Aight well since this is a ballroom dance site. I thought I mite mix things up a bit. Well for starters my real name is Houston Thompson of Cairo GA. Yeah it's a small town. But we have tons of dance backgrounds. I come from a company called the F.I.R.M., I now have enough skills that I have went off on my own as a Hip Hop Choregrapher. Plus I have three different levels of Hip Hop classes right here in Cairo. But I would like your opinions as dancers to tell me what you think it takes to be a true dancer. And I'll holla at ya'ch later

Aight ? What a word is that ?

K y'all I am new to this board and going through the post! I've been dancing my whole life...I just recently turned 18 and I am moving to Florida in Jan. to work at Disney for their entertaining.
Dancing is my life.....its like oxygen. To be a true dancer can mean many different things. There are some dancers I know who do love the dance and they have amazing technique but they lack the connection with their audience when dancing. I dance in order to spread my emotions to my audience; I think a true dancer is one that feels the emotions of the music. When they are dancing the emotions you feel from them...you can't look away...they draw you into the story.

Ok sorry for that being so long
~BallroomA~

HAHA,Yeah Aighty reader, like KC said loosen up, I can't help the way I talk aight, yeah I'll throw it on ya again. And what's with the personal comment, have I said anything to you. Aight then don't worry about how I talk, anyway the date is November 19, 2004. I'm the host to this page, so if your new and just stopping by, I'm a Hip-Hop teacher, I'm 16, But very mature for my age, doesn't mean I don't know how to have fun. But before we have a fight in here, since you people won't clam the FU*K, over the word Aight which is a slang term for Alright. But this thing started out as me wanting to know what dance meant to you, but now I want to know " What is the biggest thing in dance that you have ever done," Ya'll ( You guys ) this can range from awards to concerts, oh yeah ya'll don't do concerts, but performances anything I want to hear form you, Oh and I'm updating my personal website, and their will a special page just on dance and if you want info on me, Aight, so holla ( hope to hear from you )
Big-Sexy

OK, I'll bite, since no one else will.

A "true dancer"? What can I say that will encompass all the styles from dancesport, to tap, jazz, ballet, modern, and yes, hip-hop?

Here's my take, for what it's worth. To dance is to express yourself physically. It doesn't even always require music. However, I believe that "true dancing" does require an emotive element...the desire to express an inner emotion to your audience or your partner, or even yourself. True dancers can become their own emotion in movement, rather than trying to "create" emotional movement. Now that's a fine line. Usually I think it takes years of study, becoming in touch with your body and developing innate muscle/mind coordination to achieve the spontaneity and release that can be seen in a true dancer. You have to get beyond the choreography, beyond the count, beyond the physical strain...so that you can dance your heart and soul within the frameworks you have built. It takes a lot of practice, practice, practice, but it can be done in any medium...tap, jazz, ballet, modern, dancesport etc...A "true dancer" has mastered his/her body and mind, they are beyond counting, or tiring, or thinking...they are able to just move. Of course, they are on time, and straining, and thinking...but they have so imbedded the actions that they are second nature.

In these dancers you can see the music in motion...feel the emotional expression, and it is a language much more complex than our spoken one.

That stated...you can see glimpses of this in lots of dancers...some people might mention "natural dancers" or people who seem to have a natural ability to let their emotions show through thteir body language...it takes more than that to be a dancer...but a lot of great dancers do start that way

Best of luck to ya. Hip hop is great for anyone's dancing...brings back freedom of movement...shakes up the body memory of anyone used to classical training...gets things stirring...and lets you have total interpretive freedom. I love it.