When learning whatever skill it sometimes takes just one of phrase by someone for a breakthough. It makes all the previous explanations make sense.
What "phrases" "explanations" made a break through for your dancing. State the dance if not jive.
Some of mine in no particular order - paraphrased.
N&N - Faster music smaller steps.
Head up and relax.
Amirs video. - Remember to close your heels between steps and keep your feet gliding over the floor. ie Don't raise your feet too high which might create bounce.
Tango - Just listen to the music
Tango - What is the difference between straight and circular steps. Well eventually they all become circular steps, even when walking forward.
Oh! So that is it ...
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MartinHarper
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Re: Oh! So that is it ...
On fast music: "when the music is fast, dance slow".
On musicality: "dance when she sings, stop when she stops".
On footwork as a follower: "just keep stepping".
On musicality: "dance when she sings, stop when she stops".
On footwork as a follower: "just keep stepping".
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Caro
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Re: Oh! So that is it ...
Good thread... here are mine:
WCS:
- a triple step on the spot is not an anchor step (that was a big revelation at the time, especially as I could understand exactly what it meant by being on the other side of the connection - it was my first time leading wcs)
- on the anchor step: as a lead, I need to feel your arc of momentum
- get rock solid basics so that your body remembers the movement and shape of it even when you do syncopations
- your center should always be in motion - stand still and you kill the dance
AT:
- connect (physically) with your center, not your torso
- as a follow you must respond to the intention of leading by projecting your leg
- the energy of the ocho is down into the floor
WCS:
- a triple step on the spot is not an anchor step (that was a big revelation at the time, especially as I could understand exactly what it meant by being on the other side of the connection - it was my first time leading wcs)
- on the anchor step: as a lead, I need to feel your arc of momentum
- get rock solid basics so that your body remembers the movement and shape of it even when you do syncopations
- your center should always be in motion - stand still and you kill the dance
AT:
- connect (physically) with your center, not your torso
- as a follow you must respond to the intention of leading by projecting your leg
- the energy of the ocho is down into the floor
.
Little Miss Whipme
Little Miss Whipme
- NZ Monkey
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Re: Oh! So that is it ...
The music is slower than you think it is.
Don’t ever think you’ve got just one beat to do something in. In fact, you’ve got a whole beat. Actually, you don’t just have a whole beat - you’ve got the whole beat from the moment it begins to the moment it fades and the space between the beats as well.
Blend your movements over a whole beat.
After all, the music is slow and there’s quite a lot to a beat. You might as well take your time and smooth things out so you look cool and stylish rather than rushing to the end and waiting half a beat to do it again.
Roll steps through the whole foot
Usually knowing how to step smoothly is the first stage in being able to perform it.
Stepping should be hard work
When rolling through the ball of the foot to the heal, there should be a lot of resistance to smooth the movement out. No amount of “absorbing in the knees” or “squashing fruit” analogies made sense to me.
Accenting means doing something different, and obvious
It isn’t enough just to phrase a dance - you have to make it obvious that you intended to for it to look really cool. Hold breaks for a beat after hitting them so that it looks like it was intentional also.
Don’t ever think you’ve got just one beat to do something in. In fact, you’ve got a whole beat. Actually, you don’t just have a whole beat - you’ve got the whole beat from the moment it begins to the moment it fades and the space between the beats as well.
Blend your movements over a whole beat.
After all, the music is slow and there’s quite a lot to a beat. You might as well take your time and smooth things out so you look cool and stylish rather than rushing to the end and waiting half a beat to do it again.
Roll steps through the whole foot
Usually knowing how to step smoothly is the first stage in being able to perform it.
Stepping should be hard work
When rolling through the ball of the foot to the heal, there should be a lot of resistance to smooth the movement out. No amount of “absorbing in the knees” or “squashing fruit” analogies made sense to me.
Accenting means doing something different, and obvious
It isn’t enough just to phrase a dance - you have to make it obvious that you intended to for it to look really cool. Hold breaks for a beat after hitting them so that it looks like it was intentional also.
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johnnyman
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Re: Oh! So that is it ...
WCS
I suppose doing WCS workshops in Weston and Boogie by the Bay by various people.
Robert Royston saying that '4 is the beginning of stretch' was a key factor.
Kyle and Sarah saying that the leader's hand should be at the waist height of the follower.
At BBTB
Mario Robau's 'anchor wheel' principle i.e placing the right foot at five different places on the 4-5-6 - in front / forward / side / back, behind the left foot.
Various WCS teachers talked in different ways of extending the phrase to fill the music. i.e. if a 6-count pattern takes 8 or 10 beats, then it does.
The best bit of discovery - one or two WCS teachers telling us that there is no right way or wrong way to do WCS - merely it is individual interpretations of what it is meant to be.
Modern Jive and WCS
How music is phrased i.e 4/4 timing. This helped me to slow down and interpret the music on the upbeat better.
Nigel and Nina's Musical Interpretation class in Hove in 2002 and how they interpreted different types of music and how to single out particular instruments within the music.
I suppose doing WCS workshops in Weston and Boogie by the Bay by various people.
Robert Royston saying that '4 is the beginning of stretch' was a key factor.
Kyle and Sarah saying that the leader's hand should be at the waist height of the follower.
At BBTB
Mario Robau's 'anchor wheel' principle i.e placing the right foot at five different places on the 4-5-6 - in front / forward / side / back, behind the left foot.
Various WCS teachers talked in different ways of extending the phrase to fill the music. i.e. if a 6-count pattern takes 8 or 10 beats, then it does.
The best bit of discovery - one or two WCS teachers telling us that there is no right way or wrong way to do WCS - merely it is individual interpretations of what it is meant to be.
Modern Jive and WCS
How music is phrased i.e 4/4 timing. This helped me to slow down and interpret the music on the upbeat better.
Nigel and Nina's Musical Interpretation class in Hove in 2002 and how they interpreted different types of music and how to single out particular instruments within the music.
- tanjive
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Re: Oh! So that is it ...
Perhaps, I could add the longer you dance the significance of doing moves just disappears.
After all 90% of stuff can be summed up:
- Pass on left
- Pass on right
- Walk in a circle together
- Walk in a line together
- Stand side by side, move sideways and back as in sway
- Stand side by side, separate forward or backwards such as basket loop and pull back
Whether the arms are at waist or shoulder are generally just variations with moving yourselves from one position such as sway, basket, neckbreak to another.
After all 90% of stuff can be summed up:
- Pass on left
- Pass on right
- Walk in a circle together
- Walk in a line together
- Stand side by side, move sideways and back as in sway
- Stand side by side, separate forward or backwards such as basket loop and pull back
Whether the arms are at waist or shoulder are generally just variations with moving yourselves from one position such as sway, basket, neckbreak to another.