Dance Lingo- Swinging....Stoning.....Shagging...What gives?

I have been locked into "the dance world" for well over 14 years now. Reflecting back has reminded me much of good Jimmy Buffet lyrics "Good times and riches and son of a bitches, I have seen more than I can recall."

Once you have been sucked in (bit by the bug) and buy into this dance world, the regular world will never make "normal" sense again.

Through fourteen years of traveling multiple competitive dance circuits, one thing I can say is that the dance world warps your sense of reality. At a recent event, some friends of mine and I sat down trading "war" stories of past dance events. We laughed at everything our lives have become since we took our first steps into the dance world. We laughed at the weird words and things that people in other parts of our lives would never understand.

I talked about a conversation I had several years ago when I was in graduate school with a fraternity brother. I was very excited to attend a dance event in Orlando and was attempting to tell him about it.

My friend was just a normal guy....probably a lot like your friends. He has never danced and probably never will. We all have "outside" friends like him that mean well with their attempt to discuss what it is you do....but they will never get it.

The conversation immediately started on the wrong foot the second I mentioned I was excited about this month's "swing" event with my "partner." Of course I am meaning swing dancing with my dance partner, but my friend is just an outsider....he didn't get it!

With any mention these days of a "partner," non dancers give you the "ohhhh" and you are immediately thought of as having an alternative lifestyle. Adding that you are going to a "swing" event in the same conversation as "partner" and you can cut the tension with a knife! I once mentioned a "swing competition" and was asked...."Not to get personal....but how do you compete in such things and how do they judge it???" I could not help but laugh.

The conversation didn't get much better. As I tried to explain swing dancing, I found myself saying "you know our costumes aren't completed and we still have a lot of stoning to do in the room. My partner thinks her costume covers too much and the judges said she needs higher heels and to show more skin."

"Costumes" certainly did not help convince my friend that this wasn't an "adult" convention you might see on a HBO special. Costumes are just part of any competitor's tools of the trade. They are flash and trash and something you would never wear in your normal life! It is not odd to make adjustments for a female to be in lower or higher styles of heels. Dance heels are specially designed shoes with suede soles.

Different heel styles are used for different dances such as a higher, more narrow heel for rhythm dances verses a short/wider heel for smooth dances such as waltz. Dance costumes tend to be flashy and skimpy---adjusting to show more midsection/skin is not uncommon. Of course to an outsider still thinking "swing" not as a dance but a lifestlye, higher heels and skimpier outfits did not help our conversation progress!

Any competitor knows that "stoning" means you are applying Swarovski Austrian Crystal Rhinestones to an outfit with E6000 specialty glue. It doesn't mean with are lighting up, Mary Jane, doin' the J, or whatever the popular pothead lingo is. It just means that we are trying to make our outfits outshine the other competitors on the floor. We use special glue that has it's own "unique" smell that honestly can give you a buzz if you are not careful!

While we are talking about outfits, dancers know too much about velour, lycra, and lamae. As a guy, this totally ruins our "normal" guy talks. When I was in college, I remember really confusing girls. Most guys compliment a girl's outfit with "Nice shirt." As a dancer that is used to making outfits, our compliments to "non dancer" girls can be more of "Nice Shirt--is that two way or four way stretch? I really like the flow from the chiffon in your dress!" It sure makes things somewhat creepy for the non dance girls when meeting the dance guys.

I am also reminded of my days competing in Country Western UCWDC. We wore special cowboy hats. It was a status symbol of how much "Beaver Fur" a hat had. The more "X's" listed in the hat description, the more resistant to water, loss of shape, and better the quality hat it was. Go have a conversation with anyone outside of UCWDC dancing and mention "Beaver Fur,"
you are likely to be slapped, looked at oddly, or both. Unfortunately we are not talking about taxidermy and most people's minds go in the gutter!

So back to my conversation with my friend..... The event was in Orlando. My friend had said, "You are kind of pale....you should bring some sunscreen for when you visit the parks. Don't forget about Sea World. Can you see all that in three days?"

As dancers, we know we will go from the airport to a hotel, to a ballroom, maybe a Waffle House across the street, but back to the hotel, and then back to the airport. Dancers are there for the convention and that is it. The outside world is frozen and nothing else surrounding matters. There are no outside excursions because you are there for the dancing....period. All wrapped into a Friday, Sat, and Sunday.

I have been to DC, L.A., NY, San Antonio, Vegas, You name it---I have seen hotels and airports. When I first met my wife she was amazed at how someone can go to DC five times in three years and never see the Smithsonian. Once we got her dancing....she understood. I have to give her credit....any event we attend she makes me do one non dance thing to see the town. We once rented a car in Kansas City and she managed to bust her chin on the Lewis and Clark statue.
She still has the scar.

At the events, we are in our own element. Competitors are practicing in the hallways. Lessons are being taught in every available open space. It is not uncommon to be waiting on the elevator while someone next to you is practicing their spins or new footwork. You can carry on a conversation with them and they will just keep dancing. Nowhere else in life is this acceptable.
I can never remember having conversations with people that act like they are throwing fake touchdown passes or fake shooting hoops.

We tend to forget that "regular" people are also staying at the hotel. As dancers, we just assume that everyone staying that weekend is with the dance event. Our norms are there for that weekend, and the other guests should just deal with it!

When teaching or taking a lesson, it is not uncommon for a guy to lead another guy or a girl to lead another girl. We think nothing of this or pushing on someone's chest or back to adjust posture. I have seen many funny looks as outsiders walk by the dancers that are in clear public view being very touchy feely. We are in lessons saying things like "watch your butt" and we are meaning adjust your posture.

Looking at this from an outsider...you may have two guys dancing together saying they need swing help and someone else yelling to watch your butt.......maybe they have a right to be confused!

It certainly doesn't help if we mention that the shaggers are going on the floor later. For you non dancers, we are referring to the "Carolina Shag Dancers" and not anything Austin Powers.....

Can we blame these non dancers or are we to blame? We are just warped by our norms of what we do. Many dancers that attend the dance events are not full time competitors or professionals. There are plumbers, doctors, accountants, teachers, lawyers, HR reps, sales people....you name it---people from all walks of life are involved. For that weekend...they are a dancer. They are there to escape their "regular" life and have fun.

I love the movie "Shall We Dance" with Richard Gere and Stanley Tucci. They deal with some of the same struggles. All dancers can relate to Stanley Tucci's character as he "hides" his dance life in his corporate job. I know I did for five years before I left to dance full time!

They had similar discussions in the movie about dance lingo. I think all sports have their own "world" and own "lingo."

I was a wrestler in high school before I danced....it had its quarks and lingo, too. I remember wearing spandex and needing work on my "high crotch" and "butt drag." As I type these words, I am shaking my head at these. Honestly, no wrestler is complete without a high crotch takedown and a butt drag while sprawling on a shooting opponent. They are both effective way to "score." I will leave that one be........

I think golf suffers as well. Old men dressed funny that walk around saying they need to loosen up the grip on their shaft.....well I will let them have that one.

Thankfully for dancers, the mainstream TV shows help our cause. The lingo is becoming mainstream because of Dancing with the Stars. I have seen former contestant, Kenny Mayne, joking about some similar concepts with his "DanceCenter" a take off of "Sports Center."

We all have outside friends like the ones I had in school. These conversation tid bits are likely to find you if you ever travel into the "Dance World" Your friends won't get it...unless they get involved. It's ok.....we can just explain it to them one step at a time!

Happy Dancing!

http://www.bhamdance.com/

TJ Zito Jr