Great dancers vs great leads.

[LolitaHaze]

I was watching So You Think You Can Dance just now. Tonight you can see the difference between a GREAT Lead versus a Great dancer. There were two couples one dancing the samba and the other dancing the cha cha. In each couple the male was quite familiar with the chosen dance style, where as the female was lacking (in my opinion on the same level of unfamiliarity). Dmitry trying to compensate for his partner's inabilities showboated (for lack of better word)... no let me say... gave it everything he had to bring up the level of the couples' performance. In my opinion it just made it look like he was really really really good at what he did and proved just how much his partner did not know. In the end making the performance look mismatched. Now Benji on the other hand (who I am rooting for) he took his abilities down to match his partner's. It is obvious he can give so much more (he is the swing dance champion), but he brought up his partner's ability, by bringing down his own performance and helping her, leading her, and in the end making the routine spectacular! Both men are quite talented in these ballroom/latin/swing styles, but this proved, to me, that a good lead is better than a good dancer any day!

 

[ITG]

I noticed that too. Dimitri and Benji are excellent dancers and I'm rooting for Benji too. He seems to really enjoy dancing. His smile and positive attitude is infectuous. I enjoyed Heidi and her partner too. (I think Heidi is Benji's cousin.)

 

[LolitaHaze]

Yes she is... I didn't like their routine tonight... I thought it was a bit lacking. I expected a bit more oomph with her moves more like Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, or even Jessica Simpson... their videos have pop style dancing. I thought they were flat. Their moves weren't very cutting.

Another thing about tonight's show is that I thought the judges were way too nice to Ben and his partner (they did the American Jive). I thought their jive was WEAK! I thought Stacy Kebbler's Jive was much much much stronger/better on Dancing with the Stars. It seemed like Ben and his gal were half-a'ing it. Like eh, kick, eh kick, eh... instead of KICK! KICK! KICK!

lol

 

[Matt Deckard]

You bring up a good point. For the leads I think it is always better to go to the skill of the follow though not compromise the technique... I can't drag a girl into moves she does't know, however I can teach through leading on the floor, and if I am good enough she will follow. Showboating to the follow only makes you look bad.

 

[Paisley]

In other words, guys shouldn't try to be prettier than their partners.

 

[fortworthgal]

You bring up a good point. For the leads I think it is always better to go to the skill of the follow though not compromise the technique... I can't drag a girl into moves she does't know, however I can teach through leading on the floor, and if I am good enough she will follow. Showboating to the follow only makes you look bad.

Agreed. I've danced with both types.

There's one particular guy who makes every swing dance event in the area. He's a fabulous dancer, by himself. His attitude is "I don't dance with beginners." Total showboater. I danced with him once and that was enough. He added overly fancy and complicated flourishes onto everything and included complicated steps that I didn't know, while I was left standing there like a buffoon and looking confused. At one point (when he went down into the splits on the dance floor) I actually got so annoyed that I stopped dancing and stood completely still, waiting for him to come back up. He's a bad lead, because he doesn't truly "lead" his partner into what he's doing. He just wants to look cool and hopes the girl can keep up. That's not leading.

On the other hand, I've danced with excellent dancers much more advanced than myself, who actually led me along with them and made me look good even though I had no clue what I was doing, and I learned the steps and followed well while doing it. That should be the goal of every lead. A good lead can make even a rank beginner look good!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I love dancing with a strong lead—someone who is able to lead you through a variety of moves (including ones you don't know) so well that you don't have to think about what you are doing. I do not like dancing with light/weak leads, because it is so hard to figure out what they want you to do! And it's much worse if they are a weak lead *and* a show boater

I was once told that the follow is the "picture" and the lead is the "frame"--it's the job of the lead to make the follow look great. A good lead can adjust his style to fit the follow he is dancing with—and in turn, that makes both of you look great!

 

[SinatraStyle]

The Great Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire made the analogy that Jitterbugdoll referenced. He described the lady as the picture and the man the frame. It is the man's job to put the lady is the best possible light.

He has a good point...no one is looking at the man anyway! Why do you think that the women wear beautiful colored gowns while the men dress in black tuxedos?

I have had the pleasure of teaching ballroom professionally. I think that I used Astaire's analogy with every student, especially couples. Dancing is supposed to look effortless...it doesn't happen if you're partner is being dragged around and looks confused.

 

[Shimmy Sally]

If my lead is good, I don't need to know the move to be able to follow him/her. I've had good partners teach me moves on the social dance floor as we go along. I learn more that way really.
We have a few men here in Phoenix who are soooo good that they can make the gals with no natural rhythm or coordination feel like a dancing queen. That's real talent, in my opinion.