Height of dance Partner

[pygmalion]

I found this question on another website, but I'm curious, since I'm looking for an amateur partner.

How do competitive dancers choose a partner? Does relative height/weight matter?

[MissAlyssa]

Hmm...not sure on that one..good question

[pygmalion]

Man! I'm going to have to post this question on another board! :cry: :lol:

[MissAlyssa]

Well, from observation I think that a dance partner should be "around" the same height and weight. You know what I mean when I say "you can tell if some partners compliment one another".

[pygmalion]

Yup. I see what you mean. It does seem like similar stature would help a lot with creating symmetry. I guess. *shrug*

[MissAlyssa]

it would probably help with creating pleasing "lines" while dancing as well.

[pygmalion]

There's a video out there that talks about creating lines -- ballroom lines of the nineties, or something like that. I wonder if anybody's seen it. Hmmm. It was international standard -- maybe Augusto Schiavo, or something like that? :? I'll have to look that up. I wonder if they talk about height.

[pygmalion]

I was wrong. Augusto was there, but no ballroom lines. And it looks like his videos have been discontinued. Probably because they were Italian dubbed in English. Yuck! Marcus and Karen Hilton are the lines people. Has anybody seen that video? I think I may check it out.

[pygmalion]

Wait! I just had a scary thought. This means I should be looking for a short, skinny man to be my dance partner. :shock: I guess that leaves romance out of the picture. :lol: :lol: Just kidding. :lol:

Actually, my first dance teacher was about my size -- he was 5'6" to my 5'4", both thin, and we looked very nice together, particularly when we were hitting a pose. Hmm. Food for thought. :D

[MissAlyssa]

maybe you should look him up :lol:

[smoothdancingirl]

Alyssa...your competitive dance partner should be taller than you, but not too much taller especially if your dancing smooth or standard. Remember that most lady's wear at least 2 inch heels. If your dancing rhythm or latin the man can be quite a bit taller. I personally like my partners to be at least 4 inches taller than me.

[pygmalion]

Good point. So, at least for smooth, the height match does matter, with the gentleman being not too much taller than the lady. Good guessing on Alyssa's and my parts! :lol:

[MissAlyssa]

Hmm, good point

[Porfirio Landeros]

I always love this topic when it comes up because my partner and I do not fit the accepted height profile people tend to beleive in... so, how much does height/size matter, and what are the advantages/disadvantages?

In our case:
Height: Barefoot / Shoes
Porfirio = 5'11" / 6' with his 1" heels
Laetitia = 5'11" / 6'1.5" with her 2.5 " heels

Our perceived advantages:
We can take about the same strides/steps
We tend to have a large presence on the floor
Anymore...?

Disadvantages:
Uh, judges don't appreciate our celebratory head-butts ;)
(I don't know - dancing feels good to me)

[pygmalion]

I bet the two of you have a commanding presence on the floor, too. Your pictures look great. :D

So what is the usual? Are competitive dancers generally shorter than you guys? Please excuse my ignorance; I'm just getting into this. :D

Also, excuse the redundancy. If I'm 5'4", what I'm taking away from this thread is that a guy between about 5'6" and 5'10" is about the right height for a smooth dance partner for me. Yes? :? :D

[msc]

Women tend to have longer legs than men, so if the man is a few inches taller, sometimes that equalizes the stride.

[pygmalion]

Thanks! :D I'm giong to go change my profile on dancepartner.com, to specify height. :D

[DanceMentor]

When you are trying to dance smooth together, a large height diffence can make things difficult (maybe not impossible, but quite difficult). I've heard some people say that it's best not to have a diffence greater than 4" for smooth. I don't think it matters as much in Latin.

[Porfirio Landeros]

I think our DanceMentor has summed it up the best... it is better to think of it as a range instead of a contstant. Even if you're a lady, a partner that is plus or minus a few inches should be good enough. Keep in mind, the time you spend away from dancing because you're turning away guys that were good, but just an inch shorter than you, could have a cost on your progress, because you could have been competing/training, instead of waiting for "Mr/Ms Perfect."

Take each partner in your arms, and really ask yourself if it can feel right... you may be surprised what you can work with.

[peachexploration]

I found this question on another website, but I'm curious, since I'm looking for an amateur partner.

How do competitive dancers choose a partner? Does relative height/weight matter?

Hi Pygmalion. Check out Couple Number 7 at http://www.mamboston2.com/videogallery4.htm

There is a noticable height difference but this is an awsome couple. Great chemistry and very polished. This is salsa so it's probably doesn't matter like DM mentioned. Just thought you might enjoy the link.

[Porfirio Landeros]

Hi Pymalion. Check out Couple Number 7 at http://www.mamboston2.com/videogallery4.htm

Thanks for that link! There are a lot of examples of different sizes and shapes there, and the best ones to watch were the people that seemed to dance off each other and look like they're really enjoying themselves (even if they weren't "champions"), i.e. couple 2.

[pygmalion]

Wow, This is a cool link. And I guess, in the case of couple #7, the height doesn't seem to matter much. Thanks. :D

[SDsalsaguy]

The guidelines noted by everyone here make sense...but they are also also what they are, guidelines. Porfirio's point is dead on -- don't get so caught up in looking for some ideal that you accidently bypass oportunities sitting in front of you. And, in a like vein, realize that what you want also depends in what you choose to focus on/prioritize. The closer you get to doing International Ballroom the more hight variance will come into play. That being said, however, there are still few absoultes! I recently interviewed a top-top couple who originally didn't like the feel of their partnership...he being used to a shorter partner and she a much taller partner. Together, however, they went on to numerous international finals and titles.

[Waltz Lover]

I recently talked to some champion smooth friends this last weekend at Nationals and was asking them this same question. They said the guidelines they go by are that the woman's eyes are supposed to be in line with a man's lips when both are standing in dance shoes.

Also in another thread, the point was made that leg length can vary a lot even within heights. Even if there is a greater height discrepancy, people vary in torso and leg length. Someone very tall, could still be a great match at the hips/legs.

[Another Elizabeth]

Of the four competitive standard partners I've had, two are 5" taller than me and two (including my current partner) are 7" taller than me. I have very long legs for my height, and find dancing with most men who are the "right" height for me uncomfortable.

If you want to see a couple with a large height difference who nevertheless are stunningly together and beautiful to watch, look for old tapes of Michael & Vicky Barr (world champions of the early 80's). Their shape doesn't look a bit distorted, and Vicky doesn't look like she has any problem keeping up. I believe I remember that their height difference was about 8".

[Porfirio Landeros]

I recently talked to some champion smooth friends this last weekend at Nationals and was asking them this same question. They said the guidelines they go by are that the woman's eyes are supposed to be in line with a man's lips when both are standing in dance shoes.

Laetitia and I look at each other eye-to-eye... she may even be an eyelash higher thanks to the heels. Everything seemed to go okay in the U.S. final ;);)

Don't get too hung up on this, because there is somebody out there you could be improving your dancing with that's outside this "ideal" size/shape. In our case, it also became a loving relationship, although, she threatens to send me to China for the shin lengthening operation when I act up :roll:

[Chris Stratton]

she threatens to send me to China for the shin lengthening operation when I act up :roll:

She has poor aim and needs a larger target?

[Porfirio Landeros]

she threatens to send me to China for the shin lengthening operation when I act up :roll:

She has poor aim and needs a larger target?

She could never risk damaging "the goods". :twisted: Other sanctions are available.

[Joe]

How much does that operation cost?

[Purr]

What about when the lady is taller than the man? For example, I'm 5' 7 1/2" tall, and my teacher is 5' 6 3/4" tall. I wear dance shoes with 2 1/2" heels. I've no idea about the heel height of his dance shoes, although he has shoes with a higher cuban heel that he sometimes wears when dancing with me.

I don't especially notice the height difference when we're dancing American Smooth. But, I think our appearance might be a little aestically less than pleasing for some people. I'd had people (friends & co-workers) look at our pictures, and one of the first things they'll say is "gee, he's short" or "he's shorter than you". I've no idea how the height difference might affect judging in competition.

[sylvanna]

I think all who said what matters is what feels comfortable may be right. I've never been hung up on height difference because when my partner and I danced, it just felt right - even though he's about 7inches taller than me when we dance (me in heels an' all). Having said that, he's a bit short in the leg area and I have long legs for my height. Works fine!

[Katarzyna]

I feel most comfortable with a man that's about 4-5 inches taller than me. I've been practicing lately with someone substantially shorter than me, and depend on how a man dances, he could still feel good to dance with. If a shorter man uses his body properly, he can still fell pretty good to dance with.

Sometimes though, worse dancers with a better hight match can fell much better than good dancers that are not very hight compatible.

Of course what feels good doesn't always look good...

