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The
Best of Trends…
Hey, Dance Trends readers! Dance Trends is celebrating
it’s one year anniversary this month! I can’t
believe it’s been one year already. Think about
everything that has happened to you over the past
year. In honor of this small milestone in my writing
career, I thought it would be fun to do a quick review
of some of my favorite topics throughout the year.
Remember some of these? I want to thank Gary Spencer
of The International Dance Directory for encouraging
me to do a compilation of Dance Trends for his next
book.
Dan’s
favorite “Spins”
What
type of dancer are you?
There
are so many types of dancers who attend dance competitions.
You have your "type A" competitor. They
practice every day, take a multitude of coaching lessons,
and will travel at least once a month to compete.
It's pretty obvious what they are looking for when
attending an event. COMPETITION!
Then there is the "competition enthusiast".
They love to do it all! If ballroom bungie jumping
were an event, they would enter it! Next we have the
"engineer". They have a plan. They know
exactly what it is that they want to accomplish to
get the results they want. Finally, there is the "dance
romantic". You know who I am talking about. They
thoroughly enjoy every aspect of a dance competition.
You see it in their eyes and their smile when they
dance!
A
balancing act:
This
last week I judged a competition, decorated the house
for the upcoming Christmas season, attended my daughters
first band concert, discovered that my dog's favorite
place to make poo poo is in the neighbors yard and
was lucky enough to escape to an out of town coaching
job leaving my wife with the responsibility of keeping
up with the 3 kids activities and of course helping
Rosie (that's our dog) find a new place to do her
duty! To make things worse, getting a dog was my idea!
On
dieting :
I
knew it was getting bad when I was able to rest my
clipboard on my stomach while judging! Maybe organizers
could consider having treadmills facing the dance
floor. All a judge would have to do is just hop on
and voila! Lose weight while you judge!
On
Life:
I
put on my winter apparel, boots, heavy coat, hat,
and gloves and headed out the door for what was to
be a new, not very exciting experience...shoveling
my roof! NOT FUN! ( and you thought "digging
action" was something you did to enhance your
cuban motion.... but not in Wisconsin!
There
it was, hidden back in the closet. Why would my wife
hide my ski outfit? The pants are bright red with
black side panels and a realllly cool multi-colored
jacket. I took one look in the mirror and knew I would
be the best dressed dude on the hill! So, we get there
and I go into the lodge to buy my pass and what do
you think I saw? EVERYONE WAS IN BLACK & WHITE
BABY!! I heard the teenagers snickering. It was like
a bad dream!! You know, like the one where your dancing
and you suddenly realize that you forgot your pants!
Everyone turned to look at this big red neon creature
and it was me! It would be like competing at a competition
wearing your outfit from 10 years ago! UGH! At that
point, I had to make a decision. I can either run
back to the car and put on the black pants my wife
insisted I bring, ("just in case the red ones
rip"). Or, I can stand with my head held high
and ignore the looks and ...and......Oh hell, where
did I park the car?! Red pants off , black pants on,
and a fun day was had by all.
On
Judging:
Did
you ever watch a comp and find it easy to pick the
winner, only to have the judges select someone else?
Of course you have! You think to yourself "What
were those judges looking at?", "What planet
did these guys come from"? I remember one of
my coaches saying to me, "You just wait until
you have the pen in your hand, you'll see how different
it is". They were so right!
I
was judging a competition a couple of weeks ago and
out on to the floor walked a dancer with hair that
was a color I had never seen before, and I was thinking
to myself, "Now, there's a girl with blind faith....blind
coach....blind partner"!
On
Competing:
I
remember one time I thought my results were so off.
It was easy to see the winner, which was of course
ME! I knew I should have won because my students told
me so. :) Anyway, I happened to walk by one of the
judges, who did not quite seem to agree with my assessment.
So, we strike up a conversation and I ask him how
his dog is." Dog?" He says. "I don't
have a dog!" To this I reply;" WHAT! Blind,
and you don't have a dog?!"
