Dance: Events on April 2023, "Tulsa - Auclair Workshop Weekend", "Oklahoma Dance Rush"; WCS and energy flow pattern

 It is 2023 April. There are big and small dance events popping up, and people are showing up. No masks. Covid feels like distant past already. Good.

There were a couple of events I went for West Coast Swing (WCS) socials this past April. 

One was Tulsa - Auclair Workshop Weekend (4/22). "WCS Workshop Weekend with Matt, Julie, Lily and TRose", organized by Jeanne DeGeyter in Tulsa.

Matt Auclair and his family (Julie, Lily) are based in St Louis. Matt was a child star of WCS of sort, many times US open champion and holding a long career. He is a social dance genius and can always pull off fun-to-watch dances in Jack and Jills. The party attracted good WCS dancers in the area.

Another was Oklahoma Dance Rush (4/26-27). This is a Ballroom and Country Western (and some WCS) event and is "a fully sanctioned UCWDC Country Dance World Championship qualifying event." 

This annual event in OKC has been run by Lee and Marcy Herpe, and Mike Shoemake and Beth Emerson. Including the Covid break, it has been quite a while to see them.

WCS has nice and long energy flow that slows and quickens. It is a "swing" dance, after all. The smooth and stretchy energy flow, created with two dancers' bodies, is visible in nicely danced WCS. 

You match the energy flow with the music. That is the core of musical interpretation in WCS.

As the energy flow is visualized outwardly and is a large size, WCS is interesting to watch even from a distance. Both of the dancers have to know what they are doing to visualize the flow, though. You may have to experience how fast or slow champion dancers are moving to create the proper flow.

 In contrast, you have to go up close to see Kizomba and its nice hip wiggling. A reason they rarely make good stage shows (Good video? yes).

"Modern WCS" became popular in WCS circuit since mid 2010's. It uses more contact points thus allows more variety or modifications in the energy flow and different body configurations. 

In addition to hands/fingers, wrists, abdomen, abdominal flanks and shoulders of classical WCS contact points, nape of neck, upper back, upper arm,  elbows, legs (thighs) are fair game with modern WCS. The follow can use monkeying energy flow using the lead's arm, if she wants. Styles do evolve.

If you see different dances from the standpoint of visualized energy flow, quite interesting differences among dances emerge. 

For example, in social Argentine Tango in close embrace, each dancer holds his/her energy in each body mostly. The flow is visible when it is spilled as embellishments with legs (boleos etc), or when shown as traveling/walking as freight motions or as rotational moves/pivoting. 

In contrast to social AT, stage Tango dance needs to expand the energy flow outward to be visible to the audience 30+ feet away. Open embrace, larger motions, dynamic use of legs, counterbalancing, etc, are all stage vocabulary.

Unique to AT is quick body position switch from pivot-based moves. Quick rotational position changes of AT dancers can mesmerize viewers. 

WCS and stage salsa have front side and back side for show dances. They don't want to block the view of her movements with his rear. For AT, the "don't-block-the-show-moves rule" is somewhat relaxed. Or, AT tends to be shown in the center of a circle or square. Front side may be hard to determine. They may have to dance all sides as front.

Guess enough essay writing for today. I had good WCS dances in the parties. Thank you partners and lucky me.

[Auclair WCS Party 4/22/23]

Dance: what is your viewpoint for your dance?/"Your hands can't develop faster than your eyes"

I dance different kinds of social dances. That includes Salsa, Kizomba, bachata (those party Latins. who doesn't. They are gateway dances.), West Coast Swing (not many parties around after covid, unfortunately), and Argentine Tango (may need to travel if I really want to dance, though).

That means, there are a few different dance communities and parties I attend.

Each has different cultures. Also, the dancers' common viewpoints in these communities are skewed one way or another.

There are beginners' and beginner's teachers' viewpoints. They focus on encouragement and want beginners to get over with many hurdles to dance, both physically and mentally.

Then there are intermediate's viewpoints. They are like mid-level manager, who understands beginner's viewpoint but also struggling to gain advanced viewpoint.

For dancers who think they are advanced, may serve as instructors and demonstrate dances. They may or may not have some other concerns, such as how to monetize their dance skills.

There are dances that have developed competitions and event systems that go over region, nation, or beyond. Ballroom, Salsa, WCS, and Argentine Tango, all have such systems.

In those dances, there are contest judges, who may or may not be an active competitor, teacher, or performer. These people are, locally, in a position of power, so to speak.

Depending on the contest, judging standards can change. When judging a bronze level contest for example, judges may be instructed to focus on the knowledge and execution of bronze patterns by the dancers, but no more.

But what happens in a community can still be a storm in a teacup. After all, contest points and trophies in a specific community are still like monopoly money, good only in the community.

Beyond the specific dance community, there are viewpoints from artistic judgement from broader viewers. If your dance does not convince laypeople as good (or amazing), that is where your dance is. You've seen "not good enough" comments on show auditions on TV.

TV director, Broadway show producer, or dance company recruiters use the "is it amazing?" viewpoint. 

If you apply this Broadway producers' view point, funny thing can happen. The dances by community-respected champions can suddenly look unrefined and amateurish. 

He may look good in his community, but he may actually look like under-trained college guy. In the case, he may not make it to the Broadway.

So, what kind of dance can satisfy the Broadway producers or TV directors?

Imagine you are the Broadway producers or TV directors. These are questions you can ask to yourself, assuming you have good eyes.

Yes, your discerning eyes are great asset. "Your hands can't develop faster than your eyes".

Dance is a form of art, and its higher form is communicative. At the higher level, you can see the art from the third party viewpoint. You value "connection"? You need to be able to show "connection".

Good dance has been an offering to gods. 

I personally would like to watch (or do) such a dance.

["Your hands can't develop faster than your eyes", Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 37]

PS My weight management is succeeding. Starting from 195-200lb 12 weeks ago, currently it is hovering between 182 and 186lb. I can move easier and that feels good. I'll stop taking the Traditional Chinese Medicine and add some exercise, and see what happens.