"Oh, you're a ballroom dancer..."

D

Dancing Irishman

Forum Master
Hey all,

I'm planning to take up swing (lindy / east coast is most popular in my area) and/or salsa because I really want to get better at spontaneity, connection with a partner, and leading/following to an extent that ballroom socials in my new area are definitely insufficient. I'm a competitive dancer by training with some cross training in ballet/jazz, so inevitably muscle memory will kick in when learning these new styles in a way that's potentially jarring to people in those dance communities. Obviously some people will be really welcoming about it, but I'm still expecting some negative connotations to go with the phrase in the thread title. Anyone have suggestions on graceful responses to mild hostility/bemusement/discomfort in reaction to my ballroom technique coming out?

Mods, if you feel this belongs in the salsa or swing boards, sorry for putting it in the wrong one. I was assuming since I'm looking for ballroom dancers' input it belonged here.
 
Just try real hard not to put Latin hip movement into your lindy hop and you will be welcomed with open arms;)

Honestly, there will always be some people who are jerks and feel that they have something to prove, but most people will just be pleased that you are trying to pick up that style of dancing. I have seen some real hostility towards ballroom dancers, but that was in a WCS venue. If you run into something like that, I would try to find another group. If it is (truly) good natured teasing, try to roll with it. You WILL be teased when your ballroom arm styling comes out...I am primarily a ballroom dancer and even I would tease you about it.

Keep us posted on how it goes!
 
I also went through this, first in salsa almost 8 years ago, then in WCS, brazilian zouk, kizomba

Your formal dance training will surely be very useful in general terms like balance, efficiency of movement etc. However, --style-- and approach to teaching and dancing in those communities are way different than in ballroom, so you just have to be very open minded, like you are starting learning dancing from the very beginning. After you spend certain amount of time there (at least several months), then you can start drawing some parallels between ballroom and salsa (or swing). Finally, you will probably realize that actually it isn't that different, at the end it's just dancing, but try to be open minded at the beginning and forget about your dancing history. Some other guys in my venue didn't take that path and started behaving like they already know almost everything, but it always ended in a way that most people started avoiding dancing with them, so whether they changed their behavior, or they quit
 
I also do a lot of ballroom, and I also get amused by ballroomy dancers in other styles, so...

I think the important thing is to be open minded and not be dogmatic. One of the things that gets people annoyed about ballroom is when ballroom dancers/teachers think they can do/teach any other dances as well as or better than the people who actually do those dances, just because they are ballroom dancers and ballroom has "more technique" than anything else (LOL). I think this feeling might be stronger in some scenes, like WCS (since ballroom studios actually teach "WCS", which is usually slow jive with sugar pushes, from what I've seen). Or, you get people from ballroom and/or ballet/modern backgrounds going on videos of Lindy, etc, and commenting on how they're not pointing their feet and spotting their turns, therefore they're not good dancers. Just realize that there are different styles and that much "technique" is style-specific rather than truly universal.
 
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nikkitta said:
I confess, watching a ballet-trained dancer in a group ECS class was pretty amusing. She danced everything with turnout.
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I watched a movie once (don't remember the title) where this seriously trained ballerina went to an audition for a Jason Derulo video, where the choreographer and Jason were present and teaching them groups that would be in the video. I'll let your mind tell you the rest of the story.

To be fair, she didn't actually think she would be in the video, and just wanted the experience.

bookish said:
I also do a lot of ballroom, and I also get amused by ballroomy dancers in other styles, so...

I think the important thing is to be open minded and not be dogmatic. One of the things that gets people annoyed about ballroom is when ballroom dancers/teachers think they can do/teach any other dances as well as or better than the people who actually do those dances, just because they are ballroom dancers and ballroom has "more technique" than anything else (LOL). I think this feeling might be stronger in some scenes, like WCS (since ballroom studios actually teach "WCS", which is usually slow jive with sugar pushes, from what I've seen). Or, you get people from ballroom and/or ballet/modern backgrounds going on videos of Lindy, etc, and commenting on how they're not pointing their feet and spotting their turns, therefore they're not good dancers. Just realize that there are different styles and that much "technique" is style-specific rather than truly universal.
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This is an excellent summary of it all.

