Yulia Dance Masters

Competitions – Brief Review

UJ Dance Challenge for PWH (people with haemophelia)

So, I keep sharing my impressions after the last competition, dear dance fans…

Dance for PWH …

No doubt, the idea of supporting people with haemophilia is great! The fact that there are some people who took the initiative to make this idea come true is also great!

But sadly the honourable idea of supporting people with haemophilia was contradicted by the way the competition was presented. How is it possible to dance on a cement floor, which can cause injures to knees, ankles, feet … & even backs? The lack of absorption, flexebility & rough joints of the cement floor, caused dancers to be extremely cautious & compromised the quality of their performance. I’m not even talking about the damage to the dance shoes… Which are incredibly expensive & not every dancer can afford to buy them often!

Perhaps the way the organizers of this comp thought was that it would be better to run the event on a bad floor than cancel it?! But to me personally, this kind of compromise is questionable – how can you help some people while exposing others to the danger of being injured?

Now about dancing…

To me Ballroom & Latin American dancing is mainly an art of expressing beauty & harmony between a man & a woman on a dance floor. Only when I see a man & a woman, creating their unique “dance of life” together, only then Ballroom Dancing appeals to me!

You may have a different sexual preference in life (your personal choice!), but when you take the dance floor, you have to perform as a man or as a woman regarding the body you’ve been given (there is no middle road!)! If you’ve got a male body – dance as a man, in case of a female body – you should perform your female part exceptionally well!

What happens, when on a dance floor instead of a man’s dancing we see a lot of female stuff: tiny steps, funny hip moves, arching, high lifting of a leg with the arm support (very typical for ladies) and etc…? What message do the audience get watching such a performance?

Fortunately I’m not the only person on the SA dance circuit with that kind of opinion – the adjudicators were logical & consequent in their marks! Those couples in Pre-Championship Latin section, who succeeded best in projecting the correct male & female roles in their performances, were placed 1st and 2nd in the competition.

 

To be continued…

Those dancers, who really want to improve, can follow me on my “Ballroom Technique” page.

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