Andrew Smith Dance

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bluesSHOUT! and the Road Ahead

4/21/2010

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I think upon my experience in Austin with mixed emotions. I came there primarily to compete. By my performance, one would think that I'd be proud of my progress: finalist in Ballroomin' with Karissa, 3rd place in Jookin' with Julie, and a Champions Jack and Jill competitor. Yet I can't shake this thought that I could've done better. Such is the nature of my personality to care more about my performance relative to my potential rather than relative to those around me.

Watching the videos, I pour over every moment and critique my movement. I listen carefully to the judges' feedback, seeking new paths for improvement. (I received some excellent and constructive feedback -- many thanks to Damon, Heidi, and Kathy for their input.)

My spotlight in the Ballroom spotlight flopped. Just knowing I could've done better disappoints me, not matter how we placed relative to others. Karissa and I had worked so hard on refining our dance, running spotlights, preparing for the competition in technique, musicality, creativity, and structure. Then the big moment arrives and my mind draws a blank: I freeze up and stilt the performance. The all-skate went well, at least. Landing in the top six is no small feat, but I am more dissatisfied with myself because I could've done better: even if we somehow landed 1st place, my mind and heart would not be at ease.

The Jook Joint competition went smoother. I had my game face on, we connected and moved well together, and maintained a balanced performance. I was honored to place 3rd in a competition where professional couples go to cut their teeth.

The Champions Jack & Jill went quite well. J&J competitions are always my weak point, so I'm pleased with my progress. I'm working on a lot of issues regarding connection and musicality in the J&J. I tend to dance my partner rather than dance with my partner. Thanks to feedback received from SCBF and through the training weekend, it was clear that I was beginning to address these issues.

Analyzing the videos, I see all these areas that require work. I consider myself fortunate that I have dedicated dance coaches (Barry and Brenda) that guide my progress and show me ways to improve. I value their expertise, experience, and vision, and seek their feedback after every competition.

It can sometimes be difficult to maintain faith in my path. There is so much I don't understand, particularly about their interpretation of Blues dancing. At times, it feels like a terrible detriment: I isolate too much, my walking is stilted, my hips disconnect, my movement is flowery and unsupported, my pulse is still not there, the list goes on and on. I pursue a dance technique that I don't fully comprehend and must maintain faith in The Process. Then I watch Barry and Brenda move and remember why I drill esoteric technique and dance outside my circle of comfort.

The path to great dancing is a process. While there are days that I want to throw it all away and move in a style I understand, I take comfort in knowing that it's the process that makes a better dancer. By challenging yourself to tackle the unknown, you come out better for it. I appreciate the structure provided by training with Barry and Brenda, for the concrete ways in which I can refine my dance, for the inspiration I draw from watching them move. I trust in my coaches to steer me in the right direction. I aspire to the way they dance.

Sometimes I wonder why I do it. Why I invest thousands of dollars in my training with no plan to make dance my source for gainful employment. I don't have an exact answer yet; all I know is that it is something I must do. I am so compelled to strive for the best in my dance, not matter the cost. Such are the nature of passions, I suppose.

In the meantime, I need to get my ass in gear and work harder on my dance. The past three weeks were intense, but I should sustain this energy to continue training. There are so many issues to work on, and in many ways this excites me. I am headed in the right direction -- I've received feedback from enough people to know that in my heart -- but it's not close to being there yet. You can never be perfect in dance, never reach 100%, but I'd love to hit a solid 80%.

---

On a side note, I am so glad I stayed Monday night in Austin. We went out to TC's Lounge, a small Jook joint with superb live music. The energy in the room, the driving music, the right amount of alcohol, the sweat and bodies crowded together and pulse of the room, it kept me dancing all night long. I just couldn't stop moving. It was inspirational: I was transported to a time when this is what you'd do every night for fun. Good times and good Blues. What a way to release all this energy from the weekend and bring close my time in Austin.

The experience reminds me of this passage from "Jazz," by Toni Morrison. I will bring this post to a close with it as a parting gift to your imagination.

"Before the lights are turned out, and before the sandwiches and spiked soda water disappear, the one managing the record player chooses fast music suitable for the brightly lit room, where obstructing furniture has been shoved against walls, pushed into the hallway, and into bedrooms piled high with coats. Under the ceiling light pairs move like twins born with, if not for, the other, sharing the partner's pulse like a second jugular. They believe they know before the music does what their hands, their feet are to do, but that illusion is the music's secret drive: the control it tricks them into believing is theirs; the anticipation it anticipates. In between record changes, while the girls fan blouse necks to air damp collarbones or pat with anxious hands damage moisture has done to their hair, the boys press folded handkerchiefs to their foreheads. Laughter covers indiscreet glances of welcome and promise, and takes the edge of gestures of betrayal and abandon."  - page 64 and 65.
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Gearing up for bluesSHOUT!

4/14/2010

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The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of dancing to prepare for the bluesSHOUT! competitions. I compete with Karissa in the Ballroomin' strictly and with Julie in the Jookin' strictly.

Since Karissa and I now have a reputation and most judges know how we've danced previously, we worked our asses off to step it up another notch. A lot of other competitors are doing the same. So, for the past three weekends, we've tried to come together as a partnership after four months of not seeing each other while simultaneously refining our technique, presentation, and musicality.

Aaaaand… go.

We started off with two hours of private lessons on the previous Sunday (April 4th). That got us thinking about a lot of material. It was not easy to start off a private with Brenda and have her critique our partnership when we literally hadn't danced together in four months. The lessons yielded important critiques of our dancing and direction for where we go next.

Last weekend we attended a competition and performance retreat with Barry Douglas and Brenda Russell. Always a valuable experience, this intensive training had us dancing ten hours a day for four days. We would run J&J and Strictly comps every day, mixed with technical work. By the end, I felt like I couldn't dance. Also, that I couldn't move for my body being so sore. My head exploded several times throughout the weekend. But it always feels so good a couple days later.

I traveled up to Seattle on Tuesday to practice more with Karissa. This was a good idea because it allowed us to review what we learned and assimilate the data into our dancing. Now we're feeling solid, connected, grounded, and looking sharp.

I am excited for this weekend at bluesSHOUT! The competitions were a big reason for me to come out to the event. Social dancing, seeing lovely people, and teaching private lessons are great, but I'm especially ramped up about the comps. I think they're going to be a blast and they have been a real inspiration to me to work on my dancing.

I've come to realize that one of the reasons for competitions are to inspire and challenge the competitors. It's a great way to push yourself and to receive feedback from others on your current level of dancing. They are also always inspiring to watch. It excites me that the Blues community has continued to evolve and develop a more thorough understanding of the dance.
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    Andrew Smith

    Dancer, teacher, bicyclist, engineer, student, southpaw. That about sums it up!

    Visit his personal blog:
    Life As A Southpaw

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