# Do you dance?



## Ciel_Rouge (May 16, 2008)

Since we have a thread about singing, how about dancing? Since the classical opens up to musicality, I suppose an interest in dancing might also be a by-product. And don't tell me the classical is only for listening - how about the waltz? Have you ever tried it? Also, I heard that a lot of the baroque pieces originate from dances which were in fact danced by the people of the time. I even saw someone set up a dance to Vivaldi's version of La Folia. So my fresh set of questions would be:

1. have you ever tried ballroom dancing (waltz etc.)
2. have you ever tried more exotic/ethnic dancing like flamenco, tango, belly dancing?
3. does listening to the classical sometimes make you sort of... dance - meaning body movement other than "conductor's gestures" which sometimes occur in classical listeners especially with the volume turned up 

And I will start by giving you my personal answers:

1. no but I am sort of intending to
2. no but I sometimes watch tutorials on YouTube and might try that one day
3. yes, it is not "real dancing" though


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I was interested in classic dances, but never really tried to learn any of them. After all, it's completely useless nowdays. Unless you're a professional dancer. "High society" and balls are no more. At least I don't know nothing about them.


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## Lang (Sep 30, 2008)

1. Yes, when I was at school - I was terrible at it.

2. No.

3. Well, my daughter was very amused once by my doing 'air violin' when listening to a concerto. So yes, I do a few strange movements sometimes. Not dancing though, by any means.


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## Margaret (Mar 16, 2009)

1 Many years ago I took ballroom dancing for a semester in an adult continuing education class. We met once a week for maybe three months. We learned the basic steps on simple dances. Don't remember much of it.

2 The basic tango step is not exotic. It's a rhythm (if I'm remembering correctly) of slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. But it was the most fun of any of the dances. We didn't try any of the others you mentioned.

3 I waltz to waltzes. The waltz is another very basic dance. It's a box step (you just make a box on the floor) with an up-down movement to the 1-2-3. 

A lot of the names for movements are dance names because people used to dance to them. I was at Colonial Williamsburg a place I love. (I did mention in the "About Me" section that I love living history museums.) It was Christmas and you could buy a ticket to the "Governor's Ball" which was the players reenacting a ball. They did the period dancing to the classical music. It was fun to watch. Takes much more practice than just getting out there and shaking your booty. One of the "guests" meaning a reenactor who wasn't dancing told me that at the time what the ladies admired were men's calves. Because men developed calf muscles from the dancing. Having seen it, I can believe it.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Not in the spirit of Ciel_Rouge's original question:

My wife (of the time) and I once danced a minuet when someone played some horrendous thrash metal garbage at an otherwise good dance. People cleared the floor and watched, it was so incongruous. Nothing authentic, we just made it up, but it sort of worked and we were met with applause.

In a reversal of that, I do my own awkward version of rock and roll dances for exercise almost every evening when I come home and if a piece of classical comes on the random playlist and has a steady 4/4 beat, I go with it. Sort of like _Sweatin' to the Extreme Oldies._

Sorry for the off topic aside. Carry on . . .


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## JTech82 (Feb 6, 2009)

I like dirty dancing. Does that count?


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## PartisanRanger (Oct 19, 2008)

The only dancing I do these days is at college parties (the "dancing" there can hardly be qualified as such). I'm thoroughly guilty of the "conductor gestures" when I'm listening to a piece I really love and occasionally of doing air violin or piano.


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## Ciel_Rouge (May 16, 2008)

Weston: it sounds absolutely amazing, perhaps you could do it once more but have the thing recorded and posted on YouTube. I would love to see someone perform a minuet, even if it is only "made up" to be menuet-like 

So, non-disco dancing may seem to be extinct, but I notice a huge revival of interest in belly dancing which also tends to be research-driven and authentic. For example:






I have even seen some tutorials and what looks complicated is actually very simple when explained properly and even feels really good  Perhaps there is even some sort of course in belly dancing available or a regular event where you live.

I think tango is LEAST "extinct" since it is so well known from films and such, for example:






I suppose there are also some groups reviving the baroque and pre-baroque dances somewhere as well.

But coming back to the core question here, does the classical open you up to dancing? Since music is not only sound but also motion and has certain spacial and even almost visual qualities I suppose it could be possible... I never danced a lot before but since I really started listening to classical and ethnic a few years ago my inclinations towards dancing have been growing stronger.


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## marval (Oct 29, 2007)

Do I dance? Only very badly with two left feet. The first school I went to we were taught scottish dancing, the second school it was Irish dancing, that was a long time ago.


Margaret


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## Enkhbat (Jan 28, 2009)

1. Yes, Most Mongolians dance Waltz at every new year.

2. Yes, Biyelgee - Mongolian traditional dance 





3. Yes, yesterday i watched percussion concerto and imitated performers hand movements. Sometimes i move like performers, conductors. When i listen Boccherini's Minuet , I'd like to dance but i don't know how to dance


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

You do NOT want to see me dance!!!

Jim


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

handlebar said:


> You do NOT want to see me dance!!!
> 
> Jim


Damn right, I don't!!


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## Edmond-Dantes (Mar 20, 2009)

Ah, yes I do know how to dance, though not as well as I'd like. ^_^

1: Yes, I took 6 months of ballroom dancing and can do the Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz. (Though, I can't do the Viennese Waltz well.)

2: No. Now, maybe if I had a dancing girlfriend, I might. XD

3: Yes. Very often actually. (That's why I'm still good at the Waltz. lol)


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## Padawan (Aug 27, 2009)

> 1. have you ever tried ballroom dancing (waltz etc.)


No. I might in the future however.



> 2. have you ever tried more exotic/ethnic dancing like flamenco, tango, belly dancing?


Yes, salsa. I want to be better so I'm going to try lessons very soon.



> 3. does listening to the classical sometimes make you sort of... dance - meaning body movement other than "conductor's gestures" which sometimes occur in classical listeners especially with the volume turned up


Some music does make want to waltz, but i don't know how.


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## Yoshi (Jul 15, 2009)

This is embarassing but I think I've never even danced in my whole life


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Being an accomplished organist, one would think I would be able to dance easily. 
Nope ... tried it many times ... on the dance floor I have two left feet


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## Rondo (Jul 11, 2007)

I'm not really much of a dancer, myself. The greatest effort I've ever put forth was learning how to waltz. The Austrians make it look so easy.


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