Dave L. wrote:



Thank you Dave for your kind words.

In the real world, I am surrounded by a small tribe of 5-2 and 5-3 females.:).

My wife, 5-2, ballroom dancer
my mother 5-3, ballroom dancer
my sister 5-3, ballroom dancer
my son's 12 years old partner 5-3,
my 32 years old daughter 5-3, non dancer:(
my 27 years old daughter 5-2, non dancer:(
my dance students, two 13 years old girls, both 5-3
One of the girl's mom, 5-3, ballroom dancer.

Now the lady who I hired to clean my vacant rental house today is a real stick, at 5-3 and 95 lbs. But she sure can really tango with the vacumm throught the house, foxtrot with the floor mop, cha-cha with that toilet brush, mambo with the windows, swing with all the trash bags. Talk about her energy. What a stick of "dy-no-mite"


[This message was edited by Keh Gough on 07-17-02 at 11:42 PM.]

Keh Kaogh,

I enjoy your comments and replies. I know you are decent and helpful. Do not let other's harsh words discourage your service to this forum.

Dave

Dancing and competing at the top level is no
different than other sports such as golf or
tennis. It requires the necessary intrinsic talent, the desire, the dedication, and a strong
work ethic, proper instruction, and the necessary resources - time & money - to pursue your goals. But, since competitive dancing is a showcase
activity, the quality of which is really not
deterministic but more a matter of judgement,
a certain degree of couple attractiveness is also
necessary. And, the earlier you start the better,
(Tiger Woods started golf at 2) but, certainly
13 is not too old.

Am I the only person slightly peturbed about the answer Keh Gough gives to the second question? The girl who originally asked is only 13 - and by implying she is so obviously overweight she could easily be swayed towards a serious eating disorder.
Far better the response by merengue_man, who states, quite accurately, that she needn't worry as any excess weight will easily be shed through dancing.
Shame on you, Keh Gough!!!! >

I think Keh's wording was a little harsh, but the truth is that the young teenage girls I see involved in DanceSport are very trim and slender. Even more so, the judges expect the dancers to be lean and if you aren't, some of the judges will not mark you forward to the next round. It's a harsh truth, and one that I don't agree with, but that's the way it goes. DanceSport is very looks-oriented.

I think that daddysbug should focus on learning to dance and finding a partner. The activity of learning to dance will help her tone her body and shed any excess weight. She should *not* attempt any kind of calorie-reducing diet at this time.

However, she also should give up eating any foods that will sap her mental and physical energy: for example, sodas and other sweets and white flour products. This isn't about dieting, this is about feeding the body with the best fuels so as to provide the optimum mental and physical performance. If she gets into competitive dancing she should think of herself as an athelete, and act accordingly. It might take some experimentation to find out what foods work best for her own activity levels and body chemistry, but the books "Diet for Dancers" and "Eat to Win" are both good starting places. Both books stress that you need to make sure you get enough calories and nutrients to enable yourself to perform to your optimum potential.

Laura

First: I started dancing when I was 18, i'm 19 now... i'm an instructor and I'm starting competition next year. So no, 13 is the perfect age to get started but make sure that you go into it with light goals. If you push yourself too hard, you might burn out and ruin what could be a fabulous hobby or path.
Second: No, 139 is not too heavy to dance. That's pretty average I'd think plus you're gonna lose weight once you start dancing anyway so it's not a big deal.
Third: 5'3? Naw, that's just fine. Once you get dance shoes you'll end up being 5'5 or 5'6 anyway so you'll be fine. Just find a tall partner! *smile*

~LB

PS: Good luck in your dancing! I hope that you find that you love it as much as everyone else here does!

You Haven't Truly Made It Until Your Head Is On A Pez Dispenser

If you want to start ballroom dancing, you should start dancing and not worry about things you can't control. You can control the decision to start dancing and how hard you will work at it. Like most things, if you work hard you will find success.

Blair

The original poster asked:



I wrote:



Lauren wrote:



Please Lauren, don't put words in my mouth. First, I didn't imply anything. Nothing I said indicated "serious eating disorder".

[This message was edited by Keh Gough on 07-15-02 at 10:10 AM.]

I started dancing at 16 and some of the more impressive dancers I know started at 60. It's not too late to start - ever.