Any men out there hate dancing?

[shniggens]

And who knew there was a scientific name for it? I didn't!

 

Chorophobia

Glossary

 

From Shelley Wu, Ph.D.,

Your Guide to Psychology.

Definition: Chorophobia refers to an abnormal and persistent fear of dancing.

[Gord -B]

I find with dancing that there is a couple of moments of awkwardness when everyone starts dancing but then after a few minutes no-one gives a crap anymore. Just endure the first moments of pain in the knowledge that after a few minutes and a few drinks there will be nothing to worry about

[Base]

Ok Shniggens, I've got it!!! Take your fiance for a night of dancing before the wedding and dance like you've never danced before... RIDICULOUSLY!!!!!

 

Dance so pathetically, and wear an expression that says you think you are THE man on the dance floor and she will MAKE you stay as far from the dance floor as is humanly possible on your wedding day!!!!

 

No need to thank me

[kylen]

I think there most likely are men out there that hate WATCHING ME dance. I ain't got no soul but I got passion and heart and ...hehe I like the nightlife, I like to boogie, on the disco floor I - EyyeeIIIII YES - It's all about me and my love when I'm out there !!! OH God I love to Dawnce !!!

 

hehe, I think cerebrally there's a certain freedom and 'tude that one can not attain in any other [legal] setting !

 

Come on - let's get physical - I wanns hear your body talk ! Yyyyaaaasssssiiiiirrrrr spin, dip, splits...whew - I need a beer !

[Duddits]

Originally posted by kylen:

Come on - let's get physical - I wanns hear your body talk !

Let's get meta-physical, meta-physical --

 

(actually, I like dancing too, but only when the music doesn't crowd the downbeat)

[fuzz]

What do the hips do? Front-to-back? Side-to-side? Circular motions?

 

Sad, aint it?

uh....what do they do when your when you "boogie" in the bedroom

 

free your mind and your ass will follow

[Phait]

I think dancing is just weird, so I don't dance.

 

I think kissing is weird too.

 

But I'm just jaded

[LiveMusic]

Look, here's the deal. You are male. You are going to look like an idiot no matter what you do. Get drunk.

 

9 out of 10 females look fantastic dancing. 1 out of 10 males looks non-embarrassing. 1 out of 100 looks good. You are doomed. Get drunk.

 

If you refuse to get drunk, move as little as possible. The more you move, the stupider you look.

 

I have a friend who is about, oh, 56. I've never seen him dance. He won some money at the casino last Friday, so I guess he was on a high. He hit the dance floor more than once. And by god, it was a show. I have never laughed so hard. Gawd, that was funny. And he was serious.

 

Get drunk. Or just don't move.

[Throatsinger]

I'm reminded of the typical response by disco lovers to complaints that disco music sucks: "Only dudes that can't dance say that." Heh, I thought it was only people that don't do toot, or have ears.

 

Of course, there are some guys that dance well, and the rest hate them. Maybe there's a reason why in some cultures the men play music and the women dance...

 

Personally, I tend to dance like a 3-legged pregnant water buffalo with a hernia.

[Ouizel]

I'm a musician.

 

God made me a musician so I wouldn't have to dance.

 

I sometimes dance at home for my wife. It makes her laugh.

 

So, then, there is no possibility of ever getting me on a public dancefloor. If I'm out, I'm playing music. Works like a charm.

[coyote]

I do not like to dance. But when I have to, nothing makes me a better dancer than having a few drinks.... and then a few more.

 

Actually, I can dance a bit. With most women, it goes pretty well! But my wife always tries to lead; dancing with her is like a trainwreck in slow-motion.

[Dan South]

Originally posted by LiveMusic:

Look, here's the deal. You are male. You are going to look like an idiot no matter what you do. Get drunk.

 

9 out of 10 females look fantastic dancing. 1 out of 10 males looks non-embarrassing. 1 out of 100 looks good. You are doomed. Get drunk.

 

If you refuse to get drunk, move as little as possible. The more you move, the stupider you look.

 

TOO FUNNY!!!

 

[Dan South]

I have good news, gentlemen! Aversion to dancing is not a natural male trait. It's part of your cultural training, and it can be unlearned, i.e. you can be reconditioned. If you know some cool Latin guys, Greek guys, or other guys from dance friendly cultures, they'd be more than happy to clue you in on the proper dance attitude (more important than the moves) if you offer to pony up for a few brews. Just because you're a guy doesn't mean that you're beyond repair.

 

[Dan South]

Originally posted by coyote:

I do not like to dance. But when I have to, nothing makes me a better dancer than having a few drinks.... and then a few more.

 

Actually, I can dance a bit. With most women, it goes pretty well! But my wife always tries to lead; dancing with her is like a trainwreck in slow-motion.

Wow! That's spooky! Whenever I dance with a woman and it doesn't go well, I've always described the experience as a "train wreck."

 

Maybe you should tell your wife that you're the boss on the dance floor and if she wants to lead, she should dance with another girl. - What the heck? It might be fun to watch!

 

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

I'm not a bad dancer. Not a good dancer either. But my problem is not the moves, per se, but THE FACE.

