Good drummer ... Good dancer?

MattA

Senior Member
It's no secret that playing drums well requires good rhythm.
Dancing also takes good rhythm to do well.
So by that logic, are good drummers good dancers?
I'm looking for anecdotal evidence ...
 
I am a horrible dancer. Although one time at a school dance, I got bored and danced in 5/4 over a 4/4 pop song. It was hilarious.
 
In percussion I had terrible rhythm, I had a garage band (guitar) that took a lot of dedication and practice because I had to memorize my parts precisely to 'lock in'. I did feel it, but on rare occasions. Later in college I started learning to swing dance, and really enjoyed it. Several ballroom classes and continued different styles in 4, 8, and 6 step dancing. (I'm not counting the occasional polka) Since then I've been able to feel the beat almost instantly and finally learned to clap on 2 & 4, yes I was one of those jerks. I think it has helped me to learn drums much more so than if I had started without the experience. I also see it carry over, I have a back & forth for latin styles, a side-sway for waltz, and in general movement while playing tends to fit the dance as much as the genre to keep time.
 
I've always wondered this same thing. I have been playing drums/percussion since I was 2 (I'm now 27) and I have never been very good at dancing. I can slow dance and woo the ladies, but that's about the extent of it. I will admit that I have never liked to dance, so maybe that has something to do with it, but it could just be one of this things, some can do it, some can't.
 
Nope I could dance IF life depended on it!
But I can keep a band in rhythm all night & watch other people dance
 
I've done ballroom and latin dancing for 3 or 4 years now... I think playing the drums helps my timing especially on dances where you anticipate the 2nd beat of the bar like the Rhumba which I often see others struggling on, but that's about it. It certainly doesn't help me be graceful ;-)
 
everyone always says this to me "you should be a great dancer because you're a drummer"
well thats like me saying a dancer should be a great drummer- not always the case
Fact is i just dont know what to do if i dance lol hence why I avoid it at all costs
 
I know this is the opposite way around but I read once that Buddy Rich and it was either Gene Krupa or Louis Bellson took tap dancing lessons to improve their pedal technique and Taryn Lee Young was inspired by 18 years of tap dancing: http://youtu.be/UIT4XQZIb_g

Not the most creative drumming but certainly has given her a good head start in bass drum technique.
 
I think dancing has more to do with athleticism than having a good sense of time. Let's face it - there are a lot of drummers who were not good athletes. I was actually a pretty good athlete before I took up the drums in college. I think being athletic helps me playing the drums, but it is obviously not necessary.

I did a LOT of dancing back in the disco era (I can't believe I'm admitting this...). I was no John Travolta, but I could get around the dance floor. I lost my enthusiasm for dancing over the years,, and I now dread being dragged up to dance at weddings and other parties. I've probably regressed close to Elaine from Seinfeld status. LOL
 
There's a large Latin community here so I can fudge a merengue or a salsa but that's about it. I do love dancing though, usually I just look like a total spaz...
 
I'm a dreadful dancer; no talent whatsoever.

I think there's a huge difference between having the ability to move your limbs in a coordinated and rhythmic fashion, and moving your entire body with grace and fluidity. Not to mention the skills involved when it comes to dancing with a partner (leading, following, etc).
 
It's no secret that playing drums well requires good rhythm.
Dancing also takes good rhythm to do well.
So by that logic, are good drummers good dancers?
I'm looking for anecdotal evidence ...

I suppose I'm a competent dancer but I don't enjoy it.
 
If watching several seasons of "Dancing With The Stars" has taught me anything, it's that you can't predict who will be a good dancer on the strength of something else they do, unless that something else is really closely related, like figure skating or gymnastics. Personally, I feel I have the *ability* to learn to dance, and have danced fairly well (according to my wife, who's a ballroom hobbyist), but very little motivation to dance.
 
Speaking of dancing, I caught the movie Xanadu on tv last night, in which Gene Kelly (along with Olivia Newton John) was a main character. What a weird movie!
 
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