Dance: Select WCS performances I liked (educational)

There is a plan for dancing a WCS routine. Routine is a different business from social fun dancing, and it takes preparation.

Following is a small list of routines performed by great WCS champions. If you want to learn a dance and perform, it makes sense to watch and learn what the best can do.

There usually is a gap between what you can do now and what you want to do in the future. But if you can identify the gap, you can work on it. That is the idea.

There are many great champions and memorable routines. This list include only 13 routines plus 1 impromptu. My intention is not to make "The Best" list, but to make a starter list. 

But routines by champions like Kyle and Sarah, Jordan and Tatiana, Benji and Heidi, Ronnie and Brandy, Brent and Kellese, should make a great starting point to start watching WCS performances.

[This is originally a mail to someone, so it is somewhat explanatory]
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WCS has strong social dance roots, and the contests are coming in routine divisions (showcase and classic) and in improvisational divisions (Strictly swing, Jack and Jill). It’s not unlike Stage and Salon divisions in Tango.

Each couple develops very different look and strength. WCS is not a standardized or institutionalized dance. It helps to watch many dancers, and look for ones appealing to you.

Kyle Redd is my favorite performer and has enormous appeal and stage presence somehow. I love whatever he and his partner Sarah do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4yscig0fa8 (Johnny B Goode)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMHpJMBof_s (2008 Bleeding Love)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nosy-BMU3vM&NR=1 (2002 routine How Long Can a Fool Go Wrong)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdRED0y0jxM (1996 US Open with Beata Howe)


This one is not a routine but an impromptu demonstration by Kyle and Sarah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG2-hoMSwAI&feature=PlayList&p=7E8B1F1798EA7619&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=32


Jordan Frisbee and his partner Tatiana Mollmann are unbelievably slick. They choreograph with great musicality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3RY8UbE0w&feature=related (How to save a life)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_B_e1y7vc&feature=related (Pump it)


Benji Schwimmer won So You Think You Can Dance some seasons ago. He came from ballroom and WCS background. The routines are very athletic or even acrobatic. Watch the cartwheeling and the Doughnut drop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hWhmwxAf7Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGYnMQs9Gb0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjNys5ija8E

Ronnie Debenedetta and Brandi Tobias is a strong couple with many fans. I like their slow/quick contrast and picture pauses in their routines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUX1ou9orGQ

Brent and Kellese Key. Brent originally came from Shag dance community, and added more individual and lively dance style to WCS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKgOfp-WDrM&index=13&list=PLF52D6612FF4E005C

Robert Royston’s “Fever” in 1997 US open. My favorite routine with great musicality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x33inSfEDE4

Mario Robau Jr and Kellese Key, 2001. Great example of a routine that radiates fun of dancing WCS without resorting to acrobatics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50FUohEQNow

In general contemporary WCS routines use a lot of slow/quick contrast, dramatic pause with the music, and tend to be on smooth, slick and quiet side compared with some Latin dances. I tend to choose choreography with great musicality.

These are just starters. From the links in YouTube, find routines appealing to you, and learn the vocabulary and styling of contemporary WCS. That’s our homework for building a routine.

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[Disclaimer: these videos are not mine and belong to the original owners.]

Dance: Taletha Jouzdani workshop, and a thought on social dance

Taletha Jouzdani is a West Coast Swing (WCS) champion. Based in Austin, she is among the strongest female WCS competitors today. She is also a judge, event organizer and traveling instructor.

Link to her site:  http://www.talethaj.com/

Our club invited her to give WCS workshops yesterday. The workshops are titled "Advanced Basics" and "Operation" (musical interpretation). I loved the workshops. I did not attend another workshop for Lady's styling, though.

In the advanced basic class, she mentioned "quality of motion" and the importance. And the "Advanced Basics" are to teach how to achieve the better body usage. Certainly, not only in WCS, the importance is true in all dances. Although I am not going to tell the content here (I suggest you take her class), I can tell you that the contents are very good and useful, "Teach'em how to fish" kind of class. I highly appreciate that kind of dance teaching.


