Who do you watch when you see dancing??

flexi

flexi

Member
I know that when people watch dancing they often focus on different things..
Some people watch for accuracy, speed, and softness... others look at pretty makeup and shiny stones.. others watch feet to see if someone's doing it "right"..

I know often if I ask my partner if she saw something happen on the floor, she'll have no idea what I'm talking about because she's usually watching the girl in the partnership, and comparing herself to the dancer, opposed to watching a partnership, or watching the entire flow of the floor...

I know quite often, I find myself comparing myself to the guys as well, because I want to learn what else I can do..

I generally think in dancing, the lady is far more interesting to watch especially in latin, standard as well. They have to be flexible, often finishing the movements of the man "embelishing" etc.

But sometimes the guys are far more powerful, faster etc... sometime's I find mayself say "holy sh#@ !!! Did You See that!!!...

I'm curious what more non dancer's dancers see.. or what other stylist see when they watch...

Being a standard guy, sometimes I like haze my eyes a bit and see if I like the "energy flow" of a couple.. ( not hippy stuff, just the movement around the floor..)

What about you guys..???
 
A lot of the time, it's occasional counterproductive details that pop out - places where someone did something that wasn't quite consistent with their apparent goal. A misplaced foot that doesn't quite support the direction of body movement, a body movement that makes the desired action awkward for the partner, etc... At this point, watching couples and figuring out what they could have done more efficiently is probably one of the greatest ongoing contributions to my education as a dancer - see something, develop a theory, quietly test it in the corner...

Some might say this is a very negative attitude but I see it as a positive, because for at least half of these issues, fixing them is scarcely more involved than identifying the exact problem and practicing it a few times. Of course there are also places where you know what you need to do but just can't quite make it happen yet - sometimes that's a matter of unknown details still missing, and other times it's a matter of practice.

And some will probably say that this leaves no room for artistry. Again, I disagree - I think that artistry in such a complicted endeavor is primarily an extension of mastery - in the process of learning how to accomplish exactly what you want, a lot of suggestions for what it might be interteresting to do come up. And a lot of character of dance type judgement calls are a lot clearer the more you understand about the mechanisms of each dance.

But I will grant that there is watching for enjoyment, and watching for understanding, and that the two may be fairly incompatible. Certainly there's a kind of "oh wow" that comes from seeming something done outstandingly in ways that you understand, but there's also an overwhelmed sort of "oh wow" that comes from seeing without understanding - it can be quite enjoyable and important to experience, even though it gives only motivation... not understanding.
 
I try to watch as much of everyone dancing as I can, just so I can store it all in my memory for review and thought later.
 
Different things. During the course of a routine, I generally check out everything from rhinestones to footwork. Sometimes, I’ll get hung up on something I’ve been working on. One comp, I don’t think I looked at anything but feet. But in general, in rumba and cha cha, I tend to watch the woman more; in jive and paso, more the man. In standard, I think I tend to focus on the couple. When a smooth couple separate, I tend to watch the better dancer.

Usually at a comp, I’ll survey the floor and then settle on one couple to watch mostly. I like to see the development of a full routine. If no one couple catches my eye, then I’ll try to figure out who will win.

Occasionally in standard, I’ll watch the whole floor. One time, during a v.w. final, the beauty of all the couples moving to the music brought tears to my eyes.
 
I tend to watch legs and feet. And dresses. And I like checking out what overwrought faces the Latin dancers are making and what dead stoic faces the Standard guys are making (like, could some of them please look like they actually enjoy dancing????).
 
Laura said:
(like, could some of them please look like they actually enjoy dancing????).
Click to expand...

If you had to dance with some of the ladies I've danced with, you'd have a hard time looking like you were having fun, too. (My last partner was a notable exception. But we danced smooth, so I was too busy with other body parts to worry about facial expressions. Hers were much better than mine anyway, so I always figured people were watching her and not me.)
 
Laura said:
I tend to watch legs and feet. And dresses. And I like checking out what overwrought faces the Latin dancers are making and what dead stoic faces the Standard guys are making (like, could some of them please look like they actually enjoy dancing????).
Click to expand...


Ha I agree... I always have a running joke with a few freinds of mine about my "american rhythm" face.. lol
Once at a comp we all decided just to look at the facial expressions of the dancers ( that night it was some lower level pros) and we we hystarical..
I just hoping I didn't offend any judges that night.. !! :)
 
Also one thing I didn't mention is what I call "impact"
Once in a while something a couple does get's my attention out of nowhere,, and it's like a flash of light.. and I can't stap watching..
When I watch a comp, yes I focus on detail... like how someone deals with a shape.. like " da da oooohhhhhh.......... eh ya..." insted of, "1,2,3 and"..
ya know...
But I always try to keep my eyes open for the Impact..
sort of like just noticing Eugene and Marie on a prechamp floor, and you didn't notice them a minute ago sort of feeling...
Happens sometimes.. not Eugene in prechamp... you know what I mean..
 
Mixture of technique, story line and if the dancer is In The Moment of the dance..you know if they are dancing with heart. That makes all the difference to me. I really like dances are varied in movement and space..not monotonous and boring but with lots of ups and downs and loops like you are on a roller coaster ride.
 
I think I tend to focus on expression of the dance. Is that a flirty, fun cha-cha? Is the rumba sensual and seductive? Is the paso powerful and convincing? I look at choreography and the convincing execution of it.

I also always try to pick who is going into the next round and then rank the finalists. I like to see how well I can do matching the judges. Usually I do pretty well, especially with latin. Sometimes, though, I can be way off. (For example, sometimes it will seem to me like the top ranking couple in the field is having an off night and that a challenger might beat them and I will be wrong.)

ChaChaMama
 
I watch technique. Just can't help it. Almost always the girl. As my coach puts it - "if the girl looks good, then the man must be doing everything right so no need to look at him."
My non-dancing husband and I always have opposite opinions on which couples are good :) We are obviously looking at different things.
 
movement, topline, and togetherness. i usually start looking around the floor until a couple catches my eye. then i'll focus on them until something else catches my eye. if the dancers have hideous facial expressions, i will look away:p
 
Same as redhead - I almost always watch the girl and tend to focus on feet/legs unless I purposely make myself focus on something else. Interestingly enough, with Eugene & Maria, I find myself watching them together as a couple. I think they're just so incredibly connected that it's hard to just tear out one and forget about the other.
In standard, I watch the movement of the couple (sway, etc) and the lady's footwork.
 
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