Originally Posted by coppertop1:
“Ah you see I thought you wanted to learn , silly me, I thought with partner dancing it may have occurred to you that a happy partner is important.
I may have confused poor planets but my advice stands. You may want to post music and pontificate, and yes boast , about dancing it is however a discussion board and if you are never going to be interested in any different view there really is only one reason for you to be here
Each to his own thank you for some of the musical clips,”
Thanks for the advice. I'll re-read your earlier post as I must have missed the advice.
Hey I gave my personal view of what I saw because I was asked in this thread.. I was reluctant because I had consumed a fair bit of wine . But it is done. And then I was out of the blue attacked by somebody quoting decades of dancing experience and I'm some beginner who has to pay homage and come back after at least a decade to opine.
My salient comment on the Caroline dance was in my opinion there was minimal musicality and minimal connection.
I am not saying that the dance was great, mediocre or poor. I said what I instantly disliked about it. But apparently I have to wait a few decades to do that.
Anybody with a reasonable ear but without any AT or other dance knowledge whatsoever can see musicality and connection (or lack of) in the 90 seconds on youtube. It is really a black and white issue especially on musicality content. A discussion is futile. Decades of dancing under the finest teachers in Argentina won't help bring an agreement on that score. No big deal. I am not interested in dance without musicality or connection. It may be fine for many or most. It is interesting and valuable to know that and I'll continue to be aware of it at milongas with regard to who to ask for a dance.
I don't pontificate even if what I write may sound like bull. I will never come on here to attack another FM for their views simply because I am not a missionary. I have no problem with others holding contrarian views. Fine by me.
I will listen (i.e. read) what others say. But if it is clear there is a fundamental disagreement I am not going to take heed of decades of dancing without apparent musicality and connection. But I won't attack them or even say they are wrong. Not my problem.
Yup. Happy partners are what I seek. And I am finally getting them and moreover get a few repeats. Good enough for me. I have no interest in putting on a show or teaching.
I want to learn - but only to achieve a style I want to achieve. If I don't like the look of what the objective is in relation (if any) to the music then I have no interest in going down that route.
I like to dance to the music not in spite of the music. There are enough followers I find that seem to be happy with that approach. There may be many more that are not and would like to do all the tricks and flicks they have learnt over decades whatever the music being played. - they will have no problem finding suitably talented leaders.
I will focus on incremental marginal technical improvement but try and continue to improve the musicality of my performance partly by making sure I get the DJ's music list beforehand and preparing a rough approach. It is important for me if not to many or perhaps most others. But enough followers appreciate my approach.
It is a also a question of chemistry. There are some partners with whom dancing is immediately bliss and so my performance improves through the tanda with added confidence.. And there are others where there is an icy feel pretty much from the outset and it just gets worse and worse through the tanda. For both of us of course. No big deal. Both move on and never again.
Far from boasting. after nearly two years I'm just beyond the point of not getting sniggered at and not having to apologise all the time and finally being asked to dance and get thanked. I am no longer petrified to ask women to dance for fear of being abysmal and now perfectly comfortable with rejections. In Salsa / Merengue / Cumbia being able to dance without embarrassment takes a couple of weeks.
Time for bed ... Plane to catch tomorrow.
; the most passionate dancer in the room 
" during the dances but several women ask me to dance in Milongas without a surfeit of women. Maybe they talk amongst themselves. Maybe they say that to all the blokes. 