Remember
the one piece stretch lycra latin outfits? Mine was
black with big sequins on the top. I remember my palms
were sweating so bad, I kept trying to wipe them on
my "cat suit", but the lycra wouldn't absorb
the sweat. It kept the sweat inside really well, though.
I was wringing wet! Every time I walked, it made that
"squish squish" sound, like a pair of wet
sneakers! (I am sure it stunk to high heaven too.)
The only thing dry on me was the bad perm that I had
gotten the week before. Yes, I said perm! Hey, they
were "in" back then. It was the 80's man!
Competing
offers all of us the ability to experience a range
of emotions and level of excitement that we, as adults,
don't always have in our daily lives. The thrill of
victory is an overwhelming feeling and, so is the
agony of defeat. I am so glad I had the opportunity
to experience both. Anger, jealousy, disappointment,
excitement, joy, happiness, frustration and sadness
have all been shared with a partner or two. Dancing
really is life set to music. Thank God for dancing
On
costuming:
If
you are considering this costume, please do the following.
Once you have your two piece latin outfit on, stand
in front of the mirror. Now, turn sideways. Jump up
and down several times. If anything just above the
bottom half of your two piece outfit moves in the
opposite direction that you are bouncing, this is
not an outfit that you should consider!
Wash your costume! You want to leave those judges
with a sense that you have improved a lot, not a scent
that you have danced a lot! Whew!!
Men, we're not off the hook, either, when it comes
to showing flesh. If you insist on wearing a latin
shirt that is open down to your navel, you need to
do the "before and after" test, like we
see in those diet ads. Hold in your gut. Now, hold
it in for 10 minutes, because that is the approximate
amount of time that you will be competing in a 5 dance
event. If your tire inflates, get rid of the shirt.
If you are able to hold your stomach in and you have
that nice six pack...I hate you!
On
what makes a champion:
One
important quality of a champion is the ability to
be able to build a rapport with the dance community...to
let them see your human side. This is one quality
that can not be staged or choreographed.
It is so easy to get caught up in all of the negatives
of the dance scene. It's easy because our mind is
so set on winning, which if you are a good competitor,
is where it should be. But, what keeps it healthy
is what you do in your life to create balance when
your not competing.
On
coaching:
Another
type of coach that is a must is your creative coach.
They are good choreographers and are driven to help
their couple with expression, personality and appeal.
They love to shape and mold and create the whole winning
package and if they believe you're it, you're lucky
to have them!
Stay away from prima donna coach. They will tell you
to work with nobody else but them. They are going
to handle all of the above aspects of your dancing.
Personally, I can only think of a few coaches who
probably have the ability to do this.
I love when I'm teaching a pro/am lesson and the student
looks at me and says "Wow! I have never heard
this before"! There is always a moment of silence
as the teacher, usually standing next to or behind
the student rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
On
Issues:
"Am
I the only one who feels this way or sees it this
way"? Sometimes I am, but most of the time when
I am on the road, I am approached by several people...professionals,
amateurs, organizers, and vendors, who have the same
concerns that I have.
On
Hygene:
If your partner has smelly pits: This is really the
pits if your partner is a female and she is wearing
a sleeveless blouse! Uggghhhhhh. Soooo what should
the lady do when she notices her partner has been
wearing the same practice shirt for the last year
on a daily basis? You know how they have vehicle emission
tests? Maybe we could have a body emission machine
called "The Stinkymeter"! Every studio and
dance hall would have the stinkymeter, strategically
located by the edge of the floor. In order to step
onto the floor, you must pass the body emission test!
Am I a genius or what? Ok, on to the next one. I'm
on a roll now. Look! Out on the dance floor. It's
a bird, it's a plane, NO it's the HUMAN SPRINKLER!:
This is the dancer who starts off with a glow and
by the end of the first dance you want to take them
home to water your lawn. There are actually two positive
aspects of this problem. You can get really cool pictures
of yourself looking like a dancesport gladiator, and
let's face it, sweating is HEALTHY! So, my advice
is, if your feeling a bit, shall we say, gassy, quickly
request a foxtrot or another moving dance so your
not stuck in one spot! Your toast, and so is your
partner, if there's a rumba playing!
