Skill disparity between styles - for people who do multiple styles

[ttd]

This is not about a couple with skill disparity. This is about a situation when a person does multiple styles, but is considerably better in one style than in the other. Anybody else is in this situation and cares to compare notes?

I'll go first. When I started dancing, I did exclusively american style. which was default social style where I lived. So I started competing in smooth-rhythm at first, too. My then-teacher did not know much about international style, either. However, when I started dancing with my current teacher, I dropped rhythm and started learning standard instead. I found that a lot of what I learned about smooth closed work carried over, and I progressed faster in it, than I would have if I learned it from the beginning. At this point, I would say standard is my strongest style at this point, and smooth is close second. We have occasionally worked on rhythm and latin, but not a whole lot. Ideally I would like to bring the other two styles up to speed, so that I can do 2-style american or international style events when they're offered (i.e I've seen closed 6-dance events: W-T-F-R-C-S). So I'm just wondering, would it make sense to enter such event if you have one style much better than another and how much of what I know about dancing already will carry over and help me to advance this faster than I would have if I did not know anything about dancing like I did in the beginning.

[dream a little dream]

Do you like Rhythm and Latin as much as you do Smooth and Standard?

[ttd]

Do you like Rhythm and Latin as much as you do Smooth and Standard?

I would say I like them, but not as much. I don't dislike them, but if I had to pick just one style, I would have chosen standard anyway. For me, my level of like/dislike is highly correlated with music, and there are more songs in rhythm/latin group which I don't like compared to smooth/standard group. Am I making sense?

[elisedance]

I think most ten (or nine) dancers are stronger in one area than the other.  I don't see any problem with it - after all when you are competing no one really knows what you were like in the other style

BTW I used to do latin as well as standard - and was doing gold in one and bronze in the other.  The only reason I stopped was that it was simply too much and I wanted to so my best in standard.

[QPO]

We do New Vogue and International Standard. What we are taught in either style carries over to the other. I dont know how different American Rhythm is to international but I am sure it can be done.

It depends on the time you have to practice. I know of couples that do all the styles available and they have three lessons a week one for each style and then practice sessions to accommodate the styles. So it really depends on how much time you have.

[dream a little dream]

You are, ttd. 
I don't dance either rhythm or latin, they don't "speak" to me as much.

[skipper]

At one time (bronze - int. silver) I did smooth, standard and rythmn! But what I liked was latin (found the straight leg action) because my legs are natually quite hyperextended.

But now I focus on smooth, and am adding standard in. The studio in which I take lessons has quite a few standard dancers. One of my friends commented on how much fun smooth looked. Well, she took 2-3 lessons and came back to me to say it was hard! Personally I enjoy the expression it allows you.

With that said, movement is movement. A heel lead is a heel lead. It is really all the same.

Dance what makes YOU feel good. For that matter,do standard and rythmn! Now that is an odd combination.

[ttd]

I think most ten (or nine) dancers are stronger in one area than the other.  I don't see any problem with it - after all when you are competing no one really knows what you were like in the other style

Well, not quite, if you're trying to enter a 9-dance or 10-dance event, and you might do really well in one half and not so well in the other half. This is why, btw, a 9-dance is skewed towards good rhythm dances, since there are 5 of those and only 4 smooth ones.

[skipper]

I was thinking about bronze/silver -- not an open 9 or 10 dance event.

[ttd]

I was thinking about bronze/silver -- not an open 9 or 10 dance event.

I've been to a competition which offered bronze and silver 9 and 10 dance scholarships in addition to single style scholarships and I've seen closed 6-dance events (no VW, Mambo or Bolero for american and no VW, F, P and I forgot which was the other dance they dropped from latin - either samba or jive) on a schedule for another one. So ideally I would like to get my rhythm/latin up to speed so that I can enter such events (I mainly compete in silver smooth/standard, but I do some open events, too, like dancesport series).