[little_mouse]

There was recently a thread about Slavik & Elena, where it mentioned coaches found Elena's height not a good match for Slavik.

How much does height difference between the 2 dancers matter? Maybe someone could break it down in advantages/disadvantages for 1) pro dancers, and 2) not-pro dancers.

[Tori]

Well I'm no expert, but I defintely know that a smaller dancer (and their partner) has an easier time doing lifts and drops from a competitive point of view.

[tanya_the_dancer]

The taller partner needs to adjust his frame so that his partner does not have to lift her shoulders.

[RIdancer82]

something else to take into consideration w/ this is not just the height, but the proportions.... regarding torso length and leg length.

[tangotime]

There has been a couple of world class dancers in Standard, where the lady has been slightly taller than the man ..Not common, but not impossible to make it work .

[fluffy]

There has been a couple of world class dancers in Standard, where the lady has been slightly taller than the man ..Not common, but not impossible to make it work .
True: Bill & Bobbie Irvine for one!

Being a lot shorter for a girl is not so much a problem in latin as it is for standard, but good dancers can make it work: Timothy Howson & Joane Bolton, amd Marat & Alina (Russia) for example.
Being taller is a problem: I don't know whether Lyn Marriner is taller than Jonathan Crossely, but she wears low heels and probably in her knees a lot more than she might be otherwise. This doesn't look bad as the dress covers this all up. In latin I think it's more of a problem looks wise. You want the man to appear dominant and masculine, it's harder if the lady is taller, but I daresay not impossible.

[tangotime]

Another couple ( before your time, probably ) Jim and Olive Cullip- Brit . and Europ. champs. Could name more, I think we made the point, and, of course, do not advocate same .

[little_mouse]

Can a guy be too tall for a lady?

[Anna]

I'm around 5'4" and my partner's probably a bit over 6'. It works fine, but I'd have trouble with someone taller than that. In general though, I've found it's much easier to dance with a very tall lead than a very short one.

[Ithink]

Another good standard (and latin) couple where man and lady are similar in height are Alain and Anik. A couple who have a very big height difference (1 foot I believe!) are Igor and Polina Pilipenchuk. Both couples are very good and have adjusted well to their similarities/differences...

[carmello]

Andre Gaverline & Elena. Tall thin 6 foot man and stocky 5 Foot 3 inch girl.
Not many more mismatched than this couple. Nothing but great results. So the hight, body type mismatched thing may much ado about nothing

[Another Elizabeth]

Michael and Vikki Barr were world standard champions with a 8 or 9 inch height difference.

[little_one]

Anybody has suggestion or good example for overcome "height differnce" problem? I know the couple-Anderi Garvriline and Elena Kryuchkova -is a good example, if i'm right, they won 3 times national championships in latin.

I'm about 1 foot shorter than my teacher. We also started competing at International Latin. I found some movements will be difficult for us to make due to this serious issue. I used to ignore the problem, and if I could not make some movements due to this issue, ok, don't do it... This may ok if we only do performace, but working on competition, I want to make movements syllabus listed, and show judges...ok, this is not people expect the movement supposed to be looked like, but we know or we, at least, do efforts to work it out. Also, I'm recently kindda get irritated when people laugh at my height in studio, especially if they don't know me well...I mean I can do all efforts to make my techniques better or physically more flexible, but I could not change my height...:roll: Please kindly let me know if you see any vedio clips or if you know couples who have the same issue still choreograph their dance well. Appreciated!!!

[sophia]

There was a large height difference between Matthew and Nicole Cutler, yet they won every title as Amateur dancers including two Blackpool titles and the World Championships. They were also finalists of all the major professional competitions. Perhaps another example that you can overcome height difference! Try to ignore people who laugh at you, a reaction like that often comes out of jealousy and people who can be that cruel are not worth worrying about. Good luck in working out your choreography! xxx

[Ithink]

Igor and Polina Pilipenchuk were pretty successful 10-dance competitors with about a foot height difference.

I think height differences are much easier to deal with for latin couples (who've so far been named) than for those who dance standard, even if they are not huge height differences, such as Timothy and Joanne's for example...

[KimoMakano]

My wife and I are by no means 'accomplished dancers' but we do enjoy dancing and have participated in over 2 dozen exhibition dances. I am about 10 inches taller than my wife and we have never had a problem with the height difference.

In fact I think in some aspects it comes in handy. It is easier to do fallaways and spins because I don't have to contend with her size pulling on me.

I should also mention that I am not all that tall either so that makes my wife on the smaller side.

