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Sultrina wrote:

Here is what I would like to know, as we move into the advanced section of the book wich would people most like adressed.

Couple and Line dancing or a dance by dance discussion on how to most efectivly use them?

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Thank you, Sultrina, for a great dance school.  I'm enjoying reading it tremendously.  To answer your question, a dance by dance discussion would help me best, I think, since I don't belong to a troupe.  Others may feel differently though.

I'd love a discussion on special effects, props, and costumes too.  Does anyone incorporate "tumble to standing" in their act?  Have you tried using those bio-containers of creatures? (When you release the contents you get a swirl of creatures around you...such as butterflies, glowzies, bats, etc.)

I'm off to practice! Thanks again

Couple dancing?  Is this possible?  *swoon*

I'm with Feisen on this one -- costumes, special effects, etc.  How best to use them solo and in groups, I think that would be sweet.

And Sultrina, I haven't said it yet, so thank you VERY much.  I'm working my way through your dance school and I'm learning so much and putting a very nice polish on my act--looking less like an amateur every day!

Miralin Darkmist, Master Entertainer
Steel Legion PA, Tarquinas
Mos Springfield, Tatooine

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Feisen wrote:

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Sultrina wrote:

Here is what I would like to know, as we move into the advanced section of the book wich would people most like adressed.

Couple and Line dancing or a dance by dance discussion on how to most efectivly use them?

---

Thank you, Sultrina, for a great dance school.  I'm enjoying reading it tremendously.  To answer your question, a dance by dance discussion would help me best, I think, since I don't belong to a troupe.  Others may feel differently though.

I'd love a discussion on special effects, props, and costumes too.  Does anyone incorporate "tumble to standing" in their act?  Have you tried using those bio-containers of creatures? (When you release the contents you get a swirl of creatures around you...such as butterflies, glowzies, bats, etc.)

---

Wow...Thanks Sultrina.  I just started a dancer last week.  I got the bug when I started dancing with my Combat Medic, and well, as you know CMs run out of points quick.  So I made a dancer on Bloodfin.  Now I can't get enough dancing and I wanted to be great at it (and not just a master).  I am really looking forward to starting the lessons tonight. 

Chiaa Ovewi, aspiring Dancer /I mage Designer, Tyrena, Corellia on Bloodfin.

Wow. I had no idea a game could be this intricate and interesting. I am learning a great deal from reading this post so /cheer Sultrina! One thing I am having a difficult time with is the /ui action toolbarPane command. Would someone (anyone) be so gracious as to draw it out for me? i.e. does the toolbarPane01 direct to the pane labelled 1? I am trying to get to Pane 6 and /ui action toolbarPane06 takes me to pane 2! I need some help=)

Much Obliged,

Ksei

Dancer, Bloodfin

Newest addition to the Chipendales =p

There is a litte secret to it is all and here it is.
/ui action toolbarPane00-05;
Panes are the same as you action bars but are numbered 00-05 instead of 1-6
So use this
 bar you want 1 2 3 4 5 6
pane you use 0 1 2 3 4 5

Now Slots are the same as your boxes within a action abr and you can call both rows
/ui action toolbarSlot00-23;
so it looks like this

      top row 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
bottom row 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

I hope that helps

I can't believe this is the first time I've read through this thread.

Sultrina, ignorant rebel that you might be, I'm most impressed! ((It's called Roleplay for those that don't know... I'm not really insulting her! )  In fact, I plan to contact you in game so I can see you in action and learn a few things.  In the meantime, I plan to practice everything I've read today.

Gosh, I thought I loved playing a dancer before...

A'Ri

Akai,

There is a lesson coming up on this very thing that will help you develop your card. The thing is though if I post my card it wont help you much. Each dancer must make their own for it to be of benifit to you.

Kijjik,

<giggle> I'm just a dancer! Who said I was a Rebel? I look forward to bumping into you in game. If you really want to have some fun stop by Corsair Island(they have a shuttel port) or Corellia this Friday the 19th 8:30 pst. A friend and I are putign on a little holiday show at my theater "Harvy Hall". AT-ST parking is at the bottom of the bay <giggle>

I was on for a short time last night (didn't see you though), did a little dancing... it's a lot harder than it seems!  I vote for in-game lessons! I'm SO glad no one was in my cantina. 

