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| Hi Ed  What do you mean with "hang"? Do you stop dancing until you found a way to 'escape', or do just refrain yourself from taking big steps so you can avoid collision with whomever's there? Thanks  "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." - Horace |
| We've bumped into just about everyone from the danceschool, but that's not too surprising, since the floor is PACKED! When my partner and I are on the floor, we do try to avoid everyone. I often hear him say: "Okie, let's get outta here!", and when he can't see what's happening behind him whenever he has to step backwards, I pat him on the shoulder or tell him that he has to hold back a little. Do you mean with the line of dance the direction (counterclockwise) or the speed of the couple in a certain lane? It's kind of hard dancing clockwise when you see everyone coming atcha , but if you mean the latter I see your point. It's not always fun to have a couple in a "wrong" lane, but that will always happen and besides, it's great for developing floorcraft "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." - Horace |
| Michelle, Sorry for long silence, was really business-busy. Yes, Blair has gotten the idea correct, his explanation is quite exact. Re: the signals, I've heard of all three methods as well, however, I referred to the one I've seen most. |
| Originally posted by SocialDancer:
Interesting to see someone outside the US referring to lanes. I have difficulties with the concept of lanes for IS dancing on any but the largest of floors. I personally can't distinguish the different lanes on small floors very well, but I do notice that the "faster" dancers tend to move either inward or outward (mostly outward) in order to avoid the "slower" dancers. Usually they stay there too. If there were lanes, I'd have to agree with you, because then you'd move "back and forth" each lane, since the variants require you to do so, so there really isn't a specific one for each "speed". but I don't regard anyone as being in the right or wrong lane. I'm sorry, didn't mean to refer to it as "right" or "wrong" , I was trying to simplify it, my choice of words was bad, my apologies  "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." - Horace |
| If I could reply/add to two messages, Keh, It's pretty unusual to get swing and ballroom dancers at the same event in the UK, probably because the music played is generally heaily biased towards one style or the other. Sometimes one or two couples will try a jive or swing type dance when a quickstep is played, and they generally dance in a corner. If this happens when I'm DJing I don't usually object as it was my fault for choosing ambiguous music Michelle, no need to apologise. I'm quite happy with the use of right, wrong, black, white or green, it's the idea of lane i have problems with. ;-p Having said that I do find myself moving in or out to avoid slower dancers and then 'stay there' because I can't find a way back through the crowd. I've lost count of the times I've seen lots of empty space at the edge or corners of the room but have been unable to dance into that space. Worse though, if I do manage to get into the space, all my plans go astray as the lead/follow evaporates to be replaced by a battle of wills. 
Howard
(apologies if this appears twice my connection just hicupped)
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| Learning floorcraft is part of ballroom dancing. It doesn't matter where you are there will always be dancers who travel faster or slower than you. There will always be couples dancing patterns meant for use in corners or centre floor in the middle of a long side. You can't control the movements of other dancers, you just have to learn move around them. I found that as I gained experience I was better able to predict other dancer's movements and make the appropriate adjustments. Blair |
| Thanks for Blair and Philipp to clear things out for me. Now, to Howard, you will be surprised to hear this. This studio here (U.S.) would play a quickstep music and the DJ would announce for the swing dancers to stay in the middle of the floor. Since the music for quickstep is quite fast, the swing dancers would do the single time swing which is not exactly jive ( should I say 'jivewannabe' ). Anyway, even with DJ's announcement before hand, the swing dancers till from timt to time wander to the outer part of the floor. I suppose you don't see this happening in UK? Regards, Keh |
| Hi Howard! Don't worry, I didn't think it was rude But that's so sweet though, thanks "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." - Horace |
| Michelle wrote: Do you mean with the line of dance the direction (counterclockwise) or the speed of the couple in a certain lane? It's kind of hard dancing clockwise when you see everyone coming atcha , but if you mean the latter I see your point. It's not always fun to have a couple in a "wrong" lane, but that will always happen and besides, it's great for developing floorcraft Interesting to see someone outside the US referring to lanes. I have difficulties with the concept of lanes for IS dancing on any but the largest of floors. IS dance figures are standardised on the diagonals so there must be some in and out movement as we progress around the room. Advanced dancers should be able to move to the centre to hold any 'line' figures. Beginners are rarely able to move far from the edge of the room where they started, but I don't regard anyone as being in the right or wrong lane. The things I find create most hazards on the floor are;
1) whisks that travel against the LOD
2) underturned spin turns that leave the man stepping back against LOD
3) flashy groups taken into a corner and exiting DC on new LOD, forgetting that it is also DC against the old LOD Anyone any other pet hates? Rgds
Howard |
| Originally posted by Blair: Keh, I have seen all three of these methods used. However, lifting the left hand very subtle and not always an effective way to communcate. The lady pulling on the man's shoulder is OK for social dancing but it will affect topline and is problably not the best for competition. This shoulder pull also often comes with a look of panic on the ladies face.  One of the floorcraft difficulties in American smooth is making an adjustment in an open position when man is backing LOD. The lady must signal the man with a look or gesture to indicate the trouble ahead. Blair Sometimes even saying something may be allowable on the dance floor, like that seductive startled whisper "Watch out!" ) Then again, my hearing isn't good enough to pick up on it, so we crash anyway. I wonder how I keep in time with the music :\ *headscratch* She must be leading - oops! Only joking, folks! See ya, Philipp |
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