Hyperreal

Hi folks,

Well I think I’ve decided to stick at it. Saturday was really tough on me but I’m bouncing back and I reckon I’ll be up for the class by Wednesday.

Thanks for all your encouraging words - it’s nice to know other people have gone through similar things and made it through.

The thing is I’m exceedingly impatient and a total perfectionist. There’s not many things I like doing unless I’m either good at them, or at least can pretend to myself that I’m good.

Ceroc dancing is the only thing I can remember learning which has been so difficult, but that has been fun enough for me to want to keep going.

I don’t think it’s much about improving my muscle memory, as when I’m just doing pretty much any move that I’ve properly learnt, it comes pretty much automatically. Maybe not perfect every time, and probably lacking a lot in style, but usually pretty good without too much thought. (This is maybe why other beginners have been so impressed.)

It’s only when I stop and think does it go wrong. I can do an octopus with my eyes closed; baskets in my sleep; yo-yos to any beat you throw at me. (OK, maybe a little exaggeration there!) But occasionally I’ll “choke” when I allow my conscious mind to go “hey, are you sure about that??!?!” and then suddenly I’m not sure about where I’m going. This doesn’t happen too often though. Once I start a move I can usually finish it.

But please don’t ask me to put them together - that’s when I have to start thinking, and thus stop dancing! And that’s simple “panic” - it’s not that my conscious mind has taken over and things have gone wrong, it’s that the conscious mind has been asked “OK, what’s next?” and not had an answer to give.

The advice I keep hearing is to work on a simple sequence of moves - make them mine, make them part of me. Once I’ve got that, I can extend them, maybe work on another sequence, join the two together… and before you know it, I’ve got a routine that just goes on and on…

But isn’t that (in some sense) cheating? That’s not freestyle, it’s not working with the music, it’s not adapting to my partner, and I’ll still not be able to dance with the same girl too often or else she might figure out my secret! (And then of course I’d have to kill her… )

OK, OK, I know - I’ve only been at it a short while, I need to give myself more time. I am so impatient!!!

I also need a dance partner I can practice with. Not had any offers yet from round these parts… Maybe I’ll have to start asking some of the people that go to the class on Wednesdays. That’s going to be tough.

One last thing… A rather ironic thing happened on Saturday night… When I got home from the dance, feeling like I never want to see another first move in my life, can you guess what was waiting for me on my door mat?

That’s right! Ceroc’s “Modern Jive for Beginner’s” DVD! Just in time for me to want to throw it out the window! I’ll save my review of it to another posting, or perhaps there’s another thread where it would be more appropriate.

Oh, and just another last wee thing - analogies based on driving or swimming don’t help me, as I’m not especially able to do either!

Cheers guys, I would have quit a long time ago if it wasn’t for your support and encouragement. :flower: :hug: