A student has told me that once a woman knows silver American style waltz she can no longer dance or follow a bronze waltz. Ladies and gents, do you find this the case? I, personally, would rather dance an on-time, connected bronze waltz than a rushed, clothes-lined {out of position} silver waltz.
Does anyone agree?

There is some unfortunate truth that people who think they know silver or continuity american style sometimes forget how to do foot closure waltz (if they ever really knew in the first place). But this is just a gap in their training - there are still foot closure actions to be used to good effect in upper level american waltz.

And of course international style competitiors mix both foot closure and more foxtrot-like continuity actions in their waltz. There is absolutely no practical difficulty in going back and forth for the dancer who has any real skills.

Thanks, I couldn't have said it better.

Well, it shouldn't be true, and doesn't appear to be a problem with anyone (at least at our studio) who dances at silver level.

Depending on floor conditions (and what I want to do at the time) I often switch between open and closed box in waltz a number of times in the course of a single dance.

I'm an American Style Silver level dancer and as far as dancing goes, I like to do it all!!! ANY level, so long as I'm on the floor dancing. It is an incongruity in the thinking of the student who said that once a lady does silve American waltz she can't do bronze waltz. Part of what we learn as we are learning to dance is to FOLLOW regardless of what the guy is leading. Saying that once a lady hits silver, then she can't do bronze is like saying that just because a lady is bronze, she can't follow any other steps from any other level and that just is not true. How many times, as a follower, have you been lead through something that was unfamiliar, but you did it just fine anyway? Why would you not be able to execute steps in Bronze that you already learned and KNOW if you are in Silver? Not only that, since when do only Silver and above level guys ONLY lead Silver and above level steps?????

I'm here to dance. Lead. I'll follow. Happily.

Can no longer? Or WILL no longer?

Jerry

Now there's a good point to bring up. Maybe she just doesn't WANT to march along at a bronze level after she's flown around the floor at silver... That's possible with some people, I'm sure, but I think it's rude to insist that the guy leads at a specific level. Maybe he's a gold-level dancer and because of a crowded floor, has to resort to Bronze steps just to maneuver. I have been taught to follow. Period. Where ever the guy goes, I go, regardless of the level of the steps.

Are we sure this post wasn't created by a guy who was just really intimidated to dance with someone at a higher level, so he solved the problem by simply not dancing with ladies who are at a higher level than he and then suggesting that silver level dancers CAN'T do bronze anymore... like we've been deflowered by crossing into Silver...

Or maybe that's been used as an excuse by a lady who doesn't want to dance with a beginner. "Oh, I'd love to dance with you, but I'm silver and once a woman does silver she can't do bronze anymore."

from a competitor/ social dancer stand point I have found ladies who "dance silver" and can't dance bronze are usually ladies who never learned to dance bronze in the first place. On top of that, they usually aren't dancing real silver level either.

I know this discussion is about Waltz, but it is a fact that I never learned the Bronze FOXTROT (the one that goes slow slow quick quick). I can do it (I think), but I would try hard not to.

Jerry