Mean tricks you can play on your partner

[DanceMentor]

Ok, I have a dry sense of humor sometimes. Just for the fun of it, I thought it might be interesting to come up with some mean tricks you COULD do to your partner. Here is what I came up with so far:

Tuck some toilet paper in the back of their pants so that it is hanging out.

[Vince A]

I've seen a few, and I've done a few.

One of the newer (past two years or so) moves, is for the follower to hi-jack the lead, and take over leading for the rest of the move and possibly the next move, then give it back to the leader.

I've learned to have fun with this, then turn the table on them by putting them into a "real kewl move" that hits on a break in the music, say on ct 5. Normally, I woud sway with them, or do a bodywave, or even double spin them back to their anchor. However lately, when I get to that ct 5, I hang on to the lead, and just step out of the move . . . walking 6, 7, 8. All on beat and on time and ready for ct 1.

The look on their face is precious, which goes with your other post on 'facial expressions.' Most of the followers just say, "What the hell was that?" I just smile!

[SwinginBoo]

I love taking the lead by surprise! (especially if the leader I'm dancing with is small) It's especially good when the lead didn't know that I knew how to lead. The look on their face is utter shock. We both start laughing and have a great time. :bouncy:

[pygmalion]

Pretty sneaky, SwinginBoo. :lol: :lol:

Does anybody else out there play sort of mean dance floor tricks, just for fun?

[MissAlyssa]

well if you are leading you could send the woman on a spin into oblivion hehe. either that or while spinning your partner switch hand positions so that your hand is on top like the ladie's and watch her confuzzled face while she tries to figure out what's different.

[Swing Kitten]

I never tried it but during a side by side charleston sneak in a small kick to the seat of the pants :shrug: I guess I'm not that mean... ...when I'm dancing anyway ;)

[SwinginBoo]

I never tried it but during a side by side charleston sneak in a small kick to the seat of the pants :shrug: I guess I'm not that mean... ...when I'm dancing anyway ;)

LOL. Last night Bruce and I were doing tandem charleston with him in the back and he kept Kneeing me in the behind! It was so funny. :lol:

[Larinda McRaven]

We were dancing the Viennese Waltz in a Semi Final round. Suddenly Steve says to me "here you go...!" and I was in the arms of one of my competitors...and Steve swung away with the other girl. We finished out the song with different partners. I don't know who the bigger joke was on...me or the judges who weren't sure who to give the recall marks to. Somewhere we have this on video...way too funny.

[SDsalsaguy]

Great story Larinda. :D

Reminds me of friends of mine who once coordinated such a switch ahead of time with some friends of theirs. To really have fun with the judges and audience though, both women did their hair and makeup similarly and wore gowns of similar cut in the same color. Talk about a lot of confused looks! :lol:

[Pacion]

We were dancing the Viennese Waltz in a Semi Final round. Suddenly Steve says to me "here you go...!" and I was in the arms of one of my competitors...and Steve swung away with the other girl. We finished out the song with different partners. I don't know who the bigger joke was on...me or the judges who weren't sure who to give the recall marks to. Somewhere we have this on video...way too funny.

:lol: Larinda. So what happened in the end? Enquiring minds would like to know. Was the other male competitor expecting it? :lol:

[MadamSamba]

Larinda, it's like rueda meets Viennese Waltz! So, what was the verdict?

[DancePoet]

Cool story Larinda!

And I'm chiming in for you to tell us some more!

[Sakura]

Ooh, ooh! Enquiring Minds time, Larinda! That was a really cool story; but I'd definitely like to know what happened!

If you could find the video and upload it somewhere, I'd love to see that too! 8)

Hmm, mean things to do... I suppose if one were feeling *particularly* vindictive, you could trod on their toes for the entire dance, claiming to be totally new to the art of dancing... :twisted: But, I suppose one would save that for someone they *REALLY* didn't like...

