what are those figures that you see used all the time, that hog up all the time from all the great moves that don't get much show time. maybe you don't like the figure that much, maybe there's other figures you like more. for whatever reason, what move do you think gets used to often in shows/comps/etc
"overly used" figures (in open/syllabus pro or am, in your opinion)
- Thread starter famfam
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ajiboyet
Well-Known Member
First bar of a natural turn into several pivots turns, international style waltz.. I actually like this, especially the way they go from deep sway on the natural turn to no sway on the pivots (I have a weakness for well executed pivots). Nevertheless I think it's overused. Whoever started it?
DanceMentor
Administrator
One reason there may be less variety in pro-am is there is very little emphasis placed on judging the actual choreography choices. If you select a figure with a higher level of difficulty, you don't get more points from it necessarily. You more get judged for what you do wrong, so people tend to go for well executed basics, or at least common figures that are well recognized. Over in the WDSF part of their score is based on level of difficulty of chorography, so there is more emphasis placed on variety and difficulty level.
danceronice
Forum Master
I think DanceMentor means not LITERAL points (at least that's not how pro-am's judged; you just get a raw ordinal from each judge) but there's no benefit to doing rarer or harder figures when they're mostly judging the technical ability of the student. Ie why risk doing something odd and screwing up when you can do something basic and clean?
But as far as pro-am goes the reason you don't see a big variety of routines is simpler than that. The pros have to remember them with multiple students. Even WITHOUT changing it up for each person I have been dancing with a pro who's had a moment of "which routine are we doing again?" They get a routine that works and basically stick to it because it's one less thing to remember. So sticking in rarer figures that they might not be comfortable with is less likely to happen.
But as far as pro-am goes the reason you don't see a big variety of routines is simpler than that. The pros have to remember them with multiple students. Even WITHOUT changing it up for each person I have been dancing with a pro who's had a moment of "which routine are we doing again?" They get a routine that works and basically stick to it because it's one less thing to remember. So sticking in rarer figures that they might not be comfortable with is less likely to happen.
fascination
Site Moderator
actually I see lots of overdone train wrecks..because it is easier to dress a pig than it is to execute basic actions beautifully
suburbaknght
Well-Known Member
American smooth waltz: the figure known variously known as face-to-face back-to-back/left side by side changes/in and out changes/butterfly/schmetterling. Way, way, way overused.
Lyra
Active Member
Terpsichorean Clod
Forum Master
I would be more favorably inclined towards throwaway oversways if more of them were timed to match highlights in the music.
I would be more favorably inclined towards throwaway oversways if more of them were timed to match highlights in the music.
This.
(But, in their defense, they're so much fun to do, especially if you have no idea they're coming, and bam, there you go.
But I digress.)
Champagne Glide and He-Goes-She-Goes
Leon Theou
Active Member
I would be more favorably inclined towards throwaway oversways if more of them were timed to match highlights in the music.
This, I feel like goes to a criticism I often see from Lindyhoppers and Tangueros: Too often, in competitive ballroom, couples treat the music as merely a metronome. If the routine says throwaway oversway four bars into the dance, then four bars into the dance there will be a throwaway oversway, regardless of what the music might be doing.