tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294447712633842915.post2763128171745868645..comments2023-04-28T02:32:50.304-07:00Comments on It was Fascination: "Nothing Good Comes Out of Wing"Jeffrey Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02226977302882524256noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294447712633842915.post-161888907325215382011-07-07T13:04:31.470-07:002011-07-07T13:04:31.470-07:00Sylvia, I'm not sure that when I'm thinkin...Sylvia, I'm not sure that when I'm thinking while following I'm not focusing my mental energy on the other person though; that's exactly what I'm doing...I'm trying to figure out what Jeff is up to and what I need to do about it. That's the problem; thinking takes too long and I should be just responding almost automatically. As I was telling Jeff the other night, it's bad when I start to "wake up" while following, because when I get into the right mindset as a follow my brain kind of does turn off and I don't have a lot of mental activity going on, focused on Jeff or otherwise. It's kind of like when you know a piano piece so well you can play it without thinking about it, just by muscle memory. What I'd prefer is to have the following part be something I don't have to think about at all, and then apply my mental energies to musical expression and the performance aspect, which isn't really discursive either, but I think involves a lot of mental energy and focus.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17662504234123091087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294447712633842915.post-45824631891122001642011-07-06T16:26:37.958-07:002011-07-06T16:26:37.958-07:00Looking good will get you victories in the short r...Looking good will get you victories in the short run. Feeling good (while looking good) takes a much longer time and takes alot of work between you and your partner.<br /><br />This has been emphasized to me many times on the difference between working with a male pro and working with a female pro. Male pro emphasizes the look irregardless of the comfort between the partners because you don't win comps by looking comfortable. Female pro emphasizes balance and comfort over the look because they don't like getting pushed around.Gormehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06630393012485769477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294447712633842915.post-70638444985992813512011-07-06T13:32:02.777-07:002011-07-06T13:32:02.777-07:00In my (small, of course) experience of following, ...In my (small, of course) experience of following, I've found the "stop thinking" notion to be precisely wrong. You don't stop thinking, you just think differently: FOCUS, or instantly intuit I suppose, rather than discursively figure out. To stop thinking implies to go entirely blank, or as you say, become a sack of potatoes, which nobody really wants. I'd say channel your mental energy towards the other person, rather than towards yourself, if that image makes any sense. You can figure out what you did and didn't do, moves wise, AFTER you stop dancing.Sylviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06221464682706193091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294447712633842915.post-68909220704482212382011-07-06T12:43:02.980-07:002011-07-06T12:43:02.980-07:00Sheila, I think you probably would make a great fo...Sheila, I think you probably would make a great follow if you spent enough time dancing. One thing I've noticed is that there is a pretty big difference between feeling good as a follow and looking good. Simeon has commented on this to me multiple times; sometimes the ladies to who feel great to lead don't look impressive at all, the posture may be poor, there's little energy, etc. whereas some ladies who are challenging to lead can look awesome because they know how to hold themselves well and just put a lot of energy into their dancing. Based on feedback I've had so far, I think I tend towards the later, which is kind of scary for the lead, but I guess puts you ahead of the curve if you want to make an impression when competing. Obviously, you ultimately want both, but depending the person I think one or other of those qualities may develop sooner. It makes sense, as I have analyzed to death what I've seen and heard about posture, position, and movement, so I think I usually end up look a lot better than I actually am when dancing...because I've worked hard intellectually and physically to perfect those things that I can control. Case in point; after my last couple of competitions with Simeon he's commented about how bad it felt as we walked off the floor (basically how I wasn't entirely following his movements), yet his better half complimented me on how good it looked performance wise etc., and she doesn't give compliments lightly. And since most of the judging has echoed her, I guess it may be true. I just hope for Jeff's sake that my following continues to improve and will soon match my other abilities. In our style of dance, it really is the most important thing.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17662504234123091087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4294447712633842915.post-27087474705262818312011-07-06T08:24:46.812-07:002011-07-06T08:24:46.812-07:00I think I have a temperament that would make a goo...I think I have a temperament that would make a good follow. But I'm not actually a good dancer, and the most skilled lead wouldn't make me one!<br /><br />I think you've hit the nail on your head -- don't assume that all the problems are yours, but do make the effort to dance correctly. Being a good follow will probably always be an effort for you, but I think you can do it!Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.com