These are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions with Answers
Q: Does FloorPlay look after my data?
A: Yes, we are careful to protect any information members have given us. Our policy is on the ABOUT tab above and membership rules are available at events and on request.
Q: Do I need to bring a partner?
A: No, people come singly, in couples or in groups. As people move around during the classes it isn’t a problem to turn up on your own.
Q: What clothes should I wear?
A: People come in everything from jeans and a T-shirt right up to going for a night out on the town kind of clothes. As long as you are comfortable and able to move freely you should be fine.
Q: What shoes should I wear?
A: Shoes in which you are comfortable to spin on a wooden floor. High grip soles make spinning difficult and increases forces on the ankles and knees, which is bad. Leather or suede soles are ideal and dance trainers work very well. For guys a slippery sole and a griping heel is a good combination, allowing good control of slide and stop. For ladies the question of heels or not, is hotly contested and there are great dancers who support each camp, best to go with what you feel most comfortable in at least to begin with.
Q: Will there be other people my age?
A: Classes vary from place to place and week to week. In the larger classes it is normal to see a full spectrum of ages present from the minimum of 16 right the way up. In some cases 3 generations of the same family have been known to regularly attend dance nights. In most classes most people will find others close to their age attending.
Q: Will I be able to do it?
A: Most people pick up Modern Jive fairly easily. The guys tend to find their third class night the hardest and then things get steadily easier. The ladies tend to find they do well with an experienced lead almost right away but hit a trickier patch around week ten, though again the difficulty is short lived.
Q: Will there be complicated footwork?
A: The basic in most moves, at least at beginner level, is to just walk. We do this quite naturally without thinking about it, in fact thinking about it makes it harder. This is where the even tempo nature of the dance shows.. there are no quicks and slows in walking and Modern Jive is the same. Later on lots of footwork variations can be added to improvise extra musicality or just for extra style but are not required at beginner level.
Q: Will I have to do lifts and drops?
A: No. People do incorporate lifts, drops and other acrobatic moves into their Modern Jive but they are optional and never done without permission.
Q: Who learns the moves?
A: Modern Jive is a lead and follow dance. Usually the men lead and the ladies follow. This means that the men have to learn the moves and how to lead them and the ladies learn the techniques of following. So in freestyle the men decide what moves to do and in what order, dance their part and lead the lady through her part. If led correctly and followed correctly the lady can do thousands of moves she has never seen before let alone learned!