitions every year, I see same people staying in silver year after year. And as I approach closer to their age group, I begin to question the possibility of me advancing beyond silver as well.
Yes, pick a few things that are easy to make look good, and learn to make them look very good.
Complexity is really not needed... but an impression of mastery is.
Right, that's what I thought you were saying.
Bailamosdance
02-10-2010, 10:07 AM
"Complexity is really not needed... but an impression of mastery is."
Amen, brother!
j_alexandra
02-10-2010, 10:12 AM
<snip>
Times are a changin' -- middle age starts somewhere close to 50.;)
<snip>
More OT: FWIW the NYT referred to me as a "middle aged woman" (twice.) If they say I'm middle aged, I must be (yes, I am 50+). Yet I am reliably informed that 50 is the new 30. I am running my life as though that were the simple truth.
JANATHOME
02-10-2010, 10:24 AM
I agree with Larinda on Smooth gold. There is such a huge jump from silver to gold, in my mind gold is really open. And with novice being a 3 dance and gold a 4 dance I would say novice is actually the easier of the two. I get why this happens in smooth.
But in standard there is not such a huge jump from silver to gold and silver/gold/novice seems like a natural progression to me. Right, previously at USADance anyone could dance novice and many silver dancers would in fact dance silver material in novice. It was explained to me that novice was an opportunity to introduce some open material prior to going pre champ or champ but it never turned out to be that. Now that we are back to the natural progression of silver/gold/novice and dancers cannot "jump" levels we might see more gold dancers.
Oh Mengu, so you are the lone gold dancer! Will cheer you on!
More OT: FWIW the NYT referred to me as a "middle aged woman" (twice.) If they say I'm middle aged, I must be (yes, I am 50+). Yet I am reliably informed that 50 is the new 30. I am running my life as though that were the simple truth.
Excellent!:D
But in standard there is not such a huge jump from silver to gold and silver/gold/novice seems like a natural progression to me.
This is the very reason why standard can be so appealing--silver is not an entirely new ball game moving from bronze, and gold from silver, open from ... and so on. The gold figures (and open for that matter) are in and of themselves no harder to execute well than the bronze figures.
Mmm...I have to disagree with the "no harder" characterization. I would agree if you had said "only slightly harder."
Given that USA Dance defines "Senior" as 36+, the VAST majority of pro-ammers are senior!
Technically, Senior is 35+, and if your birthday was December 31, you could even dance Sr I basically the entire year you are 34! :)
(Extreme tangent: I must say that I have often thought that The Jack is really smart not to market their station as "oldies," even though they are in fact playing music from the 70s/80s/90s.]
However, you know you're old when the music of your youth is being labeled "retro!" ;)
Larinda McRaven
02-10-2010, 11:24 AM
One day heard Thompson Twins on the radio.... and decided to buy a cd when I was at the mall later that same day. I couldn't find any TT's. I asked the clerk if they had any... he looked at me and said "it is in the oldies bin". :(
Mmm...I have to disagree with the "no harder" characterization. I would agree if you had said "only slightly harder."
I'll buy that, and I think it's also related to the syllabus restrictions regarding what can be strung together--in an open routine it may not be the complexity of the figure itself, but rather the sequence that makes the whole thing more complex, even if its parts themselves are "only slightly harder." :-)
and123
02-10-2010, 11:39 AM
"it is in the oldies bin". :(
Ouch. I know what you mean. "Oldies? But it's from the 80s!" Oh wait.... that was THIRTY YEARS ago :|
<---- currently eligible for Senior, and CNP is not far behind, so he can stop poking fun at me :p
ChaChaMama
02-10-2010, 12:05 PM
However, you know you're old when the music of your youth is being labeled "retro!" ;)
SO true! It's perhaps a little scary how much CCP and I enjoyed listening to a re-broadcast of Casey Kasim's American Top 40 from 1985. I think we need a ballroom comp--or at least a social--with an 80s music theme.
More tangent having nothing to with seniors getting to open (sorry, mods, I know I suck):
You know what else makes a gal feel old? When I was pregnant with Naomi, I was 34-35 (ooh, just like the beginning of Senior I, not that I was competing at that juncture), and I kept getting the "Since you are of advanced maternal age" talk at the ob, like "Since you are of advanced maternal age, you have the option of having amniocentisis."
To rub that in further, I live in a county with a high teen pregnancy rate. When my baby was in special care (nothing serious, just precautionary), the baby in the next bassinet over had a mom who looked to be around 16. It struck me that the baby's grandma was probably about my age.
But my FAVORITE funny story was a convo between me and my daughter when she was about 4:
"Mommy, do people really believe in Greek mythology?"
"Not anymore, but they used to, a long time ago."
"When you were my age?"
LOL!!!
***
We now return you to your original programming.
