Assimilation Attempt

[livingdeb]

Two folks from the place where we've been trying out our new dance class, which ended today, got a ride home from us today. During which time they tried to explain why country and western dancing is better than ballroom dancing, why our new teacher is better than our old teacher, and that we should start entering competitions in C&W dancing, starting in January.

Robin is intrigued.

To me it sounds like starting all over. Oh, all that "dancing" you've been doing is old and boring. You have to forget all that. This new stuff is way better.

Yeah, I don't think telling me that my dancing skills have expired is really the best way to talk me into learning more dancing skills at great expense in time and money. Obviously those new skills are just going to expire, too. Therefore I will need continuous lesson my whole life, preferably seven days a week. And this isn't even one of the slimy studios.

So I'm more inclined to run away.

Also, I want a break. I want more free time, not less. I am tired and not in the mood.

Comments

[madspark.livejournal.com]

My TaiChi instructor talks about this kind of thing...

It's easy to get all enthused about a new form or art and then delve into it and get lost in the grind only to see another shiny new form or art over there, get all excited at that and switch over... but that way you never get very deep or very good at anything.

Really deep skills any any one form of physical art should make it easier to pick up other variations, but you've got to get GOOD first and that takes commitment (and, you've definitely spent a lot of time learning...).

Of course, everyone thinks that the version they are doing is the best -- and maybe it is, for them. Different dances, styles, whatever, for different people.

Always chasing the "new hotness" though seems futile... that's a never-ending target.

Anywho, I came here to post the five faiths we train under:

faith -- that you are learning the right thing
respect -- for the art, the teacher, and fellow students
patience -- it takes time
perseverance -- really, a lot of time...
humility -- ... and you can always get better.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

I actually tend to err by learning too many things not very well rather than by learning too few things very well.

I think my weak point here might be faith. This would be good to learn, a right thing to learn, but there are so many things, I can't pick them all. I'd rather learn something new than relearn something old.

I once vowed never to be bored, and I have achieved that. But I've gone too far in the other direction. Every time something gets canceled, I feel like celebrating!

[sallini.livejournal.com]

Having not heard their argument, it's hard to see whether they were trying to position c&w dancing as "new" in any real sense, but that's basically laughable on its face. (I mean, yes, it is more recent historically than the quadrille or whatever but it's hardly something novel.)

Shouldn't a lot of your basic dance skills transfer over anyway? For instance, I have every confidence that my sister, who is a semiprofessional (modern) dancer, would be able to learn any kind of dance much faster than a non-dancer (and about a gazillion times faster than I could) and with a much higher level of execution. Could learning this other form of dance really be like starting completely over?

In any event, I hear you on the wanting more free time rather than less front. There are a lot of interests I have that I am not willing at this point to expend the effort and time to starting.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's their form of west coast swing, which is somehow considered one of the country and western dances (I guess they both has "west" in the name), that is new and our version is dated. (My writing skills can certainly do with some improving!)

Some of my basic dance skills do transfer over. Many, really. But a couple of basic ones interfere. Instead of always leaning toward the guy, I'm supposed to sometimes lean in, sometimes lean back, and sometimes pull to the side. This is starting to seem possible to do properly, but my old habit has to be ignored. Also they highly favor the chaine turn (pronounced shin-AY), where you bring your feet together before turning, which I do in only one step. All of my other turns (except the spin turn) you do with your feet apart, so they are very little help.

Actually, I am learning much faster, but it does feel like a whole different dance. So far I can't imagine how I would mix and match movements from the two forms of west coast swing because the assumptions I'm making are different and lead to different possibilities.

Learning two-step would be nice, though.

Competing, well, it does inspire you to improve your dancing, and improved dancing means you have more fun. But there's too much emphasis on how things look, routines, and perfection, and not enough on partner-switching skills or fun. On the other hand, apparently there is some kind of competition where you have to dance with someone random. Intriguing. Competitions cost money, though.

[sallini.livejournal.com]

Two step is easy. Even I can (have historically been able to) do it.