General Etiquette and Behavior
Aerials
(Flips, Lifts, Throws, and Drops)
With Swing dancing being as popular as it is there are many people of all ages on the dance floor. The following advice will apply to the younger crowd more.
Due to the mass of Highschool and undergrads that are out on the dance floor there is an undeniable intrest in aerials. They're flashy, they're cool, they're often breathtaking and they're always dangerous.
Too many people have been hurt due to people executing aerials, when they have not learned the proper safety and etiquette. All arieals can be dangerous, but a few can be done with less practice requiered than others.
Usualy aerials are best left to people who truly know what they're doing, but if you really enjoy them it is best to keep anything really exuberent in performances.
There are two ways to dance:
1) To dance With your partner and For the dance.
or
2) To dance for Attention and Show.
There is nothing wrong with either way. But when dancing with your partner, aerials are only destructive.
Footwork, nuances, and improv make the social experience much more fulfilling.
When dancing, aerials are nice to add to your performance or to a Jam Circle, but are best kept at a minimum. If you're dancing just because you want people to watch, you can impress people more by having a good connection with your partner and by doing footwork that appears complicated.
If all you do are flashy moves you are less likly to impress anyone except beginners. There is nothing wrong with wanting to impress people. It's just that too many people try to impress eachother by using lifts, flips, throws or drops, and we've seen too many people (Follows, Leads, and innocents) get hurt because of this.
Working on a flip or lift or whatever for a couple of hours every week isn't enough. If you want to do aerials safely and properly, learn how to do them from someone who Actually knows not your buddy who just learned last week! Then practice, practice, practice. . . Forever.
Don't stop practicing once you've figured it out, when you stop practicing you'll start slipping again. And Always practice with spotters - and floor mats if possible, Never practice over Concrete, Please!!
If you enjoy doing aerials just because you like doing them, you can keep it safe and still be impressive by doing the strad jump, the throw out and the Figure Four.
One last point on doing aerials; Be aware of what/Who's around you!!! We've seen too many couples/bystanders get hit by people doing aerials when others are too close, this is a BIG No-No and a good way to make enemies.
Aerials are fun and yes they can (not always do) impress. But most people do not have time or put forth the effort to learn them properly and safely. There are those out there who do, We know. And for those of you out there who do Aerials but don't put forth the effort to learn them properly - this is not an attack, we only wish to raise the overall level of dancers in Colorado.
More Tips coming soon!