A'Ri

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DenisaGalen wrote:
It get's a bit hairy when we include clothes swapping in the same show, especially after travelling and clothes are no longer sorted on color in my inventory

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i have clothes change on macro liek sso

put the clothes i want to wear into hot keys 00 = F1   01 and 02

then

/smokebomb/pause 1/ui action toolbarSlot00/ui action toolbarSlot01  etc.....

when teh smoekbomb works properly it looks pretty awesome, i get many compliments

Hello all, I must say when i chose to start looking down the path of becoming a dancer I never knew it could be brought to this level. /deepbow to all who have posted. 

I was wondering though with all these tips and great ideas, do you have anything that can help my little mon calamarian male get more attention in the cantina?  It really doesnt matter when I am in a big band but some places are not too friendly like that (for reasons unbeknownst to me).

Phew, even a warrior extraordinaire can be tempted to try the entertainment business.

At the very least I've learned to appriciate the entertainers more when I get my usual fixes (read mind/stat buffs) cause now I actually look at what and how they are doing their performance.

regards

I am utterly impressed with Sultrina's Dance School. It has shown me things I didn't even know about. Today, just for fun, I tried the stringing and mixing of various dances. I finaly was able to combine popular2 and poplock2 trying to get the best of both. Almost immediately people wondered how I did that, or wow is that a new dance. It made me realize what a terrible entertainer I have been. I dont know, I loved the exotices so much it was the only thing I cared for. So it was my aim to get to exotic2 as soon as I could manage. On top of that, I hated those other dances, but it never ever occurred to me that I could steal a flourish here, a basic step there and eventually create my own dance.

Another thing that got me thinking was what Sultrina said about dancers and the band. To be honest, after hearing it so many times I stopped listening and just went my own way. I changed clothing, styles and what not, but merely based on my taste, not on what I saw or heard. suddenly I felt actually bad, tho I also have to add that performing with an AFK band is not that much fun at all. Yet, when I tried to fit my dance with the band, people seem to notice the difference. Don't ask me how it works, but I guess we all have a feeling of when something is right or when it is off. That was quite an eyeopener.

Now I also realized that I don't have outfits that are actually suitable for say rock, or starwars3. So I guess I'll just have to buy some more. Tho honestly, I find it hard to figure out what song is played and what I should wear. Any tips on that would be highly appreciated.

As for rock, I probably will get some jeans, sneakers and a tanktop of some sort. Star wars3, probably a bustier with a fashionable pleated skirt and long gloves. I guess just trying to think into that direction will already be better than just remain ignorant.

Again, thanks for writing it. It has been and will be a great help trying to improve and be a better dancer. Thank you.

Message Edited by Sultrina on 04-08-2004 11:49 PM

Sultrina's Dance Academy

Lesson 10 (Your dance card)

What? You STILL haven’t made one?

A good dance card has all the dances on one sheet of paper. To accomplish this you must put your document in landscape mode (its like turning a sheet of paper sideways). The dances are arranged in a 4 by 3 grid with the following headings; Basic, Rhythmic, Popular, Footloose, Poplock, Formal, Lyrical, Exotic, Exotic2, Exotic3, Exotic4, and a blank box at the end. I recommend you put them left to right in that order as I mentioned before this is the logical progression of dances as opposed to the order you learned them in. You do NOT need to list the 2’s(Basic2 ect) because the flourishes are identical, but the base dance is smoother and more polished. Exotic is the exception the flourishes are not identical so each exotic has its own heading. Now under each heading you need to number 1-8. When you’re done making the sheet print it so you can hand write what you see in the spaces. Then go back later and type up your hand written notes. Do not try to make a dance card from memory. Look back over lesson 1 (Getting the Boogie On) and fill in as much of you dance card as you can. Don’t be alarmed if you find yourself changing your dance card often at first this is normal. Here is the first block as it appears on my dance card.
Basic
1. boogie turn/hip action
2. crouch wipe/boogie/spin
3. hop turn/hip action
4. knee pump/big arms
5. *knee lift/torso bot
6. *mime/knee drop
7. Moon walk  L 3/R 6/L 3
8. Moon walk  L 3/R 6/L 3

