That sounds great - perhaps your partner would like to put in some extra practice too?
I take it you are at Uni, do they have a ballroom/latin team or club ? know our local uni is really big on dancing, they have formation teams too as well as couples competing on the open circuit.
If you know the basic steps, if you google, you can find some good tuition on the internet. Latin for example, Brian Watson with Karen Hardy ones are very good, of course there are loads to choose from.
You can never do enough practice, so please keep up with it !
I remember you saying that the beginners class was too easy but then the next class ( improvers) got a bit confusing....what was it that you found confusing ?

I'm more a ballroom lady but hopefully I can help a little, but I;m sure one of our latin experts will correct me if I'm wrong.
There is no room for a kick as such, in either ballroom or latin.I imagine a kick to be as though you were to kick a ball. A harsh physical action with no finesse.
We do have a form of kicking in ballroom, these can be sharp and quick in QS and Tango ( these are very controlled actions), a refined develope in waltz or Foxtrot.
The flicking action in the jive comes from the knee, leg/thigh pumping whist you flick sharply from the knee with toes pointed. In my early latin days, my teacher at the time told me to think about flicking chewing gum off the sole of my shoe.

So it's all one movement? A kick and a flick together?

I personally still would not call it a kick as such but it is a kick with a a flicking action.
Hopefully one of the latin ladies will add to this.

Thank you - I never really looked at the jive before because it's my least favourite dance (well, with the one exception), but this terminology always confused me because I could never see two different types of action (different moves yes, but not different types of action if that makes sense).

Yeah I'm doing dancesport at uni. The next class was confusing because there were steps I hadn't learnt before and as most of the others already knew them there wasn't as much time to go over them, hence me hoping to try and catch up! I think I'm just unlucky in being between the levels of the classes! I think in a few weeks the beginners will start doing more and it'll be less going over what I already know, patience!

Agree with you. Just double checked the IDTA Walter Laird technique book and only flicks are described there (flick action from the knee, foot approximately 15cm from the floor). Even the commonly named 'kick ball change' step has been renamed to 'flick ball change' thereby making a point about the preferred action. ISTD book also seems to have only flicks in it.

You could just concentrate on improving the quality of the simpler steps. Even experienced dancers spend hours practicing the natural turn in waltz. So one thing to do would be to check out some technical points on youtube and practice refining them.

You are very lucky to have a provisional partner.

Yeah it's all getting exciting, there's talk of competitions! Though I think I might be more excited about a legitimate excuse to wear something swooshy with sparkles on.
The advice on technique is great, that'll be my plan! !

My sentiments exactly Ann and I would add not to be afraid of practising on your own. Practise the technique and you will have added a quality to your dancing. Don't always practice to music, take it slowly and work on the technique and your posture and performance etc.

As Ann has said, most dancers spend considerable time working on the basic actions, this is because all the dancing that you see, from top amateurs to pros, is built on solid foundations, the basic actions. So you see, having solid technique is so important to be a good dancer. Obviously the more advanced you get, you dance more difficult figures as well, but the basis of each routine is all about the basic figures.

You can practice the box step exercise on your own in waltz. Learn to soften your lowering actions, Drive from a standing leg through on a heel with weight over front foot, make sure of your closing actions - I always think of ankles together. Keeping arms up in frame, try adding some sway action, stretching and keeping balance. I practice this even now having danced several years.

You can practice your rumba walks ( had long sessions with my teacher getting me to do this) and many other aspects of dances, on your own.

A question about ethics.

We all know AJ & Chloe were amateur dancers who turned pro to do Strictly. However, after turning pro they then danced in a competition in Bournemouth, where they danced in the amateur event. Apparently made the final but didn't win, but it still upset some of the true amateurs taking part. A matter of principle? Were the amateurs right to be annoyed?

Had they embarked on their Strictly work at that time or was it when they were waiting for Strictly to start? They would be by no means the only amateur competitiors to have a slightly dodgy approach to maintaining their status. I know amateur competitors who teach for money and who even run dance schools.

