The agony of being a good dancer... and alone.

[etchuck]

Still some salsa dancers seem very good without competitions.

If ballroom had half as much popular participation as salsa, you might start to see people approaching it differently. (And to a limited extent, when the large Boston collegiate teams get together, you in fact do see a much more social take on things).

But the dances are also different - although ballroom was originally and briefly a "deviant" dance, for generations its been a formalized one, wheras even though salsa makes appearences in organized classes and studios, it's still much more of an informal club dance.

Yup we don't have too many ballroom dances in our area. However, there are many dance mixes, and often a waltz or foxtrot can be done during swing dances... Perhaps this is why it is good that I have a street latin addiction.

Hmm... that's interesting. There is a salsa scene in Boston, and I've been very impressed with the few Bostonian salseros/as that just have such an amazing dance style. I'd agree that for whatever reason they are more into a different type of competition where it's much more subjective in terms of style (perhaps???) compared to judging salsa versus a "standard".

I grant I probably can go ballroom dancing up to three times a week depending on the week. Certainly not all the dances will be immensely popular, but that happens. On the other hand, I can also dance salsa at least 3 times a week, swing 2-3 times a week, Argentine tango 2 times a week, and country western-dance up to 4.

 

[Chris Stratton]

the extent to which the local talent is good enough to be worth investing that kind of effort in.

"Talent" is the most pointless word in the ballroom vocabulary. The only thing that matters is if someone has the drive to improve, and access to training that can guide them. If you want to look at someone's past, look at their pace of their development, not where they started from. Too often, those who start with a reliance on talent never outgrow their initial habits - when this becomes a frustrating limitation, they quit.

 

[tsb]

the 'right' answer is going to be different for everybody; your own personal goals & desire towards achieving those goals will tell you what you need to do.

having said that, in your own situation, once you find a partner, who would coach you?

 

[tsb]

the extent to which the local talent is good enough to be worth investing that kind of effort in.

"Talent" is the most pointless word in the ballroom vocabulary. The only thing that matters is if someone has the drive to improve, and access to training that can guide them. If you want to look at someone's past, look at their pace of their development, not where they started from. Too often, those who start with a reliance on talent never outgrow their initial habits - when this becomes a frustrating limitation, they quit.

if you don't want to call it 'talent' fine, but there is a certain level of aptitude you need; i know plenty of people who dance (leaders & followers) who've had plenty of competent instruction who still can't even find the downbeat or maintain a consistent tempo to save their lives. and if they're inattentive drivers the odds are good that their floorcraft will be equally deplorable.

 

[Chris Stratton]

if you don't want to call it 'talent' fine, but there is a certain level of aptitude you need; i know plenty of people who dance (leaders & followers) who've had plenty of competent instruction who still can't even find the downbeat or maintain a consistent tempo to save their lives. and if they're inattentive drivers the odds are good that their floorcraft will be equally deplorable.

Those things all get fixed in relatively short order when someone decides to make fixing them their personal goal. This is critically different from having others suggest that these areas should be their goal.

 

[tsb]

if you don't want to call it 'talent' fine, but there is a certain level of aptitude you need; i know plenty of people who dance (leaders & followers) who've had plenty of competent instruction who still can't even find the downbeat or maintain a consistent tempo to save their lives. and if they're inattentive drivers the odds are good that their floorcraft will be equally deplorable.

Those things all get fixed in relatively short order when someone decides to make fixing them their personal goal. This is critically different from having others suggest that these areas should be their goal.

some people work very hard at it but just aren't going to be good dancers - & i think they'd be offended by your implication(s) in your statement.

 

[Chris Stratton]

some people work very hard at it but just aren't going to be good dancers - & i think they'd be offended by your implication(s) in your statement.

Sure, there's a lot of wasted hard work going on - because for someone really struggling, they need the guidance of someone who really understands what it means to have to work at those aspects, and who believes they can be dealt with. If someone is putting in tons of work and not getting anywhere, it's because there's a prerequisite detail that's been glossed over. A lot of the people involved in dancing were able to glide over many details, at least until the point where further progress requires a deep re-examination of everything. If you are surrounded by those who are operating on the basis of a lot of assumptions which don't apply to you, then yes, it could be quite frustrating. But the problem is other's assumptions, not your own inability.

 

[tacad]

Ok, I'll put in my two cents. In my own life I probably will relocate closer to dancing. Its such a big part of my life and the only thing I have any passion for. But I have a job that can relocate relatively easy. It wouldn't be a big deal. Of course, I do social dancing, not competition.

 

[tsb]

some people work very hard at it but just aren't going to be good dancers - & i think they'd be offended by your implication(s) in your statement.

Sure, there's a lot of wasted hard work going on - because for someone really struggling, they need the guidance of someone who really understands what it means to have to work at those aspects, and who believes they can be dealt with. If someone is putting in tons of work and not getting anywhere, it's because there's a prerequisite detail that's been glossed over. A lot of the people involved in dancing were able to glide over many details, at least until the point where further progress requires a deep re-examination of everything. If you are surrounded by those who are operating on the basis of a lot of assumptions which don't apply to you, then yes, it could be quite frustrating. But the problem is other's assumptions, not your own inability.

by extension you'd be able to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds if you just worked hard enough and got the right coaching.

 

[tsb]

Ok, I'll put in my two cents. In my own life I probably will relocate closer to dancing. Its such a big part of my life and the only thing I have any passion for. But I have a job that can relocate relatively easy. It wouldn't be a big deal. Of course, I do social dancing, not competition.

so you'll be able to start staying later than 10pm? :lol:

 

[Chris Stratton]

by extension you'd be able to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds if you just worked hard enough and got the right coaching.

It's quite a stretch to call that a parallel to even competitive dancing, let alone social dancing. If you want a sports analogy, I'd be far more likley to compare dancing to learning to swim.

 

[Laura]

Anyone can learn to swim well enough to survive falling in a lake, fewer people bother to learn to swim with good technique, and far fewer still can become elite-level racing swimmers because body type starts to come strongly into play (that's why the world's top swimmers a are long-limbed, broady shouldered, and narrow hipped...and it's not just the training that makes them that way).

 

[Chris Stratton]

The key aspects there are not that some will never be in the olympics, but that almost everyone can learn to swim at a basic level, and to pursue it quite far against their own personal challenges. Similarly dancing - if you have some range of movement in your body, you can learn to dance with it. If you have typical range of motion, you can go reasonably far in an historically social form like ballroom.

 

[tsb]

The key aspects there are not that some will never be in the olympics, but that almost everyone can learn to swim at a basic level, and to pursue it quite far against their own personal challenges. Similarly dancing - if you have some range of movement in your body, you can learn to dance with it. If you have typical range of motion, you can go reasonably far in an historically social form like ballroom.

so there is a point where innate ability - or talent - makes a difference - which was my point all along.

 

[Chris Stratton]

so there is a point where innate ability - or talent - makes a difference - which was my point all along.

Not to much practical degree. There a are a few elite activities that may be reserved for those who start in an advantageous position, but most people have the potential to pursue things far, far beyond the level they will ultimately chose to.