Southern UK Jive

Southern Jiver · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:27 am Post subject: What is Modern Jive?

A poster on another forum (http://www.cerocscotland.com) asked :

qdos · Frequent Poster Joined: 17 Feb 2009 Posts: 195

Wooh pretty good description to me there. I'm definitely one for throwing away rules, anyone who's danced with me will probably have found that out. In fact one of the things I often do with someone I like dancing with is to deliberately throw away the rules and do something a little unexpected. That's really how these dances all started what ever they are called. Otherwise we'd all be doing the Waltz still.

Actually I do have one rule which I very much try to stick to and that's the one that says try and ensure your partner enjoys the dance. That generally takes care of all the rules including the don't fall over one but hey falling over can be fun occasionally too. Hence just the one rule

So to me Modern Jive is having fun with a partner on a dance floor. Doesn't really matter what the dance floor is, it could even be the bakery aisle at Asda

Rather simplistic answer but there you go that's my interpretation of Modern Jive. Smile

TeeDee · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:34 am Post subject:

So in other words, we can summarize MJ down to one simple word:

FUN

Very Happy

_________________
http://www.le-jive.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/cerocconexion

Southern Jiver · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:37 am Post subject:

I tend to go along with your detailed and thoroughly researched analysis also, TeeDee. Laughing

_________________
"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."
~Japanese Proverb

Sugarfoot · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:50 pm Post subject:

The title of the topic is: What is Modern Jive?

Whilst I understand that MJ/Ceroc is fun…it is not really a definition of what MJ is.

If you where trying to describe to someone who had never seen MJ you would have to come up with more that that. Walking my dog is fun! Kayaking is fun! Many activities that are very different are fun. To simply say something is fun is nondescript. It is a bit like saying so & so is nice.

It is interesting that people think that MJ does not have rules etc. If you want to dance reasonably well you quickly establish the rules of the game so that it is not complete chaos on the floor. A balance of discipline & freedom is necessary in order to establish a connection with your partner. The fun comes as a reward from making something work spontaneously & effortlessly after some disciplined groundwork.
_________________
Life is not a rehearsal
www.smoothjivefusion.co.uk

Southern Jiver · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:57 pm Post subject:

Do you know the meaning of the word "pedantic" sugarfoot?
_________________
"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."
~Japanese Proverb

Sugarfoot · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:59 pm Post subject:

TeeDee · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:20 am Post subject:

Oh dear SugerFoot - you've been beaten doen on this thread..!

You know the old one - don't let the B*** Bleeeep *** S Grind you down!

He He!

So don't throw the old towel in just yet.

OK. So it was me that summarized MJ as "fun",

Of course there are "rules". Of course we all learn some basic techniques to enable us to express ourselfs on the dancefloor. Even the informal world of MJ comes with those guidelines. But, hey, isn't that what we love about MJ? That they are guidelines and not hard and fast rules?!

Compare an MJ Lesson night to a, um, I don't know, say, tango or ballrooom or pretty much any other dance type.... What is the biggest difference you see?

I'll leave that one with you! Laughing

_________________
http://www.le-jive.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/cerocconexion

Olly · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:15 am Post subject:

Southern Jiver · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 7:52 am Post subject:

Olly, one hat I wear is as Forum Administrator and another as a contributor to the Forum. Both Sugarfoot and I have opinions that tend to be at two opposite ends of the spectrum, namely that I lean heavily towards Jive as I know it and Sugarfoot is heavily into WCS and Tango. One of the reasons Sugarfoot is a moderator here is that I wanted to have someone on board who held divergent views from my own and was able to provide a width of topic to allow others to join in probably somewhere in between the two poles we represent. I think he does an excellent job in that area but I do tend to criticise some of what he posts in the Jive section quite harshly and likewise, he does the same to some of what I say. However, I believe we have a good understanding and neither of us takes it personally. I think it adds flavour to the forum. In this particular thread, some of the comments were meant as "tongue-in-cheek" and, of course, qdos and TeeDee were being a bit humourous and simplistic by summing up Jive as just "fun" and I was agreeing with them on that level. Sugarfoot seemed to want to take it too seriously. Smile

I hope that our verbal jousting doesn't put other people off, and on the contrary, encourages other people to join the threads with their viewpoints.
_________________
"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."
~Japanese Proverb

Olly · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:28 am Post subject:

SJ - I fully understand where you are coming from in terms of your preferences for Jive and that you wear both hats, and I know Sugarfoot does not take your comments personally. All I am saying is, from an outside perspective it does come across that posts from Sugarfoot are shot down purely based on the fact he is involved with WCS, Tango and other non MJ dances. This does not appear to me as 'verbal jousting' particularly as the thread was 4 only posts old and hadn't gone anywhere in terms of discussion which I think Sugarfoot had tried to do with his post. I am with you SJ in the MJ camp, but that would not stop me commenting on other dances I have tried.

Sugarfoot · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:57 am Post subject:

Sugarfoot · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:29 am Post subject:

TeeDee · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject:

Thank you SugerFoot for you well thought out response. I shall take your comments on board...

SJ was right in that my "fun" description was meant to be just light hearted and tounge in cheek....

Moving away (slightly) from rules or structure, the point I was try to make is that (and this is only in my experience, of course) I have found many other dance style classes to have a kind of 'library' atmosphere where it is much more about 'the dance'. I've even been frowned upon for laughing at myself when I get it wrong..! Especially true for Ballroom where I have found that they take it very seriously. I don't have a big problem with this in principle as I accept that I am learning something different in an attempt to broaden my dancing horizons. The comparison though is still clear to me - when was the last time you went to an MJ lesson and got frowned on for laughing?

Hard to put into words without sounding as though I am being critical of anything other than MJ, which is the last thing I want to do.

For me, one of the things that has made MJ so popular is that it offers a good night out where people can socialise and have fun together. The actual dance it not the be-all-and-end-all. We learn a few uncomplicated moves to easy to follow music and can mess about with those simple moves within a very short time frame. And how seriously we take it is left as our own individual choice.

Of topic for a moment - Olly; you posted at 3:15 in the morning and again at 8:30... Do you ever sleep man?!! Laughing

_________________
http://www.le-jive.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/cerocconexion

Mick Hyall · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 1:10 pm Post subject:

The only time it becomes necessary to 'define' modern jive is if there are competitions and rules as to what moves may and may not be 'legal' have to be made.

The rest of the time it's sufficient to say it is the most recent of a long line of dancing styles which originated in the black dance halls of Harlem in the 1920s. (Constituting moves which were known as 'hops' and which Shorty Snowden called 'Lindy' on the spur of the moment when asked by a journalist 'Whaddaya call that dance, buddy?' Hence 'Lindy hop', after Lindbergh's 'hop' over the Atlantic in the Spirit of Saint Louis.)

It's a loose, partner dance to four-beat music involving predominantly hand rather than body contact and with minimal attention to foot placing.