Ok now take a peek back at lesson 5 (Stringing) and note Flourish 3 from my actual dance card reads “hop turn/hip action” and in the lesson we learned it as “hop turn/hip action/butt action/side kick/uh-huh”. What gives Sultrina? Where is the real dance card? That’s it honest! The purpose of a dance card is to find a flourish as a glance and call it to mind. I could never use a tiny part like “uh-huh” cold turkey from the dance card so I don’t type it. I can see at a glance this flourish will give me a “hop turn” and some nice “hip action”. That’s what a dance card is, a quick reference sheet. That is why you should have all the dances on one sheet of paper. Now each flourish can also be broken down into an infinite number of parts, “hop turn/hip action/butt action/side kick/uh-huh” is but one example. This sort of detail is key to choreographing, but will help you little mid boogie. Now let’s look at a few key points on my example here. I use the / to separate parts of the flourish. I use an * to note the flourish is repeated in another style (this is because a repeated flourish can make a nice mix crash n burn if your not ready for it). I also note all movement on the floor with L 3, R 6, FWD 3, BK 3 that way at a glance I can see it is also a drift correction flourish.  That’s it clean and simple and you will know your description is perfect when you can look at it after not doing that flourish for a while and actually picture the flourish in your head enough to know the difference between say flourish 1 and 3 in Basic. Do not and I really mean this do not include times on your dance card this way lies madness! By all means explore each flourish as world unto itself there is a lot of good stuff in each flourishes, but only put the skeleton on the dance card.

What did we learn today?
1. We learned the basic layout of a complete dance card
2. We learned a dance card is a quick reference not a complete reference
3. We learned a few tricks to make information stand out /,*,L 3
4. We learned why we have to make our own dance card

Message Edited by Sultrina on 04-08-2004 11:51 PM

Sultrina's Dance Academy

Lesson 11 (Developing a Routine)

Ok we learned a lot of neat dancing techniques here at the Academy, but flashy tricks alone do not make a good act so I’m going to share some things I’ve learned along the way.

Dance to the music. I hear so many people comment they turn their sound off so they don’t have to listen to the music. Shame on you! I hear musicians say the same thing DOUBLE shame on you! Listen to the music and select a dance that compliments it. You and the musicians are supposed to be a team so work together trying different songs and dances together and developing an act. If you’re not careful this sort of behavior will catch on and the boring group of people you’re dancing with might just become a lively bunch of entertainers having a great time.

Wear the right clothes for the dance AND the music. I could write a whole page just on this subject alone, but to get you going on the right path just ask yourself if what you’re wearing is appropriate to the dance and music. HINT exotic leotards are not the best choice in most cases.

Use props sparingly. A staff or a sword can look very nice for a time but get old very quickly so use them sparingly. Unless you’re doing a Wild West show I don’t recommend dancing with a gun ever.

Use your light show when it’s the right thing to do. I see so many dancers spaming away at their light show for no apparent reason. Use the light show to complement your act example the end of flourish 2 basic begs for a special effect. Rule of thumb is if you don’t know why you’re using the light show then you’re using it at the wrong time.

Bands have a terrible habit of changing music without alerting the group. Try to develop quick ways of up or down shifting your dancing to meet the new music (this is done by creative mixing). Example flourish 7 in any of the exotics is a “quick shimmy turn” by mixing that with popular flourish 7 “bellie turn” you can go from exotic to popular smoothly to meet a music change.

Try to develop new routines that branch off of old ones. A big part of dancing is showing a customer a repeating pattern and then changing it. By branching your routines you can avoid abrupt changes that don’t look polished. Do realize that there are times to break this rule and smack them right between the eyes with something completely different.

Keep you mind occupied so you’re UP! Your mood as a dancer is key, your customers will pick up on it very quickly. If you’re bored with your dancing you will be boring. On the other hand a newbie with a perky attitude can light up a room.

Always remember you have four types of customers
Those that want to see a show. In order to please these customers you have to have a show to offer that’s what the Academy is all about. Those that want their BF healed. The good news is you do this as long as you’re dancing so they are easy to please, however the important thing here is you have to be dancing!
Those that want to use you for exp. Bless the people healing your action points they are angels of mercy! News flash a lot of them are using you for exp and if you take good care of them by burning action they will take good care of you. Be sure to ask them in tell if they want you to burn it as some are just kind souls and medicine costs money. Those that are want information. A lot of people come into the cantina because they don’t understand something and are hoping someone can answer their questions. As entertainers we hear a lot of things in the cantina so share that knowledge we also meet lots of people that might be able to answer questions about specific classes. By helping someone though a difficult problem you could 1find yourself with a very loyal customer or better yet a good friend.
 