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[Sagitta]

You trod on my toes like that for a salsa...I'll put you at my side with the "in and out" and make you do hip rolls the whole song. No way you can trod on them then!! :twisted:

[goldfish]

Great story Larinda. :D

Reminds me of friends of mine who once coordinated such a switch ahead of time with some friends of theirs. To really have fun with the judges and audience though, both women did their hair and makeup similarly and wore gowns of similar cut in the same color. Talk about a lot of confused looks! :lol:

that sounds fantastic! :lol: :lol: :lol: is there a clip of that somewhere??

well if you are leading you could send the woman on a spin into oblivion hehe.

i've had chain turns done like 8 or 9 times, and it's in lindy, where 8 or 9 turns aren't really necessary! but the two friends of mine that do this always start smirking after about the 4th turn, cause they know i'm getting a bit peeved :roll:... usually when i'm done i like "turn yourself dammit!" and they'll turn themselves 4 or 5 times :wink:

one of my friends knows i'm ticklish around my tummy so sometimes he'll hold me higher around the ribcage during a side-by-side charleston and dig his fingers in. so i'll go for his ribs during 3-and-4 counts of a lindy turn to make him squirm... not really dry humour though, more like kiddie tit-for-tat fighting

[salsachinita]

Larinda, it's like rueda meets Viennese Waltz!

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

Ok, let's start a new trend in Ballroom!!!!!

[squirrel]

hmmm... mean moments...
I also steal the lead (I know how to lead) but my partner laughs at it, 'cause he also likes to follow... and then we switch...
Once me and two friends were dancing and they were switching me... :) I was passed form one to the other without expectign it :) it was nice, until one of them decided to pass by me and take the other guy to dance! I was just left there ... :shock: But I did it to them also, once they were switching me and another girl and suddenly I took the girl and started leading her! they were :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol:

[Lita_rulez]

One I particularly like (and hardly ever do now because to many dancers are expecting it when dancing with me, so it's no fun) is...

OK, what the hell is the name of the move...

You put your dancer in a T-stance, her back to you. You let go off her hands, put your arms under hers, and pull her backwards.
Now normally, her feet are not gona move, and she is going to dip (deep ? dep ?) and it is nice to go as low as you can (without hurting your back or looking like you're going to lift up a bag of cole...)


The first thing I do on this move, is not lead it properly. I mean, instead of going into the T-stance and doing the dip, I'd lead her in the T-Stance, let her shine a bit, and right when she feels like "OK, I've had enough, now let me out of this stance and let's dance", instead of leading her out, I'd just start to lead her out and right before she is done switching her weight to spin, grab her under the arms and dip her. No way she can avoid it then, even if she does not like it all that much (and usually, they don't like it because they are afraid of it, not because the move itself is not enjoyable. Once they were "forced" to it the first time, they usually let me lead it the regular way after that. Those who do not like it that one time being forced, I do not force it again, of course...)


Now, the second thing, and that my friends is the mean trick :twisted: , is when you have finally convinved a lady that this move actually IS fun, if she is willing to trust you and let herself go. Well, you just lead her into the T-stance, let go off her hands, put your arms under hers, and give her that solid pull to signal she is going down back...
And as soon as you feel her weight shifting, that she is gone and will not be able to pull herself back up... Just take your arms away and let her fall...

OK, just kiding, guys, come back and don't try it this way, I left the fun part out, do it this way and you are going to be stuck with the ER part.

You actualy are going to take your arms away and lead her to believe she is falling for good. But instead of having taken steps backward to give her space to go for the dip, you stand firm, so that when she falls, she does fall onto you upper torso (guys, brace-up there, and don't try it with a woman 3 times your size) and you just bounce her right back up.

I know, it IS a bit mean, and you might not want to try it with a girl you dance with for the first time (or at least, practice your ducking technique beforehand) but it is a very nice way to spice up a dance with a follower you know pretty well and you got acustomed to doing dips with you.


P.S.
Do not expect to try a new dip in the next few days with her though, she is never going to let go completely :wink:

[Flat Shoes]

I'm not sure if I have any really mean tricks. But one thing i've started to do lately is leading with the wrong hand. After a swingout I catche the girl with her left in my right hand, and I start doing completely mirrored moves. Some girls follow this without problems, but others will just be really confused and feel obviously insecure. My experience is that even really expereinced dancers are caught of guard with this one. Personally I think it's just a cool variation.

