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Thread: The Flow

  1. #1
    Moderator Djoser's Avatar
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    Default The Flow

    Vaden and Miabella brought up some excellent points in the "Emotional Reactions to Songs" thread, which is very good, and not unrelated, but is focused more on feelings of pathos or emotional intensity. There is a somewhat different kind of emotional state which can be utilized most effectively to the dancers' advantage. I am not alone in calling it "the flow".


    Quote Originally Posted by VADEN
    I feel the same way, every night I pick out music that I know I will really feel inside and will match to my mood. I flow to my music when I not only know what is about to play, but I am feeling as one with the music....
    That 'flow' is the state of mind/body that is experienced as part of the act of creation. Your body releases endorphins, and your mind goes into a mildly hypnotic, trance-like state. Artists in this state to an extreme degree are the ones you hear about who disdain food or sleep, or sometimes even the company of their fellow humans. They are literally on another plane of existence.

    The raincoat crowd will scoff in derision, but even they can be mesmerized by the sight of their favorite going off onstage in a way she rarely gets to with ordinary music.

    Quote Originally Posted by miabella
    heh, i have trouble with my stage show because i often pick songs i get too 'into' and kind of forget the crowd while dancing to. perhaps a reason to let the dj pick my stuff more often.
    Or maybe you shouldn't. He might pick a song that makes someone else feel this way, and leaves you being merely a professional dancer, just going through the motions, perhaps with skill and polish, but without passion. You don't want to totally ignore your audience, but you do most emphatically want to experience that 'flow', because if they have the slightest shred of appreciation for a good stage show, they will notice that this song makes you feel special, and they will like it...

    Most DJs haven't a clue about this. It is the greatest tool a DJ has at his disposal to wake up a bunch of jaded customers, or turn a nice, busy, but typical club night into a high-energy happening, with dancers coming off-stage flushed and primed, and customers lined up to get first dibs for VIP.

    I view my songs as powerful weapons or tools. Some are best used with certain kinds of dancers, and should be saved for them whenever possible. If you balance your list carefully you can still please the audience, while getting the most out of each dancer in turn.

    You have to watch them closely, and look for signs of that state, or the beginnings of it. You can tell a lot about what a dancer really likes by watching her very closely. I watch the dancers when I am working far more closely than I ever do when I go to clubs as a customer. If I see a dancer really getting into a song to the extent that she starts forgetting herself, I will reserve this song for her.

    This is why I go along, for the most part, with the dancers' claiming "their" songs--within reason. You can usually avoid trouble with jealousy or fighting over songs by making sure they all have one or two, so they all feel special.

    Naturally these policies are harder to pull off in bigger clubs, but I have always been able to follow them.

  2. #2
    God/dess VADEN's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Flow

    You know exactly what you are talking about! Well put.....



  3. #3
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    Default Re: The Flow

    actually, at a club i worked only one shift at, the dj had a weird knack for picking songs i could get into without losing track of the audience, which is why i brought up the dj choosing my songs. in that one case it worked pretty well getting me into a good flow without causing me to completely forget the crowd.

    i mean, there's a girl at my current club who has the 'flow' aspect down to a science. she and the dj have worked out a set for her that nearly always draws a huge crowd, or pulls people from across the room to stage-tip. i mean, you are right that when it works, it can REALLY work.

  4. #4
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: The Flow

    You are more conscientious that the average DJ!

    Everyone has to reach a happy medium. I started out with dancing to New Wave, but a DJ who liked NW too pointed out it wasn't right for our town or crowd. Naturally, I grew as a person by finding other music that worked well but wouldn't alientate people.
    I think reading the crowd is key too......some DJs swear by that first. It's just a money thing.

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