I'm surprised noone organising the competition questioned it given that they are quite high profile.

Edit: Ah, I see it was end of July. Maybe they thought they could slip a last amateur comp in before Strictly which was pushing the rules a bit but not as bad as them doing an amateur comp now.

I know this sort of thing goes on in all the different grades unfortunately. I personally feel that they should not have danced in Amateur having made the decision to turn Pro, but it happens in the lower grades as well. I also can remember, years ago, one high profile Amateur ballroom couple dancing in the National Amateur finals after having announced that they had turned Pro.The following comp they were dancing pro.

Amateurs are allowed to teach for money under a scheme which means they can only do so under supervision of a professional. Anton started teaching when still an amateur, and one young couple who didn't have a lot of money to spare, approached him for lessons, only to find he was charging considerably more than some excellent professionals, which felt totally wrong.

Don't know of any amateur competitors who run studios, but knew one couple who ran practice nights while dancing amateur. This was queried more than once on the grounds of 'making money out of dance' but providing they didn't dance with anyone else, it was deemed to be ok. Also, the practice sessions were in an area that was practically devoid of any dance facilities, so much needed and attended by dancers of all grades from medallist to professional.

I know quite a few amateurs that teach, dance dems for which they are paid, and run practice nights. One coach at Cheam told me that there is no real difference between being amateur and pro these days ,they just enter separate comps.

I think it's pretty normal for amateurs to teach. Something new teaching helps improve your own dancing and experience.

That would depend on the quality of the information of course

I am willing to be corrected but I don't think this is correct?

The British in Bournemouth is in July and whilst AJ and Chloe may well have been in talks with the BBC they hadn't signed contracts then.
They danced in Blackpool in early September competing as amateurs and the dance world knew they were going to be on Strictly.

After the final, which , as you say, they didn't win, they announced they were turning pro and their involvement in Strictly was announced in the press the following day.

As pros they simply aren't good enough for the open circuit so fellow amateurs are waiting to see if they stay pros or revert to being amateurs as the popular feeling is that they won't be on Strictly again.

AJ was simply bought in because he is short and Chloe came as part of the package hence no celebrity partner.

The BBC announcement was 26 July. AJ and Chloe are specifically described as pro dancers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/strictlyc...ntries/2016/07

The Bournemouth competition was 31 July. http://dancesportinfo.net/Competitio...477729/Results

(I can't see any record of them dancing in Blackpool after that.)

I do think those complaining about it were being a bit too whingey though as they had probably been entered into the comp for a while and it was a matter of days. Presumably they didn't have any control over the timing of the BBC announcement and maybe they were not expecting them to make it so soon.

Very happy to see so much love for Troels and Ina on here too! Hello!

With regards to the pro - amateur debate, I will be curious to see what Chloe and AJ decide to do once they return to competing. There have been other couples/individual dancers who have "returned" to amateur more drastically. Olga Urumova for example making the Pro finals with Stefano at Blackpool, and then returning to amateur to dance with Nikita (and doing very well) before they turned pro earlier this year...

Shouldn't be allowed in my opinion. Turning Pro should not be a decision to be made unless you are sure that's the route you want to take. Once that decision is made, there should be no turning back.

I'm not sure if this question is too specific for this thread (and it's nearly 3 in the morning, so I don't imagine anyone will be able to get back to me for a while anyway!), but anyway: Danny always looks very soft in the knee when he dances (very MT). His FT looked not quite right to me (and I'm not talking about the mistakes, those were just a shame, I mean generally - his basic FT action). Is this why? Or is he doing it right and I'm just too ignorant to know (very possible, so I won't be offended if anyone says I'm plain wrong!) I know the question sounds Danny specific, but it's not really - he just happens to be giving a demonstration at the moment about a certain aspect of ballroom technique.

