Has anyone ever achieved gold status on most of the 10 styles in 1 year?

Requiem said:
As a relatively new leader myself, I think I find more success in leading when there isn't an expectation of doing a particular routine.
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Speaking from the follow's side, this. Following correctly requires paying quite a bit of attention to your leader, so if we are dancing a routine, I'm going to work on another aspect of my dancing instead. If I know a spin turn is next, and I've already decided I'm going to work on my shaping or what have you, I'm probably not paying enough attention to react to a lead fast enough to do the alternate figure correctly. So like Requiem said, make it clear from the beginning that you don't intend to stick to a routine, and you'll probably have more success with leading.
 
carlosyabrudy said:
Closed change, natural, closed, reverse, whisk and chasse, outside change into hesitation as part of spin turn, double reverse spin, progressive chasse to right, back lock, basic weave into reverse pivot .... etc

So if I change the order and improvise the order.... sometimes the lead is thrown off. Is this because in their heads they have that predetermined routine as it is cemented or once again I probably think my leading is the cause so hence my question about dvds to do with following or websites like ballroom dancers.com with great explanations to why figures are done and not just the what.
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You can change the order in which you use the syllabus steps, but only if you understand the possible precedes, follows, and alignments. Otherwise it will only cause confusion. Based on your verbalization of your class routine, I don't think you're quite there yet. I'd suggest spending time learning precedes and follows, however, should you care about this? I'm not sure... Becoming a versatile leader and taking a quick road to championship are not particularly congruent goals. I think you need a mentor, so you don't get pulled around in all sorts of different directions, and can focus on your goals, whatever those may be. On the fast track, you should probably be dancing your routines 60 times a day with your partner, and not worrying about social dancing with others, or improvising choreography. If you want a more thorough dance education, well, that's a different story...
 
Something else I forgot to mention, sometimes it just takes a bit to get used to how someone leads. For example, recently a lot of my friends and I started dancing gold standard, so at socials all the leads try to dance a fallaway reverse slip pivot with me. With every single one of them (I think like four different leader friends) I missed the lead or just didn't follow it correctly 2-3 times before I figured out how to follow that person. So if you are new to dancing with all of these followers, there will be a bit of a learning curve, because you won't lead exactly the same as anyone else they dance with. This is particularly true of anything where the lead is just hard to do correctly.
 
And some figures are just difficult to lead. For example, I'm pretty fabulous at missing the lead for a double reverse in social settings. I spent years thinking I was just an idiot about that figure... but now I know it's because the lead often initiates a little late, meaning I don't get the signal to do a heel turn early enough and have already either passed my feet or collected, depending. They're leading the right thing, and I know the figure, but the lead is a split second or two too late, so it all falls apart.
 
I have a mentor at the dance school so it's all good. I'm not simply learning at home. I attend classes and lessons privately.
I just have this mind that thinks ahead of where I am before I have arrived. It's really cool that when I write something here, that members on here will correct me. I never mind straight to the point blunt advice as it is for a good reason.

In ballroom in terms of proficiency, I'm now more ahead in Quickstep, then Waltz, then foxtrot, then Tango then Viennese.....

It's strange how it changes sometimes and other styles catapult ahead of others... anyone else also get this through their early learning?
 
Glad you are seeing progress. What objective metric of proficiency do you use?

The medals test gave us quantitative ratings in each aspect of each dance, separately for each of us. That was useful to focus our training.

Yes. It changes which of the five dances most challenge us, but not in an easily measurable way. It is more just an impression.
 
carlosyabrudy said:
It's strange how it changes sometimes and other styles catapult ahead of others... anyone else also get this through their early learning?
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This happens constantly, especially when you're breaking down dances and rebuilding them. Some aspects of each dance are easier for some than others too. Often your favorite dance will be your partner's favorite dance too.
 
carlosyabrudy said:
In ballroom in terms of proficiency, I'm now more ahead in Quickstep, then Waltz, then foxtrot, then Tango then Viennese.....

It's strange how it changes sometimes and other styles catapult ahead of others...
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The order in which you placed the dances, is pretty much the order of difficulty for beginners, with one exception .
Tango, being the closest thing to actually walking, was by Scrivener's account ( one of the main proponents , and founders of todays style ) said it should be the easiest .

Foxtrot, in all its simplicity, is usually regarded as the most difficult.
 
tangotime said:
The order in which you placed the dances, is pretty much the order of difficulty for beginners, with one exception .
Tango, being the closest thing to actually walking, was by Scrivener's account ( one of the main proponents , and founders of todays style ) said it should be the easiest .

Foxtrot, in all its simplicity, is usually regarded as the most difficult.
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Was it on here someone noted it's about 80-20% Foxtrot-Tango in terms of what people find difficult?
 
I find the technique of tango easier than the others for sure, but I can see how a beginner can find it difficult because of the patterns and timing--which is more of what they're focusing on in the beginning than swing & sway, etc.
 
twnkltoz said:
I find the technique of tango easier than the others for sure, but I can see how a beginner can find it difficult because of the patterns and timing--which is more of what they're focusing on in the beginning than swing & sway, etc.
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I have struggled a lot with tango due to timing - it's not intuitive for me (though getting better, but it was horrible early on) when it goes off the basic SSQQS timing. Whereas waltz and foxtrot are more predictable, and it's easier to feel when timing is not standard (e.g. chasses, or whether the lead wants a slow or quick in FT).
 
Mr 4 styles said:
No way. Tango is the easiest. No rise and fall , no swing and sway. The speed can challenge people who aren't quick but other than that it's easy
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I can see the logic here but that has not been my experience - the striking action is coming along but I find it challenging. Everything about waltz and Viennese came along the fastest for me and felt very natural. The timing on foxtrot was tricky at first as I would slip into waltz but that is also improving.
 
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