Rate your experience with BR, salsa, TA, swing based on difficulty?

[longtry]

Hi all,

I want to begin learning 4 types of dance categories listed on our forum, namely (slow) Waltz, Salsa, Tango Argentino and Lindy Hop one by one. I plan to start with the easiest of them. So if you're familiar with all, or at least some of those 4, then what is your opinion about their respective difficulty to get to the level just above rookie?

Thanks!

 

[opendoor]

Why not start with the most difficult one? If you would, you will get the more easier dances for free on top!

 

[David_In_CA]

Why those four? That could help people guide you.

 

[Greybeard]

I assume that by slow waltz you are talking about ballroom standard or smooth waltz instead of Viennese. I have also danced to some waltz music that was so slow I almost forgot which foot went next, but that is more advanced and I don't think that is what you want.

I also assume that by "Just above rookie" you are talking about the first three or four steps or variations. That would get you a little variety and a little more to do than the basic. This would get you some skills (frame, leading), but would not start getting real heavy into the style (rise and fall, hip motion, pulse).

Waltz is easiest because it has an even rythm, each step is one beat and each beat one step. The down side is waltz is 3/4 rythm and most music has a different beat -- dancing outside class might be difficult because places that play this type of waltz usually play a lot of other dances.

Salsa is difficult because you move on 3/4 of the beats and wait on the rest. You can see discussion in this forum giving the beat 1,2,3,5,6,7. The 4 and 8 beats are not counted because there should be no movement. It's also a pretty fast beat. One up side is that there are places that play a lot of salsa.

Lindy hop I'm not familiar with. From what I understand it wouldn't be too difficult, and you can dance to a lot of rock music with it.

Argentine has been difficult for me. Part of the problem is switching from ballroom to AT. There's a different mindset. Wikipedia says there is no basic -- how do you do a partner dance without a basic? In ballroom frame and posture is away from the partner while in AT it's towards the partner. At the beginning level ballroom dancers use natural dance opposite feet (I move my left while asking the lady to move her right) while in AT I frequently change my foot while hoping hers doesn't (we both move the right foot at the same time). Musicality is more emphasized -- each band is danced differently. For the more advanced AT dancers it's each phrase of the song is danced differently.

 

[raindance]

I agree it would be helpful to know why you are picking those four, and what your goals are. Your general geographic area (country or region) and age group (20s? 60s? etc) may also help people give you helpful direction.

If you are taking basic ballroom lessons, many teachers or studios will start you out with more than one dance at a time, depending on their program. But many ballroom studios don't teach much or any Argentine Tango or lindy hop.

In most areas I'm aware of Argentine and Lindy are each danced in different dance communities. Salsa can be danced within the salsa scene, or as part of a mixed social dance (often organized by ballroom folks).

There are certainly some teachers and studios that will teach at least a few of the four you've picked. Just be aware you've picked a bit of an odd mix of dances to start with if you are a new dancer and are hoping to dance multiple different dances in the same night at the same venue.

If you are brand new, you might start by looking at what local studios and teachers are available, and what dances they teach. Then pick a teacher or studio to start with, and get started with a few dances to see what you like.

Good luck, and have fun with it!

 

[DL]

Which dance best aligns with your personality and enthusiasm? That's probably your initial path of least resistance towards learning to dance well.

 

[opendoor]

Your general geographic area..

Good point, raindance. Slow waltz and tango music are part of the common western cultural history, whereas salsa rhythms might be a challenge (was for me, anyway) when hearing for the first time. Also swing music is quite close to our usual daily background sound.

..and age group..

Of course lindy is the most demanding dance in respect of athletics, whereas tango is the least of all. Another age-related aspect is the dance community in question. Many dancers migrate at their 50s from ballroom or salsa to the tango community, I‘ve never saw it the other way round.

 

[opendoor]

Longtry, are you asking for yourself, for someone else, or from the perspective of a couple?

 

[longtry]

Woah, a lot of replies! I'll try to address all of your raised points...

I'm a man in the early 30s and live in South East Asia. I want to get myself familiar with dances because I've noticed, from time to time, that when a good piece of music is on, I can feel a tendency or an urge to move my body. So the question is for myself, @opendoor . Having known about DF lately, I've read this post by zhena and understand that there are 4 types of dance that are kind of global. Our site's main fora also reflect that, as BR, salsa, TA and swing have a lot more posting activities than Country & western.

From that point, I've done a bit of research to pick out what 1 dance should represent each category, should I only have time to learn 4. Salsa and TA are self-explanatory. For swing it's easy to know lindy is the most popular. It's harder for BR because there are so many, but I think I'm biased toward waltz because of all those romantic scenes in the movies, TV and whatnot. And by waltz I meant the ballroom variety, @Greybeard , as from what I read Viennese is a little too fast. BTW, did your analysis mean waltz < lindy < TA < salsa?

So that's my thought process, @David_D . I want to learn all 4 dances to a level 'above rookie', which may means 'intermediate'? Anyway, that's a skill level where I can do social dance quite decently without difficulties. I can see that my approach for a pretty brand newcomer is about the same with @raindance 's, namely trying a few (in this case, 4) to have a feel of what I like. Once I've found it, I would advance that particular dance skill to a higher level.

@DL : to answer which dance suits my personality & enthusiasm is kinda hard at this stage. For one thing, pointing out someone's personality is best done by a 3rd person, as their own self-view is often skewed. Secondly, I have to know some dances before I can say "Which dance?", while my repertoire is more or less a blank page now. That leads back to exactly what I'm trying to do, which is to choose a few and test the waters. I've made a thread to ask about solo moves, too, because I think it's not always the case where we have a partner ready when a charming music comes. Maybe you guys can help on that front, too?

OK, I hope the above help explain my situation some more. BTW, it looks like very few of us here have experience with all 4 dance categories?

 

[RiseNFall]

For swing it's easy to know lindy is the most popular.


OK, I hope the above help explain my situation some more. BTW, it looks like very few of us here have experience with all 4 dance categories?

Not sure why you say that about Lindy; where I am, there are lots of reasonable easy places to learn and dance West Coast Swing. Lindy, not so much. Plus, WCS gets added in to general dance mixes. Once more, Lindy, not so much.

I think a lot of us probably have SOME experience in all four (I do), but not a lot in some of the categories.

I think Raindance's suggestion to start with what is in your local community is excellent.

 

[opendoor]

.. Raindance's suggestion to start with what in your local community is excellent..

I fear the excellence and expertise of a teacher is insignificant for the beginner. (But it will increase with the years). More significant is the community of dancers around that school or studio. Many open and communicative people will ease the start of this hobby. Learning to dance is not only about steps, it is social learning too.

 

[DL]

@DL : to answer which dance suits my personality & enthusiasm is kinda hard at this stage. For one thing, pointing out someone's personality is best done by a 3rd person, as their own self-view is often skewed.

Oh, I see. You want someone else to tell you which style you like best. OK. It's Waltz. Feel free to disagree.

 

[tangotime]

where I am,

there are lots of reasonable easy places to learn and dance West Coast Swing.

There is the key phrase...

 

[tangotime]

I'm a man in the early 30s and live in South East Asia.

Your part of the world is replete with Salsa... The most dominant social dance on the planet..

 

[David_In_CA]

I think everyone has it right. Pick the dance that has the biggest scene, and try that one first. You get decent fastest if you can dance multiple times a week. What part of SE Asia are you in?