Ginger Rogers Syndrome

[Mirani]

Anything Fred Astaire did ... Ginger Rogers did it backwards and in heels!

We have just got back from ballroom dancing lessons.
I am trying to learn to dance en femme. We have been invited to a Summer Ball (I have a dress I have been longing to wear, but no occasion to wear it) and as I am going as Mirani, Amanda suggested that she should lead and I should follow. I didn't argue! :battingeyelashes:

well tonight I should have worn waterproof mascara. I laughed until I cried. I tried and tried, but just cant get it. Our teacher was in fits of giggles and in the end we decided to call it a day and try again next week.

I wore 2" heels with linen trousers - but the teacher said next week to wear a skirt .. so I get used to the feel! lol ..
So GG's .. what is the secret?

Have any of you gurls managed to do it?

[Sarah Doepner]

Can you dance forward, leading? I can't do it as a guy, I know I couldn't do it backwards and in heels. You are a much better woman than I if you get this down! Good luck and keep us posted, it sounds like fun.

[Mirani]

I can waltz and quickstep .. going forwards!

[DemonicDaughter]

..."picture yourself the most divine being and FFFLLLLLOOOOOWWWW through the music." Yeah, I don't know exactly what it means either but she said it in such a way that made me wish I did. lol

I guess she meant grace comes from within, like all things and to dance well, you have to "become" that grace.

Good luck hunnie! I'm rooting for you!

root root!

[Mirani]

I have a bucketful of grace ...

Sadly tho' my feet seem disconected from my brain.

But, what fun .. we cant stop giggling at my pathetic efforts.

But this girl is determined to crack it!

[tricia_uktv]

Ha-ha. I've just done my second burlesque lesson. Although to be fair we are looking more at my movement than burlesque, though I can get out of my chair in a very sexy way! Two inch heels are a doddle, I have to wear six inch heels and they hurt like hell - my legs still feel like jelly a day later. I've been given ballet exercises to do to improve my posture!

Sounds like your having a scream Mirami so keep going. It gets our inside out and it is real fun. Good on you! :)

[Sarah...]

Oh, that brought a smile to my face! We took dancing lessons for a while before we got married and I loved it. However, I think I didn't even merit two left feet, probably only one and a half. I felt hopeless!! Wonder if my SO should have led...

Mirthfully

Sarah...

[Mirani]

My teacher said I should go and buy a pair of flip-flips .... I wouldnt need flip-flops as I have 2 left feet!

[TxKimberly]

Mirani! Welcome back - I haven't seen much of you these days. That sounds like SO much fun - I wanna try, I wanna try!
Bad news for me is that I can't dance period. Not frontward, not backwards, not as a male, and not as female. My hat is off to ya'!

[Mirani]

hey girl ... you've certainly got rhythm :)

[Stephanie Scott]

Ooooo -- that's always been a fantasy of mine -- dancing en femme as the "follower." Good luck.

[linnea]

I haven't tried it and I don't know any secrets, but this is one of my dreams and goals--to learn to ballroom dance en femme. I definitely want to do it in a skirt.
Good luck.

[Emily Anderson]

I've never tried the girl side of dancing, and never would!

It was embarassing enough for me to do the male thing, which mostly consisted of me lifting my little finger while my partner twirled around graciously in her pretty little skirt...

Couldn't even get that right.... :doh:

[battybattybats]

Didn't someone here once say Fred was a CD who would dress and dance as Ginger in secret?

As much as I respect Ginger's talents that would be a major achievement!

[sissystephanie]

Ladies, the main secret to being a good dancer is to have good rhythm! If you don't have, and I don't, you will never be a very good dancer. Unless you are lucky like I was. My late wife, who was a good singer, had very good rhythm. So when we danced she always led! I was pretty good at following, I.E. being the girl, no matter what I was wearing! When we went out as two girls, she would always warn the men who wanted to dance with us that I was a terrible dancer unless they were a strong leader.:D Speaking from experience, some men are!!:heehee:

Sissy/Stephanie

Lady on the outside, but man underneath!

[boy2girl31]

My grandmother taught me how to do all the different ballroom dances when I was 10 or 11. Problem 1, I am 31 years old and people my age don't ballroom dance. Problem 2, When she taught me she lead to this day I can follow like a champ but I really have no clue how to lead. LOL I recommend working first on your wife's leading make sure she is aggressive it will then be easier for you to follow. Good luck and tell us how it turns out.

