Does size matter?

[volleybgrl]

For a girl, I'm pretty tall (5'9") and when I wear my heels for salsa, I'm close to 6' tall. So I was wondering what role height had in social dancing....

For the guys: Would you prefer to dance with a taller or shorter girl? Does it depend on your height? Is one more difficult than the other? Does arm length matter greatly? How could a tall lady compensate for a short guy? How do you compensate? etc.

For the tall ladies: Do you find it easier to dance with a taller or shorter guy? Do you find that short guys rarely ask you to dance?

For the short ladies: Do you find it very difficult to dance with tall guys? How could the guys compensate? Are you more likely to get hurt when dancing with a tall guy? What height do you prefer?

[Sagitta]

I usually dance with people taller than I since I am so short and have never had a problem. My issue is one of connection. If I connect with a person height makes no difference.

I sort of remember this topic of height before, as well...:? hmmm .....no matter :)

[kansas49er]

really don't care and don't make my request choices that way, but equal in height or a little shorter is slightly easier for me. I am 5'11.

[Roadrunner]

For the short ladies: Do you find it very difficult to dance with tall guys? How could the guys compensate? Are you more likely to get hurt when dancing with a tall guy? What height do you prefer?

I don't find it difficult to dance with very tall guy, as long as there is a good connection, as Sagitta said. I think the guys should be careful about holding their arms too high.. I've had leads that will literally have my elbow above the line of my shoulder and that gets very uncomfortable very quickly. I'm actually less likely to get hurt, especially when spinning, as they can clear my head much better than shorter guys who frequently bonk me on the top of the head. I prefer leads that are a bit taller than me - I'm 5'4, so a guy that is 5'10 to 6' is usually quite comfortable.

The tallest guy I've danced with was probably around 6'5 and there were no problems.

[jon]

As a tall leader, it's easier to dance with someone closer to my height when doing dances that spend a lot of time in closed position, like Foxtrot, Waltz, Blues, Tango. This has to do with stuff like leg/stride length, hip position, and good connection through our centers.

It makes less difference in dances that are done in more open positions, like Salsa or ballroom Latin or the various types of swing. Anything requiring going under my own arm becomes more difficult as the height imbalance grows, since there comes a point at which followers' arms aren't long enough, but those moves can generally be avoided.

[elegance]

As a tall follower, I'll second jon.

For the most part I don't find shorter guys avoiding me especially either. There is one guy that does but who knows if that's because of height...there are some other men of the same height who ask often.
I don't avoid dancing with anyone because of height, although I will sometimes try to keep a more open position in the ballroom dances to make it easier if there is a huge height difference.

[africana]

Here's the thread: Height Issues (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=7069&highlight=tall+heighth+height)

might add more when I have time

[dancin_feet]

I'm not exactly short (about 5'6" or 5'7") but dancing with taller guys (over 6') I find quite difficult if they don't give consideration to the height difference. I end up with really tired arms and am glad for the chance of an underarm turn or something so I can rest my arms a bit. Others, however I don't have that problem so I guess they are dropping their frame slightly to accomodate the height difference.

[kabalevsky]

I read this forum and I have to say I never thought about asking my boyfriend this question before. I have no problem dancing with very tall men. My boyfriend has no problem dancing with tall women and he actually loves to dance with different heights. He said that most likely he has to lead slightly stronger lead for taller women. Depending on the followers' dance skill level, he tries to adjust accordingly. The most challenging part for him is to know how strong of a lead the followers' need.

[gte692h]

For the guys: Would you prefer to dance with a taller or shorter girl? Does it depend on your height? Is one more difficult than the other? Does arm length matter greatly? How could a tall lady compensate for a short guy? How do you compensate? etc.



I'm 5'10 and ideally, i like to dance with girls my height, or taller. When dancing with short women (5'0 to 5'5), i always end up hunching downward or forward, because I am trying to make eye contact. over a long period, it gets to my neck, shoulders, i just don't feel good or smooth. The problem is that I like short girls, so i always ask them to dance more than the tall ones ;)

5'6 and up, the dances are usually comfortable. when the girl is my height, i can look her in the eye without straining my neck, and its a lot more fun to do my fav moves (closed position basic, waist spins, or man's turns, or any move where i go under the woman's arm)

I would love to dance with women much taller than me- 6'0 and up- that would be cool. i'd have to lead my moves differently, especially her underarm turns, and i look forward to the challenge.

in terms of compensation, for short girls, if i turn , it will be under my arm, rather than hers. and I never go into closed position with a really short girl, its just too uncomfortable for me. and that sucks, because the closed basic is the essence to the dance for me.

