How subtil can a man's cuban motion be in rhythm and still be "correct"?

L

LordBallroom

Member
My coaches have been drilling in me the need for a man to make a figure 8 motion with his hips. In addition to that, I watch Bob Powers and Julia Gorchakova on Dance Vision and they teach it the same way. Here's the problem. I don't like the way Bob Powers' cuban motion looks on those videos. I think it looks effeminate. For the same reason I'm not crazy about how I'm taught cuban motion in my studio. I looks beautiful on a lady but it's not for me. Can anyone recommend an instructional video or perhaps a youtube clip of a dance pro that does competition quality cuban motion in a more masculine way?
 
any clip of emmanuel pierre antoine or felipe...not even possible for them to look feminine
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you might have to slow down the clips of emmanuel:eek:

ohhh and BTW i have yet to meet the female ( or woman if you prefer) , dancer or otherwise who after watching Bob dance said....hmm he looks kinda gay? neva happens

most are whiping drool off their lip:D
 
I will go one further and say that I have wiped plenty of drool off over gay men so let's not even go there...


beyond that, to the issue of how subtlely can one dance cuban motion?...for what? to not feel feminine? to be proficient? and at what?...I mean, unless you are talking about getting on the comp floor, you can dance it as minimally as you like....

I would invite you to consider another question; why would acquiring some feminine characteristic be threatening? if you have a good answer for that within yourself it would probably reflect on your image of yourself...a good self image will help alleviate most of your concern...and my larger point...the BIGGEST point...is that dance makes us face a number of fears.....do I look stupid doing that? do I look fat doing that? do I look effeminate doing that?.....do I just look dumb?....how can I do that in front of people?....overcoming all of those fears is precisely what dance is about...do you have to take the challenge? NO....and unless you are a pro, or a top level competitor it probably won't matter in the ways you imagine...but, overcoming any fear is almost always worthwhile
 
fascination said:
I will go one further and say that I have wiped plenty of drool off over gay men so let's not even go there...


beyond that, to the issue of how subtlely can one dance cuban motion?...for what? to not feel feminine? to be proficient? and at what?...I mean, unless you are talking about getting on the comp floor, you can dance it as minimally as you like....

I would invite you to consider another question; why would acquiring some feminine characteristic be threatening? if you have a good answer for that within yourself it would probably reflect on your image of yourself...a good self image will help alleviate most of your concern...and my larger point...the BIGGEST point...is that dance makes us face a number of fears.....do I look stupid doing that? do I look fat doing that? do I look effeminate doing that?.....do I just look dumb?....how can I do that in front of people?....overcoming all of those fears is precisely what dance is about...do you have to take the challenge? NO....and unless you are a pro, or a top level competitor it probably won't matter in the ways you imagine...but, overcoming any fear is almost always worthwhile
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I think what you're telling me is that if I want to compete in rhythm I have to do cuban motion the way I'm being taught, even if I don't feel it expresses who I am.
 
you can make it your own....I am not a fragile flower...nor am I a sex kitty...but I have to dance songs that require gentleness and softness, and I have to dance songs that suggest some heat sexually...that is the way it goes...find an image you can tolerate...and go big or go home...there is no room for half-hearted-ness in competitive dance
 
artists create images....meryl streep certainly isn't like every woman she has portrayed, but she has creatively constructed the way in which she chooses to authentically paint her image of who they are.....all of art is about letting go and growing beyond what you thought you could do...it takes courage and love....
 
fascination said:
artists create images....meryl streep certainly isn't like every woman she has portrayed, but she has creatively constructed the way in which she chooses to authentically paint her image of who they are.....all of art is about letting go and growing beyond what you thought you could do...it takes courage and love....
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That's a bad comparison. I'm not playing somebody else. I'm playing myself. I just want to give an authentic performance.
 
I am suggesting that you re-think that...unless you happen to be a bullfighter(paso)...you are an artist...you don't have to be solely entirely yourself...you have to be your authentic representation of what you think of when you dance a particular dance
 
I'm not sure whether or not this will make the OP feel any better, but I think it's worth noting that the whole "figure 8" motion of the hips does fall out naturally from doing everything else properly. Certainly, one can emphasize it for effect, but there is a functional aspect to the motion. I certainly welcome correction on this, but I think the simple answer to the question posed in the thread title is, "the point where the mechanics of the dance start to break down". If you're bouncing up and down in your rumba because you aren't letting your hips rotate properly, well, that's a bad thing.

That said, I also have to say one thing. In my experience, doing aspects of one's dance half-heartedly out of a (conscious or unconscious) fear of looking silly is the surest way to wind up looking "effeminate". (I think it's actually a matter of looking weak, and the wrong word winds up getting used.) So I'd be cautious about being too cautious. So to speak. :-)
 
What about the other actions that contribute? Usually it seems there is a fair amount of chest movement, which accentuates/frames the hip movement but, especially with good posture tends to look a bit more masculine than "pure" hip movement. Stability of the head/neck/gaze while the body moves underneath can also contribute to an impression of strength. Different shirts also give different impressions... I'll leave it there...
 
will go one further and say that I have wiped plenty of drool off over gay men so let's not even go there...
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hahahaaaa nice!!

and go big or go home...there is no room for half-hearted-ness in competitive dance
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*loves fasc more now*

I'm not playing somebody else.
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yes you are you are playing your partners.... cooky friend/lover/angry ex/spicy latin one nighter etc etc etc

its funny the more fit/ stronger/ proficient in dance i get with age....

the more i shave my chest... dye out the gray and work it in the hips in rhytym and latin in an attempt to WIN!!

if i had Bobs figure 8 id show it to the world

oh and they would loovvee it

my strength trainer used to snicker a bit ( ballroom dance hee hee).. until he saw the hotties ( pros and mrs of course) i dance with and how hard the sport is




I would worry more about all the practice it will take to get it right. You will soon have no energy left to consider your reservations
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there should be a book the tao of rhythm.. and this should be the lead quote!!!​

all of art is about letting go and growing beyond what you thought you could do...it takes courage and love....
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so well said
 
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