[Edit ... my original message said: 'Posted by Anonymous'. FYI, I registered with a username: Argent, and I typically sign Glyn at the end of posts]



Hello All ...

I have just joined the forum and wish to introduce myself.

I live in Hounslow, just west of London [UK] and have been learning Modern Ballroom dancing [4 dance] with my girlfriend Harriet for three years and we have been competing for one year. Teddie Lovegrove is our teacher.

We also like Argentinian Tango and enjoy demonstrating it as part of our performance coaching seminars.

My background is in entertainment ... I am familiar with improvising instrumental and vocal music, but with dancing and acting it has been a case of set choreography and learnt lines so I am finding the concept of Ballroom improvisation with a lead/follow relationship within the context of moves allowed for my grade [beginner/novice] most fascinating. Different set of freedoms and different set of constraints.
And navigating a floor doing my best to dance well at the same time as leading my partner AND tryig to wend a visible and smooth way throgh a crows of other people all of whom are competing ... WOW ... like .. it's one of the most unique new worlds I have ever had the terrifying pleasure to become a member of!


I'll also take this opportunity to express appreciation of what I have seen here so far
.... I have been studying the videos and they are pointing out glaring errors ... simple ones to correct but ones I would not have noticed without being able to do frames forward and backward.
.... I have been reading the forum strings and I am most encouraged by the care and support that is being given and shared.

What I hope I can offer in the forums if needed is support in confidence/performance ... based on thirty years in entertainment and 25 years as a trained psychotherapist/coach.
And a main area in which I would appreciate support is about my my 'achilles heel' which is my knees ... I had some operations and I have much less knee-bendability than I would like and will be seeking to develop as good a dancing style as possible within my present limits.
Harriet and I are allowed to dance up to Intermediate level ... and even though we are working with the 'basic' movements, we have been getting placed well in final line-ups.
This leads me to feel heartened and anxious at the same time. Heartened because developing and improving is my mission. Anxious because a 'price' of the improvement is that we will be dancing at levels where my knee problems risk stick out like a sore thumb when at length we enter competiton with people who're competent enough to get their rises and falls smooth.

I look forward to meeting you all further in other threads.

Very best wishes

Glyn Powell:)