[Chris Stratton]

because I am trying to make eye contact

Why would you want to do a silly thing like that?

[Alias]

About the height unit measure:
1' = ? centimeters (cm)
1" = ? centimeters (cm)

[swing4life]

Being 5' 6" and a leader, it doesn't matter to me whether the follower is shorter or taller than me. What's important to me as the leader is to maintain a comfortable connection with my follower while listening to the music and just plain having fun. Sure I have to make adjustments to my frame and lead but guess what - that's what leaders as well as followers have to do. Followers and Leaders come in all shapes and sizes as well as dancing styles. It's these differences where creativity in the multitudes of lead and turn variations are developed in order to handle these situations.

[standardgirl]

About the height unit measure:
1' = ? centimeters (cm)
1" = ? centimeters (cm)


1 foot = 12 inches
1 inch = 2.54 cm

5'5" = 5 feet and 5 inches = 65 inches = 165 cm
5'8" = 5 feet and 8 inches = 68 inches = 172.7 cm
6'0" = 6 feet = 72 inches = 183 cm

hope this helps. :D
I believe America is the only country in the world using English units......

[Acordeonista cumbianchero]

I really don't have problem dancing with neither taller nor shorter women, given that i'm of regular height (1.75 m, don't know in inches). I prefer to dance with taller women, but that is because i like women taller than me, not because it's easier for me.

[standardgirl]

I think a lot of it also has to do with what you are used to.
For me, I am more used to dancing with taller guys than shorter ones...

[gte692h]

because I am trying to make eye contact

Why would you want to do a silly thing like that?

it helps me build a connection faster with the woman at the social level. of course, i'm not making eye contact non-stop through the dance, for every move.

[Alias]

hope this helps. :D

Yes, thank you.

[squirrel]

I have a small problem with eye contact with tall leaders... :) I am short (1.52 m) and if I dance with a 1.85 m tall guy ... I prefer to look in front of me, not at him!

Otherwise I have no problem...

[Flat Shoes]

About the height unit measure:
1' = ? centimeters (cm)
1" = ? centimeters (cm)
Google is great:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=190+cm+in+inches&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=6+feet+3+inches+in+cm&btnG=Search

[Lita_rulez]

Well, as an avergaed sized man (and I am only talking height here, don't start thinking downward, none of that under my roof young lady), I can say in all honesty that being 5'11 is realy nice, because I get to dance with women taller then me, or shorter then me, and I enjoy both equally.

I mean, if she is much taller then I am, I obviously can't spend the entire dance bent bacward in order to keep eye contact, my frame would be affected. Hence, I am compelled to end up with my nose between her breats.
Sure, I'll have to get away once in a while to breath, but heck, if she wants to dance, I'm a man, I can take the sacrifice and seflessly endure the pain in order for her to have a nice dance !

Then again, if a girl is a lot shorter then I am, she can't very well spend the whole dance with her head twisted upward. She'll hurt her neck and break frame. But I can't look straight over her head either, because whenever she looks up, she needs to find my eyes. Therefore, I have to look downwards, and the top of her head beeing usually pretty dull, well, the eye has to focus somewhere... Down her top looking at her cleavage we go... But heck, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to give her a nice dance !

.
..
...

What ?

[africana]

Ok I can give you two scenerios of how height matters from tonight:
1. This tall guy has an irregular (but rhythmically acceptable) on2 basic step, combined with some kind of ballroomish control of the lady's frame. He also keeps his knees pretty bent (perhaps more than usual, I suspect from dancing with shorter women). But the result is that with me, taller woman, we end up knocking knees from time to time. My left knee still hurts from one of the hits :cry:

2. I started dancing with htis short guy and noticed that even after following his advanced moves ok he was still visibly uncomfortable and stiff in his lead. So I finally paused and asked him if it was my height, if he wasn't used to it and he said yes, so I excused him from the dance.

So yes, height matters but some leads/follows are better than others at adapting to different sizes and physical "limitations"

One good thing though is that some will overcome the mental block when they see you dancing well with other short(er)/tall(er) partners

[emanuela]

because I am trying to make eye contact

Why would you want to do a silly thing like that? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Lita_rulez]

I have a small problem with eye contact with tall leaders... :) I am short (1.52 m) and if I dance with a 1.85 m tall guy ... I prefer to look in front of me, not at him!

Otherwise I have no problem...