[This following segment is my opinion. Not what she said, to avoid confusion] 
Most learners want patterns. What they overlook is that, once you get good basics, you can pick up a bunch of patterns just by watching YouTube with relative ease. If your basics are shaky, no amount of patterns make your dance look and feel good. It's that simple.



After the workshops, we had a WCS party that we dance socially.

WCS and Argentine Tango, two dances I love in particular, are similar in many ways; both are not highly institutionalized like Ballet or competitive Ballroom dance, both have strong social (or even street) dance roots, and both are highly improvisational in social setting.

In an advanced level, social dancing for improvisational dances (i.e. WCS, Argentine Tango) is like a free-style jazz session. Both dancers know the dance's basics and patterns, execute the moves on lead-and-follow basis with ease, and add improvisational moves according to the music. Like jazz musicians, both dancers have something to bring to the dance, and enjoy creating a dance on the spot.

And importantly, such dance feels good to dance.

My first rule for social dancing is, "It should feel good. It should be comfortable and fun".

Everybody comes to a dance floor with different degrees of (i) fitness and athleticism, (ii) knowledge for the dance, (iii) smoothness and ease of execution, (iv) willingness to improvise, and (v) ability and willingness to achieve a comfortable and fun dance overall.

[For competition and for a show dance, (vi) consideration for the appearance, matters too]

You are a unique mix of these. Your dance (thus, you) can be felt with a unique signature feel.


I danced a dance with Taletha. The dance felt very good, was comfortable and fun. I was very happy about it.

Partner dancing has an aspect not unlike martial arts. You can tell how good your partner is through your skin. She was great. No wonder she is a champion. 

Dance: "Techie and Feelie"..what kind of dancer are you?

In 2009, I read and liked "A Passion for Tango", a book about Tango written by a British medical practitioner/author David Turner. 

In the book, he pointed out that a dancer can be seen as a "Techie" or a "Feelie".

The "Techie" is a technical type. They tend to seek technique and precision in the Tango. Even their professions tend to be engineer or mechanic. Dance teachers have to be proficient (or have to get by with being at least sufficient) in their techniques, so they know and use the Techie approach.

The "Feelie" is more passionate type. They tend to enjoy the sensual side of the Tango. They may even indulge to the dance. To them, the dance is more likely to be something personally very special and dear, almost like a religion of sort. Also, how they felt about a dance is a very important criterion to evaluate a dance for them.


Similar typing can be seen in other dances. In "Compete like a Pro", a book about Competitive Ballroom dance by Jessika Ferm, she interviewed several Ballroom dance competitors and judges. Their answers and what they value indicate that some are more "Techie" and others are on the "Feelie" side.


Incidentally, popular psychology and personality diagnosis tool (e.g. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the like) say that whether you are a Thinker or a Feeler is a major typing category. So, my guess is that the two dancer types are very deeply connected to who you are and your personality.


Now, which one are you? Do you see yourself as a Techie or a Feelie? And how do others see you?


The merit to know your type is; you can know yourself, you can understand your partner, and you can adjust your dance to both types in a social dance setting.

We tend to judge all others by our own standards and types. But we have to be careful. Techies and Feelies do not always speak the same language, dance in the same manner, and value the same thing. If you are Techie as a lead and drive a Feelie partner hard, she may not want to dance with you ever again. If you are a Feelie as a lead and "feel" your dance, a Techie follower may be thinking the dance was a wrestle mania by someone who doesn't know what axis is, doesn't provide a lift to stabilize axis and isn't clear about the degree of pivot.


The Techie-Feelie types can appear in writing, too. I read many books, essays and blogs written about the Tango. The way they write really reflects who they are. 

Although my ex once said I am "both", I know I am on the Techie side. My writing was aiming at and was perceived as "non-nonsense and useful", as an Amazon reviewer said. I was very happy to read that, because they are exactly what I want my book to be.

In another book I read (I'll not mention the title here), the author was talking about the author's "connection" to Tango, how the author feels about the Tango, and so on. If you can connect to the style of writing through your own experience or some emotional common ground, it is a good read. I did enjoy the book. But to enjoy the particular book, you may need pre-existing knowledge about Tango. In the sense, the book is written mainly to fellow Tango dancers who already know what the author is talking about. 

