What makes dancing so special?

I'm part of that subspecies of humans who do not dance in any formal manner. Last time I was invited to a salsa class and trying to imitate the others in performing some complex move, I sent my dancing partner crashing against the wall. The instructor told me "this is salsa, not kung fu". However, freestyle dancing to the the music is another experience altogether. As Yas said, it's about letting the music flow through the body. Not only it relieves tension, but it is possible that for some people, some emotional processing occurs too.

On a lighter tone, this is an illustration of the difference between formal dancing and freestyle dancing :)

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTchxR4suto
 
Hello Dakota, I really like your latest avatar, it has a gentle quality about it.

As for dancing, for quite a few years I would go with my wife (sometimes several times a week!) to Line Dancing, with Country and Western music. I really enjoyed it and I discovered that there is a connection between the brain and the feet that has to be educated, it doesn't occur naturally, well not for me anyway. Part of the scene was dancing with a partner as well which was enjoyable.
I also liked the social atmosphere and the companionship making new friends and all.

So it was disappointing for me when I had to give it away when I snapped my achilles tendon.
Life goes on.
 
I prefer dancing to be improvised, as it's more like "saying" what you mean, instead of reciting something someone else already "wrote".

I have never tried going to dancing lessons though, so maybe I'd changed my mind afterwards.

I am however considering going to taiji lessons soon, which is somewhat dancelike.
 
MusicMan said:
Hello Dakota, I really like your latest avatar, it has a gentle quality about it.

As for dancing, for quite a few years I would go with my wife (sometimes several times a week!) to Line Dancing, with Country and Western music. I really enjoyed it and I discovered that there is a connection between the brain and the feet that has to be educated, it doesn't occur naturally, well not for me anyway. Part of the scene was dancing with a partner as well which was enjoyable.
I also liked the social atmosphere and the companionship making new friends and all.

So it was disappointing for me when I had to give it away when I snapped my achilles tendon.
Life goes on.

English:
Thank you MusicMan, boy on the picture is my little friend which now is 7 years old. We have develop special bonding since his birth. Even, now we are seperated, when we see each other his reaction is priceless. He takes my face in his hands and kiss me all over my face, then he pull away and watch me directy in my eyes and telling me that he loved me always ;). It is very special feeling when little child love you. Maybe, for me, this is compensation because, in this life, I have never become a mother :(.

Oh, I love country music, even this music remind me of times when I fought that everything is ok, that I should work, learn, be a good human being and I will succesed. Now, it is seem to me that underneath every thing, type of music or any product is hidden some terrible crimes and that nothing is clear and simple :cry:.

So sorry about your harm, probably is very painfull. How you treat yourself? You probably know this already, but if you didn't nuzzle about it, here is some good article about it.

I don't know is everyone else noticed that dancing is completely gone from our society, thereby that doesn't include this modern when is usually include drugs or alchol. All is left is traditional dance, competitive dances in all sphere of society and jumping on the concerts where everyone is idolizing some group or singer. Maybe my life is to household, but I have a feeling that singing, dancing and playing just for the plesaure and socializing is gone? :huh:


Croatian
Hvala Music Man, dječak na slici je moj mali prijatelj koji danas ima već 7 godina. Od malena smo razvili neku posebnu vezu, iako smo sada udaljeni, kad se vidimo njegova reakcija je neprocjenjiva. Uzme moje lice u svoje ruke i ljubi me po licu pa me odmakne i gleda direktno u oči i govori da me oduvijek volio ;). Sasvim je poseban osjećaj kad te malo dijete voli. Možda s njim kompenziram što nikada, u ovom životu, nisam postala majka :(.

Oduvijek volim country glazbu, iako me podsjeća na vremena u kojima sam mislila da je sve ok, da samo trebam raditi, učiti, biti dobar čovjek i uspjeti ću. Sada mi se čini da ispod svake stvari, bilo to vrsta glazba ili neki proizvod kriju grozni zločini i da ništa nije čisto i jednostavno :cry:.

Žao mi je zbog tvoje povrede, vjerojatno boli. Kako se liječiš? Ti vjerojatno i sam znaš kako izlječiti taj problem, ali ako nisi njuškao evo jedan članak o tome.

Ne znam jeste li primjetili no čini mi se da je ples u potpunosti nestao, pri tome ne mislim na ovaj današnji, moderni gdje je obično uključena droga ili alkohol. Preostali su nam tradicionalni plesovi, natjecateljski plesovi u svim sferama društva i skakanje na koncertima idolizirajući neku grupu, pjevača ili pjevačicu. Možda ja živim previše kućanskim načinom života, ali mi se doista čini da je pjevanje, plesanje i sviranja čisto radi užitka i druženja nestalo? :huh:
 
Hi,
this is really something special - it claims, that a Tibetian monk perfors it - maybe he is a monk, though I doubt. It's really acrobatic.

