Topic: Spinning: do men do enough of it?

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

OK, ladies do spin a lot, which is great (though it does make us men a bit dizzy to watch it sometimes  ).

Ladies, do you think that men spin enough during dancing?

Would you like to see the men spin some more?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one.

John.

[philsmove]

Let's get this straight
unless your name happens to be Matt Kavanagh
MEN DON'T SPIN

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

Well I try to add some spins into my social dancing - it usually goes down well (and sometimes causes a few raised eyebrows) but I must cop to not doing the full "technical multi spins" - I just do single spins usually (change places man spin, etc).

Anyhoo, the routine I taught last night made the men spin 5 times throughout the course of it (not all in one go).  The men struggled a bit, but the ladies seemed to lap it up somewhat 

I think men should spin a bit more - it's a skill all of it's own - possibly more so than for the ladies, as we have to lead the ladies while entering / exiting our spins.  We also have to adjust our timings during the spins, so that we can get around and return to centre ready to receive the ladies out of their parts of the move in time...

The other factor is ladies being able to support the men during their spins, which isn't often taught in my experience.

Fun fun fun.

[Karen Mary]

I like a spinning man 

[Andy McGregor]

Ladies, do you think that men spin enough during dancing?

Would you like to see the men spin some more?

As a dance teacher I need to be able to teach the ladies to spin. And, because I need to be able to demonstrate what I'm teaching I need to be able to spin and double spin in a single musical beat. I also need to be able to demonstrate the difference between a spin on the spot and a travelling spin.

Guys/leads don't need to be able to spin to be a good Modern Jiver. And they don't need to be able to follow the lead for a spin, either. The primary function of the guy/lead is to present the lady beautifully - the lady is the flower the guy is the stem.

When spinning the guy must, as John says, continue to lead the lady as if he has not spun. He must fit his spin(s) into the beat or beats that the lady is not in contact.

Do I spin when I'm dancing? Absolutely! I love to spin and would love it even more if I had lovely long hair to flick, sparkly shoes to flash and a nice swishy skirt! It's no wonder ladies enjoy spinning!

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

He he, beginning to worry about you a bit here...

Anyway, spinning is fun, I agree.

I remember I used to dance with a lady who had a waist-length plait of thick, red hair.  Dancing with her was a whole new ballgame - remember the combat scene with Pricess Fiona in Shrek? 

Let's just say it added a whole new dynamic to the dance, as I had to dance with added ducks during the lady's spins! 

[Pricey]

I like a spinning man 

Me too   

Men don't generally spin enough - although I agree with John that their job is made slightly harder by normally having to lead and collect the lady each side of the spin.  Very often the lady is given her momentum to spin by the gent's lead but the men usually have to spin without any lead and so no push to work off. 

However that's not an excuse - even if it's only a single spin, it's all good - and often before you know it (and on a good floor) a single becomes a double without even trying! 

[Pricey]

I remember I used to dance with a lady who had a waist-length plait of thick, red hair.  Dancing with her was a whole new ballgame - remember the combat scene with Pricess Fiona in Shrek? 

Let's just say it added a whole new dynamic to the dance, as I had to dance with added ducks during the lady's spins! 

When I was learning ballet we did exercises to build up to a pirouette, including learning how to spot.  Our ballet teacher insisted that those girls who had hair long enough wore it in a ponytail.  If you are spotting properly your ponytail will flick you in the face as your whip your head round. 

[andy14bike]

An odd slowish turn now and then is ok, but spinning is not really a man thing. You can get dizzy.

[Anita]

Enough Andy!!-you sound like an old cripple !!