Hitch teaching how to dance

What Constitutes Bad Dancing? - Steps on Toes Dance Lessons

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What Constitutes Bad Dancing?

The Famous Elaine Dance: Epitome of Bad Dancing

I teach a lot of freestyle dance because it’s the one kind of dancing you need as a basic social skill. It will never go out of fashion because it requires no skill except the very rare and useful attribute of not caring what other people think of the way you dance. The people who come to me are worried that they’ll embarrass themselves on the dance floor. Sometimes all they need is my professional opinion after watching them dance. “Yep. That’s dancing. That’ll be $100.”

The truth is that the vast majority of freestyle dancers are doing some very basic repetitive move that expresses what they feel in the music and doesn’t look stupid. Freestyle dance in its most common form is very much like moving in your seat to the beat at a concert, only standing up. So what is bad dancing? In this classic clip from Seinfeld of the famous Elaine dance episode, everyone agrees that she is dancing badly enough to be an object of ridicule. [embedplusvideo height=”507″ width=”640″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/12pOzQZ” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/5xi4O1yi6b0?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=5xi4O1yi6b0&width=640&height=507&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep8517″ /] So what is it about her dance that is so bad? She’s on beat and she’s even expressing the basic feel of the music. What’s funny is that she’s totally lacking in grace. Her movements are jerky and over the top. Basically, if you’re going to dance in a way that calls attention to yourself you want to be really good. Otherwise, you’ll be the opposite.

In this clip of the dance scene from Hitch, the dancing is comical because it’s so over the top. [embedplusvideo height=”507″ width=”640″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/12pOT1Y” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/2bH0OXsmsbQ?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=2bH0OXsmsbQ&width=640&height=507&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep1908″ /]Same idea, though. Very attention attracting and even though you have to be a dancer to pull this off (see Dancers Make the Best Pratfalls), one crazy step after another lacks finesse and is just too much. Ironically, the way Hitch is trying to teach his client to dance (made to look very boring in the film) is very much what I teach students who want to blend into the crowd and not call attention to themselves. The character who is dancing in the Hitch scene has no self-consciousness. He’s having fun. His partner is having fun. I wouldn’t touch it. Fun is what freestyle dance is all about. It’s not a performance. And it’s not my job to judge it (unless they ask me to!)

by LaurieAnn Lepoff

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About the Author

With a professional dance teaching career spanning over three decades, LaurieAnn Lepoff specializes in teaching people with two-left-feet the skills of leading, following and dancing to the music, while working with the psychological and physical barriers of the human body.

Kevin James uses smooth moves to hijack 'Hitch'

Usher has crunking, Michael Jackson has the moonwalk and Kevin James has the Q-Tip.

James is in Hitch, which is about a romance coach for the dateless played by Will Smith. But, for about five minutes, Hitch is hijacked by the James Klutzatronic Dance Machine. His character demonstrates his pathetic dance moves for Smith, including an ear-fingering gesture called the Q-Tip and a hand-rubbing motion called Starting the Fire. All are rejected.

"You just look at me, and you know I can throw it down, right? Me and getting the ladies — you can see how smooth I am," jokes James, star of TV's The King of Queens, calling from a New York hotel. "Those are pretty much my own moves, which is pretty sad. That was my calling card with the ladies, back in the day. That was what I had to work with — that out-of-control thing, sort of like onions falling out of a bag."

Smith and James improvised the dance scene (they did lots of stuff that's not in the movie but could be on the DVD), something James says many stars wouldn't go for. "Some actors would see another supporting actor getting laughs and would shut it down immediately," says James, declining to name names. "But Will encouraged it."

The two were friends first, after a Queens writer introduced them and they played golf. Smith said they should work together; James figured it was one of those when-pigs-fly situations. But Smith called and James said yes to a tiny role that, over the course of a movie's worth of improvised scenes, ended up being not-so-tiny. James was thrilled because, despite six years on a hit sitcom, the movie offers were not exactly pouring in. They weren't exactly even trickling in.

"It's hard to knock down doors, even if you've been on a TV show for a while," says James. "It's such a difficult transition to make, as you can tell from all the TV actors who tried and didn't make it in movies."

When James heard from Smith, he had just lost the lead in the next film from Mike Judge, who wrote and directed Office Space. At the time, he was bummed not to get the gig. Now, he's thrilled he wasn't chosen because it would have prevented him from doing Hitch.

Speaking about his collaboration with Smith, James uses the playing-against-someone-who's-better-than-you-makes-you-better sports metaphor. The difference is, when he says working with Smith is the comedy equivalent of playing golf with Tiger Woods, James isn't speaking metaphorically. He actually has played golf with Tiger Woods, and tips from Woods actually did make him better. Same goes for Smith, who helped him figure out the whole movie thing.

