Fancy moves: the sign of a good dancer or a show off?

[twnkltoz]

Whenever I'm watching someone do fancy, complicated figures, and they're doing it well and to the music and with their partner, I always view it as a treat to watch rather than them showing off. If I'm lucky enough to be the one they're doing it to and I manage to follow all of it without too much stress, all the better.

However, I had a partner once try a whole bunch of nuevo stuff, one move after the other, and I didn't get half of it but he kept trying it anyway. That was him showing off, pure and simple. I will endeavor not to ever dance with him again.

There's a theory about west coast swing dancers, but it really applies to AT and BR, too. Beginners do basics. Intermediate dancers do a lot of moves. Advanced dancers do basics...very, very well. Give me the first or the last!

 

[Gssh]

My rule of tumb is that a "fancy move" is ok as soon as i don't think of it as a fancy move anymore.

It is difficult to classify moves as fancy anyway, because a lot of the things that look fancy are actually quite straightforward - like most saccadas, and require just a few hours of practice to figure out the geometry, while some of the most boring moves, like e.g the cross are really, really difficult to pull off with clean technique.

Gssh

 

[UKDancer]

There's a theory about west coast swing dancers, but it really applies to AT and BR, too. Beginners do basics. Intermediate dancers do a lot of moves. Advanced dancers do basics...very, very well. Give me the first or the last!

Agreed, 100%. (I'm looking forward to doing them moderately well, for now...)

 

[Zoopsia59]

My rule of tumb is that a "fancy move" is ok as soon as i don't think of it as a fancy move anymore.

I agree... if I don't think of it as "fancy" when I'm dancing, that means it fit and flowed just like a "basic" move. If it feels "fancy" when I danced it, that means I probably got distracted from dancing and had to think about "the move" for whatever reason.

As for watching others... I attend more practicas than milongas these days, so badly executed "fancy" moves are expected... how else does one become proficient at a move? I'd rather see awkward struggling that still takes into account the rest of the people on the floor than well executed, beautiful moves that are oblivious to the fact that they are interfering with others (which happens at our practicas)

And to be honest, that holds true for milongas as well. I'd rather see someone struggling with a move while still paying attention to floorcraft than watch even the most elegant skilled dancers be floor hogs.

To me, someone has crossed the line into "showing off" when they dance selfishly. It doesn't matter what moves they are doing. By definition, if you are dancing with consideration for others, you aren't showing off, because showing off is all about the self. (or the "self" of the couple)

 

[sixela]

If it feels "fancy" when I danced it,

A really good fancy move is one which only feels fancy (i.e. surprising, not what you'd have expected) after you danced it impeccably without realising it. If it feels fancy while you're dancing it,...