07/03/2019
Category: advice-tips

The dancers in this (rather poor) video aren't using particularly fancy moves, nor wearing flashy costumes. In fact, they're not even bothered who is and isn't watching them. They're just a pair of friends having a dance in a pub for fun - and providing a lesson that many others could take on board. That is, it's not which moves you perform that counts, it's how you move. This dancing is simple but smooth - and great to watch!

My favourite gripe to harp on about as someone who has taught Rock 'n' Roll dance is the obsession of many beginners with the number of moves they want to learn - usually lots and lots - because they believe that's what impresses. But, they're wrong about that.

A dance 'move' is a succession of movements.

What really counts in dancing is the talent that goes into making simple movements expertly, as opposed to (often) lack of talent that goes into making complex moves.

There are two dynamics in play here. One is the simplicity of moves and the other is the variety of moves. The thinking becomes this:-

- there aren't enough simple rock 'n' roll dance moves to make my dancing interesting and
- performing complex moves makes me look impressive and talented.

The first is partially true, but that's in the mind of the performer, not the observer. We see people who look great on the dance floor, yet their repertoire of moves is quite small. The dancing looks fabulous, so many people would like to emulate them. However, they do that by trying to learn complex moves instead of developing simple-but-shining movements that star dancers use.

The next issue is that complex moves are much harder to perform smoothly than simple moves, so if you're new and perhaps a bit tight and jerky that's really going to show. You might find yourself classified as a bit of a hacker rather than someone who is great to watch.

One thing that's often an issue with less talented or experienced dancers using complex moves is that their lateral control is rather poor. In layman's terms, they repeatedly crash into other couples. Trust me, that greatly increases the likelihood of being labelled a hacker.

If you want to be perfect, the best way to practice is by working on making your simple movements smooth and effective and remember that some people are blessed with an ability to look good no matter what they do. The Universe didn’t endow me personally with that attribute and many of us are in the same boat. We have to think about things to win approval where a few lucky ones can do it effortlessly.

Elvis Presley's weird walk in Jailhouse Rock has been copied by many with varying success. It pays to remember though, that Elvis needed to do nothing more than stand on stage and jiggle his leg to look fabulous. That's kind of hard to duplicate if you're not him. But it seems to me that I would look less silly trying that and failing than trying the walk in the middle of a dance routine and failing.

If you're not blessed with 'star' quality, all is not lost. Build your impressive talent bit by bit with simple moves. Work on making it smooth rather than jerky. Once you've achieved that you can progress if you wish to more complex moves and make them look great instead of rough and amateurish.