What makes a person a great dancer?

[Danny]

DANCER vs. Performer

big difference.

One can execute every move perfectly with all the grace and energy in the world.....but does he/she entertain?

 

[kinnell]

I agree with most of what is said, but everyone seems to forget the most important part, that being heart... it's very easy tell between a person who is strait performing and is worried about what others may see and then say, and someone who just goes out on stage and does what they enjoy and love doing.

EXPRESSION - Expressions/attitude go a long way and can say a lot of about the dancer. Are you confident? Are you having fun? Are you passionated about BHANGRA?

Nope, didn't forget that one. lol

But Danny, here's a few things to think about when you bring up "Dancer" versus "Performer". The term "entertain" is relative to the audience watching it. Do you think an audience of 5-year olds screaming "DORA DORA DORA!" would find jhummer as entertaining as an audience of fellow bhangra dancers? The flawless dance form may entertain some, but I do not think it is completely necessary to entertain everyone. So, if you showed me a dancer who executed every move perfectly with grace and energy in the world, I would be entertained and so would a lot of other people and thus, we could say perfection = entertainment.

 

[smehta]

If you watch a great dancer.....you just smile. Watching a great dancer makes you want to get up on stage and do it with them. All in all...thats what it is in the end.

 

[Arjun Barua]

I would say the distinction between "dancer" and [dance] "performer" lies not in how others perceive him, but in how he perceives himself. It is about the attitude he adopts when dancing: i.e. Does he dance for the pure, intrinsic love of the dance, or rather, does he dance to put on a show for the entertainment of others? Is the mere act of dancing gratification in itself for him, or is he only happy when his dance is well-received by an audience? One frame of mind can exist without the other; however, IMHO a combination of the two is absolutely necessary to make a great competitive dancer.

PS: I used "he" for the sake of brevity, but this applies equally to both genders.

 

[Meistro]

I like arjun's point about how a dancer perceives himself. I believe heeray does a really good job of this. They dont perform to entertain. They do it for the love of the artform, dance. However, since they show so much passion while dancing on stage, one finds entertainment in this. I think this is what makes a well rounded dancer. Honestly I feel like jumping on stage and dancing WITH them (heeray) when I watch. Many other teams have the same effect. Shokeen, AVA, VCU. Other teams who dance merely to entertain dont have this effect.

 

[kinnell]

Sorry to bring this topic back, but I have a qualm an argument established here.

I like arjun's point about how a dancer perceives himself.

How can you know how a dancer perceives himself/herself? He/She may have told you that they really enjoy the art form, but that's the generic answer as well. (Rarely, will people admit that they may do it for afterparties, money and fame). The answer is that you will NEVER know how a dancer perceives themselves, unfortunately.

However, ideally, those who perceive themselves in the manner you explained - dancing for the love of the artform, are great dancers. This is ideally and something you cannot rationalize or add people to this category. Even dancers who dance for other reasons for that may still be entertaining and even be mistakened for those who may do it for the love.

I do bhangra for the love of bhangra. But, what if you don't think I really do? What if I tell others that I don't? There's the problem. You can see if a person has grace or energy, you cannot see how a person/team perceives themselves. It's a trait great dancers have, but not something you can see in others.

 

[mafzal]

"no bass drops in a mix can make a bad dancer any better"

DAMN.

lol jkkk

 

[Remy]

I agree. It is definitely style, personality, technique, pleasant to watch, loving what they are doing and emotionally connecting to the music and dance, and most importantly, they are having FUN!!

 

[Naveen Singh Khokhar]

I agree with what Remy said but I think a big part of being a great dancer is a dancer's mindset one has when they go into a comp. Great dancers are the ones who go to a competition just to dance and have fun dancing. They dance for their team cuz that makes them happy and they try hard to do well for their team. I think dancers who are all about winning or simply being the best can never be the best cuz on stage they can't compete with someone who is simply enjoyin the moment on stage. Great dancers dance cuz they enjoy bhangra, not simply to get a crowds approval.