With Hitch in theaters, King of Queens about to wrap shooting for the season and a couple of movies already completed (including a comedy that pairs him with mentor Ray Romano), James is looking at what's next. He's not sure what it'll be, but it's a good bet it will find him playing a character unlike the ones in Queens and Hitch, both of whom are lovable, self-deprecating klutzes.

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"Rob Burnett, the producer of Letterman, told me you watch a movie for two reasons. Either it's like a James Bond movie, where you see him do things you'll never do, or it's a character who's a lot like you, so you relate to him," says James. "That's more what I've been doing, but, believe me, my agents and everybody are going, 'We need to go in a different direction. Let's do something where Kevin is not the fat guy, tripping over his suitcase.'"

Even if James stays vertical for the entire film, don't expect him to be too suave.

"The way I look at it is when you expose yourself to America and beyond, like I do on King of Queens, where the humiliating stuff is often part of what's funny or endearing about the character, I have no problem with that," says James. "It's good to show you have faults and you look like an idiot some of the time, because we all do."

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in Zaryadye presented the Moscow Longevity programs / News of the City / Moscow Website

Moscow Longevity

June 17, 2018 at 12:35

Yoga classes, qigong breathing exercises and Nordic walking. These and other Moscow Longevity programs were presented in Zaryadye Park.

Make a leather brooch and bracelet with your own hands, paint a picture, and at the same time relieve stress — Moscow Longevity programs were presented in Zaryadye Park.

Everyone, including young people, could learn how clubs and sections of the project work, as well as take part in master classes in yoga, qigong, Nordic walking and drawing.

Zumba or ballroom dancing

The most active - those who constantly want to be in shape, despite their age, were offered to try their hand at an unusual zumba fitness dance. Under the Latin American melodies, the trainer showed the participants the main movements. At 68, Nadezhda Fedorova always attends such events. And this Zumba dance is not the first for her. “As soon as the Moscow Longevity project was launched, we immediately went to dances, to the choir, to Zumba, to a foreign language and computer courses. We learned how to use a computer to access the Internet and transmit and receive any information, ”she says.

Zumba fans are followed by ball dancers. Those wishing to try their hand at ballroom dancing were assisted by a choreographer of the highest category, head of the dance studio "Rhythms of Spring" Vladimir Gerashchenko. His students also joined him. So, Valeria Borovkova and Viktor Nevchas have been working in a group with a choreographer for five years and perform at almost all city holidays. The couple says that at first they even trained at home and recorded each figure. “An amazing person, he is a candidate of pedagogical sciences in choreography, he controls the body so much and teaches us to control it, a rare person,” said Valeria Borovkova.

From stress to painting

Open lessons began in the green area near the stage even before the concert. Guests were taught to draw and relieve stress and tension at the same time. Under the guidance of a professional artist, a member of the International Art Fund, Yuri Nemtsev, the newcomers managed not only to draw pictures, but also to distract themselves from worries and problems. “First time at a master class in painting. I didn’t succeed in my youth: there was no time, children, and now it’s such a joy, ”Irina Pavlova from the Meshchansky district shares her impressions.

The paints came in handy at another master class - painting on glass. Its participants and spectators were told and shown how to create exclusive home decorations with their own hands. And at the next table, you could make brooches and leather bracelets with your own hands.

Cool-down and warm-up: how to improve health

Guests of the park were also able to try the Chinese qigong gymnastics. It is aimed at strengthening and improving the whole body, especially if the classes are regular. And next to the "kneading the breath" training was held in Nordic walking. According to experts, it allows you to keep yourself in shape, get rid of extra pounds, and serves to prevent cardiovascular diseases. There were probably more people wishing to do this particular sport than at other master classes. Beginning athletes walk around, and more experienced athletes tell beginners how to put sticks correctly. Walking teacher Tamara Samochkina says that this training program is specially prepared for the older age category. “We carried out warm-up exercises, a hitch - this is especially for the age category. The students are trying, but it takes more than one day and more than one month to master the technique,” says Tamara Samochkina.

Waltz, English and needlework: "Moscow Longevity" near the house

In the park, at the presentation of the "Moscow Longevity" project, everyone could take part in master classes. And for older Muscovites, similar free lessons are organized in every district of the city - from computer literacy and English to waltz and needlework. You can sign up for them at any social service center (you need to take your passport, SNILS and a Muscovite social card with you).

Moscow Longevity is a project of the Mayor of Moscow for older citizens who want to realize themselves and get new opportunities for active leisure. It was for them that in the spring of this year a network of circles and sections was created in various areas - from dancing and singing to courses in home economics and computer literacy. You can sign up for an interesting section near your home at any social service center. All classes are free of charge. To date, more than 100 thousand citizens have already signed up for circles and sections near their homes.