Being good at something/(sucking at dancing)

[Jade]

I don't know why I am creating a whole entire thread out of this. It is not like anyone is going to give a %&$^ but I felt the need to express this emotion inside before I burst from the tension of it all so just bare with me... you don't even have to read the whole thing if you don't want to.


Do you ever feel like there are things that you are relatively good at but that there is nothing you excel in?
I mean, of course I have always been a believer in the whole "there is always going to be someone better" theory.
Still, there is something disturbing when one cannot find themselves being even close to "really great" at anything.

It is almost as if we are all born with a distinct number of "talent points" and they are just randomly distributed over your lifetime... some are changeable, but most are inborn.

Then, you can work on those talents so that they will thrive and grow ... until you get to the point of mastery, where you can develop your skill/trade/talent to its full potential. At that point, it is decided; do you suck or kick ass?

Now, that is the normal going of things. Most people have generally one, but also often enough two distinct things they are just great at. And you know what? It feels fantastic to be great at what you do, especially if you enjoy what you do... can't imagine a better way to spend one's life... (being that you get paid for this of course hehe).

Anyway, I sometimes feel like I am one of those cursed people. Hmmm it is as if someone took my little jar of pretty "talent points" and accidently dropped it, ... thereby scattering my poor little points all over the place into random areas. A few times, some points went into the same area, but for the most part, they are pretty distributed, and it is quite difficult to make sense of it all really.
Do I sound like a crazy woman yet?
Well, *sigh* the thing is, or the PROBLEM I should say, is that none of my points are even in the same category!
Everything is so f%##$%ed up.

I just can't tell you how much it hurts when someone says "wow you are awesome at that!!" and then they will say, now THIS goes with THAT.. so can you do THIS also? ... and I have to say, no.

I auditioned for a musical today. They loved me... they thought I was great... but then they wanted to know if I could dance...

Have I ever had a good.. even halfway decent dance audition in my life? Hell no.. in fact... one of them was so bad that I cried all day afterwards. Why am I telling you people all of this? Will anyone care?
All I want to know is.. WTF happened to my stupid talent points.. why didn't I get ANY in dancing??!!!

Okay, so who here can dance... and who is willing to teach me? I am a fast learner but.... *sigh* I will still need your patience.


(Seriously, thanks for listening)

 

[R Nitelight]

Jade

I'm here to help. Watch closely. Do everything I do.
Put your right foot in.
Good. Next step.
Put your right foot out.
Good. Next step.
Put your right foot in.
Good. Now, this next step is tricky.
And you shake it all about.
Excellent. Excellent.
Do the hokey-pokey as you turn yourself around.
No, no. Turn the other way! The other way!
THAT'S what it's all about.

See, that wasn't so hard.

 

[Jade]

Re: Jade

See, that wasn't so hard.

HA!!! That is what YOU think!

 

[Jeff726]

Jade I'll be glad to dance with you anytime. The hell with the teaching part. Let's just get out there and cut a rug!

 

[Ezzy]

What ? You say I am only supposed to have two left feet.

But you might bare in mind one thing I did learn about dancing.

The most difficult thing I find about dance, is to relax enough to enjoy it.
It more often than not, takes so much dutch courage to get me away from the wall, that I still have at least two left feet.

There have been less than a handful of times, that I have been relaxed enough to enjoy the dancing I do.

But those times stick in my mind, and I do like watching others, who feel free with dance.

Back on topic, there are several members of the board who might be able to help, though if you take Xander as a dance teacher, you are sure to do well with any audition, but only if the person doing the audition still has a pulse!

Hope you do well with it, relax but dont use the dutch courage to do it, (just a hint).


EZ http://smilecwm.tripod.com/cwm2/sleep.gif

 

[Xander]

Jade, maybe I should just teach you the Potent power pelvis dance.
You'll be a world famours singer (now THAT I know you can do to perfection) and dancer in no time. hehehe

 

[wolfie69]

work work work and then you work.......

Jade, one of the few things I can say here is that when you are good at something it is generally because you work at being good... if you want to dance you will work to be a good dancer... ambition generates drive.....with that said... what kind of dancing? and then maybe dance lessons????????????

 

[ANiceGuy]

Critical moments.

Jade we all have critical moments in our lives when we make or do things that change our lives forever. Do you really want to dance AND sing? Really more than anything or do you want to be the best dammed singer who ever lifted a micraphone and not a dancer. Decide and go for it. In my poem "Never Love a Songwriter" that I wrote for my singer friend Karen Nash I say "Live life with all the passion you can muster. What I meant by the tittle of course was don't love a songwriter unless you REALLY REALLY mean it. The way I feel is "If you can't do it with PASSION don't do it! "


NEVER LOVE A SONGWRITER


NEVER LOVE A SONGWRITER,
'CAUSE THEY'LL TELL THE WORLD
YOUR SECRETS
NO REGRETS
YEAH LET'S

LIVE LIFE WITH ALL THE PASSION
YOU CAN MUSTER.
TELL THE TRUTH,
DON'T BLUSTER!
WHEN MEMORY HAS LOST IT'S LUSTER

HER SONGS WILL TELL
YOUR TALE
OF THE FUTURE PAST
TO GENERATIONS EVERMORE


ENTERTAIN HER THOUGHTS
ENTERTAINING THOUGHTS
MELODIES OF GOLD
INTERTWINED IN SOUL

©1996 by CouchPotatoJames
http://www.couch-potato-james.com

 

[Whispersecret]

Don't despair, Jade. I firmly believe that everyone is a genius at something. However, I also think that not everyone will be "talented" in the entertainment/artistic sense. From what everyone says, you have a spectactular singing voice.