TBH, his paso leg action looked very soft to me too.

And wasn't I seeing quite a few toe leads in Laura's tango?

I would agree with you about the Paso, it was too light across the floor for me and as you say, too soft in the legs. Not enough pressure into the floor.

Yes you are right about Laura's toe leads all over the place. But I could see ( I thought) some strapping on one ankle and she wore soft teacher training shoes rather than ballroom shoes, so I think we can assume all this was down to her ankle injury, and I would like to give her the benefit of the doubt. Music played way too fast.

Back to Danny, his training room footage looked very promising as I could easily recognise the groups he was dancing, which is a good sign!
Last night, I feel he was totally taken over by the drama and the usual " story telling" rather than concentrating on his routine and getting that right. You have to be able to do both of course.

Even at the start, I was surprised to see how awful his turns/spins were at the start, very clompy and off balance. I'm sure I have seen him to these better.

Why does he wear awful cuban heels on ballroom shoes. ?? Wrong, just wrong. How can you roll through your feet when you are wearing basically a latin shoe? This is why the ladies do a super job rolling though feet, going backwards with a heel to contend with.

The foxtrot action shown was not right. It is meant to be a super soft rolling action, heels, to balls to toes. Going backwards, toes across the floor, to balls to heels. Knees SOFTLY flexed with a swinging action of the legs. Danny, although he had bent knees, these were not soft, his action was too hard, too harsh.

Oti did a fab job partnering him as he looked so very stiff from the leg action and top line. The top has to be held and toned but it is flexible as your back also has to be. Left arm got too high also.

He missed what I thought was supposed to be a feather finish leading into the 3 step, but because he clearly forgot the routine, Oti had to pull him into the 3 step which was not on the right alignment. After a poor attempt at the curved feather, he got back into the routine but in the wrong way.Too much misplaced energy. Too much rising through the feet all through. It looked better earlier in the week, I think the acting out the drama of the song just took over.

The music did not help, although I love the song, there is too much "drama" in it - not nearly soft enough- and think this is what Danny was dancing to, rather than as a dancer, dances to the rhythm. Whoever chooses these pieces of music really should be sacked, I rarely hear appropriate strict tempo dance music.

Oti did a fabulous job partnering and actually getting herself to where she needed to be. Dancers bodies mould to each other and shape to each other, to accommodate the other but Danny was way too stiff.

I felt really very uncomfortable all the way through the dance. Shame but hopefully he will have enough votes to stay in as he is talented.

Fair enough - benefit of the doubt for Laura.

It's strange isn't it, after that delightful QS he did, that he should come a bit unglued in his next ballroom? Maybe it's because that music was more suited to the dance without distractions.

I do love Oti though and she's choreographing some really challenging and interesting routines. I think it's good to extend the boundaries, even if it does result in occasionally going wrong. There's no shame in having an off night - I can't imagine it will result in him getting the boot (especially as Ore was also dreadful - was he wearing lead boots or something?)

Thanks very much for that clarification on the FT action. I'm sure there's such a learning curve - especially when you've got to 'unlearn' different training in order to get it right (and I think Danny is coming up against that wall now).

ETA: could the heels be because Oti is a bit tall for him?

I've seen latin dancers use a ribbon or tape before for a rumba routine but not for ballroom. I liked the idea but I think it was one distraction too many. The routine itself was full of content and I don't think the tape - whatever it was - added that much to the routine. I would rather Danny just have concentrated on getting into hold and danced, concentrating on getting the routine right.

Ballroom dancing is so different to other types of dancing, there is a huge amount of technique to learn, the way you use your feet, frame, posture and poise, use of standing leg, contra body movements and positions, swing, sway, never straightening legs etc..lot to learn as well as the choreo., and to do all this and more, to a specific timing and to show the characteristics of each dance.

Not sure why he is wearing such awful shoes, Oti is wearing a small heel and compensating nicely by being well into her legs.