 

[mafzal]

How about personality -- the desire to please the crowd, and the motivation to practice hard and keep perfecting his/herself. Both seem like personal traits

 

[shareef85]

Expression, ENERGYYYYY, precise execution, technique and having fun on stage, a lot of teams practice sooo much and soo hard that they forget that this is a dance to have fun with, and are more worried about everything going ok sytematicallu. Also dance to dance to have fun and to get the crowd into it, not to place all the time, eventually fun and interaction will rub off on the judges. Also dance confidently, and when ur done just move on, dont complain about placings, real teams dance for the audience, and an audiences standing ovation means much more to me than a 6 foot trophiee

 

[Don]

and an audiences standing ovation means much more to me than a 6 foot trophiee

AMEN

 

[zagreus]

Expression, ENERGYYYYY, precise execution, technique and having fun on stage, a lot of teams practice sooo much and soo hard that they forget that this is a dance to have fun with, and are more worried about everything going ok sytematicallu. Also dance to dance to have fun and to get the crowd into it, not to place all the time, eventually fun and interaction will rub off on the judges. Also dance confidently, and when ur done just move on, dont complain about placings, real teams dance for the audience, and an audiences standing ovation means much more to me than a 6 foot trophiee

I agree totally with this statement. Placing is fun, but the overall atmosphere is what matters most to me. I love performing, and if the crowd enjoys it...then I'm set!

 

[kinnell]

It's better to be the team that should have won but didn't, than the team that won but shouldn't have. When people remember your teams name at the end of the day, you know you did your job.

 

[mafzal]

an audiences standing ovation means much more to me than a 6 foot trophiee

6 feet is freakin huuuge i think i'd take the trophy LOL

jk

 

[zagreus]

an audiences standing ovation means much more to me than a 6 foot trophiee

6 feet is freakin huuuge i think i'd take the trophy LOL

jk

Just look at the 1st place Blowout trophy...it was giant!...how would you possibly get that trophy back home?!

 

[Mukandpuria]

Just look at the 1st place Blowout trophy...it was giant!...how would you possibly get that trophy back home?!

lol unscrew it. i know Bruin has massive trophy's and thats how we got ours home

 

[Vick]

To all those people who say you dance because you love bhangra and placing is not important, I call BS... This was discussed in another thread, dont even begin to tell me that "placing" isn't important... I laugh everytime I hear that, everyone is competitive, you dont need to act all humble and say winning is not important, cause we know you're lying...

 

[Meistro]

Personally, a 2nd or 3rd place just doesnt mean that much anymore. Its not even about being butt hurt that you didnt get first. Placing 2nd or 3rd feels the same as not placing at all. Ive seen this in competition videos as well as when ive attended shows. 2nd and 3rd place teams just dont seems as stoked to place as they used to be. Does anybody else agree with me? Either you get first or you leave that competition with everyone saying "Damnnnnn that was a sickkk routine."

 

[kinnell]

Personally, a 2nd or 3rd place just doesnt mean that much anymore. Its not even about being butt hurt that you didnt get first. Placing 2nd or 3rd feels the same as not placing at all. Ive seen this in competition videos as well as when ive attended shows. 2nd and 3rd place teams just dont seems as stoked to place as they used to be. Does anybody else agree with me? Either you get first or you leave that competition with everyone saying "Damnnnnn that was a sickkk routine."

Yeah, I agree. It seems teams are disappointed when they hear their names called in for 3rd and even 2nd. It definitely saddens me when this happens, but it will continue to happen.

But, Vick.... call me on my BS. I just got apprehended by a cop because I just HAD to bust out to bhangra in the middle of a parking lot. He thought I was drunk, high or might even be insane. I do bhangra because a) I'm good at it and b) because I love it. Obviously, there will always be people who are competitive, but I don't think its fair to stereotype everyone.