Update 27 July 2020: Manly Dancing – Lessons from Gene Kelly

​Sorry for missing the last update. I have been working every day for a few weeks now, and simply lacked the time.

Because we are back in lock down, I am going to focus more on concepts for you to think about as opposed to talking about upcoming classes and such. This will hopefully help your mind make the most of this down time so when you come back to dance, you have many things to try out.
 
In this update I am going to talk about manly dancing. This might seem like it is only for those interested in how to dance in such a way. But if you want to avoid manly dancing, then this is also good to use – don’t do what Donny Don’t does!
 
And to work out what manly dance is, we will defer to Gene Kelly. First off watch this video.

You will probably note that there is something about the way Gene Kelly moves. He has done other scenes that show that same quality. I recall as a child being transfixed by the dance scene he did with the animated mouse Jerry (of Tom and Jerry). But the scene above seems to showcase what I am talking about most. Not to mention the way they sync the 2 versions of him dancing together is pretty impressive – especially for the time and technology.
 
So what is it that creates this sense of more manly dancing?
 
Gene Kelly has also been described as an athletic dancer. And when he offered his opinion on his dance style, he linked it to his early days involved in athletics. He also made the following other points:

• Gracefulness is not softness – John Wayne and great ball players are graceful
• Those who dance without a manly aspect often have soft arms
• He tried to dance in a common style – to be accessible to all classes

 
So if we are to (not) have a more manly dance, then (don’t):

• Try for an athletic frame
• Keep your arms firms showing muscularity and control
• Have your whole body engage in a movement as opposed to trying to refine your movement to only one part

 
But of course, all rules can be broken so don’t view the above as an absolute – use to as a guide to explore how you dance.
 
Talk more next time

Clint