Dangerous Dance Behaviour
21/01/2019
Category: general
As a Rock 'n' Roll dance teacher for fifteen years, one thing I drummed into students was 'keep it safe'. Don't try moves that are beyond your capability.
OMG
Posted by Infozone on Thursday, January 17, 2019
Clearly the gentleman here had not practised this move under safe circumstances. He simply went for it with no concept of how things might turn out.
Sadly, we often see such things at Rock 'n' Roll dance venues where non-dancers are trying to copy practised couples without a clue how to go about it, either properly or safely. We sometimes also see experienced dancers tending to over-reach their abilities while attempting to look great on the dance floor. That's less often as they're generally familiar with the embarrassment they can bring upon themselves.
Looking good is something most dancers aspire to and it's definitely a positive. Everyone wants their visual performance to be as impressive as other dancers who they admire. Having such a goal keeps people striving and that's what drives improvement.
However, I have continually found it necessary to point something out to beginners that escapes them, particularly the men who learn the lead role. It's the plain fact that simple moves performed well look much better than complex moves performed badly. The gentleman in the above video graphically demonstrated that principle.
If you pay attention to how some of the highly experienced male leads perform their routines you will notice several things. One is that they tend to keep it simple, including enough moves to make their dance look interesting, but never overdoing things. Most importantly, under no circumstances do they risk their partner being out of control or in any danger. This gentleman didn't pay heed to that and so ran the risk of her receiving serious and possibly debilitating injuries.
But it doesn't require doing something silly for someone to get hurt. Failure of the man to intently watch his partner, taking note of how well she performs certain moves and how well she adjusts to fast music is another way for mishaps to occur. Over the years I have seen a few ladies end up horizontal on the dance-floor instead of vertical as a result of that.
One thing that I make all of my own students pointedly aware of is this - Rock 'n' Roll dancing was invented by teenagers. Being young and supple, they damage a lot less easily than mature people and when they do suffer injuries they recover a lot sooner.
I have seen some dancers, usually females, who have given up Rock 'n' Roll due to injury. Fortunately, it's not many. But we need to remember at all times that we are there for fun, for company and possibly romance. Rough dancing can bring a sudden end to all three of those.
So gentlemen, remember this - on the dance floor with a lady relying on you for her performance and her wellbeing, it is much better to emulate the neurosurgeon than the demolition worker. You will certainly be a lot more in demand from the ladies. What's more, if romance is something you are hoping for, your chances will be much better.