Did I say better? You heard me right! Dance women are so much BETTER than dance men! Even though this statement comes across as pretty “Bold”, and in such a BLAH and feministic way, I have a 2 day-being-a-dance-woman experience to back it up.
I agree. I can’t really compare dance women and men to each other, since both of us in dance serve a totally different role. Dance men have more of a “stability” and “direction” purpose in a dance couple (or, at least they probably should), and women are all about expression, style and flash. Even though you might think, that men are also stylish and could easily be flashy… Yeah, they could. But, dance ladies will pull this off so much better.
Last week I was totally convinced that men in dance are pretty much The Centre Of The Universe. That was until I had to shoot a BALLROOM DANCE COUPLE episode, where it was decided that Josephine had to be “The Top 6 Latin Ladies”. Watch it HERE, if you have no idea what I’m talking about.
Long story short, I needed to wear the 2.5″ heels (and, yes, some woman’s dance clothes) and pretty much recreate some positions and expressions of the personally chosen top latin ladies. So below shall be my recap on this marvellous experience, and my opinion on why women’s dance is so much better than ours.
Comfy Looking Splits and Stuff
I can’t pull off the crazy splits like Artyom Liaskovski, but I can’t call myself an unbendable stick either. However, when there was time to recreate a very popular transitional position of Michael Malitowski & Joanna Leunis, I sure felt like a “brickable” piece of wood. The position Joanna is in for a pretty long moment is TOTALLY UNCOMFORTABLE. But when she does it, it comes out so eaaassssy!!! Yeah yeah yeah, years of practice and whatever, but if we think about it, Joanna is not the only one who chooses these not so comfortable positions and makes them look comfortable… All that on a not so stable 2.5″ heel and pretty much half naked. Personally, I think every man should experience that to appreciate and support their ladies more, in the moments of their not-so-comfortable expressions.
Juggling Relationships
I don’t know how Andra does it, but… DAMN! It is definitely not new to have a dance partner and to have a boyfriend who is not really into dancing. But managing a successful dance career with a top pro latin partner, AND having a top pro latin dancer as a fiancé.
Imagine the pressure?
Even though recreating Andra’s position was not hard, I can’t imagine myself being in her shoes managing two Italian men.
One Daring Woman
I’ve always admired the “Daring” dance of Karina Smirnoff. To me, she is a fierce tigress, who ain’t afraid to give it all and leave it there. She makes her positions look so natural, so I thought recreating one shouldn’t be a problem. That’s until I actually got into that position… My strong (so, I thought) supporting arm was underneath me, getting considerably weak with every shot. Karina’s arm is hooked on Slavik’s neck, so she is pretty much hanging on him. This is so much harder, not to mention that her upper body is off alignment from her legs. Try holding that for a few second…
Technique along with Other Challenges
To top up my experience as a “dance woman”, I’ve decided to do a simple rumba basic step on these damn heels. With the help of my partner, I discovered that finding my balance was only a fraction of the issue, but making it look crisp was ultimate challenge! The fact that women have to dance Way More Than Men makes total sense. I know I can get away with being a little sloppy at times, hiding my occasionally bend knees in my pants and produce footwork on a substantially shorter heel. But now, being all exposed in the legs, shifted forward in the upper body, wobbly on heels, and totally overall unstable… my Admiration of Dance Women has no ends.
To conclude this, some of you might agree with my statement. Some will disagree. But, only a few men will actually try and dance in women’s shoes… literally. And I hope that number is significant to bring more appreciation and understanding to women’s art of dance.
Author: Egor Shalvarov
Cover Photography: Ryan Kenner Photography
Exclusively for Dance Comp Review