In all our years of dancing I don't recall anyone I respect or call my friends as making fun of a dancer's height. We may comment on some extreme differences in height among partners but we always credit them with their desire to dance.

[SlowDancer]

I know this doesn't answer Little One's question, and I don't mean to be insensitive, but I've never really understood dancers making a big deal of a large height difference when it's the leader who is taller. I mean, isn't that a fairly typical situation, gentleman taller (maybe a lot taller) than the lady?

I am nearly 5'10" in bare feet, and it seems that in my dance community, there are lots and lots of short leaders. My own ballroom pro is several inches shorter than I and many of the leaders I dance with at socials are shorter. For latin/rhythm, it doesn't bother me at all. For smooth (I don't dance standard) it can be tricky but really no big deal, especially for social dancing where we aren't doing anything complex and aren't in close body contact.

I think it's a just-deal-with-it issue (for both scenarios, i.e., short leader or follower). Especially if you are working with a regular partner, I think you just learn to accommodate and work with the height difference over time. Maybe I've just been doing it so long that it seems "normal" to me.

However, I will admit that I LOVE dancing with my new country western pro, partly because he is a wonderful dancer and teacher, but partly because he is 6'4". It feels good.

[little_one]

Wow~thank you all so much:D I'm going to do some reserch from those information you gave me!!!

[LatinDancer006]

Are you a lead or a follow? I'll be it's easy for a follow, because I certainly have problems leading ladies who are 6 inches taller than me.

[newdancer113]

I know this doesn't answer Little One's question, and I don't mean to be insensitive, but I've never really understood dancers making a big deal of a large height difference when it's the leader who is taller. I mean, isn't that a fairly typical situation, gentleman taller (maybe a lot taller) than the lady?



I agree. I dont' understand how short follower/tall leader is an issue. And in fact seems to mee like there are many moves (lifts and stuff) that would put the small follower at a significant advantage. I don't know what it's like to dance with a leader taller than me...rarely happens (I'm 6') I could really relate to Lelia Ali when she said that she felt at a bit of a disadvantage against the small girls becuase she can't do the lifts. I know anytime I have done a choreographed routine with my teacher, I feel inadequte compared to the routines he does with his smaller (and often less experienced) students who he can easily toss around. A leader can't do that with a follower who is even a little bigger than he is.

We all have our issues to deal with, I guess.

[anp73ga31]

Its a slight problem when dancing smooth and standard for me. I'm the follower and I am 5'3 while my instructor is a good foot taller than me. He has squatted down a couple of times[while in closed hold with body contact] to make himself shorter to show me how the connection is different and better when the heights are more closely matched. I could tell/feel the difference he was talking about. Plus I have to adjust my topline a little because he was taught the man never lowers his right arm to compensate for a shorter follower, which means I have to adjust my left arm quite a bit. Plus his legs are longer and he can take waaay bigger steps than I. (Though I'm learning to lengthen my steps and this is slowly becoming less of a problem!) On the other hand, I'd rather dance with someone taller than me than someone exactly my height or shorter. THat doesnt feel right either. I would say someone half a foot taller than me would be perfect...but who ever can find perfect :rolleyes:

[danceislove]

I agree. I dont' understand how short follower/tall leader is an issue. And in fact seems to mee like there are many moves (lifts and stuff) that would put the small follower at a significant advantage. I don't know what it's like to dance with a leader taller than me...rarely happens (I'm 6') I could really relate to Lelia Ali when she said that she felt at a bit of a disadvantage against the small girls becuase she can't do the lifts. I know anytime I have done a choreographed routine with my teacher, I feel inadequte compared to the routines he does with his smaller (and often less experienced) students who he can easily toss around. A leader can't do that with a follower who is even a little bigger than he is.

I too rarely dance with someone taller than me. I'm 5'8" but with heels i can be upwards of 5'11"... however I am doing a lift routine this showcase with someone who is 5'6". We are doing tons of lifts and he manages them beautifully. I think you just need to find a nice strong lead that really understands body mechanics and how to really utilize his strengths. I should mention that I am far from lithe as well ;)

[latingal]

In my experience, height differences can create problems for the connection in standard. It can also make some movements in latin difficult (i.e. samba rolls). But mostly I have found dancing standard with large height differences can be a problem with the body connection point.

[waltzguy]

In my experience, height differences can create problems for the connection in standard. It can also make some movements in latin difficult (i.e. samba rolls). But mostly I have found dancing standard with large height differences can be a problem with the body connection point.

I fully agree with this. One reason standard seems to be more difficult to find a good partner in.

[Peaches]

So, for standard, where is that line for "too much difference"? 5 inches? 8 inches? (I'm assuming the difference is the result when both partners are in shoes, as opposed to barefoot.)

Yeah, I know people have probably found ways to make things work, but I'm curious.

[dancesportgirl21]

For standard it really depends- rather than just looking at the height of the two dancers, I think leg length is much more important.

[little_one]

I agree. I dont' understand how short follower/tall leader is an issue. And in fact seems to mee like there are many moves (lifts and stuff) that would put the small follower at a significant advantage. I don't know what it's like to dance with a leader taller than me...rarely happens (I'm 6') I could really relate to Lelia Ali when she said that she felt at a bit of a disadvantage against the small girls becuase she can't do the lifts. I know anytime I have done a choreographed routine with my teacher, I feel inadequte compared to the routines he does with his smaller (and often less experienced) students who he can easily toss around. A leader can't do that with a follower who is even a little bigger than he is.

We all have our issues to deal with, I guess.

I think for lifts, yes, I do have more advantages (by the way, i'm follower). However, it's not allow two feet leaving floor at the same time in competitions. Movement like "Samba Roll" will be a diffeicult one in this situation. I saw Anderi picked Elena up totally in this movement, but that was in a "show." I'm a newbie for competitions. Just wanna save some materials for those movements that we might have tough time to deal with later on. Thanks for you all sharing your experiences!

[danceronice]

If I can offer a relatively uninformed newbie opinion, as a 5'4" follower, I found that for Rhythm, I don't have a problem dancing with a 5'7" leader (even when my shoe heels are making me 5'6.5"), but that doing Smooth, having a 5'9" leader makes all the difference in the world.

For both styles, what I found really did make a difference, even between two pros who were both 5'7" was waist length. My first pro is 5'7" and long-waisted--his height's in his body, not his legs. I'm extremely short-waisted with proportionaly long legs. When we stand next to each other, even though he's taller, my hips are higher than his. With my current two pros, the one I do Rhythm with is still 5'7", but he's shorter through the waist. My Smooth instructor is 5'9" and again, not significantly long-waisted. I've found this makes it much easier to line up with them.

[euchoreo]

Whenever I see really good latin couples, their height differs significantly.

My wife is around 1/2 to 1 inch shorter than I am when we're both wearing latin shoes. To make things worse, I'm a lightweight. The weight I DO have is heavily muscle, but there just isn't much there.

I'm curious how other couples of addressed this. For us, certain moves that involve her putting her weight on my have been not worked at all. Additionally, I feel like my shorter legs and arms really require me to do even basic steps very differently. Does anyone know of any really latin good couples (better yet, videos) at around the same height?

[Josh]

How tall are you?

[euchoreo]

5'8"

[lcdancesport]

I'm interested in hearing about this. I'm 5'3" myself, 5'6 in heels, and usually dance with someone who is 6ft or a little bit taller. I think proportion helps, I tend to have longer legs so the guys I dance with match up well, it's just their torso that's a bit longer.

[Izzy20]

Sorry this isn't advice but I have a question along the same lines what is a good height difference between a couple? I'm 5'1" and needless to say most guys are a lot taller then me.

[ACtenDance]

Height difference or similarity is a challenge that countless couples have overcome. I think there are other more important criteria for a partnership such as goal matching and work ethic.

[reb]

Whenever I see really good latin couples, their height differs significantly.

not sure I agree with your premise - certainly Andre and Elena demonstrate height difference, but Maria does not appear much shorter than Eugene - and then again, I'm a poor judge of height!


My wife is around 1/2 to 1 inch shorter than I am when we're both wearing latin shoes.

Sadly, I am 5'6" and 119lbs--no wispish thing when my partner is only 3" taller and 25lbs heavier. *g*
--euchoreo's partner
This doesn't seem as though you (euchoreo) are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to height and weight - 3" difference (5'6" -> 5'9" ,5'8"?), although the ladies heels have their effect

Height difference or similarity is a challenge that countless couples have overcome. I think there are other more important criteria for a partnership such as goal matching and work ethic.
That's a good point.

If one is at the top of the heap, maybe this could be a more critical issue.

euchoreo, you've said you're a social dancer and also a competitive dancer - what are your goals, your strategy, your actions? How does this play into those?

