Thanks for your viewpoint on last night Jennifer!

It's great to hear the views of the well informed, and also, those that are passionate about dance, even in an armchair capacity.

You guys have made this a great SCD series for me - thanks so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and geek out collectively.


Friday night I went swing dancing with a friend that is a gold medal Latin dancer, she very graciously demo'd some basics for me, I absolutely loved the Rhumba basics, the arms, the extended torque in the torso, amazing. Such a privilege to get a new perspective on SCD. You've all really inspired me to care about such things!

This year I will be trying out AT, thanks to An, Henry and Sofakat - I don't expect to have the time to do it justice but any new perspective on lead and follow will inform my own dancing and I'm super excited to learn more.

Thanks again, SCD internet chums, you've been grand!

Likewise DiamondBetty. Have fun dancing !

Time to ask. What's all this about medals?

Have fun with AT. I took it up just this time last year inspired by Vincent and Dani - and a few others in previous years.

Thanks Henry!

Medals are examined levels in Ballroom and Latin.


Not something we have to worry about in the vernacular dances!

When you learn to dance, you have the opportunity to take medal test if you wish. There are various syllabus that sets out techniques and basic steps for you to learn. You then take a medal test, and then progress to the next level, pre-bronze,bronze, silver, gold and above. If you compete at medal competitions, you will compete against competitors of the same grade.
A great way to thoroughly learn technique and the basic and standard steps that form the basis of any dance, whatever standard you are.
Many of the competitors, myself included, dance on the open circuit having had the grounding in technique first. Once you have this firm understanding, think of the foundations of a house, you can then build upon it, and learn to actually dance properly using the correct action.

Thanks so much both of you. Now I know.

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one wondering where Natalie's [supposedly improved] hip action was. I sat there saying I could probably produce better hip action (and latin is not so much my bag in spite of what my medal test scores suggest). Though maybe that would be the case anyway coming from a medallist background.

I try to look for the technical elements but I consistently find myself getting nauseous at whizzycam man and frustrated by the close up head shots. I want to see their feet! I don't always spot technical elements anyway when I can see them. I'm waiting to hear back Wysiwyg's report of the final as she was there and often the view from the studio floor sheds a completely different light on the dances/dancers(wysiwyg is a dance teacher who posts on the Norty step).

thought i would share this on my facebook last night for first time some dance teachers / judges and examiners were in and watching scd as their classes and stuff over for christmas - they were pointed out thinngs I had not noticed for weeks.

One personn an examiner with the idta posted When was sway introduced in reverse turns and dancing clock wise ? and never realised that they were doing that until he pointed it out - also mentioned how Brendan's shoulders were up her thought because she was hard to get round the floor. the teacher posting was a great competitor in his day and just those few comments opened my eyes to the V"W and the mistakes I had not seen

Some great comments from dancers in Australia who used to compete here and watch our scd over dwts am trying to get some of them to post on this thread particularly the judges and examiners


enjoyed your write ups Jen thankyou

Thank you Bendymixer, I hope you and others enjoy my ramblings. Dance is such a wonderful thing and we always see and learn new things, don't we.

Jennifer, I've enjoyed your write ups too. Haven't had time to go back and look at the dances. I'm not very observant when it comes to these things. I have to play back on i player.

Interesting feedback bendy.

Yes, I get annoyed by the cameraman. Firstly the whizzing around and secondly, the main grumble, as you say, they ignore the feet. Lucky to get shot of the feet for a second or two.
I will watch out for the post/s by wysiwyg, will be very interesting reporting back from seeing it live.

I will look back at the dances too, when I have moment, sometimes you do see things slightly differently or spot things you miss first time round.
This is why, when you compete, first impressions really count. You have to aim for consistency so the end of your dance is as good as the start, for you never know when the judge is looking.

Here are some of the dance related threads. I know there are more which can be linked via this master thread.

Argentine Tango Talk
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1920506

Argentine Tango Music
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1763697

Salsa Talk
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1923390

Salsa Music
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1763494

Why dance?
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1765941

Can do a dodgy dance to decent music; but can't do a decent dance to dodgy music
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1920564

I only just spotted this AT so you probably won't see it for ages but would like to say the same to you. There's been some brilliant threads this year where people have been able to express their opinions and put forward their knowledge without being accused of favouritism or a secret agenda of "hate" and I've loved being involved in them. The tea and biscuit thread will also long remain one of my all time favourite threads here on the SCD forum

As a PS, I think an AT to Floyd would be awesome, one of my all time favourite bands.

How did I miss this thread
So many insightful comments about the final, contestants and of course dance. Urghhhhh !!!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. I enjoyed reading some of the posts

I started this thread purely to talk dance. I wanted to make clear to certain posters, that any talking about any dance was just that, nothing aimed at the celebs, just "talking" to discussing the technical merits.
I think that some still did not get the general idea, it was still seen as "sniping at...." However, many posters seemed to enjoy the thread. It was interesting to me, to see input about Argentine Tango and Salsa, for example, dances about which, I know very little.

A thank you from me too.

Here is a film dance medley set to an old Venezuelan / (Colombian?) song - El año viejo

The singer Ximena Borges here though sings all the voices and simulates the instrumentation

http://youtu.be/C6AYUoyA53w

Sorry wrong link. Here it is

http://youtu.be/8hlTvOBZRpc

I am sure I have seen a dance to Dipso Calypso by Buscemi but can't find it mentioned on this forum or on youtube?

Does it seem familiar in a dance contect to anyone?

Dipso Calypso
http://youtu.be/5D0c9PM3cQI

I'm really not au fait with anything other than the usual 10 dance ballroom/latin, so perhaps others can answer, but could you salsa to this,? it seems to have the a 1,2,3 - a,1,2,3 beat ?

Yes, you could Jennifer - if you stuck to either Cali or Cuban salsa and keep your steps small It is a calypso beat (gorgeous) so it's a fast salsa, but yes, you could get away with it if you know what you're doing. Cuban salsa, including the 'pause' is counted out as 123 4 567.

I'd dance Cali to it, with a bit of bossa nova! It's a terrific track.

Thanks for your input Sofakat. Yes, its a terrific track, my feet were tapping away !

That sounds very fast. So what would be a typical tempo salsa? I ask because I may be learning some salsa this year and very fast dances are not my forte!

Sorry, I don't even know what style it will be. It is part of some unpartnered formation latin we're doing (apologies to those who hate the idea of formation latin but it is just a bit of fun and a diversion from my normal dancing).

Dancing on the bass drum beat isn't very fast

http://youtu.be/5D0c9PM3cQI?t=30s

Just tried it (sitting down) and it allows for grinding into and out of the floor and hip movements.

"Latin formation" sounds very "Home Counties South" but it is quite common in Salsa as "Rueda de Casino" [Roulette wheel]

http://youtu.be/fxcAg6Wom9w

It looks fully choreographed but there is a leader calling the series of sequences

Same song another rueda

http://youtu.be/YqP3pRXmf50

Here is one in Cuba
http://youtu.be/yS58jwxQPFg

Another Rueda
http://youtu.be/W4dEEpea1yM

Rueda with the calls in subtitles (it helps if you can understand Spanish to know what the terms mean)
http://youtu.be/6s2IVHrPNCc