What did we learn today?
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to please ALL of your customers and turn them all into “Those that want to see a show”

Message Edited by Sultrina on 04-08-2004 11:53 PM

Message Edited by Sultrina on 04-09-2004 12:20 AM

Sultrina's Dance Academy

Lesson 12 (Dancing to Zen)

A student once commented to me Sultrina when I am doing a lesson I know when I am doing it wrong, but how do I know when I am doing it right? The answer is exactly.

A master dancer could tell you more, but there are no master dancers. There are infinite movements in a dance and each movement has infinite sub movements. If you can not see flaws in your dancing then you are not watching your dancer. If you are not watching your dancer why should anyone else? If we can believe that dancing has infinite movements and therefore it can not be mastered, then it stands to reason if each movement has infinite sub movements then we can never master a movement. Wow that sucks! Not really because it means that our dancers can actually transcend the game mechanics and become real performers. We do have to accept the fact that we can always get better and we will get better. This means we have to get into a studio and really look at our dancer. You CAN use dead time in a cantina for this, but trust me you NEED a studio. This is a quiet place, a house, a mountain top, a beach. Some place that makes you feel at peace. When I am working on an especially difficult routine I like to find a pretty beach far from people and wear my newbie dance clothes. This makes me smile and reminds me I am still a newbie.

Ok nice speech Sultrina, but what the heck are you talking about? All right lets get to dancing Basic, but today I want you to look at it and I mean really look at it. It is a simple dance and when we first started it was one of two dances we had and most of you are well beyond this dance now and glad to be rid of it. Watch it as it loops, note the simple elegance of this dance. Oh sure in pants in a shirt it looks a little dull but now imagine yourself in the fanciest clothes you have ever seen. Now imagine you have a Formal or Lyrical dance routine lined up that will wow even the most cynical crowed. Now look at the dance and see the raw simplicity of it and how a few moments of this base dance before starting your routine could really grab some attention. Suddenly it isn’t such a newbie dance anymore eh? This is and will always be one of my favorite dances and I would cry if it were removed from the game.

Now that we see the base dance for its simplicity lets do Flourish 6 “mime/knee drop” on my card. Watch the transition from the base dance to the flourish. In most cases it appears a little abrupt. Does this flourish again and watch closely. Note the position of the hands and feet in the base dance and if they “snap” to another position for the flourish. Start to see the flaws? Keep flourishing over and over trying to get the flourish to mesh perfectly with the base dance. Can see when it looks choppy and when it looks good? Is there a point every once in a while it looks perfect? Did it look perfect because you weren’t really watching or was it really perfect? If it really was perfect can you do it again?

Exorcise 1:
1. Repeat lessons 5 through 11 with using everything you have learned since the last time you did them to make each movement smoother.
2. Incorporate your studio work into your daily routine.
3. Do lesson 12 again.
4. Don’t ever let it bother you that you have yet to complete exercise 1, Lesson 12.
There you have it dancers. You can always find something more in dancing just by watching yourself. You are your best teacher because you have to appreciate your work before others can. If you enjoy watching yourself it will spread to your costumers.

What did we learn today?
1. nothing
2. everything

Message Edited by Sultrina on 04-08-2004 11:56 PM

That's all the lessons for the "basic' section of the book. I don't know if or when I'll get to the advanced section that depends on a lot of factors. For now its a complete guide all unto itself and after a final proofread I'll try to get it posted in a downloadable format. I tried to get Sony to post it in their advanced guide section. but never heard back. I hope everyone enjoys the book and I hope everyone gets a little somthing out of it.

I would also like to anounce that it is posible to be master TKA and master dancer! In my case toss in master entertaienr and some tricks I learned in campfire girls. I never backed off my heavy action bar stats as I am allways a dancer first.

Sultrina

Thank you for your wonderful work. You have given me - and as I'm glad to see many others - a whole new perspective on the dancing profession and made a great profession even more fun to play. I am so amazed at what you have come up with and feel ashamed of having been doing such a lousy job of entertaining these days. Also it's a humbling experience when you think of something wonderfully new and innovative, only to find out that somebody else has thought of it before, worked it out and tuned it to perfection.

I am incredibly eager to return to my house to get into the next lesson, I just wanted to tell you how well done this dancing book is and how much I hope that you'll be continuing the lessons very soon. My personal interest would be a few words on dancing formations, although I think any of the topics proposed would be a good lesson to many people here.

Thank you,

Seelia - Master Dancer relearning her basics