If you're in a crowd on the competitive floor, or dancing socially, you'll probably be viewed as 5'8" or 5'9" (slightly below average height I think for the general population, but maybe more average for male Latin dancers?? not sure), so in these situations, I'm not sure this should be a driver because it may just distract you from focusing on the really important aspects of dancing.

[latingal]

I'm curious how other couples of addressed this. For us, certain moves that involve her putting her weight on my have been not worked at all. Additionally, I feel like my shorter legs and arms really require me to do even basic steps very differently. Does anyone know of any really latin good couples (better yet, videos) at around the same height?

euchoreo, it's hard to judge when watching past and present top couples on tape, but many times the couples look fairly close in height, with the lady being a bit shorter. However, what seems to matter the most to the look of a couple close in height is how the builds/proportions of the partners mesh.

When you're closer in height, I think some things are actually easier. Compare for example what happens when you have a very tall/short couple trying to do samba rolls vs a couple in your situation.

You might also consider hitting the gym to try bulking up a bit to be ready to support your partner's weight in some movements.

Given all that, carefully chosen choreography to emphasize the strengths of the physical match ups, rather than showcasing the differences, might be desirable too. For example, you may want to choregraph poses so that the lead is standing and the follow is at a lower position.

[Cashmere]

Hi, I hope it's ok to jump in.

I'm only going to my first competition so I have very little experience. I took private lessons with my husband who is a little over 6'4 and I'm about 5'4 and generally wear flats. We did ok, I had no problems. I decided to go further than he wanted to as he dances just to please me, never will compete, dancing is my thing, so I got a new teacher for both of us and myself. He is 6'3 and I wear 2" heals when I dance with him.

I have no problem, so far it's fine. My problem with my husband is that he likes to take big back steps when doing the swing but other than that as far as height goes, I'm comfortable. I danced a couple of times with a man much shorter at my teacher's dance party and it was ok too but it felt odd since I'm so used to the height.


I'm interested to hear what everyone else thinks.

[BasicsFirst]

You get used to what you have. Danced for years with DP who's 8" shorter than me. Now when I get up to even try something with someone else (close to my height or taller) I can't stand it.

[rjcbear]

Ok, here are my 2 cents,

I am 6'-2" and DW is 5'-4" and Pro is 6'-0". It is kind of hard for the first couple of Smooth song to adjust to the different heights, If I dance with pro I tent no to bend my knees as much as I should when dancing with DW and also my frame tents to be higher and if I dance with DW first then trying to dance with pro is the same problem but I will be lower on the knees and the frame as well.

I guess it will take few song to get it right but it will get there. Pro do this all the time since they have students of all statures.

[wooh]

I'm only 2 inches shorter than my husband and outweigh him, but he's super strong so it's never been a problem, except: He's got shorter legs than I do. So a couple moves in smooth/standard can be uncomfortable, but we make do. I'll agree, focusing on height differences takes away from focusing on the actual dancing. As Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work!"

[nucat78]

I have only noticed "problems" when there is a 6-inch or greater difference and only on underarm turns. Maybe it's my technique but sometimes it's a real stretch (no pun intended) for either me or my follow.

For the record, I'm 5 feet 10 inches barefoot, 2 feet 6 inches on my bad days when I'm crawling ;), 175 pounds and I wear a large tall because of a long spine.

I've noticed more of a problem with hefty ladies of any height but again maybe that's just my technique.

[danceronice]

I've found that I prefer doing Rhythm with someone close to my height (my pro is 5'7", I'm 5'4" and wear 3" heels) so long as the body proportions are similar--ie short-waisted versus long torso--probably because that means the centers of gravity and waist levels are around the same place. Whereas for Smooth and Standard, my pro is 5'9", I'm in 2" heels, and that works much better. On my partner-search adds, I've said 5'9"-5'11" as I find it harder to do Smooth and Standard with someone much shorter or much taller (unless they're really, really good, ie my Rhythm pro, but if they're THAT good they're looking for a way better partner than me!) In skating my coach is 5'8" without skates, 5'10" with them, I'm roughly 5'7" in mine, and it works, though there the concern is mostly matching leg stretch and having enough room for safe lifts, which we don't have a problem with (though if I were in pairs I'd be MUCH too large for him, or most partners for that matter.)

[White Chacha]

Ok, here are my 2 cents,

I am 6'-2" and DW is 5'-4" and Pro is 6'-0". It is kind of hard for the first couple of Smooth song to adjust to the different heights, If I dance with pro I tent no to bend my knees as much as I should when dancing with DW and also my frame tents to be higher and if I dance with DW first then trying to dance with pro is the same problem but I will be lower on the knees and the frame as well.

I guess it will take few song to get it right but it will get there. Pro do this all the time since they have students of all statures.

Just a spelling thing... the word is "tend". A "tent" is a place to sleep while camping :-)
Friends shouldn't let friends spell poorly!

[Josh]

For rhythm/latin, a large height difference can be overcome at high competitive levels, but it's still not an ideal look, but at least the dancers can typically function together.

For smooth/standard, I would never say it's impossible to overcome, but if the height difference is more than 8" to 10", the bodies will just not work as well together when it comes to movement. Just on aesthetics, a height-mismatched couple does not embody the look of ballroom well enough to win consistently at a high level. Again, I'm not saying it won't happen, but it's just that there are so many good couples who are matched properly that it would be very tough to do.

[tanya_the_dancer]

Hi, I hope it's ok to jump in.

I'm only going to my first competition so I have very little experience. I took private lessons with my husband who is a little over 6'4 and I'm about 5'4 and generally wear flats. We did ok, I had no problems. I decided to go further than he wanted to as he dances just to please me, never will compete, dancing is my thing, so I got a new teacher for both of us and myself. He is 6'3 and I wear 2" heals when I dance with him.

I have no problem, so far it's fine. My problem with my husband is that he likes to take big back steps when doing the swing but other than that as far as height goes, I'm comfortable. I danced a couple of times with a man much shorter at my teacher's dance party and it was ok too but it felt odd since I'm so used to the height.


I'm interested to hear what everyone else thinks.

I am about your height and two people I dance with most are 6'2" and 5'8", so it feels differently depending on who I am dancing with, but I can handle it. I wear 2 1/2 heels when I dance, though.

[rjcbear]

Just a spelling thing... the word is "tend". A "tent" is a place to sleep while camping :-)
Friends shouldn't let friends spell poorly!

Thank you for the English lesson. Well now I know why I could not dance that good inside the tent.

[chachabelle]

Just be grateful you're not a woman and 5"7 1/2" bare feet; add 2 1/2 - 3 " heels - that really narrows the field down (as if there wasn't a shortage of male partners anyway)!

[euchoreo]

not sure I agree with your premise - certainly Andre and Elena demonstrate height difference, but Maria does not appear much shorter than Eugene - and then again, I'm a poor judge of height!



Ahem. I just did a google about 10 seconds ago and found this photo:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nikifronova/MyFavoriteDancers/photo#5106596096604749650




euchoreo, you've said you're a social dancer and also a competitive dancer - what are your goals, your strategy, your actions? How does this play into those?


Good question. I'll back to you when I figure it out! he.
Seriously, I don't have any specific goals set, I just want to improve as best I can. (No, I'm not trying to be vague) I have a desire to be a good latin dancer, but really don't have anything more clearly defined than that.


I completely realize that height difference is nowhere near my biggest problem. I just noticed that height difference among others and was curious how the style and movement should adjust accordingly. Right now, the top of my list of issues that I'm addressing include increasing body awareness, having adaptiveness, precision, and steadiness in my lead, and more precision in timing. I'm not trying to unduly attribute dance challenges to height difference. I AM trying to figure out what kinds of adjustments I should be making developing my styling and how to make it look best in light of the fact that many of the cool looks I see are built on partners with much bigger height differences than me and my wife.

[reb]

Now that's a good looking couple!

[rjcbear]

Just be grateful you're not a woman and 5"7 1/2" bare feet; add 2 1/2 - 3 " heels - that really narrows the field down (as if there wasn't a shortage of male partners anyway)!

Wow perfect and ideal partner for me.

[ThisIsNotMe]

<sigh> here in my little country town in Australia, it's hard to find any partner at all, let alone one that's the right height. The last guy I danced with was about 6'2" and i'm 5"4, taller in heels, obviously...it worked ok though, because I seem to have proportionally long legs, or something, as I could easily match his stride length, even when he got over excited and really got moving, so I don't know...
He moved away though, and found a new partner...so now I just need a new partner. Specially since we don't have pro-am here.

[dancika1992]

I'm currently searching for a partner and have found a few male partners that i will soon be having try outs with.
I will most probobly be bringing in a partner from europe, and before they would come down here(Canada), i was wondering if they would be too tall for me ?

guy number 1 is 189 cms tall ( 6 foot two and a half)

guy number 2 is 182 cms tall ( 6 foot )

I am 173 cms with heels, ( 5 foot 8 and a half)

what would be the preferable height for a guy for someone my size ?

Thanks in advance :)

[etp777]

The taller guy would probably be preferable in general, but a bigger concern is length of torso vs length of legs. So you can't really say just by height, have to try dancing with him.

Oops, missed with heels part. Either one is in good range for you then, but still holds true that you have to actually try before you can know for sure. :)

[fascination]

for me it isn't a major factor..FP was shorter than me by a hair(he's probably 5'6)...and NP is over 6ft, probably not by much...but over six foot...I am 5'7, both worked just..FP was more comfortable because I am long waisted and short-legged so i really have to haul--- w/NP and the arm span is way out at the end of my reach, but both have been enjoyable for different reasons...admittedly, i look better w/NP

[madmaximus]

I think I've mentioned this before (excuse the repetition, if so).

The ideal height of a dance partner is based on hip-height--ie the hip bone should be the same height, when both are wearing their competition shoes--it should not be based on overall height.

This gives the partnership good proportion with each other, matching leg line and step length, and lessens the need for customization of movement towards the other.






m

[WaltzElf]

Ideal height is an illusion, imo. Virtually any height difference can *work*

[Standarddancer]

I'm currently searching for a partner and have found a few male partners that i will soon be having try outs with.
I will most probobly be bringing in a partner from europe, and before they would come down here(Canada), i was wondering if they would be too tall for me ?

guy number 1 is 189 cms tall ( 6 foot two and a half)

guy number 2 is 182 cms tall ( 6 foot )

I am 173 cms with heels, ( 5 foot 8 and a half)

what would be the preferable height for a guy for someone my size ?

Thanks in advance :)

If I were you, assuming both guys same skill level, same built as body built, I prefer the 189cm guy, 173cm + your heels would be nearly 176.5cm, plus if you have a hair up do you could appear taller, so the 189 cm guy might look better for you.

182 cm guy could be working too, and don't forget the length of arms and legs and overall built should be matching well with you. For example, if you are slim built, and assuming the 189 cm guy is heavy set, you'll look too small for him. And if the 182 cm guy also slim built, you'll look better with the 182 guy.

Take pictures or videos of you with guys, and send to your coach, or for yourself for a final evaluation could be helpful.

[QPO]

My partner is 6'3" 189cm and I am 5'7" 171cm....When I wear heels I then gain 2" so it works well for us :-)

[dancika1992]

182 cm guy could be working too, and don't forget the length of arms and legs and overall built should be matching well with you. For example, if you are slim built, and assuming the 189 cm guy is heavy set, you'll look too small for him. And if the 182 cm guy also slim built, you'll look better with the 182 guy.

I am not slim, but im not big, im an athletic build but not too bulky? if that explains it well.

182 is very slim as ive noticed in his videos
and 189 has more of an athletic build.

i guess you are right with the 189 option,
but i guess i should still try it and see :)

thanks everyone for your advice :D

[WaltzElf]

If I were you, assuming both guys same skill level, same built as body built, I prefer the 189cm guy, 173cm + your heels would be nearly 176.5cm, plus if you have a hair up do you could appear taller, so the 189 cm guy might look better for you.

182 cm guy could be working too, and don't forget the length of arms and legs and overall built should be matching well with you. For example, if you are slim built, and assuming the 189 cm guy is heavy set, you'll look too small for him. And if the 182 cm guy also slim built, you'll look better with the 182 guy.

Take pictures or videos of you with guys, and send to your coach, or for yourself for a final evaluation could be helpful.



Yes, body shape would be a far bigger factor, imo. My partner is over 20 cm shorter than me. Because we're suited physically we're well matched though - better than the much taller girls that I've danced with.


Again, height is not a huge problem - you need to make adjustments if the height difference is large, but a good coach will be able to help with that.

[Bella]

I'd say... taller or similar height with heels.

[Chopin]

I think I've mentioned this before (excuse the repetition, if so).

The ideal height of a dance partner is based on hip-height--ie the hip bone should be the same height, when both are wearing their competition shoes--it should not be based on overall height.

This gives the partnership good proportion with each other, matching leg line and step length, and lessens the need for customization of movement towards the other.
m

I agree completely with madmaximus and that’s what my first teacher (from my native Poland) said long time ago.
Now I live in Toronto, Canada and am looking for a partner too (Championship level)…. J

[fascination]

I think most wise people think long and hard before disagreeing with max ;)