Note to self : trim torso before dancing with squirrel...

[squirrel]

:lol: Lita, I like them hairy! :wink:

[Lucretia]

But the result is that with me, taller woman, we end up knocking knees from time to time. My left knee still hurts from one of the hits :cry:

Thanks Africana for your observation.

This could explain a lot of knee problems I had Saturday night. I smashed them all. Both short an tall guys. I guess I've started to bend my knees too much (which must be a good sign after all... legs have been too stretched before)

/Luc

[Sabor]

if everything thing is assumed constant (dance-ability, musicality, smoothness etc) a lady anywhere between 5ft to 6ft is fine by me (i'm 6'3).. less or more than that is do-able but could get uncomfortable so i adjust to compensate by changing my dancing style..

in technical terms.. perfect for me is between 5'5 and 5'10

[volleybgrl]

I'll dance with guys of any height, but I feel very uncomfortable when a shorter guy holds me in a closed position. His face is not where it ought to be, and as a result, I normally stiffen up in order to maintain some distance. Also, when a guy doesn't compensate for height, it does make dancing a little unpleasant (anything that requires the follower to go underneath the leader's arm). Sure, I bend my knees (a lot) to make things easier, but after a certain point that gets uncomfortable.

[Vin]

I am 5'8" and I enjoy dancing with women a little bit taller than I am. More important than height to me is the ability to carry their own weight while dancing.
If a taller woman has problems carrying her own weight while dancing I am less likely to feel like I am in control of where she is going than with a shorter woman.
Another aspect is step size, when taller women take larger steps it is more noticeable.

[Salsaonone]

I am 6 feet tall. Most women I dance with are not. I think the only difference is small things you take for granted (like space issues) have to be reconsidered....sometimes an arm is higher than you are use to or whatnot....but I will dance with any woman of any height....although really short women are hard just because of the height difference.

[wuthering]

I am rather tall, but I dance with anyone. However if the guy is a lot shorter, some moves get more complex, like ducking under his arms etc.

Sometimes I dance with a guy who barely reaches to my shoulder, also he must weigh half of what I weigh. With him I try to keep my knees bent all the time.

[Salsaonone]

But the result is that with me, taller woman, we end up knocking knees from time to time. My left knee still hurts from one of the hits :cry:

Thanks Africana for your observation.

This could explain a lot of knee problems I had Saturday night. I smashed them all. Both short an tall guys. I guess I've started to bend my knees too much (which must be a good sign after all... legs have been too stretched before)

/Luc

I think someone mentione it earlier but a taller woman when dancing say bachata has a higher percent chance of making the leader "sing soprano" by accident than if there is a height difference.... :shock: :shock:

[cvillarl]

I'm slightly tall (6'1") and in general don't care a lot about my partner height.
If she's taller than me, well, I'll tell you when it happens.
If she's very tall, as tall as me, (and this has only happened only one time), I just have to take a little care about raising more my arms in her underarms turns to not to hit her head with my elbow.
If she's very short, I use some variations for my underarm turns to avoid an excessive (slowering and tiring) ducking.

And now, the first message presentation:

Hello, I'm Carlos, a 24 years old spanish, and dancing for four years. I started with ballroom the first year, but move to, let's say caribbean, the second. Which I found more "natural" and way more popular here in Spain.
I'm not an experienced dancer besides my four years taking a 1 hour and a half lesson weakly, because I very rarely go out to clubs to practise. I know, I know, practise is the most important, but it is not easy to find a partner to practise regularly.
And, finally, if you read whatever "estreinch" in my messages, it wasn't mean, it was due to english not beeing my mother tongue.

[Twilight_Elena]

Height difference is a problem, generally. No biggie, but if you're a beginner it can be troublesome. My best friend is sort of short and she gets paired up sometimes with a guy who's really tall. Makes many moves difficult; not so easy to do a "sobrero" when the other is two heads taller! Same problem with ladies that are too tall.

Twilight Elena

[Twilight_Elena]

But the result is that with me, taller woman, we end up knocking knees from time to time. My left knee still hurts from one of the hits :cry:

Thanks Africana for your observation.

This could explain a lot of knee problems I had Saturday night. I smashed them all. Both short an tall guys. I guess I've started to bend my knees too much (which must be a good sign after all... legs have been too stretched before)

/Luc

I think someone mentione it earlier but a taller woman when dancing say bachata has a higher percent chance of making the leader "sing soprano" by accident than if there is a height difference.... :shock: :shock:

I get what you mean. Ouch. :? That must hurt.

