Ideal Height Difference in Standard

stash said:
I am one of the shortest people on our team and finding a partner was hard when I lost my first partner. Many of our guys are closer to the 6' range when I am only about 5'1 with no shoes and 5'4 in heals. A lot of the problems that came up weren't about leg length at all. It was more about the guy lowering correctly (ie not hunching over or lowering too much into the knees) and me not stretching enough into my frame.
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I think this is the critical piece. If both partners are properly balanced, and moving correctly, a much greater height difference can be accommodated. Otherwise a big height difference amplifies the effect of the taller partner leaning too far in any direction.
 
My partner and I have about a 6" height difference without shoes. I have pretty long legs though and it works great for us. There's a guy at socials I occasionally dance with though that's a good few inches shorter than me without shoes, and then goes on to lower a ridiculous amount. I've started to avoid dancing standard with him because it's just uncomfortable and I'm afraid that one day I'm going to knee him in the crotch and that will be sad.
 
Just seeing this thread again....

It is about what each person can dance.

at 5'10", I used to have a partner years ago who was 5"2 perhaps, and it works.

Earlier this year I tried out with someone who was 5'3ish and I couldn't get into my knees comfortably enough.

I've gotten older, my knees weaker, and I was out of shape, but at the end of the day, I couldn't make it work to a point where it made sense to pursue. I'm not sure there is an "ideal" but there is a range each person can work with at any given time, and that range itself can change.
 
I'm 6' tall. Barefoot. haha...although I have very little dance experience at this point, based on what I've experienced in my ballroom class last quarter, there's no set ideal...and I'm glad too, cause, needless to say, it's tough to find a partner taller than me - especially if I put heels on, haha. During my ballroom class I danced with a wide variety guys anywhere from waaaay shorter than me to significantly taller than me; when I think about which ones were easiest to dance with, four actually come to mind...one was about six inches taller than me, a big football player; one was just a couple inches taller than me; one is two inches shorter than me; and one is waaaaaay shorter than me.

Sometimes there are some adaptations that need to be made to make it work with shorter partners, depending on what we're doing. In particular, I find that some dips tend to be difficult to execute when I'm with a much shorter partner. Or, for example, the guy who is just two inches shorter than me is teaching me lifts, and height definitely effects some of them...but if we just keep that in mind and adjust accordingly, it works out. He was originally afraid to do some of the lifts with me and made me practice them with taller partners for fear that my height would get someone hurt, but we've started figuring out how to do all of them despite our height differences.

Overall I guess I've found that it's just a matter of personal preference and adaptation...different heights work for different people...which seems to be the general consensus of this thread!
 
It is true that it is ultimatly about proper balance and movement, with which hinderances may be overcome. And also that leg length is quite important. But if you're as tall as me, such things only come later. Where most people are talking of guys that are equal in height or maybe even a taller lady, I'll be happy to find a lady even near my height!

Measuring at 6'5" my ideal partner would be about 6 feet tall, and not even here in Holland are there many (dancing) ladies that tall... Normally I like being tall, even in dancing. It's however not nice if you're partnerless like me...

Well at least I don't have to worry about knees coming too high up ;)
 
If you can find a long-legged girl who is about 5'10" without heels, that could work out.
 
Without shoes, I'm 5'8" on a tall day. As of late, I've been smitten with this lass that started showing up to the socials. I think she's a little over an inch, maybe two inches, taller than me without shoes. *warm thoughts :)*

Honestly, her biggest issue is being comfortable with being tall and standing out. It's like there's a mental block that keeps her from owning every inch of her lovely height. I have a bit of anecdotal evidence to support this.

Last social we were sharing a tango and I teased her that it was finally time to stretch those long legs out. Her response was, "Oh great! And I try so hard to hide them." There was a hint of seriousness that explains her reluctance to lift her posture.

I think with a bit of coaxing she'll be gliding in no time. That smile and those eyes are all the motivation I need to keep chipping away... Did I mention I was smitten?
 
Standard: The Right Height

I have always been under the impression that the girl should be slightly shorter than the guy in ballroom dancing. Research shows that the height ratio between man and woman for optimal romantic attraction is 11:10, man:woman (that's a 6'0 man and a 5'5-5'6 girl, for example).

But that gets me thinking: If the girl in a partnership is shorter than the guy, won't she not be able to lower as much in standard, and wouldn't that then mean that she gets less movement than the guy?

In order for both partners to lower and move the same amount, wouldn't it be better for both people to be the same height?
 
Speaking as a (legitimately) 6'2" guy, I consider my ideal dance partner to be 5'8ish. Possibly part of the problem is just how rare it is for me to have the chance to dance with them, but I find it slightly more awkward to dance with ladies in the 5'10"+ range. Not that I would turn down the opportunity to dance with a lady who was that tall, of course.
 
There's a thread for that: http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=3673

Might be worth merging, if the mods were so inclined.

One thing that matters more than absolute height is leg length. For example, I'm much (9-ish inches) shorter than my DH, but all of my height is in my legs, and most of his is in his torso. So our hips are even and matching our strides is easy. Of course, with me being short in the torso, getting big shapes is less easy. But I'm working on it.
 
I believe that on average, women have longer legs than men, i.e. a 5'8" woman has longer legs than a 5'8" man. And once you add 2.5" heels, any difference from the man being taller disappears.
 
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