Partnering help

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xxtupikxx

Member
I am hoping for some help from all the good people here at the forum in answering this question. How do dancers that come from different dance backgrounds come together to form successful partnerships?

To clarify, depending on the dance studio: the individual technique of movement, and to a greater extent connection with your partner can be taught differently. How do accomplished dancers that have mastered these aspects of dance with a different "styles" agree on a common technique and interpretation of the dances to come together?

I am sure many of you have tried out with partners from alternate studios to discover that they dance quite differently. Please share your wisdom on how you reconcile different worlds :)

Thanks
 
If you are of vastly different styles of movement, either one of you abandons their original style in favor of the partner's (or pick and choose which areas you abandon), or you meet halfway if there's some compatibility.
 
xxtupikxx said:
taught differently. How do accomplished dancers that have mastered these aspects of dance with a different "styles" agree on a common technique and interpretation of the dances to come together?

I am sure many of you have tried out with partners from alternate studios to discover that they dance quite differently. Please share your wisdom on how you reconcile different worlds :)

Thanks
Click to expand...

It would be more helpful if you would define " style "-- Amer. or Intern.-- Latin or Rhythm ?. ( and at what level )
 
I interpreted the OP's question to be more along the lines of, "What if you or your partner is coming to ballroom from ballet, modern etc.?" I've never attempted any of those other styles, but I can sort of relate from being a musician (see the "Do musicians make bad dancers?" thread).

I think the biggest change is just getting used to the idea that there is a partnership, all the time. Most other styles of dance can be and often are danced solo, so a dancer coming from another style may not have much of an idea of partnership at all, depending on what they've been doing. I've known a couple of ballet-trained dancers who, upon taking up ballroom, said that they felt constrained and that their freedom to express was limited compared to the styles they came from. Now, we know that there is plenty of room for self-expression in ballroom, but you have to do some work to find it. (Particularly for leads, I think -- it takes a good while to get to the point where a lead can do that and still hold up his end of the partnership. I won't claim that I can do it consistently.) The other thing they may have to get used to is that in some of the other styles, particularly modern, your choice of music to dance to is wide open; you can devise a modern routine to fit pretty much anything. On the other hand, as ballroom dancers, I'm sure we can all think of great pieces of music that simply don't fit any of the dances we do.

Not at all sure I answered the question... :confused:
 
xxtupikxx said:
I am hoping for some help from all the good people here at the forum in answering this question. How do dancers that come from different dance backgrounds come together to form successful partnerships?

To clarify, depending on the dance studio: the individual technique of movement, and to a greater extent connection with your partner can be taught differently. How do accomplished dancers that have mastered these aspects of dance with a different "styles" agree on a common technique and interpretation of the dances to come together?

I am sure many of you have tried out with partners from alternate studios to discover that they dance quite differently. Please share your wisdom on how you reconcile different worlds :)

Thanks
Click to expand...

I interpreted as Joe did. For example - correct me if I'm mistaken - two different styles might be how a couple executes a New Yorker in Int'l Latin. One coach may teach a positive connection, versus a negative connection. In Int'l Samba, one coach may prefer more pelvic tilt, where another may prefer hip rotation. Obviously with the first example, a new couple would have to choose one or the other, otherwise they'll be falling over. With the Samba example, the couple may be able to come to a compromise, since one type of technique may not work for everyone.

Hopefully that made some sense: I have not have my coffee yet so I may be going on about nothing . . .
 
I think that it's very possible for two people of differing backgrounds to come together to form a successful partnership, although it's certainly not always easy! My suggestion would be to have the couple take coaching together from one consistent coach on a regular basis (preferably one whose dance style they both admire). This way, if there are any arguments over which way to do a move or style, it's agreed that their coach is the deciding factor. While it won't eliminate all conflict, it can at least keep the acclimation process to a minimum and help both people concentrate on their partnership vs. who is doing something 'the right way'.

:)
 
Practic. Practice. Practice. Find what works best for both of you. Listen to each other openly, and get lots of coaching for that outside opinion...at least they could be a ref :) When 2 people bring 2 different styles to a situation, there is a lot that both could add, and possibly become a very dynamic couple.
 
Easy said:
When 2 people bring 2 different styles to a situation, there is a lot that both could add, and possibly become a very dynamic couple.
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Agreed! One thing I love about ballroom is that it is an interaction between two dancers. If they are exactly the same in their styles, personalities, etcetera, then where is the chemistry or interaction? They complement each other, they play off each other's variances. It's brilliant. :)
 
Check out some videos on YouTube together. When you see something that makes you both go "Wow! I wanna do that!" you've found your style. Then you search out a coach who teaches it.
 
One possibility, perhaps more ideal than practical, is to consider that your respective teachers could probably dance together just fine - in essence, that a lot of the incompatibility is that you are each a fraction of your teachers, and that the fractions are more different and incompatible than the ultimate whole.

In other words, instead of moving sideways to meet, you might theoretically be able to reach up to the point where more comprehensive completeness achieves more similarity.

Yeah, right...
 
I'm dealing with this issue right at this very moment, and I'm getting quite frustrated. I've been dancing longer than my partner, so I've been exposed to various teachers and ideas. He, I think, whether unconsciously or not, gets stuck in the mindset of "So-and-So taught me this, therefore we should do it that way". I'm more inclined to think it through, ask whether it makes sense, and most importantly, *does it work for us*? There is no singular absolute one-size-fits-all when it comes to dancing.

I could go on and on about this, but I'd rather not get into too much detail about the parties involved; plus I'm rather irritated about it and may say something I'd regret :rolleyes::cool:. I'm trying to figure out a compromise that [1] doesn't create resentment, and [2] benefits the dance partnership the most.
 
BM said:
I interpreted as Joe did. For example - correct me if I'm mistaken - two different styles might be how a couple executes a New Yorker in Int'l Latin. One coach may teach a positive connection, versus a negative connection. In Int'l Samba, one coach may prefer more pelvic tilt, where another may prefer hip rotation. Obviously with the first example, a new couple would have to choose one or the other, otherwise they'll be falling over. With the Samba example, the couple may be able to come to a compromise, since one type of technique may not work for everyone.

Hopefully that made some sense: I have not have my coffee yet so I may be going on about nothing . . .
Click to expand...

Great examples! This is exactly what i meant when i asked the question. The practical problem is that both people think they are "right" to do things they way that they have been taught and its not clear how to reconcile.



Some ideas so far:
1) Pick one of the persons way of doing things.
2) Pick a new coach that both of you respect that helps negotiate the difference.
3) Argue till you are blue in face :)
 
no problem at all. I think a dancer has to be open minded. i've taken partners who did rhythm, ballet, jazz and many other things. Some have had problems and other's haven't. It take a while to develop a shared approach to dancing, but anyone can work together as long as they are willing to change be flexible and experiment.
 
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