Hope you will enjoy it!

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpyTKAwAVmw
 
I had a dream, maybe 24 years ago, one of those dreams we know is important. The message I took away was that if I learned to waltz, all my problems would go away. I did, and my problems went away in unexpected ways, all somehow relating to the dance lessons I was taking. (Today I have some other problems, but such is life.) Ballroom dance lessons are one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I listen to music in a different way now. The movement brings so much joy. Highly recommended.
 
I don't know what makes dancing so special. I only know I love watching people dance . . . and I love to dance.

Little story: When I was in 5th-6th grade, there was a dance everyone was doing . . . called the Blue Note. I could not do that dance. When all the other popular dance style crazes arose during the 50's & 60's, I couldn't do those either. My family made fun of my inability to dance.

After I graduated from high school, a friend invited me to go to an end-of-the-school-year dance. I declined. She insisted. So I went. And wonder of wonders I just could dance. I wasn't trying to do 'The' dance of the day. I just danced my own style. After that, I went out dancing with friends all the time.

During the 60's & 70's, when we went to clubs, most people seemed to need a drink (alcohol) or two in order to feel comfortable getting out on the dance floor. Not me -- or my friends. We didn't even drink alcohol (or do drugs for that matter). Probably because alcohol interferes with body coordination and drunk dancers just look stoopid and embarrassing.

Eventually, I did take ballroom dance classes in 1977. And that was great if you had a good strong lead dance partner who also knew the steps.

Then high energy electronic dance music came on the scene. Wow! That was sooooo liberating. No need for partners. Just go out and start dancing. No lyrics to interfere with the music.

In 1994, my friend and I went to an underground dance party where Goa Gil was spinning psychedelic trance dance music. And I couldn't dance to it. I looked around and noticed everyone else was dancing but I couldn't find the groove myself. Then I saw a guy who I thought must be 'channeling' the music. He wasn't dancing a 'formula' dance. He was totally in tune with the music. Like he and the music were one. So I asked him. And he said, yes. Then his friend and I started discussing it. At some point during that conversation, I finally understood what I needed to do. I had to 'surrender' to the music. I didn't know how to do that. So I walked up to stand right in front of the DJ and just stood there with my knees bent and my hands raised so my palms were facing him and closed my eyes and just waiting for something to happen, because I didn't know what else to do. And then I felt the music just merge with me and my body began to move.

After that, I can dance to any music because the music itself is dancing me. I'm along for the ride.

And that's my story morning-glory. :)
 
I love dancing! I went to a ceilidh recently and it was so much fun to dance in a group. There was a feeling of togetherness in the atmosphere that you don't normally get if you were just at a regular dancing club.
I highly recommend trying it out at least once.
 
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Any contra dancers here? Loads of group fun and not difficult to learn. Might make a good activity for meet-ups. Contra is like a square dance, but danced along a line for partner changes. Think regency period dances to bluegrassy tunes.
10 - 12 people might be enough to get a line going.
 
Well I grew up trained as a competitive dancer and now have the good fortune to teach it at my High school. It is the best job EVER!!!!. There are so many styles to explore, ways to move your body and reasons to do it. My favorites include using it as a form of communication to convey a message or tell a story, improvisation to music or my absolute favorite: dancing with another. Dancing with a partner or a group synchronizes you in a very deep and meaningful way that compares to nothing else; truly a divine connection!

Fun thread!!
 
Rx said:
Well I grew up trained as a competitive dancer and now have the good fortune to teach it at my High school. It is the best job EVER!!!!. There are so many styles to explore, ways to move your body and reasons to do it. My favorites include using it as a form of communication to convey a message or tell a story, improvisation to music or my absolute favorite: dancing with another. Dancing with a partner or a group synchronizes you in a very deep and meaningful way that compares to nothing else; truly a divine connection!

Fun thread!!

True Rx. I was just watching some YouTube videos of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance numbers.

You know that saying? "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did . . . only backwards and in high heels!"

It's lovely to dance with a partner you're in total tune with . . . or even watch partners dance who are in tune with each other.

Like tennis lessons . . . where the instructor advised me to 'watch-the-ball' . . . I learned that the best way to be in synch with my dance partner is to maintain eye contact . . . then you can move together as one.

Very happy for you that you have the opportunity to teach dance. And if you love teaching it, it's a sure bet that your students will love learning too.

Cheers! :)
 
I think this Russian dance is also special - just try figure out how they can glide like this!?

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFIIt2c1wG4
 
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