Well, a few words actually. Sliding is when your avatar is moving but your feet are not. Nine out of ten dancers surveyed agree, sliding looks bad. The occasional tiny slide can be overlooked, if it is fast and small and subtle. But sliding across a stage irritates most viewers and makes people feel disappointment. Why? I believe it is because sliding is considered by most to be sloppy and lazy. It yanks the viewer out of being caught up in the realism of a virtual performance, as though the dance is glitching. As a rule, it just does not look good. A dance gives a viewer so much more fulfilment when the dancer’s feet move as the dancer moves. It makes your dance look more natural and realistic.
How to avoid sliding? Time your animations and movers so that the movers are moving your avatar when the animations are moving your avatar’s feet. This gives your choreography a more natural appeal. It is time consuming and can be frustrating, but your effort and hard work will pay off with a more polished performance. You may need to change what animation you use when you want to move across the stage. You can even time it so that you stop dancing and instead walk across the stage by using a walking animation… or a run, somersault, or similar form of linear movement.
Tom Cruise made sliding look good because he got a running start and had momentum moving him along. Also, he was in his underwear and well… those thighs! Who is looking at his feet! But on the SL stage, slides often stand out glaringly, and unless being used on purpose for some special emphasis, should be avoided. What are your thoughts on sliding? Feel free to comment if you would like to share them.
Elysium Cabaret 
Virtual creations of art rely on the ability to suspend reality long enough to enjoy the art in the fantastic. When an avatar slides without any plausible cause other than to force an unnatural position, that reality is shattered and the art is tainted. The audience is jerked back to harsh reality as they have to resolve their brain to say “why is that happening?”
Besides, from a technical perspective, it’s lazy as hell. Take the time to plan out the route to match what your avatar is doing. What does it look like to the audience? The AUDIENCE is the whole reason we do this. Isn’t it?
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Elayn . . . I couldn’t agree more . . and certain dancers seem to make it a trademark of their performances.
As a performer, if you can’t realise your vision without sliding around the stage, then you don’t have ” the perfect song and animations for the song “
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How then can this be fixed.. because I have seen ALL of us with slides, and I do not consider it to be lazy as hell. Like for a slow song with slow animations, where your feet perhaps do not move that much if at all and yet you need your avi to move from one place to another, a slide is going to happen. I myself work hours and hours on just one act or routine so no, I am not lazy. Also as an audience member have never been jarred back into reality or out of being “in the dance” just because a slide occurred so I disagree with that personally. DO I notice it? well yeah, does it ruin the dance or experience..? no. But like I asked how do would you resolve the issue where you have the perfect song and animations for the song, but they do not align with your movement, and no the pat answer “Well change when your av i moves” is not going to work here because each of us has a vision for our acts and dances that , that is not always going to work. I am not trying to be difficult, but really would like to know, I enjoy learning and welcome the chance to grow.
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Alexis . . . you asked , ” how would you resolve the issue . . . but they do not align with your movement ”
If you can’t achieve your vision without some major sliding , then my response is, that you have to re think the whole thing , stage set , choreo ,song and animations . and not ignore your audience and do a second rate performance simply because you’re so obsessed with the song .
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Well luckily for me Kasz, and with what I have been told, I have yet to give a second rate performance. I spend too many hours on everything to put out something I am not proud of. I was just stating that some times it happens, does not mean you are lazy , or even second rate. I have been pretty good about making sure to give the audience a good dance. I am lucky that I have been able to realize my vision with great songs, sets and animations. And isn’t that the point though to create something fantastic with a song that you love or “obsess” over?
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Alexis , obviously I don’t know you or your work and I couldn’t agree more with you that the point is , ” to create something fantastic with a song that you love or obsess over ” . But I stand by my comment that if you can’t achieve that without some major sliding then the whole thing needs to be seriously rethought and reworked . There’s always a way . . . . and the more experienced you are the less excuse you have to not find a way.
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Kasz, I agree with you as well. Major sliding should be fixed. And I know there are ways.. I meant more of the quick brief slides I have seen every one do. I am learning and I hope not to have that in my acts…
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I think it’s good to be discussing it, because I know it is something many people have strong feelings about. I think too there is a difference between a small slide and a big one. The only way I know how to get out of a slide is to change the animation or the time when I am moving. All we can do is strive to make our movements look natural as best we can.
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