Top Couples Dancing both WDSF and WDC

I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to be comparing here. Are you saying that the top video is old style and the bottom new style?
 
Christopher Hawkins video from years ago vs Hawkins video from last week. I did not include vid from years ago b/c I assumed (foolishly) that people who were interested in Standard a while ago would be familiar with his style, which was old school. Which the above videos are not. Which the below video is.
 
j_alexandra said:
Or are all the people who used to care about this gone from DF?
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In my case, I was raising kids. But now they're dancing, and I have a story about it.

I was playing a video of the world Juvenile to see how good 9 year old would need to get to have a chance, and he left off his videogame to look over my shoulder. Not wanting him to get the wrong idea, I noted that the way the kids were arching (lordosing?) their backs to get body contact could be uncomfortable and I didn't recommend it. Then to illustrate I played a video of a current WDSF adult competition for how that style of body contact was likely to develop if maintained.

He said, "that might be a little uncomfortable for the man, but it looks really painful for the lady!"

So I played a video of the 1988 UK amateur final to show him the contrast. It only took him a few beats of dancing to exclaim, "wow, that dancing is so much better!"

Clearly we taught him right.
 
j_alexandra said:
Christopher Hawkins video from years ago vs Hawkins video from last week. I did not include vid from years ago b/c I assumed (foolishly) that people who were interested in Standard a while ago would be familiar with his style, which was old school. Which the above videos are not. Which the below video is.
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Threadomancy! Because I stumbled upon this older post of yours, @j_alexandra, and it is the second time this week that I see you posting an elite dancer's videos spanning a wide stretch of time. Likewise, this is the second time that I had a strong emotional response to it.

The first sequence I saw from you featured Shirley Ballas, and culminated with this post:
j_alexandra

Post in thread 'Why latin ballroom dancers stick their butt out and correct way to achieve this posture'

As long as I'm on a Shirley kick,
  • Like

Both Christopher & Shirley's sequences made me grin like an idiot while I watched. Because I think it is JUST SO COOL to see that even the most decorated of champions continually evolve their art. They do not ossify and stagnate at their peak.

The lesson I take from it is that "My Style" is not some static, idealized target I continually work toward but never reach. Instead, it is a place I live in the eternal present. It can change, evolve, mutate, according to whatever aesthetic most moves me and whatever my skills and knowledge allow at the current moment.

Empowering, heady stuff!
 
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