Smiles - none, fake, real? Which should it be?

[elisedance]

We are all told to smile when we compete.  But I'm sure we've all seen cases where the smiles look as sincere as a snow man's and it really detracts from the presentation.  So do you smile?  And how do you smile?

[SwingWaltz]

Best smile comes from your heart, when you are really enjoying what you are doing on the floor!

But if you don't really feel that...smile anyway.   

[Lioness]

Agreed with SW - Smile as if you're enjoying the dance. If you're not, then why are you there?

Though if by some chance you have an off day, smile anyway. I looked at the video from my last comp and I kept forgetting to smile - it didn't look very good at all.

[elisedance]

but you don't have a video to compare with of you forcing a smile when you felt like yelling 'my big toe is fighting with my little one!!' or some such....

We have a couple here (no names) where the lead can pull of what I am sure he thinks is a searchlight smile - but it looks more like that naked bulb in the spy interrogation room... It pains to look at him.  I can't imagine that it gets him any points...

[dream a little dream]

What about smiling during tango?  I just cannot conjure up a smile during that dance....it is not the feeling of the dance at all!

[SwingWaltz]

What about smiling during tango?  I just cannot conjure up a smile during that dance....it is not the feeling of the dance at all!

I get in trouble for smiling during the Tango all the time. Still cracks me up everytime...just thinking about that I am not allowed to laugh makes me laugh.

[Dora-Satya Veda]

We are all told to smile when we compete.  But I'm sure we've all seen cases where the smiles look as sincere as a snow man's and it really detracts from the presentation.  So do you smile?  And how do you smile?

I never heard any of my teachers tell me to smile and I will never tell my students to smile. 
 
I have on occasion told students not to smile. 

my 2 cents worth

[MusicChica]

This is one of the reasons Latin is easier for me--Standard just doesn't lend itself to facial expressions as easily as Latin does, IMO.  I never could pull off that relaxed, sweet smile that seems to be necessary for Standard (except in tango, of course).  Not that I'm good at expressions in Latin yet either, but it just comes easier to me.

[dream a little dream]

We are all told to smile when we compete.  But I'm sure we've all seen cases where the smiles look as sincere as a snow man's and it really detracts from the presentation.  So do you smile?  And how do you smile?

I never heard any of my teachers tell me to smile and I will never tell my students to smile. 
 
I have on occasion told students not to smile. 

my 2 cents worth

Yet, FP pulled a pic of me from my last comp, told me my facial expression did not look good and said it made a poor impression on the judges.  I had what I consider a "neutral" expression as we were starting tango. 
Ah, well, will wait to see what current pros say...when we get to it.

[cornutt]

I get in trouble for smiling during the Tango all the time. Still cracks me up everytime...just thinking about that I am not allowed to laugh makes me laugh.

Last year, at a small comp, we were joking about tango faces.  So in my next tango heat, with my instructor, I made a weird twisted-up parody of a tango face and held it for the whole dance.  The judges cracked up.  And I placed first.   

[elisedance]

Oh dear - I suppose thats one (strong) vote for faking it!!

[Rugby]

I'm lucky I suppose because I really don't think about it.  I smile when I compete but its natural.  My partner on the other hand looks stern when he dances.  He has to think about not letting his thinking show on his face.  If you know what I mean.

[QPO]

It is not that I dont want to smile, I am concentrating so hard that I forget to do so. So now when I practice I make myself smile....so far all the pictures I have, are with very serious face.

[dream a little dream]

It is not that I dont want to smile, I am concentrating so hard that I forget to do so. So now when I practice I make myself smile....so far all the pictures I have, are with very serious face.

That's it, exactly!  I am so busy thinking that I don't even remember to smile.  I am trying to remember to do that now during lessons.  surely I can multi-task learning and smiling!

[elisedance]

thats the real reason a smile is important - its really a filter for the dancers that have gone beyond thinking about what they have to do next and are now just doing it.  in that sense a (natural) smile really does make sense