Comments on: Touch, Dance, and Confidence http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/ Living the dance, dancing the life. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:01:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Jared Goralnick http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-57 Jared Goralnick Wed, 15 Mar 2006 19:59:15 +0000 http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-57 I hear you, Kate, it's not possible to make someone enjoy an activity. But, Ben, you've got mad athletic skills--there's nothing to stop you from kicking some dancebutt. Dance is just like any other sport, it takes a little practice. The first six months are the most rewarding, too, as you pick up a lot really quickly. The difference between dance and other sports? Practicing translates to holding some cute girl close to you in the comfort of wherever you choose. Free throws and dribbling a soccer ball don't quite compare... And once you're good at it, well then you get to dance with all the girls you want. I hear you, Kate, it’s not possible to make someone enjoy an activity. But, Ben, you’ve got mad athletic skills–there’s nothing to stop you from kicking some dancebutt. Dance is just like any other sport, it takes a little practice. The first six months are the most rewarding, too, as you pick up a lot really quickly.

The difference between dance and other sports? Practicing translates to holding some cute girl close to you in the comfort of wherever you choose. Free throws and dribbling a soccer ball don’t quite compare… And once you’re good at it, well then you get to dance with all the girls you want.

]]> By: -ben http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-56 -ben Wed, 15 Mar 2006 19:52:46 +0000 http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-56 I can't dance. I have two left feet. I either end up twisting my knee (!!! ??? Go figure) or stomping my partner's feet flat. I can’t dance. I have two left feet. I either end up twisting my knee (!!! ??? Go figure) or stomping my partner’s feet flat.

]]> By: kate.d. http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-53 kate.d. Mon, 13 Mar 2006 23:55:54 +0000 http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-53 you know, that all makes sense. it does. and i should have said partner dancing instead of formal dancing, because i really just meant dancing where there are two people involved. so you're right there. as to the rest of it, i just...i dunno. partner dancing just never really did it for me! i don't really dance that much at all anymore, except some ridiculous, slipper-shoed moves around the apartment :) i used to take ballet tap and jazz, and i did like going out dancing here and there in college. but that's kinda peetered out, and i guess i just don't miss it enough to make an effort to do more. i don't get the kind of "yeah, dancing!" feeling that a lot of people i know do when they think about it. my sister, for example, is all about partner dancing - she took classes in college, and picked it up again with a friend of hers last year...she and my mom are always swinging each other around the room somehow. and that's cool, because they like it. me? eh. you know, that all makes sense. it does. and i should have said partner dancing instead of formal dancing, because i really just meant dancing where there are two people involved. so you’re right there.

as to the rest of it, i just…i dunno. partner dancing just never really did it for me! i don’t really dance that much at all anymore, except some ridiculous, slipper-shoed moves around the apartment :) i used to take ballet tap and jazz, and i did like going out dancing here and there in college. but that’s kinda peetered out, and i guess i just don’t miss it enough to make an effort to do more. i don’t get the kind of “yeah, dancing!” feeling that a lot of people i know do when they think about it.

my sister, for example, is all about partner dancing - she took classes in college, and picked it up again with a friend of hers last year…she and my mom are always swinging each other around the room somehow. and that’s cool, because they like it.

me? eh.

]]> By: Jared Goralnick http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-52 Jared Goralnick Mon, 13 Mar 2006 19:34:15 +0000 http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-52 I hear you, Kate. The only thing that I'm curious is what people's definition is of "formal dance." Swing, ballroom, and the like all have a few ground-rules that function as a general grammar, but the vocabulary you actually use is totally up to you. People communicate in all different ways on the dance floor. The real difference between partner dancing and total freestyle dancing is that it's far more difficult to communicate when there's absolutely no structure. The best freestyle dancers are the ones who incorporate vocabulary from all different dance genres...but then the freestyle dance is no more or less formal than structured, "formal" dance. Hopefully you'll take my advice and head out to a Chicago swing or blues dance...you'll see that the only formal thing is that people tend to look fairly good on the floor...even without skanky clothing and spending the whole night grinding. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Oh, and one more note on your "personal affinity" or lacktherof, there are so many different types of dance...all of which tend to have a general personality. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them was more fitting to you.... I hear you, Kate. The only thing that I’m curious is what people’s definition is of “formal dance.” Swing, ballroom, and the like all have a few ground-rules that function as a general grammar, but the vocabulary you actually use is totally up to you. People communicate in all different ways on the dance floor.

The real difference between partner dancing and total freestyle dancing is that it’s far more difficult to communicate when there’s absolutely no structure. The best freestyle dancers are the ones who incorporate vocabulary from all different dance genres…but then the freestyle dance is no more or less formal than structured, “formal” dance.

Hopefully you’ll take my advice and head out to a Chicago swing or blues dance…you’ll see that the only formal thing is that people tend to look fairly good on the floor…even without skanky clothing and spending the whole night grinding. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Oh, and one more note on your “personal affinity” or lacktherof, there are so many different types of dance…all of which tend to have a general personality. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them was more fitting to you….

]]> By: kate.d. http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-51 kate.d. Mon, 13 Mar 2006 16:30:12 +0000 http://www.dancingwithwords.com/2006/03/13/touch-dance-and-confidence/#comment-51 glad you enjoyed the post. i've never really been big on more "formal" dancing myself, i just don't have a personal affinity for it, but i can see all of these things being true. glad you enjoyed the post. i’ve never really been big on more “formal” dancing myself, i just don’t have a personal affinity for it, but i can see all of these things being true.

]]>