Not all musical productions require dancing, and some musicals require the company to dance, but not really the principals. I'm thinking back on Guys and Dolls as an example, and while there is some dancing in it, I can't remember Sister Sarah dancing herself, beyond that goffy drunken stuff she does by the fountain.

As Wolfie pointed out, lessons might be in order. Lessons certainly couldn't hurt! But keep in mind that sheer determination and practice might not do it for you to the level that you need to perform. Just try not to put yourself down for something you can't control. Talent IS spread out, and yours may very well lay (lie???) in areas other than dancing. And you may have dormant talents that haven't shown themselves yet.

Buck up, girl. I'm giving you a specific "homework" assignment: post a reply right here that tells us at least ten things you're good at, and they don't have to be performance related. Then, read the list and force yourself to feel proud about them. Remind yourself that you are a talented person in those areas, because you ARE.

<hugs>

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

The chorus in Oklahoma requires ballet, believe it or not, so unless you've been training since you were 12, and it's a company that's actually interested in choreography, you'll always be in trouble where Oklahoma is concerned. Guys and Dolls, too, requires some ballet (more so for the men) in the chorus numbers (particularly the sewer sequence), but generally you can get away with jazz dance training, some modern and some tap.

I feel exactly the same as you Jade, but from the other side of the coin. I can't sing. Oh, I know HOW to sing. I've had leads in musicals and carried them off. But a Broadway role was always way beyond me, and I stopped auditioning for them years ago.

My voice is just not legit. And I have ALWAYS felt pissed at that, because (*clearing my humble throat*) I can do every goddamn thing else. I can dance. I was good at it from Day One. I've had my training. I can act, write, produce, hell, I build a flat from scratch and repatch the lighting grid -- but I cannot SING! And the kick is, I really, really WANT to. And I've always felt that I never got further in my legit career because it's so damn hard for me to stay on pitch and I have no range.

(Interestingly, I have a great falsetto voice. I can control my breathing and hit the top and bottom of the register, but only in falsetto. Think there's a cabaret act in that?)

So, yes, the talent points thing is annoying as hell.

I don't know what kind of company you're auditioning for, but if they're Equity and cast from New York you will always be up against people who've got years of dance under their belt. Even people who don't neccessarily have the "talent points", but still have the training.

There are plenty of musicals with chorus and lead parts that don't require dance, but you have to pick and choose them. So you can't do "Pippin" -- wait for "Damn Yankees".

I have a friend who opened on Broadway the other night (in a play), who has always been depressed about her lack of specific talent points. She can do it all, but in New York you have to do it all and do it all better than everybody else. She's been training her ass off for 20 years, taking everything from ballet to fencing to improv to speech, and it's paid off for her. The girl works. She's not the most brilliant at any one thing, but she's damn good at everything. And that's her secret. She's willedherself to be versatile, and that makes her valuable. I can point her out to you in a dozen movies and you wouldn't recognize her from one film to the next, because she's always using a different skill. My point is, she's someone born with various degrees of "talent points" too, but through training she's made herself as good and professional as she can be, and she does get cast.

So, maybe you're not a great dancer, and maybe you'll never be a great dancer. If you're really into this the only goal you should up for yourself is to be a better dancer. And a good beginners jazz class will do that.

Good luck.



[Edited by Dixon Carter Lee on 10-22-2000 at 11:32 AM]

 

[Ramlick]

Dixon,

Don't forget to mention how important a good set of tits and a nice ass are. A nd you know I'm not kidding. (That goes for the guys too.)

 

[Lovely Latina]

And an appropriately-placed clit.

 

[Ramlick's Troll]

Nor, an appropriately placed post.


sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[Thumper]

Jack(rabbit) of all trades...

...master of none(except my domain).

I put my right foot in and shook it, my left foot meanwhile found a slick spot, shot sideways thereby sending me rocketing into the orchestra pit where I knocked the tuba player face first into a kettle drum.

If that's what it's all about....I'm in serious doo doo!

Hey Ramlick....if a great ass and tits counted a lot....

Jade would be a shoo in for the lead!

Knock'em dead babe...or break a leg...er not really...just a figure of speech...

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Jade babe... I know you have some serious talent. Just believe...



Da chef

 

[Whispersecret]

Would it be inappropriate to mention that Scottish play? <giggles>