From: neilson@osf.org (Peter Neilson)
Newsgroups: rec.folk-dancing
Subject: Re: remedial waltz (was Re: waltz: how fast is danceable?)
Date: 2 Sep 92 12:39:02 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Open Software Foundation

In article <RSHOLMES.92Aug31132200@rodan.syr.EDU> rsholmes@rodan.syr.EDU (Rich Holmes) writes:
>I never thought I'd be writing to Dear Abby, but here goes: at dance
>camp this year a woman told me I need to work on my waltzing. This
>surprised me, not because I consider myself a great waltzer, but
>because I was assuming *she* was the the one who needed to work on it.
>There are lots of women I think I waltz adequately well with, but with
>her it's clumsy; turns out the same is true on her end too.
>
>So what's this mean? That we're both mediocre waltzers who can waltz
>well only with much more talented partners? Or that we're both OK
>waltzers but we're somehow working at cross purposes?
>
>I'd never seen the term "Scandanavian waltz" until I got back and read
>Andrew's message, but that seems to be what I'm doing. (I presume she
>is too :-) ). 
>
>We quickly agreed to amend "You need to work on your waltzing" to "We
>need to work on our waltzing" but as to how to go about it, I need
>your advice, Dear Abby. This is a woman I'd very much like to waltz
>well with, so I await your reply with bated breath.
>
>--
>  Rich Holmes                                rsholmes@mailbox.acs.syr.edu


A few possibilities come to mind:

1.  One of you might be taking big steps, perhaps to compensate for the
    perception that the other isn't doing very well.  Maybe -both- of
    you are doing this.  Big steps will trip your partner; tiny steps
    are generally better.  Very tall or very large people must be
    especially careful to take small steps.  Being able to step safely
    (generally with your right foot) between your partner's feet is an
    advantage for some styles of waltz.

2.  You might be doing different waltz styles, and your choices clash.
    When a box-stepper's partner is doing Scandinavian style,
    something has to give.

3.  You might have a weak or misplaced lead(*), and she cannot follow
    it.  Or perhaps she expects to lead, because of dancing with so many
    poor waltzers, and YOU don't know how to follow HER, or to get her
    to stop leading.  (My favorite method is to ask her to close her
    eyes.  If she won't, then I close mine.)

4.  There's a remote possibility that you hear the music differently
    from each other.  Waltz music normally isn't just a lot of
    measures of 1-2-3, but rather -pairs- of measures, 1-2-3, 4-5-6.
    If one of you hears a measure as the 4-5-6 while the other hears
    that same measure as the 1-2-3, you will disagree.  But I should
    think such a problem would show up for ONE of you with ALL
    partners.


(*)  I cannot begin to teach lead here, except to indicate that I
think of it as a certain degree of pressure exerted between my hands,
met with resistance from my partner.  It is indeed a cooperative
effort, even though some men seem to think it consists simply of
pushing the lady around.

                  ----------------------

Allow me to encourage you (and her, and others) to attend introductary
waltz classes that might be held in your area by International or
Scandinavian dance instructors.  If you happen already to know what is
being taught, you will be of great assistance to the students and the
instructor.  If you happen to learn something you didn't already know,
so much the better!
-- 
            >>>  Peter Neilson  --- neilson@osf.org  <<<
                   Never believe anything you think.
(Quotation changed daily.  If you've seen this one before, it's still yesterday.)