I see the author as a Feelie. The way the "Feelies" connect tends to require a common experience or ground. It may be hard to share the personal feelings about the Tango with someone entirely new to Tango.


In my professional setting (research lab in a university), when I teach or train a new person (student, lab tech, or post-doc), I tell him/her what to do first. I tell him/her "do this, do that. The reason is.." with demonstration. The teaching/training method is action-oriented, just like general dance teaching. I want him/her to be able to perform sufficiently first, and how he/she feels about it at the initial training is not the main thing among the primary goals.

To teach something entirely new to a student, action-oriented instruction is much more efficient. Also, when they cannot perform well and do poor work, it would make them feel much worse. A feeling-based instruction should come later stage in the learning process.


I know I am a Techie myself and am slanted toward the Techie approach. Yet, knowing my own tendency reminds me of the importance of paying attention to the comfort and feeling of the partner.



Furthermore, the best and highest level of dances show both high level techniques and deep emotions. Techniques alone can leave us dry. Emotions and feelings alone make the dance look amateurish. Such dances lacking either one aspect may fail to connect to the viewer. The merging of both aspects is the key to the higher level. 

This point is clearer in music and musicians. A "pianist" may have a lot to express in her head and heart, but if she cannot play her piano well and her skills are insufficient, her music would likely fail to connect and move us.

My mother used to teach piano when I was young. One of my earliest memories (3-4 years old?) is that I sat in front of piano, crying hard refusing to practice the piano. I'm sure I sucked at it and that frustrated me too much. I quit. To this day, my fingers don't move well enough to play music with piano. The simple moral I took from this personal memory is that skills are important. Skills and techniques give a voice to your inner desires. Your feelings may not be heard without the voice you give.

To reach the higher/highest level, we need to pay attention to and master both; your techniques and skills, and your heart and feelings.

Dance: Get a mirror, and do Zeroing/calibrate your body

"Beginning Argentine Tango" was a book project published in 2012 January. The scope was to provide basic working knowledge to dance Argentine Tango to the readers to get them started. As such, the main target reader was someone who has not danced Tango, or who has little knowledge/experience for the Tango.

I've had another "twin" project idea. Basically, it is another "how to" book for Stage Tango.


The Tango world is very diverse, and major division is between Social (Salon) Tango and Show (Stage) Tango. I wanted to provide a "how to" book for each. 

The second book will be aiming at providing "how to" knowledge to dance Tango in public for a "Show". The knowledge will aid improving your dance overall, because, it is focused on taking your dance to a (high) level good enough for a show. It applies to your special occasions, such as wedding, anniversary, or a dance showcase.

These two Tangos require very different mindsets for the dancers. No wonder many perceive the difference as a division. One is centered to yourself, your partner, music and the moment. Another is for the audience and for the entertainment of the audience. In both cases, your dance may be seen as a service, but the people you serve are different.

It is natural that the second project should contain materials for more advanced dancers.
Many exercises should be applicable to other dances, though. In fact, many of these exercises came from contemporary dance and ballroom dance. Tango has Tango-specific moves and aspects (and I'll add Tango specific exercises). Yet, general disciplines emphasized in other dances are useful and applicable to Tango as well.



Many things happened since 2012 January, and this twin project has been delayed for so long. I am considering resurrecting this project and starting working on it. A trick to write anything is to write habitually. Let's see whether I can gain momentum for this writing project. 


Here is an example of the "how to" exercise. I'm planning to write these in this blog occasionally.

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[Generally the "exercises" will be categorized to three levels: "For All levels", "For the Intermediate", and "For the advanced".]


Exercise ## (For All levels):

Your dancing will make great progress when you learn how to imitate other people's move or choreography precisely and on the spot. It is an essential skill for professional dancers to be able to pick up the moves by the choreographer accurately and quickly.

Good dancers are good movers. Even if two people do the same move, one may be perceived better than another. Why does this happen? It's the body usage. This exercise is the first step to change and improve your body usage to be more pleasing one.

Overall, this exercise is the first step to gain the critical "precise and quick imitation" skill.


