What Can You Learn?

A very dear friend once sadi to me that you can learn a lot about a person by dancing with them

And so I open this question up to y'all, what have you personally learned about a person by dancing with them?

Their name!

Wether their empathy outweighs their ego.

Approximately how heavy they are. shock: my foot!)

Cheers
Sarah

Breath mints anyone? Boy, I can't stand it when the club has a free buffet before the night starts.... Ahhhhhhhhhhh Don't eat bro, if you do don't go for the onions, No, not the onions... I carry gum for the entire club when I go dancing, wait does that imply something about me? I hope it says prepared rather than stinky...

Sarah said:

Wether their empathy outweighs their ego.

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Wow! Great formulation there Sarah! ...and that is exactly one of the key dynamics in question.

At a dance convention this weekend, I danced with some friends and a few strangers. You get a small glimpse of their personalities when you dance with them.
1. One man told me he had only been dancing 6 mons. He was smiling and having fun and relaxed. We had a very fun dance and what few moves he did know, he did them well =nice guy
2. Another man barely smiled and danced very tight. I was wondering if he was having a good time. I did manage to get him to smile a little but it was fleeting = boring
3. Another man was a very good dancer (I've seen him compete, but never danced with him) and he did not make the dance all about him like some others. He looked me in the eyes the whole time, watched what moves I made and kept his dance to my level but also pulled out a few advanced moves he thought I could and did follow. He smiled the whole time like he was having a great time. I felt a great connection like we had some kind of conversation going. =super and fun guy
4. This man never looked me in the eye, did his moves like a routine and was looking around the dance floor like he was checking out who to dance with next. Not a very fun dance. It seems like the music lasted too long. =self centered

I have to admit that I don't really pay much attention to this, but agree that there's something to be said for it.

I would think that the only real way to discover the accuracy of such a presumption it to actually get to know these people and find out if the super boring lead is really a super boring person.

It does make sense to me that a person's personality is what it is and unless they are actively trying to hind it (and sometimes even then) it will come out in your observations of and interactions with them.

With that in mind I wonder what my dancing says about me :shrug:

Well I did say SMALL glimpes, not their whole personality because I did not take the time to follow these people around and get to know them better. For all I know, I am wrong, some people are great actors and they are really different outside the dance floor. But that's the impression I got when dancing with them. Some people could have an off day, bad mood or whatever, but when you are interacting with another person on the dance floor, your mood and/or personality is going to show.

I know that's what you meant dancergal... no problems! I hope I didn't imply that you were a judgmental person... not my intent what so ever!!

You can learn exactly how selfish your partner is...
Funny, I've noticed that those of my friends who better adjust to distractions on the dance floor or my little mistakes are better listeners!

That's an interesting observation!

You can really learn a whole lot about people that you take ongoing dance classes with or perform with (like in formation teams.) Who's happily married or not, who's stressed out, who's dependable, who's self-confident, who's self-centered. And on and on. All this stuff shows, because a pattern develops over a few weeks. People can't hide who they are. :shock: :?

pygmalion said:

You can really learn a whole lot about people that you take ongoing dance classes with or perform with (like in formation teams.) Who's happily married or not, who's stressed out, who's dependable, who's self-confident, who's self-centered. And on and on. All this stuff shows, because a pattern develops over a few weeks. People can't hide who they are. :shock: :?

Click to expand...

Agreed!

I think you can also tell about a person's caring for other by the way they dance...how strong of a lead (in a good way), how forceful (in a bad way), where he/she rests his/her eyes (on the dance partner eyes or roaming around the floor), how stifly or softly (but firmly) he/she holds his/her partner, etc.

You can learn lots, Phil Owl. One thing you can tell, as a girl, is how bossy they are...their lead can tell so much about their attitude. A strong lead generally means they're confident, a pushy lead usually is the result of them being pushy and a weak lead usually means they aren't a confident dancer or that they're a little weak in their own mind. They're fairly large generalisations, but I think a number of women might agree.

It's funny how sometimes you can tell who's agressive and who's not by how they dance with you. There are some people who are unfailingly graceful and kind, no matter how bad you are and others who make it patently obvious that you're a dud. Don't ever expect them to dance with you again.

Having said all that while a lead can speak volumes about a person it's by no means the only way to piece together a picture of their personality, particularly if you've only ever danced with them in the short bursts of progressive dances.

One man I gotten to know recently sits, placid and observant at socials. He's quiet, doesn't mix and, from outward appearance, is a sour puss who never smiles. Having gotten to know him I've discovered he is one of the best dancers at my studio. He's also funny and charming to boot. This, despite his sour demeanor and exterior. He also has a strong, elegant and purposeful lead and seems to be the same way in life.