Invigilation for dancing standard in smooth

I didn't realize I had used up my window to edit my previous post. Crap! I had some clarifications, even if it made it like a whole novel. Needs to be bumped to thirty, heh.
 
Being able to dance higher level steps should be a privilege and not a necessity. If you get kicked out of a level because you placed enough times to place out, then that doesn't mean you are necessarily good enough to start doing steps from the next level. On top of which a good coach will play off new steps that might still be from lower levels as more difficult. I danced with someone who was convinced he had all this complicated gold choreo and working at FADS now I have learned most of it were basic bronze and silver steps.
 
smidra86 said:
Also, if you have great standard technique, shaping and frame and hold in smooth will transfer over from that, so you will have great closed hold, but not necessarily open hold. If you learn how to transfer your closed hold stuff into open hold you will become and unstoppable smooth dancer (i.e. any of the smooth champions from the last several years or so, they have mostly been standard or 10-dance trained)
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Exactly!!! You need Standard as a base, but you do need to learn certain "Smooth only" technique. (Which is why I'm always nagging my partner to start working on Standard more :D because there are certain things we're clearly not getting from doing just our Smooth!)
 
I think it was pointed out in another thread that nothing in the rules says that a couple may not break frame in an open-level Standard round, however such a couple would be looked down upon for straying from the character of the Standard [whatever dance]. Similarly, there is nothing mandating that an open Quickstep must include all the hopping and skipping and running which we are used to seeing, but it looks out of place (not wrong, just out of place) on the floor. I feel like the same thing applies in Smooth - nowhere is it written that one must dance figures in open positions, but on a floor of everyone swinging around in open and shadow positions, it looks weird because that is something that characterizes the style.
 
Larinda McRaven said:
First off... let's get the terminology straight. There is NO such thing as Standard technique and Smooth technique. There IS closed position technique and open position technique.

Second... why are we so terribly off topic?

Third... aren't there a million other threads that address the differences/similarities between the two?
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At that point, it's really a matter of vocabulary, not theory.

And because DF loves to beat a dead horse :)
 
Leon Theou said:
I think it was pointed out in another thread that nothing in the rules says that a couple may not break frame in an open-level Standard round, however such a couple would be looked down upon for straying from the character of the Standard [whatever dance]. Similarly, there is nothing mandating that an open Quickstep must include all the hopping and skipping and running which we are used to seeing, but it looks out of place (not wrong, just out of place) on the floor. I feel like the same thing applies in Smooth - nowhere is it written that one must dance figures in open positions, but on a floor of everyone swinging around in open and shadow positions, it looks weird because that is something that characterizes the style.
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Hence why (to bring it full circle and get back on topic!) we have judges, to judge those subjective things, to keep the "unwritten" rules (EG breaking frame in smooth, IF they believe it's important), and it's NOT the invigilators job!
 
5678dance said:
I really liked that question though, it shoots straight to the point as to why people feel uncomfortable with someone dancing purely standard in open smooth... even though it's legal!!
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I don't feel uncomfortable about it at all. More strong dancers in open smooth would make the style better.
 
Warren J. Dew said:
I don't feel uncomfortable about it at all. More strong dancers in open smooth would make the style better.
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First off, I didn't say that everyone would feel uncomfortable with a couple doing solely standard in open smooth (it's not in the rules that you must open up!)... Secondly, are you saying that on the whole, open smooth dancers are not strong dancers??? Or do you mean, some are not as strong standard dancers, and therefore, working on their closed position technique would help strengthen the field? Because I think you mean the latter, not the former :)

And it's already been said here in this thread, working on closed position technique would help one's open position technique. But that's off topic again :)
 
Terpsichorean Clod said:
I saw this recently. Yes, they were sticking to the smooth syllabus. But they were dancing only the closed hold figures. And the prep step at the beginning was pretty noticeable. ;) I was surprised that the judges actually called the offending couples over and gave them an ultimatum - if the judges were to recall them to the next round, they had to promise to break hold.

Anyone else actually see this happen?
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If you change a few words of the original post to:

"I saw this recently. Yes, they were sticking to the smooth syllabus. But they were dancing only the closed hold figures. And the prep step at the beginning was pretty noticeable. ;)

I was surprised that ONE SINGLE JUDGE actually called the couples IN QUESTION over and gave them a STRONG PERSONAL SUGGESTION - FOR the judges TO BE MUCH MORE LIKELY to recall them to the next round, they SHOULD break hold."

Now this seems
(a) much more likely to have happened
(b) much more reasonable
(c) a lot less interesting
 
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