He could learn to dance BETTER. And I hope he does. He'll have to for a foxtrot or a waltz. You can't really ham those up.

Has he the potential to dance WELL? That I don't know. I'd like Karen to teach him properly. I like her a lot but I don't think she was tough enough on Nicky. Nor is she doing Dave any favours if they just take the comedy route. I do hope they attempt some real dancing or I shall have to stop voting for him.

Comedy schtick only goes so far and I like them both. So - start DAHHHHHNCING!

I think there is a huge difference between whether someone can learn to dance so that they can enjoy themselves doing it and can dance with someone without kicking them, and whether someone can - in a week - learn to put on a performance for an audience, a display of that dance. I think anyone can learn over time to enjoy dancing if the will is there and will generally if they're enjoying themselves look great doing it (though possibly not look great to a trained dancer). I don't think that many people with no previous training can learn to put on a display in a week.

It does annoy me if people who are good at dancing, whether that's because of innate ability or learning from an early age, think that people who are not as good are 'not trying'. I can't see any evidence that Dave isn't trying. I think Dave 'not trying' is like Natalie 'smug' - it's in the eye of the beholder, we're none of us in the training rooms with them, and people see what they want to see.

I love him. I don't think he's lazy and I think he's doing what he's been taught and enjoying it.

I hope to be voting for him for many weeks yet!

I wish I could remember who of the pros interviewed in an SCD annual who gave a good description of how you teach somebody less able, ie with no musicality or rhythm. You can basically teach steps to a point but dancing as in fluidly linking one move to the next is beyond them. As for Dave I think he's a cut above Vanessa in actually moving around, and I think he could improve a bit if he WANTS TO.

Thank you tortoiseperson...once it gets to the stage where baby can actually move independently, we might be able to dance 'interactively', but given that she doesn't even sit up on her own yet I'm simply doing what I can to get her interested in and responding to music - i.e. understanding that it has a rhythm and that it's something you dance to.

Plus she does laugh and wave her arms and legs when I dance around to the music on SCD. Although that might be more of a comment on my dance ability than a desire to join in

I certainly don't think Dave isn't trying - you can see from his VTs that he's making a real effort to follow all of Karen's instructions and that he never forgets his steps. The bottom line is that, as nancy says, there comes a point where simply being able to do all of that isn't enough...and he's never going to get past that.

But I'd still almost rather watch Dave having a ball being terrible, than I would watch some of the others who can't dance for toffee but look better in short skirts *cough*Rachel*cough* or who seem so earnest about it all that the whole thing is joyless no matter how beautifully performed *cough*Natalie*cough*

Yes, Lorelei, YES! Exactly. Joyless. Dancing by numbers.

The basic definition of 'dancing' is 'movement to music' but if someone can't hear, or preferably feel, the music they are not going to be able to dance fluently, and I think this is Dave's problem.

Everyone can learn steps, but dancing is so much more than steps.

I agree LL *cough*. On Dave I think he could improve his posture. That shouldn't be beyond anybody and would make his waltz look better even if his feet are terrible.

I think that was the point being made. In some cultures children are introduced to movement and rhythm before they can walk. In some cases before they are born because it us that pervasive.

And re Dave I think he can learn to dance. He has more feel for music than some who look like they could be dancers, and even have watched the odd dance show but may not have gone out enough and acted silly to music and had fun. Dance isn't something you can learn by watching or reading about it.

I've watched people at my zumba class who know all the movements but are always a millisecond behind/in front of the beat. I think I saw Dave there one week.