LAGS

Many of have for so many years, watched many couples clumsily trying to do fancy steps in the Silver and Gold level when they have never learned the Bronze very well. We can sometimes feel that got caught in the LAGS trap. (Latest And Greatest Syndrome.) And yet we all know that they will get better but it is a tough row to hoe that way. Specially because there so many other more basic and easy to do enjoyable steps to learn first.

"Social dancers believe that they are the forerunners of what we yet may see in
which there will be no particular sequence apart from the basic step."

From the Waha 30 years ago. By Richard Masuyama

There is much LAGS indeed. The only comment to this trend is that many students are interested only in picking up new and very advanced dance figures without too much concern about technique and styling that goes with these. The figures in the Gold Bar and Gold Star are mostly for exhibition and competitions and are starkly out of place on the social dance floor. They generally require a great deal of space for their execution and many will agree that they look terrible when not done correctly.

"Molokai Woman" by Willie K

With so many nice basic dance steps and figures available, it is sensible to concentrate on those that can be led and followed easily with any partner for use in social dancing. Forget the open and fancy figures that can be done only with one or very limited number of partners. Learn to do the simple figures well and leave the fancy ones to the expert exhibition dancers. Yes, you can be an expert exhibition dancer too.

"People in such a hurry to learn fancy steps that they remain forever in intermediate level. Why? Because they never learned the basics which includes natural styling."