The other way around...a lot of non-ballroom dancers may have experienced that kind of attitude from ballroom dancers and so may judge people they can tell have ballroom experience...

bookish said:
I also do a lot of ballroom,
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For some reason I read that as bathroom...
 
ajiboyet said:
The other way around...a lot of non-ballroom dancers may have experienced that kind of attitude from ballroom dancers and so may judge people they can tell have ballroom experience..
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This is exactly what I'm worried about. I don't mind some good-natured teasing, but I'm more worried about the people who will have a negative view starting off because they've met other ballroom dancers who were less than stellar ambassadors for our style.
 
Is it sad that I immediately thought "Turn the Beat Around? No, that was hustle, maybe it was...? No, that was so and so and..." And now, I hope you're happy, but it's gonna kill me until I find out that movie (and watch it, and complain about it but then say I liked it because I could complain about it.)

... My cat's thought processes are rubbing off on me.
 
Anyone have suggestions on graceful responses to mild hostility/bemusement/discomfort in reaction to my ballroom technique coming out?
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How about "I'm working on it," as in, I'm working on learning a this dance and it's a different style?
Young gal who has taken to dancing with me mentioned rise and fall when we were doing waltz(?) the other night, as in "No rise and fall?" My reply was that we were doing country western.

Somewhat off topic, maybe, but the same gal mentioned that I was "being nice" to her when we danced a West Coast to a slower song. Well, I was dancing to the music, so "of course" what I was doing felt (and probably looked) different.
I know some people who never lose the ballroom stuff. It makes me think they might be happier dancing somewhere else, to different music. I never say anything to them, but I don't ask the women to dance. And, no surprise, they don't ask me why I don't ask them.

So, at least to me, letting people know that you are sincerely interested in learning how to dance in a way that is more consistent with the style you are working on, would be a good approach. And anyone that isn't good with that would best be avoided.
 
Hedwaite said:
Is it sad that I immediately thought "Turn the Beat Around? No, that was hustle, maybe it was...? No, that was so and so and..." And now, I hope you're happy, but it's gonna kill me until I find out that movie (and watch it, and complain about it but then say I liked it because I could complain about it.)

... My cat's thought processes are rubbing off on me.
Click to expand...

It IS Turn The Beat Around.
 
Yeah I doubt you'll have any problems just judging from your very nice and considered attitude in your post. The thing that rubs people the wrong way is ballroom dancers barging in, refusing to actually do the techniques being taught (in lindy or salsa etc) and putting things down where the dances are different from ballroom (the athletic posture, not pointing toes etc)

You should be treated as an individual, not as an abstract "ballroom dancer" so really things should be just fine, again the main thing to do to keep the peace from your side is not to put down the dance you're learning and to actually try to do the dance the way it's being taught there. Not succeeding at it is fine, it's the trying and the open mind that will make all the difference

If you're up for it please post in the swing forum about how it goes learning lindy, I'm really fascinated by the commonalities and differences in the different partner dances and I'm sure you'll have an interesting perspective with your background

I forgot to mention that my main dances are lindy, balboa and blues so that's where my perspective comes from
 
Most people who dance solely WCS and consider themselves experts on it that I've seen dance like they have an intense itch right in their butt-crack, and the only way they can scratch it is by that "put 'em together" clamp-and-wiggle-rub. I look for the next modification to The Basic to be Taylor Swifting, if that keeps up.
 
Teasing probably will happen but as long as it's just harmless teasing I would just laugh with them. My friend who does Latin always teases me when I dance Latin because I always somehow manage it incorporate some standard technique lol... It's pretty funny

Also when people say that, just say "why yes I am!" And smile really big... Just act like it was a compliment and they won't know how to respond
 
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