One day heard Thompson Twins on the radio.... and decided to buy a cd when I was at the mall later that same day. I couldn't find any TT's. I asked the clerk if they had any... he looked at me and said "it is in the oldies bin". :(
Corollary to the rule: if you're buying actual physical media, you're old! ;)
Larinda McRaven
02-10-2010, 12:32 PM
I will at least defend myself a tiny but here.... that was about 7 years ago. Itunes was not up and running...
scotttocs
02-10-2010, 12:40 PM
I will at least defend myself a tiny but here.... that was about 7 years ago. Itunes was not up and running...
No, but napster was. ;-)
Telematt
02-10-2010, 01:20 PM
Yes, pick a few things that are easy to make look good, and learn to make them look very good.
Complexity is really not needed... but an impression of mastery is.
What do you think about figures that are more complex because they involve new types of movement vs. what a dancer has done before? Should they be incorporated in order to learn those movements and not have gaps in ability when moving to the next level? For example, I'm moving into silver, and in Tango find the Fallaway Promenade more difficult than other figures, but I feel I should incorporate it so that I learn how to move backwards in Promenade Position well. If I leave it out of my routine, I won't work on it nearly as much.
scotttocs
02-10-2010, 02:56 PM
What do you think about figures that are more complex because they involve new types of movement vs. what a dancer has done before? Should they be incorporated in order to learn those movements and not have gaps in ability when moving to the next level? For example, I'm moving into silver, and in Tango find the Fallaway Promenade more difficult than other figures, but I feel I should incorporate it so that I learn how to move backwards in Promenade Position well. If I leave it out of my routine, I won't work on it nearly as much.
That is a balancing act.
Competing is often about doing it well and looking good.
Mastering dancing is about being able to do it all.... And you will probably want to use that position for things later. Whether you put it into your routine immediately or work on it till you are comfortable with it in your routine is really more of a personal choice.
19DancerBabyLin
02-10-2010, 04:52 PM
Has anyone else noticed this strange "thing" about Sr Levels?
They are many Sr dancers in the silver category, hardly any in gold and then picks up again in pre champ and champ. I have always wondered why this is. If you look at the natural progression one would think that the gold category would be pretty large. Mid Atlantic Regional as an example. 9 couples in silver, 1 in gold, 8 in champ. Where are the gold dancers???
I'm thinking maybe the bump in champ senior dancers are due to the college dancers crowd? See below for an example.
Age 21: pre-bronze adult (collegiate dancer)
22: bronze adult
24: silver adult
27: gold adult
30: novice adult
33: prechamp adult
36: champ adult... heck, might as well do senior too.
One day heard Thompson Twins on the radio.... and decided to buy a cd when I was at the mall later that same day. I couldn't find any TT's. I asked the clerk if they had any... he looked at me and said "it is in the oldies bin". :(
I remember about 10 years ago, I was flipping through the radio, they played a Def Leppard song, and after it was over, the station branding came on and it was an Oldies station. I've felt ridiculously old ever since. :)
fascination
02-10-2010, 05:41 PM
lolz...pro, not being from around these parts, watched the superbowl half-time show and was so under-inpressed with the WHO, and I had to remind him that they are ---goodness---ancient
Chris Stratton
02-10-2010, 07:01 PM
What do you think about figures that are more complex because they involve new types of movement vs. what a dancer has done before? Should they be incorporated in order to learn those movements and not have gaps in ability when moving to the next level? For example, I'm moving into silver, and in Tango find the Fallaway Promenade more difficult than other figures, but I feel I should incorporate it so that I learn how to move backwards in Promenade Position well. If I leave it out of my routine, I won't work on it nearly as much.
I think much of what is difficult about that is unique enough that no one will notice if you simply avoid anything that presents that particular challenge.
If you want to revisit it later, it would probably be easier given general advances you will have made - but I'm unconvinced that you are under any real obligation to explore that particular corner of the possibility space.
I'm thinking maybe the bump in champ senior dancers are due to the college dancers crowd? See below for an example.
Age 21: pre-bronze adult (collegiate dancer)
22: bronze adult
24: silver adult
27: gold adult
30: novice adult
33: prechamp adult
36: champ adult... heck, might as well do senior too.
Seems logical, but I don't think I've seen a swelling of the senior ranks from a college crowd? Maybe it is or will happen more??
Maybe the college crowd is affected by the same things the many talented yutes are - life, partner, family, children, time, expense??
It had seemed odd to me that more people who had learned as youths didn't stick with it and many senior competitors learned as adults. Of course, I'm not currently competitive in any of my youthful sports either . . . .
:D
tanya_the_dancer
02-12-2010, 05:32 PM
Seems logical, but I don't think I've seen a swelling of the senior ranks from a college crowd? Maybe it is or will happen more??
Maybe the college crowd is affected by the same things the many talented yutes are - life, partner, family, children, time, expense??