Twilight Elena

[Sagitta]

But the result is that with me, taller woman, we end up knocking knees from time to time. My left knee still hurts from one of the hits :cry:

Thanks Africana for your observation.

This could explain a lot of knee problems I had Saturday night. I smashed them all. Both short an tall guys. I guess I've started to bend my knees too much (which must be a good sign after all... legs have been too stretched before)

/Luc

I think someone mentione it earlier but a taller woman when dancing say bachata has a higher percent chance of making the leader "sing soprano" by accident than if there is a height difference.... :shock: :shock:

I get what you mean. Ouch. :? That must hurt.

Twilight Elena

Not if you know how to dance bachata! :wink: :)

[Leah]

I am about 6 foot in my heels. I feel more comfortable dancing with someone around my height, but I am used to guys being shorter, and it's no problem - makes me work harder on balancing myself.

Actually some of the shortest guys are easier to dance with, because they are used to adjusting to taller follows. Sometimes I dance with a guy who's under 5 foot, and while our repertoire and connection is compromisd a bit, he is good at compensating for the height differences, so we have a good time.

:)

[labelledanseuse]

I'm about 5'8" without my dance shoes on (with my shoes I'm almost 6'). I prefer dancing with guys that are taller than me. 5'9" to 6'4" is great. :) First of all, I feel self-conscious when dancing with a guy that is much shorter than me. :oops: Second, dancing with someone taller seems easier to me for some reason, but I don't think short guys are difficult to dance with. I danced with this really tall guy a few times (he was probably 6'6") and I wasn't having any problems dancing with him until he did a guy's underarm turn.

[Phil Owl]

For a girl, I'm pretty tall (5'9") and when I wear my heels for salsa, I'm close to 6' tall. So I was wondering what role height had in social dancing....

For the guys: Would you prefer to dance with a taller or shorter girl? Does it depend on your height? Is one more difficult than the other? Does arm length matter greatly? How could a tall lady compensate for a short guy? How do you compensate? etc.

For the tall ladies: Do you find it easier to dance with a taller or shorter guy? Do you find that short guys rarely ask you to dance?

For the short ladies: Do you find it very difficult to dance with tall guys? How could the guys compensate? Are you more likely to get hurt when dancing with a tall guy? What height do you prefer?

Generally, I have an easier time dancing with someone who is shorter than my healthy 6'2" (doesn't have to be by much though). I have ona couple occasions danced with a woman who is agood head taller than me, it was fun but difficult at the same time, executing turns/spins being the tough part more than anything.

[xbeatnickx]

I am 6' even. My preference is for my partner to be the same hight down to around 5'4'' ish. Any shorter and I have a pretty hard time leading. I think it might be linked to the arms being shorter than normal... who knows! :D

[amrimi]

I think someone mentione it earlier but a taller woman when dancing say bachata has a higher percent chance of making the leader "sing soprano" by accident than if there is a height difference.... :shock: :shock:

I'm 5'10'' and for me this danger is more with guys who are a lot taller than me. Might be because I'm used to dance with much shorter guys due to the high percentage of latino guys in my local scene.

So far I've have danced with guys from as short as a little under 5' up to a little over 7' a few weeks ago. Sometimes smaller guys tend to pull arms to hard, but in general it is easier to dance with smaller guys because they are used to tall women. (I think women in germany are taller on average than in the US). Lots of tall guys don't raise their arm high enough for turns because they are not used to it. Small guys always dance with taller women therefore they are used to it.

[wuthering]

Two nights ago I danced with a very short guy (there are two of them who ask me on a regular basis). We dances during two songs; on the first one I was a little bit self conscious (am I not being ridiculous, trying to adjust to his lead etc) but on the second one, well, it was one of the most fluid dance experiences of my life. Half of the non dancing crowd was watching us :oops:

[sixthsense]

I am 6' tall so very few girls are taller than me. If a girl is tall or short I will drop moves that will be difficult. But that has no bearing on how much fun I have dancing; that is purely a function of the girl's rhythm and attitude. Girls that dance to the music and smile are always fun to dance with.

[cocodrilo]

I am 6' tall so very few girls are taller than me. If a girl is tall or short I will drop moves that will be difficult. But that has no bearing on how much fun I have dancing; that is purely a function of the girl's rhythm and attitude. Girls that dance to the music and smile are always fun to dance with.
Now THAT'S a good attitude! :D
(P.S. If I wear my dance shoes, I will be taller than you! 8) 5'8" without 'em!)