(i) Get a large mirror that shows your whole body; or have access to a large mirror (such as ones in dance studio or gym). So you can watch how your body/dance/movement/posture look like.

Ladies, you wouldn't do your make-up without a mirror, would you? Just like a mirror is an essential tool for your make-up , a large mirror is an essential tool for your dance for a show. 

If you have never danced in front of a mirror, you may feel psychological resistance. Forget self-consciousness, and silence any inner un-constructive critique saying it's narcissist or you are not good enough. You are doing this for your improvement toward the show-worthy. For the purpose, you have to see what you are doing now with clarity.

(ii) Do Zeroing/calibrate your body

When you move your body, few think of how you look from someone else's standpoint.  

And, what you think your body is doing may not be the same as what your body is actually doing. For example, try lifting your both arms to your side, parallel to the ground. Many will find they are unevenly lifted and not completely parallel to the ground. Another example; try to stand up straight with your spine elongate as much as possible. You may still be hunching with crab legs in the mirror.

Zeroing/calibration is an act to re-adjust and match your image in your head and your actual image on the mirror.


Body image can be very personal, and is a subject for biased or skewed perception. You may need to take time to be able to "see" it. 

Good news is that what you see in the mirror can be changed by yourself. If you look hunched, change it. If you are not bending your knee as you thought, change it. When you are doing a move "right" on the mirror, remember the feel. And repeat it until your body does the move "right" without thinking about it.

Re-train your body to be able to move as you want it to move, and to be able to assume a posture as you want your body to.

This is the first step for you to appear in the show in the way you want.

  .....[several exercises for the Zeroing to follow].....

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PS
If you have a topic you'd like to see in the book project, please email at yamadahy825@gmail.com

I'd address or incorporate the topic. It would take a few to several months for this project to complete. So there will be some time. Thanks!

Science: my regular work as a scientist (an example)

I started out this blog as a personal blog, and did not differentiate it as a dance blog or a professional blog. I am planning to keep that way; I alternate the topic among Dance, Science and Life events.

This entry is a record of a part of my regular operations as a scientist (junior faculty in a University). 

Following is a Journal Club notice for the lab. The readers are assumed to have undergraduate/graduate school-level knowledge for biology (but you don't have to have that to read this blog entry).

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Dear All,

Attached is the Journal Club paper for this Friday (9/5/14).

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Aug 19;111(33):12019-24. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1412901111. Epub 2014 Aug 4.

Disassembly of mitotic checkpoint complexes by the joint action of the AAA-ATPase TRIP13 and p31comet

Esther Eytan, Kexi Wang, Shirly Miniowitz-Shemtov, Danielle Sitry-Shevah, Sharon Kaisari, Tim J. Yen, Song-Tao Liu, and Avram Hershko

Link:   http://www.pnas.org/content/111/33/12019.long

Anaphase Promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is a ubiquitin ligase complex that drives mitosis toward exit. This paper’s last author  Dr. Avram Hershko is the Novel Prize winner (2004), Israel-based biochemist and a leader in ubiquitin biology. In 1995 he reported biochemical activity of APC/C for the first time. His report was immediately followed by Dr. Mark Kirschner in Harvard. Their biochemical works provided a perspective to mitotic research at the time and to yeast-based genetical data.

APC/C happens to be the subject of my doctoral thesis. We had yeast mutants that show mitotic arrest, and my task as a graduate student was to figure out the function of the mutated proteins. It turned out the mutants were APC/C mutants, and the mutations disassemble APC/C and inactivate it.

So when I read this paper, it feels somewhat nostalgic and personal. I did meet Dr. Hershko twice in person, in Kyoto and in an ASCB meeting.

This paper is tackling another mystery; how mitotic checkpoint (essentially APC/C inhibitor) is silenced, so APC/C is activated and cells can proceed to mitotic exit. 

Research in mitotic regulation started out as research for cdk (cyclin dependent kinase) regulation, then evolving toward the study of cdk regulators such as APC/C and mitotic checkpoint complex. It is good to have this historical perspective to understand this research field.

Thanks.

Hiroshi