Outside your WCS bubble

[christina]

What other dances besides do you like to see/learn outside of the WCS bubble (am including CW, Lindy in the bubble)?

Last night I went to see the Kirov perform and remembered how much I've missed watching ballet (and how I sometimes wish I had stuck with learning it years ago!). I also like watching jazz. Never got into modern or hip hop.

As for learning, in the past I've dabbled in numerous things: Tap, Jazz, Interpertive Modern Jazz (I know, weird, we don't really like to try to define that one - was a strange three years), Ballet. I'm looking into Flamenco, Argentine Tango, and Belly Dancing. And my main non-WCS focus lately has been in the tap/swing related area of solo vernacular jazz.

[Purkey]

Good thread! I'm assuming you're including Carolina Shag and Balboa in the bubble? If not, Shag is tied with WCS as my favorite dance. I really like Bal and want to learn more about it. If those two are in the bubble...my other interest would be Argentine Tango and maybe some hip hop!!

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[whipkitten]

Oooh, I would love to learn Balboa again. I learned the basic a long time ago and have trouble getting my feet to do the right thing!

I didn't grow up dancing, so now that I am very entrenched in WCS, I've started to look at things that I missed when I was younger. I would love to take either a jazz class or a hiphop class.

[heatherleigh]

and you would rock at hiphop whipkitten!

First... I disagree with including CW in the swing bubble... overall it is a completely different genre.

But, I've dabled in ballroom basics, tango and latin. I grew up with the classics.

Sometimes I think I would like to get back into the classics... but what I love so much about swing is the partnership and social aspect... I just don't think I would like the classics as much anymore.

[bethany]

African dance, and modern movement. These are, of course, at an elementary level so I can then teach it to my students. We've even been doing some latin hip work for a hispanic dance, hehe.

Does the Soulja Boy dance count? Cause I got that under my belt. :p

[christina]

First... I disagree with including CW in the swing bubble... overall it is a completely different genre.


Wasn't including it in the swing bubble per se - just excluding it as there seems to be a very large crossover of people who do both CW & WCS or came from CW into WCS. Wanted to explore all the other stuff a little more.

[jon]

Blues (http://www.blues-dance.com/). I've given up hope that WCS music will ever again be appealing to me (although, who knows, the seemingly endless hip-hop phase may someday pass just as did swustle). Thankfully Blues provides an environment where I actually want to dance to all the music, and DJs who have a deep understanding of and love for that music.

(To those who keep claiming that "contemporary" music is necessary to attract young people, note that the average age of Blues dancers is mid-20s. What's really necessary to attract young people is a smaller proportion of older people.)

Also country, ballroom, occasionally waltz and folk and vintage dancing of various sorts. Argentine Tango is beautiful but the learning curve too steep for my ego / wallet / bad shoulder.

[CrazyKate]

I want to learn balboa. I looove following it.

I came from ballroom, but rarely do it now. Ballet/tap/jazz growing up.

I went to see Step Up 2 in the threatre twice (don't usually ever go), and it makes me want to learn to dance like that (MTV's America's Best Dance Crew has supported that train of thought, too). So, street dancing? Or maybe hip hop?

[Ghostdancer]

Cha Cha, and a renewed interest in Waltz.

[notfromchicago]

well i started out in Latin doing mostly Salsa(which i guess isn't technically a Latin dance in the ballroom world its a street dance) but merengue, bachata, done a little bit of mambo and samba. i'm currently working on learning all the ballroom dances rhythm and smooth(basically two different sets of technique for each dance). Which means: Waltz, ChaCha, Tango, Rumba, Bolero, Foxtrot, Jive and maybe eventually i'll have the courage to learn quickstep.

[Alina]

I've been competing in International Standard for 8.5 years (stopped competing in latin 4 years ago or so) so I do waltz, tango, viennese waltz, foxtrot and yes, the oh-so-scary quickstep, lol:) Love the challenge of ballroom, the technique and the feeling you get when you get the technique semi-correctly (you never get it *totally* right) and when things just work.

WCS is my release, my "fun" dance, my creative dance. Love it just as much but right now I am choosing to devote more effort and money (it's a LOT of $$) to ballroom competition to see how good I can get in the next few years:)

[Jerry Wang]

Started out with Salsa and cha-cha. Dabbled in Hustle, Carolina Shag and Balboa for a bit. Planning to get back into Balboa this summer. But for the past few months, I've started learning Argentine Tango as well as Blues Dancing. :)

[trina]

Started with general social ballroom and Latin, Argentine tango, and WCS at about the same time. My focus right now, outside of WCS, is blues. I would love to do more Argentine tango, and Portland is a great city for it, but there just aren't enough nights per week to really nurture a third dance. Sigh. I still enjoy Latin, but end up leading it more than following it. Probably because I'm looking for cha cha partners in the middle of a WCS dance...

[notfromchicago]

I still enjoy Latin, but end up leading it more than following it. Probably because I'm looking for cha cha partners in the middle of a WCS dance...

I'm always up for following! I love it! it just such a change of pace for me. you EVER see me at a dance and you feel like leading just ask me and i'll follow as best i can!

[trina]

I'm always up for following! I love it! it just such a change of pace for me. you EVER see me at a dance and you feel like leading just ask me and i'll follow as best i can!

You got it, Benjamin! ;) Assuming that I make it to a midwest/east coast comp in the near future...

[whipdancer]

Blues (http://www.blues-dance.com/). I've given up hope that WCS music will ever again be appealing to me (although, who knows, the seemingly endless hip-hop phase may someday pass just as did swustle). Thankfully Blues provides an environment where I actually want to dance to all the music, and DJs who have a deep understanding of and love for that music.

I recently left a WCS/CW party to go to a Blues party...

so that I could dance Slow Whip.

[SHORTYJOY]

It's fun to see how many ppl want to learn blues!Tongue OutTongue OutTongue OutTongue Out

I already do a great deal of Blues and have decided to break the mold of the swing world by doing both Blues and Balboa. (Weird vibe stemming from the Balboa elite) Most blues ppl don"t actually have anything against Balboa.

I'm taking my first Bal workshop today with Laura Keat and Nick Williams. This should be fun and eye opening. I've been faking Balboa for years-so I've decided to learn the fundamentals-so that I can actually do it correctly eventually.

As for Belly Dancing---I really think that would be fun to learn-but I'd like to better my Blues, WCS, Lindy, Balboa, and Solo-Jazz movement first.

[Lrn2Dnc]

Anything and everything.
Really.
If it's dancing, dance related, or even beneficial to dance, I'll try it.

[bethany]

I brought in an African dance teacher to teach my students last week, and it was great! She's traveled to western Africa many times and studied the different dances, so she's legit, which is important to me. It's been a blast, I highly recommend it!