With some women, when I feel a good personal connection, I can do stuff like flipping them off balance before catching them, or picking them up. Like the move from side by side charleston where you just use the thigh to lift her up and cath her in your arms. (Make sure you have enough space around you, so her legs will not kick anyone)

[Sabor]

i made as if i'm going to strip while dancing LOL.. ofcourse i didnt go thru with it :tongue: .. but i acted like i was serious.. a professional stripper or something :lol: ..so i unzipped the shirt slow and started sliding it off at the shoulders.. and she was like so :shock: :oops: LOL and then she went into a fit of laughter and looking around in disbelief .. never knew someone could blush that hard :lol: .. what made it funny was that she was an especially very shy salsera.. and her rapid changing facial expressions were just hilarious to behold.. :mrgreen:

[Sakura]

You trod on my toes like that for a salsa...I'll put you at my side with the "in and out" and make you do hip rolls the whole song. No way you can trod on them then!! :twisted:

:shock: I would never trod on someone's toes (unless they were *really* hurting me or something; then, "DIVINE RETRIBUTION!!!" :twisted: :twisted: )! However, besides my not knowing the "in and out" of which you speak, I have spotted a problem with your plan! :wink:
1. My mother would kill you.
2. My mother would kill you.
3. My mother would kill you.
4. My mother would kill you.
5. My mother would kill you.

:lol: :lol: :lol: Happy hiprolls! :cheers: :wink:

i made as if i'm going to strip while dancing LOL.. ofcourse i didnt go thru with it :tongue: .. but i acted like i was serious.. a professional stripper or something :lol: ..so i unzipped the shirt slow and started sliding it off at the shoulders.. and she was like so :shock: :oops: LOL and then she went into a fit of laughter and looking around in disbelief .. never knew someone could blush that hard :lol: .. what made it funny was that she was an especially very shy salsera.. and her rapid changing facial expressions were just hilarious to behold.. :mrgreen:

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: We never know what to expect from you, Sabor, do we?! :lol: Though I would have loved to see that, 'cause it sounds veeeeeery funny! ...Yes, making people blush unbelievable shades is *VERY* satisfying in the humour department! :twisted: :lol: :twisted: :lol:

:? Shall I ever be able to dance with you, Sabor? Or will I have to worry about my mother coming for you too!? 8)

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

(PS-Sagitta, Sabor, you both know I'd never let my mum kill you! :roll: )

[cl5814]

At one of the recent dances i went to, i danced with a guy but he was more about dancing by himself (wonder why he even bothered asking me to dance) since he tried to lead stuff that was either way beyond my following/dancing skills or just plain poorly lead or maybe a combination of this. So, i wanna do a comeback on him........ i am thinking just to leave him on the dance floor after he did some open work where we were separated. I know i can just refuse to dance with him, but don't think it will accomplish much.

[IndyDancer]

One guy I know always seeks out this poor girl for Cha Cha and leads her through back-to-back-to-back half-moon with lady's spin moves for the entire song! She just laughes herself silly the whole time.

[Sakura]

One guy I know always seeks out this poor girl for Cha Cha and leads her through back-to-back-to-back half-moon with lady's spin moves for the entire song! She just laughes herself silly the whole time.

Would you mind explaining "back-to-back-to-back half-moon?" Sorry to ask, but I'm just not familiar with that move (combination of moves). I've only done basic things for Cha Cha, as far as I know.

Thanks!

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[DWise1]

One guy I know always seeks out this poor girl for Cha Cha and leads her through back-to-back-to-back half-moon with lady's spin moves for the entire song! She just laughes herself silly the whole time.
Is that anything like the "egg beater" I was taught a couple years ago in WCS?

Let's see if I can remember it:
6-count. Starting from crossed hands, spin her down the slot ending up anchoring with your back to her and both hands slung over your right shoulder. Then do it again. And again. And again. And again.

I haven't tried it in the wild yet; I'm too nice a guy.


The only "mean trick" I've pulled was with one girl I hadn't danced with before who kept hijacking one move I was trying. So the third time, I started leading what at first looked like the same move, but then I turned it into something completely different and that thwarted her hijacking -- I hijacked her hijack!