 

People look REALLY geeky if they mouth lyrics while they dance. But even worse is the "white boy overbite", that goofy little snarl of "I think I look cool but I'm not sure so I'll just wear this dumb-looking face until the song ends." Dancing while grinning? Might as well wear a pocket protector and flood pants.

 

Do you look directly at the gal you're dancing with? What if you're dancing but you're not coming on to her? Do you stare around the dance floor at other people? That seems rude.

 

My solution: I try not to dance. And as Lee said, luckily I'm usually busy playing a guitar and singing, keeping me safely away from the dance floor.

 

- Jeff

[skipclone 1]

It has to do partly with your definition of what is dance music. Maybe it`s just me but most of the time I would rather sit and listen to a live band, if I`m out dancing it`s going to be to a DJ or other prerecorded music. I`ve gotten into some degree of debate about this, a bandmate of mine was in a reggae group for a long time, he insisted it was dance music. He felt the same way about the Grateful Dead. I can enjoy reggae but it`s not music I would seek out to dance to, it`s great for a particular type of dancing that`s popular in Jamaica. For me it`s house, or acid jazz. A lot of that super fast trance/breakbeat stuff is just ridiculous, anyone who can move to that needs paramedics standing by-and other people at a safe distance. But for me dance mostly means electronic music, so I`m not thinking about playing when I`m out.

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by spacebass:

 

free your mind and your ass will follow

Yes...and conversely, free your ass and your mind will follow!

[fuzz]

yes ken the yin/yang thing does apply here

 

as i read the replies here all i see is "men" calling themselves musicians who can't/don't dance unless they are "high" on some other thing then the music?????

 

thats all good.....means i get more females

 

or as mark bolen put it...."i danced myself right out the womb"

[fuzz]

btw......if i hear a groove no matter what i just can't help but tap a toe....a foot....ah shit ....damn now i'm dancing.....

 

sometimes they call me the bluegrass kidd

[G. Ratte]

If you know some...guys from dance friendly cultures, they'd be more than happy to clue you in on the proper dance attitude.

Right on, this aversion to dancing is a "rock guy" cultural thing mostly. I learned how to dance as a young metalhead in the early '90s from going to funk-band shows (Bad Mutha Goose, Billygoat, etc.) and then got into raves and underground dance clubs. It's really fun, I think. Lots of people treat it like a sport or hobby... you can get into breakdancing or formal ballroom stuff. Some people still do a hustle variation which is sort of a formal couples dance you can do at a contemporary club. I play bass and I'm a pretty good dancer; a friend plays drums and he's spectacular on the floor. Any sense of rhythm at all and you can do this just fine.

 

Anyhow, the basic 4/4 w/a backbeat dance move is going side-to-side. On the 1, you step to the left with left foot and tap. On 2, you return to center. 3 and 4 are the same, but with the right foot. Move your hips as you do this. Put some (subtle) bounce into it and it'll look cool. You can do this front-and-back too.

 

Think compass points with everything you do, relative to a starting position. Usually the front of the room or facing the partner or whatever, it's arbitrary. Try to be precise and dead on the beat. You want clean moves...think of your moves as playing notes on a bass. How long do you hold a position?

 

When you're comfortable, you can do 8th note stuff and turns...quarter, half, and full.

 

Arms go front and back, bent at the elbow 90 degrees. For guys generally, most of the action is below the waist so don't sweat the arms much.

 

Really though, the thing your chick wants is for you to be pleasantly out on the floor and not embarrass her.

[shniggens]

Good advice, G. Thanks!

[Dan South]

Originally posted by Jeff Da Weasel:

Do you look directly at the gal you're dancing with? What if you're dancing but you're not coming on to her?

It's like a conversation. Relax. Smile a lot. Look at her some of the time, but don't stare relentlessly.

 

Dancing should be a natural thing, like walking, having a conversation, or playing a game together. If you think of dancing as some abnormal set of movements, you'll look and feel decidedly uncomfortable.

 

Musicians should be able to dance better than the average Joe. For some people, it takes months to learn to step to a beat. You guys already have that skill down. Think about the music when you dance, not just the beat, but the melody, the orchestration, everything. Let it guide you as the wind guides a sailboat. When you dance, your body should be a realtime three dimensional representation of the music. A really good dancer once told me that if you saw a video of people dancing but the sound was turned down, you should still have an idea what the music sounds like. Dancing is an extension of the music, not something entirely separate. Something to keep in mind.

[whitefang]

Originally posted by shniggens:

I'm getting stressed. My wedding is coming up and my brides family prides themselves on boogie-in down. It's just not my bag, baby, but I don't want to dissappoint my wife-to-be.[/QB]

Relax. As a veteran wedding photographer of 10 years, I can honestly tell you that people who DO know how to dance at weddings are the extreme minority. Those who aren't too hammered are too happy to give a shit how good or bad you dance. And, as you're the Groom, you're entitled to dance as spastic as you please!

 

I can also relate to your problem on a personal level. Slow dancing I do OK. But when it comes to "throwing down", my moves are enough to make people throw UP! Seems the only dance move I know is the St. Vitus!

 

Whitefang