[windycissy]

This is one of my huge fantasies, how I envy you! Let's see, you hold his left hand with your right hand, and you place your left hand on his shoulder while he wraps his right arm around your waist...yum!

As for Fred Astaire, he and his older sister Adelle were in a vaudeville act as children, and when Adelle grew taller than Fred, she used to play the boy and he would play the girl!

[Kendra Irene]

Mirani,
Gofor the skirt. There is nothing like the feel of the swish as you dance the Cha-cha or the sway of the Rumba. My favorites when wearing heels.:D

Kendra

[Angie G]

Good luck Mirani don't twist a ankle. :hugs:
Angie

[MJ]

good luck i have two right feet lol . and i can lead as a guy but to do it back-wards and in heels i have never tried that , have fun .....don't break a leg

[smokey]

your instructor sounds great...flip flips...i love love love dancing. i swing dance; lindy, east coast, west coast swing. next is salsa. at first i was very klutzy. practice is one important thing. you can get tapes/cd's from the library to work on at home daily. repetition for muscle memory.
are you still tuned into leading? with following you'll always be a split behind because you wait to get the lead. follows don't think. just follow.
do you have frame and connection with your partner?
and you know fun is the whole idea. the laughing is half the fun.

[CaptLex]

Sounds great, Mirani, I'm jealous. I've always wanted to try ballroom dancing (and Ginger Rogers is my fave). :twirl:

BTW, I can lead and I can follow . . . I guess you can say I go both ways. :winkp:

[tamarav]

Ladies, ladies, ladies!

In male mode I can barely put one foot in front of the other and walk down the street, but, in 5 inch heels and a dress or tight jeans I am ginger Roger incarnate, well almost.

Many, many years ago I went to a Tri Ess convention. One of the classes offered was dancing. A goofy gay guy (GGG?) stepped up and gave us quick dance lessons. I later went to his model studio where he taught modellng and dance to anyone, mostly young aspiring female models. He was unreal. He screamed and pushed and criticised and to this day I love him for it. I cried when he told me I walked like a duck, but he was right.

From what I have learned and now practice, dancing in the femme role is actually much easier that the male mode. Following is easy if you can let the maleness go and allow someone to lead. If you have a good lead, you can follow any dance step. It just takes practice, and don't start in 5 inch heels!

Any dance studio will be happy to teach you in femme mode. They are there to help you learn to dance, they really don't care about which role you want. My wife and I took some ballroom dance lessons recently and the two instructors were great. They walked amoung the students and gave assistance to each couple. I had to learn to lead again but it came back pretty fast.

Now when I go to dance in local clubs, I generally dance alone to disco or fast music but have a willing number of males seeking me out as a dance partner for swing, or salsa, or any of the hustles. Tango is unreal, we are usuall the only ones on the floor. Talk about being conspicious! Great fun, no attachments, they simply want to dance and have fun doing it. 99.9% are absolute gentlemen.

[Karren H]

Well it doesn't mater what I wear.... I can't dance... And I beg to differ with you on Ginger's ability.. Yeah she was good... But Fred made everyone look fantastic.... In my humble opinion and that or others..... A prefectionest........ He and Gene kelley were both just great to watch...

[CD Susan]

Bad news for me is that I can't dance period. Not frontward, not backwards, not as a male, and not as female. My hat is off to ya'![/QUOTE]

Same here! I have never liked to dance and never will. I remember having to dance while in high school as it was part of the phys-ed classes. I just hated it, I felt that my brain was not connected to my two left feet. To this day I avoid going to any place where someone might ask me to dance.

[Jilmac]

If I tried dancing backwards and in heels I'd end up on my a**. Luv and :hugs: Jill

[EveMarie]

Just remember to keep your weight and balance on the balls of your feet (keeps the heels out of the picture), forget trying to give and feel the gentle urging of your partner to direct you in the way to step. hard as it may be I tried and tired but finally (since I had no real dancing skill anyway) I felt what it was like to receive instruction instead of giving it, practice, practice, practice girls… 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

It'll come:heehee:

[jenalex]

And I beg to differ with you on Ginger's ability.. Yeah she was good... But Fred made everyone look fantastic....

Ginger was fantastic too :thumbsup:
but Fred (and Hermes Pan) did the choreography

[Sally24]

I agree with the instructor on the dress. It really makes a huge difference in how you feel out on the dancefloor. The flowing and moving of the dress gives you a feel for how your body should move. Gracefull and flowing! Good luck.