[DancePoet]

Indydancer: That's a great one! Lol! I have this one woman who I dance Cha-Cha with quite a bit, and I'm always looking for ways to interchange, repeat, or even change patterns to keep her smiling. I'm definitely going to try your idea! If you have others, please don't keep them a secret.

I bet this would work well on my instructor, too! :) Oooh, I can't wait!

[tsb]

i once saw a routine where the leader pretended to have toilet paper attached to his shoe, came running in at the last minute as part of the schtick, etc. of course, in his efforts to remove it from his foot, it eventually stuck to his partner's back like a streamer, but actually accented his partner's movements. i thought it was hysterical but IIRC the judges ranked them 4th out of 7.

i danced with someone who used to put her left hand on my bicep and squeeze in an uncomfortable way, even after i expressed my discomfort. so i finally i smeared a light layer of vaseline in the spot where her thumb & forefinger usually rested. she stopped.

i never did this to a partner while i did do it to a roommate before a big date - put garlic powder in his shoes. it gets absorbed into your skin & you can what it does to your sweat & your breath. he was safe from vampires that night.

[IndyDancer]

[quote="Sakura"]
Would you mind explaining "back-to-back-to-back half-moon?" Sorry to ask, but I'm just not familiar with that move (combination of moves). I've only done basic things for Cha Cha, as far as I know.
[quote]

The best I can explain is that it's a series of cross-over breaks with a spin in-between. (Maybe a lead can explain it better than me...) It's fun but can make you dizzy! Usually you just do a few, but this guy goes overboard. :)

[Sakura]

[quote="Sakura"]
Would you mind explaining "back-to-back-to-back half-moon?" Sorry to ask, but I'm just not familiar with that move (combination of moves). I've only done basic things for Cha Cha, as far as I know.
[quote]

The best I can explain is that it's a series of cross-over breaks with a spin in-between. (Maybe a lead can explain it better than me...) It's fun but can make you dizzy! Usually you just do a few, but this guy goes overboard. :)

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Sounds like something my instructor did to me a few lessons ago!

Only we were doing Salsa, but we were going REALLY fast, and he locked me into the cross-over breaks, and he kept trying to throw walk around turns in! (I kept missing that cue... :oops: :evil: But I did get it a few times, at least! :banana:) We got sooooo dizzy and tired when we did that, but it was probably the most fun I've EVER had with that dance!!

Was it like that?

Thanks for the explanation, IndyDancer! :D :D

Sakura Kitty :kitty:

[DWise1]

[quote=Sakura]
Would you mind explaining "back-to-back-to-back half-moon?" Sorry to ask, but I'm just not familiar with that move (combination of moves). I've only done basic things for Cha Cha, as far as I know.
[quote]

The best I can explain is that it's a series of cross-over breaks with a spin in-between. (Maybe a lead can explain it better than me...) It's fun but can make you dizzy! Usually you just do a few, but this guy goes overboard. :)

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Sounds like something my instructor did to me a few lessons ago!

Only we were doing Salsa, but we were going REALLY fast, and he locked me into the cross-over breaks, and he kept trying to throw walk around turns in! (I kept missing that cue... :oops: :evil: But I did get it a few times, at least! :banana:) We got sooooo dizzy and tired when we did that, but it was probably the most fun I've EVER had with that dance!!

Was it like that?

Thanks for the explanation, IndyDancer! :D :D

Sakura Kitty :kitty:
I don't know how technically true this is, but at the end of our beginning Salsa class our instructor introduced Cha-cha and demonstrated that basic Cha-cha was the same as our basic Salsa, except for doing a triple-step on 3 and 4 instead of a step-hold.

It seems about right, though I rather doubt that the Hustle's influence on Salsa also carried over to Cha-cha.

[Sakura]

I don't know how technically true this is, but at the end of our beginning Salsa class our instructor introduced Cha-cha and demonstrated that basic Cha-cha was the same as our basic Salsa, except for doing a triple-step on 3 and 4 instead of a step-hold.

It seems about right, though I rather doubt that the Hustle's influence on Salsa also carried over to Cha-cha.

*slowly working out the logistics in her head* :shock: :shock: Cool! =^__^= Thanks for the tidbit, DW1!

SK :kitty: