Beginner trying to advance

I'm not sure why you are so determined to do dance competitions so early. You risk early burnout. Why not social dance for 2 or 3 years and build your skills by taking as many lessons as you can.

You are much more likely to stay in dance if you are having fun -- and comps will not be fun for you. You will soon learn how good you have to be even at the lowest levels of competition and that will discourage you. Social dancing will help you learn lead and follow, which you won't learn by sticking to one partner.
 
Generalist said:
comps will not be fun for you. even at the lowest levels of competition... will discourage you. you won't learn
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And now, to balance the voice of wisdom, here are some inspirational quotes from FF7character Zack Fair

What happened to dreams?
gosh darnit!, you're not the only Hero!
Embrace your dreams, and... whatever happens...
Piece of cake, I'll make first in no time!
What's this? It feels great.
Hey, I've become a hero right?
 
newbie said:
And now, to balance the voice of wisdom, here are some inspirational quotes from FF7character Zack Fair

What happened to dreams?
gosh darnit!, you're not the only Hero!
Embrace your dreams, and... whatever happens...
Piece of cake, I'll make first in no time!
What's this? It feels great.
Hey, I've become a hero right?
Click to expand...

1b373b265d87ccda1d82f0aa2be52861.jpg


"May I please have this tango?"
 
Angel HI said:
The reason that I really like this post is because I disagree with the "Don't dance Novice", "Dance syllabus first" posters completely. Good dance has nothing to do with most syllabi. Good dance movement, good dance technique, good partnering skills, good styling skills, and a good understanding of the music and rhythms is what you should seek and practice...diligently, and, when you feel (or the teacher says) that you are ready, go for that Novice. One does not have to dance closed syllabus in order to develop any of the preferred skills mentioned.
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I think most (probably all) of the "dance syllabus first" people would agree with you completely. Certainly from me, it's not an argument about being concerned with specific steps so much as it is that in my experience, there's a correlation between people who rush to open and those who don't take the time to develop a proper foundation. Certainly there's nothing *inherent* that forces that to be the case ... but I find it often is.

Well, that and that a dancer who's been working for less than a year or two is likely to be closer to competitive in the lower ranks. So long as a couple is comfortable taking their lumps, that's not necessarily important. But that's not every couple.
 
Generalist said:
I'm not sure why you are so determined to do dance competitions so early. You risk early burnout. Why not social dance for 2 or 3 years and build your skills by taking as many lessons as you can.

You are much more likely to stay in dance if you are having fun -- and comps will not be fun for you.
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Meh. If I hadn't discovered real competitions around the end of my first year of dancing, I probably would have faded away from the hobby entirely. Different people are different. The original poster sounds dedicated enough to the idea of competing that it seems entirely plausible to me that they'll find competing perfectly enjoyable.
 
Generalist said:
I'm not sure why you are so determined to do dance competitions so early. You risk early burnout. Why not social dance for 2 or 3 years and build your skills by taking as many lessons as you can.

You are much more likely to stay in dance if you are having fun -- and comps will not be fun for you. You will soon learn how good you have to be even at the lowest levels of competition and that will discourage you. Social dancing will help you learn lead and follow, which you won't learn by sticking to one partner.
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I'm going to risk hijacking this thread because this is the most depressing thing I've read on the internet today (but it's barely 8 a.m., so I expect that could change).

Thesis: Everyone's different.

1) If OP wants to become competitive, s/he should go for it. But to toss in a random "you risk burnout," well, yeah. This is how we learn not to do three comps in six weeks, or try and practice five days a week (me, in both cases). We find a balance. OP "enjoys dancing," and that's the best place to start. :)

2) To suggest someone has to be "good" even at the "lowest levels" and if they're not they will become "discouraged" ... golly, I'm discouraged at least seven times in a week. Sometimes in one hour of practice. I'm not perfect? I'm not doing the step exactly like my coach the first time I attempt it? This isn't the Matrix and I can't just upload how to have a positive or a negative spine?! I know... LOL, right? This is a sport. It's skill-based. No one here popped on a ten-speed when we were seven and sailed away down the block. We started with a trike, then we moved to a small bike with training wheels, etc etc. Sometimes just getting out on the floor, getting through the routine, is the win. Heck, maybe the OP's personality is such that not placing well is a motivator, lights the fire, etc etc. Everyone's goals are different - it sounds as though you suspect OPs desire is to place, to win, so early in the process. Maybe they will! But if they don't, nothing says they'll be discouraged by that. YOU might be discouraged by that. But then, your goals and expectations are likely different from everyone else's. And that is cool.

3) Hello, my name is s2k, and I'm a ballroom dancer who cannot social dance (Hi, s2k!). And that's because I have no desire to be a social dancer. Personally, I feel they're two different animals with different skill sets. I wanted to compete, and perhaps that's all OP would like to do. And because I feel like they're two different types of dancing, I took this advice to mean, "you won't be good enough for years to do a comp. Go back to the minors." OP, if you want to compete, COMPETE. Anyone who wants to social, or compete and be a social dancer - DO IT!

4) "Comps will not be fun for you" - way to tell OP how to feel, G. Dang. I'm sure there's a thread (or four) around here somewhere where we all put in our two cents (or four) about how each of us defines "fun." There must be something appealing about competing, which is what compelled OP to post.

it's just... the negativity that pulsed out of that post discouraged ME, and I'm not even the OP. So OP, while this response isn't to you per se, know that there's lots of different ways to tame the beast that is Ballroom. And each way is okay, including G's.

Wishing you the best of luck, OP! :)
 
I have to say, I agree with those who are saying everyone is different. I am still very much a baby dancer, as I've only been dancing a year (but I take private lessons at least once a week, and I attend every group glass and social dance my work schedule allows). I was pretty much hooked on dancing from the very first lesson, but since we've clicked into the "let's get you ready to compete mode" over the last six weeks or so, I've found my dancing, despite kicking my butt, to be way more rewarding and fun at this intensity than it was just socially. I am, however, a very competitive person who has been competing somehow in something since childhood (I showed horses for ages). I thrive on the butt kicking, nit picking, perfection striving aspect far more than I do just learning figures and dancing socially (which I still enjoy because of the friendships I've developed over the past year).

My mother dances, as well, but has not one competitive bone in her body. She works hard at it, will occasionally do a showcase dance with her instructor, but as soon as her studio starts talking competition, she covers her ears and goes "lalalalalala...." Everyone has different goals, and I would say as long as the OP is getting good advice and guidance from her and her DP's instructor, there should be no reason they shouldn't give competitive dancing a whirl.

For the record, I've watched lots of riders, over the years, compete when maybe they were in over their heads or just not that good. Most enjoy it enough that just showing up and participating is enough for them. It's a way to enjoy a hobby, and, as long as they and their horse was safe, there was no reason to say to them "why don't you just go trail ride for a few years and then try competing." I think the same can apply here. If someone wants to enjoy their new hobby by competing, then they should. Seek out good advice and get good instruction as often as your budget allows, and have fun!
 
Yeah I'm with the others here. I was showing horses before I came to dance, so I wanted to compete as soon as possible, too. Competition is in my nature. I think the OP knows himself better than any of us.
 
OP, I think it's entirely possible to improve significantly in a short period of time. Your attitude and work ethic will be the biggest contributing factors. Be prepared to work, but more importantly, to work smart. Find someone who will guide you and challenge you, and help you focus on laying a solid foundation, and who will be realistic about how much it's going to take, but who won't tell you it's impossible.

I will say that one private lesson a month is probably not enough to help you reach your goals on your timeline. To accelerate your progress, I'd recommend one a week, or at a minimum, one every other week. Combine that with a weekly technique class (not a class geared toward social dancing or choreography), a regular practice schedule (2-3 hours of practice/week for every in-class or in-lesson hour is a good place to start), and a focussed approach where you stick to one style and 3-5 dances, you'll be making significant progress.

A few thoughts on your plan:
  • Lessons or classes that are too far apart - particularly at the beginning - increases the risk that you'll ingrain some bad habits that will need to be unworked later. Trust DF members when they say that's much harder than doing it right from the start!
  • A solid foundation takes a little more time to build, but once you have it right, the house goes up quickly. Try to build the house on an unstable foundation, and it will be way more complicated and likely never go up right.
  • Long practice sessions where you are going through the motions are also of little value. It's incredibly rare for a beginning dancer to be able to practice solo and stay focussed and effective for longer than 60-90 minutes. You can get a long way in 45-60 minutes a day, if you are working on the right things and really present.
  • If you're generally pretty active and fit, then dancing is likely all you need at the start. If you are out of shape or have a very inactive lifestyle, paying some attention to eating well and adding light cross-training (walking, yoga, swimming, etc.) a couple times a week is a good idea - it will improve your stamina and reduce your risk of injury.
  • Even if you are in a hurry, take a day off once a week. Ideally two, especially as you adjust to the level of activity and build up new and interesting muscles. (Be prepared to ache in places that you didn't know you had. Buy a foam roller, Epsom salts and some heat rub.)
  • I also question what level you are trying to achieve by the fall - bronze is absolutely do-able, but being competitive at the novice level by then will take more time and more money. I'm definitely not the person who'd ever say it's impossible, but if that it what you are after, just know that it is extremely unlikely.
I learned on a vastly accelerated timeline - proving a lot of naysayers wrong in the process - and skipped quite a few steps along the way. It's possible, but it's hard, painstaking, lonely work. My last piece of advice would be to make sure it's what you really want, because doing it this way is not always fun and demands quite a bit of sacrifice... but if you're ready to plan your life around dance, give up your other hobbies, rarely see your friends and devote every bit of disposable income and free time to the pursuit... well, then I'd say you've got a shot. Good luck :)
 
And that's totally fine. All I am saying is that they'll likely either need to adjust their budget, their goal, or their timeline - because right now, they don't match up. It's up to the OP whether they want to adjust all three slightly to bring them in line, or only one of the three, or any other combination.

(Personally, I up the planning and effort to compensate for a lower than ideal budget, but this option doesn't work for everyone.)
 
s2k said:
I'm going to risk hijacking this thread because this is the most depressing thing I've reead on the internet today (but it's barely 8 a.m., so I expect that could change).

:)
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There is no reason to get depressed because what I said was reality. I think most of you are not giving the OP proper service by building false expectations. Come on folks, the OP has such limited resources and a lack of experience you know the result that competition will bring. Why not encourage the OP to experience the joy of dancing instead of the misery?
 
I think that S2K's comment that followed the preamble that @Generalist quoted was a bit more nuanced. I agree with a lot of what both S2K and Generalist said. Hopefully the OP can filter out the useful parts and decide what path he wants to pursue.
 
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