I started Country Dance Lessons last fall, and really liked it. Then somebody talked me into taking ballroom lessons with the majority of them finishing up this spring. Although I've continued with the country 2 Step and probably enjoy that one the most (because that's the first one I learned and it's connection with Western Bars), I really have grown to like cha cha, rumba, waltz, foxtrot, and triple time swing (or Jive).

I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that good country dancers don't do ballroom and good ballroom dancers aren't good country dancers. Is this right? I personally don't feel this because I'm taking lessons on both simultaneously and grown to like both almost equally well.

Is this just my perception or are there other similiar opinions out there?

from Al, always on the learning curve.

Dancers at the highest level of competition are
are very talented and dedicated individuals,
whether in ballroom or country. I do not have the slighest doubt that they could excel in either
type of dance. I have some experience in country
& western and ballroom (International standard),
and I believe that ballroom dancers would have
an easier transition to country than vice versa.
Ballroom, particularly International style is
so much more disciplined and structured than country. Most country dances have simple core
basics and the look is enhanced with breakaways,
spins, are assorted arm gymnastics - otherwise the
dance becomes quite boring and bland.

There is no good reason why you can't learn both country and ballroom dancing at the same time. Many of the dances you listed as ballroom dances like East Coast (triple) swing, social jive and cha-cha are also danced in the country scene. Country dancing and ballroom are closely related. For example, Two-step evolved from foxtrot.

The top country dancers in the world take much of their training from top ballroom coaches. The ballroom dancers you know likely are not the best country dancers for a couple of reasons:

1) Since they don't like country as much, they don't put as much effort into learning to dance these dances better.
2) It is much harder to become accomplished at 10-12 dances than 2 or 3.

I wouldn't worry about one negatively affecting the other. If you put some effort to improve your dancing, you will improve.

Blair

My experience is that there are barriers between all of the dance worlds. Country hates ballroom, ballroom hates country, swing hates ballroom, on and on, which is stupid.

My wife and I started in country, and over the years found that we had really been shortchanged on learning technique and 'how to dance'. The tendency of the instructors we had was to just teach memorized routines and line dances, without focusing enough on the basic things that make you able to dance - lead and follow, connection, balance, turning technique, spotting, etc . . .

I would definitely try and learn as much you can from as many different instructors as I could.

There are lots of country music bigots in the ballroom world, and perhaps some of the stereotypes are deserved, but we had lots of fun in country dance. Back when we attended country dance comps, they were very social, with shopping booths, low-cost instruction, banquets, etc . . . The ballroom comps I've been to have not had that.

Hi Al, interesting subject. I'm not a o****ry dancer but have noticed a couple things:

A lady I practice with occasinally & former avid country dancer, loaned me 2 tapes by nationally-famous C-dance competitors. Watching them, it looked to me like C-waltz is like American silver with the technique skipped for simplicity. I was pleasantly surprised.

The two stars of the tapes appeared to me, by their movements, to be highly-trained ballroom dancers who are marketing Country (a guess).

This lady also is relatively new at BR but an excellent follower, so maybe it's an individual matter.

The more I dance, the more I begin to believe that all dance is really the same, and only terms, style and degree of technique (or empahsis on it) vary.

It is also fun to mix them socially.