It had seemed odd to me that more people who had learned as youths didn't stick with it and many senior competitors learned as adults. Of course, I'm not currently competitive in any of my youthful sports either . . . .
:D
Yes, it seems like once college kids graduate, a lot of them quit, or scale down their dancing. I wonder if they will/do restart at some point later in their lives. So I don't think the progression works on a large scale.
I have met quite a few older (by "older" I mean old enough to be my parents) couples who told me that they started dancing when their children grew up. But now some of them have scaled back on dancing again because grandchildren are coming up.
I think my partner and I are the only ones still competing from our college ballroom team's first couple of years.
And you're not in Senior yet, Joe?
I am long-eligible, but she is still on the cusp.
DancingShoes
02-14-2010, 12:50 PM
My partner Red and I have been dancing Am/Am for a couple of years in Novice and Pre-champ USA Dance events. We are very new to dance, but our instructors have encouraged us to dance opens. What we've discovered is the fun factor of breaking out of the syllabus rigidity. Learning opens and performing them have added a new dimension to our dance. We are not physically able to shape and style our moves as would a younger couple, however this limitation does in no way subtract from the joy of competition. At +55 we encounter a ton of couples in the same boat which makes our comps competitive. So I don't see the problem with Seniors in opens. The joy of the dance and the fun of competition drives us to our level of excellence regardless of what that level might be. Hey, at this age we're tickled silly to be healthy enough to get out there and compete to win. It's all fun.
I am long-eligible, but she is still on the cusp.
Ah. Got it.
DancingShoes - your words speak for quite a few.
Thank you.
Ray Sison
02-14-2010, 09:39 PM
I remember about 10 years ago, I was flipping through the radio, they played a Def Leppard song, and after it was over, the station branding came on and it was an Oldies station. I've felt ridiculously old ever since. :)
Some of the songs from the early 90's are appearing on Oldies stations now... How the years fly by...
DancinProf
03-06-2010, 08:46 AM
As a Senior I (I'll be 37 in 2 weeks) competitor I've been blissfully unaware of any expectation that I "wouldn't make it" to the open levels. My husband and I competed in Bronze (dancing up to Silver) for about a year and a half and definitely feel ready for a bigger challenge. When we talked to our instructor (who teaches a lot of pro/am) about this, he told us that he starts all his competitors in open levels and often doesn't do syllabus at all.
We are learning new routines from him right now that I'd consider challenging but manageable; I am honestly not sure if, when we get ready to compete again later this year, we will enter Silver/Gold or Novice. I can tell you that my husband LOVES the more challenging and "creative" material, so whatever happens, we are having a good time.
jerseydancer
03-06-2010, 09:08 AM
I think much of what is difficult about that is unique enough that no one will notice if you simply avoid anything that presents that particular challenge.
If you want to revisit it later, it would probably be easier given general advances you will have made - but I'm unconvinced that you are under any real obligation to explore that particular corner of the possibility space. what we found out is that some of the movements (i am talking about open not syllabus) are just not our style, and certain ones fit very well with our style and character of dancing. But I agree about syllabus, outside spin feels much better after revisiting it one year later.
jerseydancer
03-06-2010, 09:14 AM
Yes, it seems like once college kids graduate, a lot of them quit, or scale down their dancing. I wonder if they will/do restart at some point later in their lives. So I don't think the progression works on a large scale.
I have met quite a few older (by "older" I mean old enough to be my parents) couples who told me that they started dancing when their children grew up. But now some of them have scaled back on dancing again because grandchildren are coming up. sure some will do that. We did. We completely stopped dancing after competing for 5 years in college, stopped for 20+ years. And were happy to restart after our daughter went to college. It is much more fun this time around. No plans to scale down so, we are addicted and committed.
jerseydancer
03-06-2010, 09:21 AM
My partner Red and I have been dancing Am/Am for a couple of years in Novice and Pre-champ USA Dance events. We are very new to dance, but our instructors have encouraged us to dance opens. What we've discovered is the fun factor of breaking out of the syllabus rigidity. Learning opens and performing them have added a new dimension to our dance. We are not physically able to shape and style our moves as would a younger couple, however this limitation does in no way subtract from the joy of competition. At +55 we encounter a ton of couples in the same boat which makes our comps competitive. So I don't see the problem with Seniors in opens. The joy of the dance and the fun of competition drives us to our level of excellence regardless of what that level might be. Hey, at this age we're tickled silly to be healthy enough to get out there and compete to win. It's all fun.
I would not recommend skipping syllabus entirely for seniors. I think the fact that we did syllabus when we were young, and after we restarted dancing we went through silver, and gold again (this was highly recommended by our teacher), helps us tremendously in open. I would recommend to spend some time on basics, it would be much more fun to dance open with the good background. We still spend most of our time polishing basic figures such as feather step and three step in foxtrot and natural turn and spin turn in waltz. Also, it helps to gain confidence when starting to compete in syllabus first.
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