Personality and dancing

[Partner Dancer]

Can you tell much about someone by the way they dance, either competitively or socially? By either just observing and/or by interactively partnering with him/her, without the benefit of other extended personal interaction?

For instance, is the subject smart or slow, uptight or easy going, obsessive or nonchalant, reasonable or irrational, complex or simple, instinctive or thinking? Of course this is tempered by experience and background, but oftentimes the inclinations of the dancer may offer many insights, or perhaps not.

After all, they say you learn more about someone by body language than what they may actually say.

 

[fascination]

I am not certain you can tell from just a peripheral association with someone else's dancing...i think, like any other instance, you have to put in a certain amount of time to get a truly accurate window of a person's over-arching tendencies...and to make a judgement over a shorter period of time simply shows you one side of them...and most of us are multi-faceted...but yes, I do think that over the course of time people's over arching paersonalities can be detected...operative word being detect, as I think really good dancers are very good at overcoming and doing what it takes regardless of their personality...but I do know that the aspects of my dancing that are weak are consistent with aspects of my general personality that are weak...and likewise with strengths

 

[nucat78]

People are too complex to categorize with a limited observation period and limited circumstances. Too many variables.

 

[DrDoug]

People are too complex to categorize with a limited observation period and limited circumstances. Too many variables.

See Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

 

[nucat78]

See Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

Back at ya!

In Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can’t Be Made in the Blink of an Eye (Simon and Schuster, 2006), Michael LeGault argues that "Blinklike" judgements are no substitute for critical thinking. He criticizes Gladwell for propagating unscientific notions:
As naturopathic medicine taps into a deep mystical yearning to be healed by nature, Blink exploits popular new-age beliefs about the power of the subconscious, intuition, even the paranormal. Blink devotes a significant number of pages to the so-called theory of mind reading. While allowing that mind-reading can "sometimes" go wrong, the book enthusiastically celebrates the apparent success of the practice, despite hosts of scientific tests showing that claims of clairvoyance rarely beat the odds of random chance guessing.[

 

[bordertangoman]

I dont have a persoanlity but I can dance..cant see the problem..

 

[opendoor]

..they say you learn more about someone by body language than what they may actually say.

This would be true, if someone is a native dancer, uneffected by anything around him (see wiki for Kaspar Hauser). I for instance initially was seeking for a role model. I found new ones, now, but I am still correcting myself all the way. The native dancer is a starting point, no aim. I would say that musicality is given, but the erection of the spine, the resoluteness of the lead, the flexibility of the embrace, the position of the head, knees, and feet, are somehow under control. Once I saw a hugh dancer on the dancefloor, firm and resolute expression on his face, mouth corners drooped down, highly concentrated.... I tried to get out of his way, but when I got to know him later, he turned out to be right the opposite besides the dance floor, a decent, lets say reserved up to shy man.

 

[DrDoug]

Back at ya!

Hmm, I wonder if Legault read Gladwell's book or just wrote about it.

 

[CANI]

Hmm, I wonder if Legault read Gladwell's book or just wrote about it.

Funny -- I had the exact same thought...

 

[Partner Dancer]

Back at ya!

Seems like there is really no way to ever gauge anyone's personality as everyone and anyone is multi-faceted, and more importantly, multi-faced. So, there is no definitive way to determine how many and which snapshots capture the essence of a subject.

IOW, there is no way to truly profile anyone, despite all the pseudo science mythicized by the media and Hollywood.

 

[Partner Dancer]

I dont have a persoanlity but I can dance..cant see the problem..

You can probably tell that you have no personality. But, how do you know that you can dance?

 

[Ray Sison]

You can probably tell that you have no personality. But, how do you know that you can dance?

LOL...

Since I've seen the original post, I've thought about the people who dance in my life, and try to see if their personalities come out in their dancing. It can be a challenge, when you don't know anything about the person, and just see a cursory "persona". But as for when I know something about a person, I've noticed people that are bossy outside of dance can be bossy with their partners when they're dancing. And I've seen that humble, thoughtful people can be humbly and thoughtful with their partners when they dance; and, on the other hand, showboats outside of dance can be showoffs when they dance...

 

[bordertangoman]

You can probably tell that you have no personality. But, how do you know that you can dance?

oh, i dont know, but when the right music starts my body moves..I think thats what dancing is, right?

 

[Bailamosdance]

The question is - what is 'personality'? Defined within the context of someone in a 9 to 5 situation? Or the arts? When faced with unique stresses and situations? Or when in their 'comfort zone'?

I contend that a great dancer creates great dance, and their dancing is shaped by the ability to incorporate their values and feelings that are in the moment. saying that someone who is bossy in one situation will be bossy in active dancing is disingenuous.

However, in a social dance situation, you will probably see people who carry over their tics and issues - they are not always able to transcend the requirements of an on-the-spot social dance against the purity of their own dance values. Yes, someone who has control issues in life will try to impose those issues on a dance, true, but the process of training yourself to dance starts out by stripping away those kinds of things in order to receive instruction and progress. In other words, the unsuccessful dancer is limited by the same things that limit them in life...

 

[Partner Dancer]

oh, i dont know, but when the right music starts my body moves..I think thats what dancing is, right?

A small rock placed on a suspended floor will move when loud music with heavy bass is played. And a rock has no personality. So, can we safely say that you are a rock? ;-)

Your sign about Tango and elephant parts tells pretty much the folly of drawing conclusions about someone based on his/her dancing, but it applies to describing most people/things/situations/etc. in life generally as well.