Okay, I think that clears up most of the mysteries :-)
It sounds like East Coast Swing is the right place for me to start, here, to learn a "more American" style of Swing -- if I can find a day to fit it in (I have three different dance styles on three different days already to fit in each week...). Given what I've learnt today I expect it'll be "similar but different", which is always a good place to start learning something new.
I accept what you say about smaller steps as a social dance habit, even though they were the only ones on the floor (mostly I've been taught "faster music == smaller steps"). The class solution to the distance covered was the usual "yoga class" solution: everyone did the same thing at the same time in the same direction, so there wasn't much risk of running into other couples. When each couple is doing their own improvised dance to the music that clearly won't work as well! (Most of the dances I've done as social dances are pretty much on the spot/change of place, so inherently take up less room. Or have a clearly defined direction of travel for everyone on the floor -- Tango/Waltz/etc.)
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Re: Hustle
Date: 8/25/13 05:33 am (UTC)From:It sounds like East Coast Swing is the right place for me to start, here, to learn a "more American" style of Swing -- if I can find a day to fit it in (I have three different dance styles on three different days already to fit in each week...). Given what I've learnt today I expect it'll be "similar but different", which is always a good place to start learning something new.
I accept what you say about smaller steps as a social dance habit, even though they were the only ones on the floor (mostly I've been taught "faster music == smaller steps"). The class solution to the distance covered was the usual "yoga class" solution: everyone did the same thing at the same time in the same direction, so there wasn't much risk of running into other couples. When each couple is doing their own improvised dance to the music that clearly won't work as well! (Most of the dances I've done as social dances are pretty much on the spot/change of place, so inherently take up less room. Or have a clearly defined direction of travel for everyone on the floor -- Tango/Waltz/etc.)
Ewen