Several
favorite questions of the week and poll results:
Who
would dancers like to see as our next president of
the United States?
The results were: Bush 55 – Gore 47
Which
professional event do you enjoy watching the most?
The results were: American Smooth 69 American Rhythm
42 International Standard 48 International Latin 90
Theatre Arts 12 Professional Show 21
Do
you think there should be a different criteria for
judging uncontested entries?
The results were: Yes 64 No 27 Undecided 19
What
appeals to you most about dancing?
The results were: Artistic expression 28 Sport &
Competition 28 Fun & Socializing 28 Health &
Fitness 22 Personal Accomplishment 31
Do
you think the judges should stand on or off the floor?
The results were: ON 34 OFF 70 DOESN'T MATTER 10
Are you disappointed with the International
Olympic committee's decision not to include Dancesport
in the next Olympics?
The results were: YES 150 NO 54 NOT SURE 15
Which
is the tougher job? Leading? Following? Both the same?
The results were: Leading 81 Following 33 Both the
same 87
Do
you think compulsory figures should be a part of our
professional Dancesport competitions?
The results were: Yes 162 No 27 Not sure 30
Should
a couple be penalized for having bad floor craft?
The results were: Yes 237 No 3 Sometimes 15
Should
competitions continue to offer professional rising
star events?
The results were: Yes 219 | No 12 | Don't care 15
Would
you like to see TV's Championship Ballroom Dancing
show an American Style competition?
The results were: Yes 303 No 27 Not sure 3
Who
was the better dancer? Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly?
The results were: Fred 66 | Gene 84 | equal 102
Favorite
Quotes
I thank God for all the freedom
we have in this country. I cherish it-even the right
to burn the flag. But we also have the right to bear
arms, and if you burn my flag-I'll shoot you!
~ Johnny Cash - American musician ~
The right to be heard does not automatically include
the right to be taken seriously.
~ Hubert Humphrey ~
"At the level of quality that we are seeing in
our finals in all the categories, it is increasingly
difficult even for judges to make up their minds,
so I can only imagine how the general public becomes
confused as to how we determine a winner and a loser."
~Rufus Dustin~
Talent is God-given, be humble; fame is man-given,
be thankful; conceit is self-given, be careful.
~ Anonymous ~
Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is
not color, but to accept God's final word on where
your lips end.
~Jerry Seinfeld ~
A bore is a fellow who opens his mouth and puts his
feats in it.
~ Henry Ford ~
If you've got to remind yourself to concentrate during
competition, you've got no chance to concentrate.
~ Bobby Nichols~
"Do it big, do it right, and do it with style.
"
~ Fred Astaire ~
Dance
Briefs…comments from readers
“Every competition in the United States and Canada
had the opportunity to join the DanceSport SuperBowl.
One thing I like about this is it's inclusive concept.
“
“Ballroom
dance is much more than a sport and I hope we don't
forget that. If and when it does become JUST a sport,
I'll go back to golf and racquetball.” / Cinderella
“For
me, my heroine is Mia Hamm, not Cinderella, and the
only relationship to the latter is the shoes that
hurt and never fit, in spite of the worldwide search.”
“Your
site deals with the true issues that haunt and affect
the people. While people may get angry or hurt, in
the end the ballroom community will be much healthier
for it.”
“Dan,
In regards to your question "Would we as dancers
consider dancing in a School Gym versus a Hotel Ballroom"
my answer is YES.”
“Sorry
to hear that the IOC has rejected our Olympic bid.
In my mind, it may be because the International style
smooth is too boring.”
Hope
you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane. Have
a great week!
Dan
Messenger
10-23-2001
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