[Callers] Buzz Step Swing

Sun Jun 21 10:52:56 PDT 2015

Tom, at a guess, Aahz is not talking about NOT spending time on the swing,
nor about neglecting to teach dancers how to start/end one--just that the
finer points of technique aren't a priority for the beginner's lesson. Of
course any teacher worth their salt will teach that a swing always ends
with the lady on the right. But I think all Aahz is saying is that, IF the
dancers end the swing with the lady on the right, it doesn't really matter
how they get there--fumbling through a swing happens, and it's easy to
recover from, while moves that involve the rest of your hands-4 or the rest
of the set have potential to cause way more disruption to the dance if
botched.

I agree that the buzz-step is not the be-all, end-all of contra swing! I've
been dancing for going on 5 years and I pretty much exclusively walk-swing,
because I find it more comfortable and easy to control, and don't actually
like swinging extremely fast.

John mentions the bad habits that even experienced dancers may have while
swinging, such as:

- grip, clamp, squeeze, hang, press
- hold their partner in the wrong place so it is uncomfortable
- use too much strength and try to do silly things like making their
partners feet leave the floor
- lean sideways or backwards
- start twirls too late and when they are facing the wrong way so that they
end up in the wrong place

I find it pretty telling that this list of habits actually has nothing to
do with footwork! In my opinion, the reason to teach walking swing instead
of buzz-step to beginners is that there's SO MUCH ELSE to concentrate on.
The more things we can abstract away, the easier a time beginners will have
learning what's left. If you're focusing on strange new footwork (and I
find that buzz-stepping beginners tend to think that the buzz-stepping is
the most important part of the swing, and concentrate more on that than on
their frame), it's harder to pick up things like giving weight, a proper
hold, etc. But everyone already knows how to walk!

I would also add that I would much rather dance with someone doing a
funky/odd/strange/unpracticed walking swing than a
funky/odd/strange/unpracticed buzz step. I find that there are fewer ways
to mess up a walk, and that there's less potential for your partner to be
uncomfortable or perhaps harmed than with one of those galloping,
out-of-control excited-pony buzz step swings.

Just my two cents!

Cheers,
Maia

On Sun, Jun 21, 2015 at 1:38 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> I love John's idea of teaching the buzz step as individuals first,
> then as couples. The most frequent complaints I hear from men is that
> women hang on them and don't hold up their own weight during a swing.
> The most frequent complaint I hear from women is men pulling them off
> their feet and going too fast. If they can learn to hold themselves
> upright on their own first, then everyone will have a much more
> enjoyable experience.
>
> -Amy
>
>
>
> > On Jun 21, 2015, at 3:44 AM, John Sweeney via Callers <
> callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, of course I always tell dancers that they can walk instead of buzz,
> but
> > the buzz-step is so much more fun that it seems crazy not to teach it
> when
> > every dance is going to have a swing and usually two.
> >
> > <Digression:> Yes, I love swinging, and have been loving it for fifty
> years
> > now, but why does every new dance have to have two swings?  Oh no, not
> > Neighbour Balance & Swing, Circle Left 3/4, Partner Swing again - that's
> > half the dance gone with nothing new or interesting in it! (And changing
> the
> > Circle Left 3/4 to Men/Ladies Allemande 1 & 1/2 does not make it more
> > interesting!)  I write lots of dances with one or zero swings - a
> zero-swing
> > dance can have so much good stuff in it that the dancers don't even
> notice
> > there is no swing; they are having too much fun. It always puzzles me
> when
> > people take a great one-swing dance and re-choreograph it to add a second
> > swing, losing part of what made it a great dance just for the sake of
> even
> > more swinging. <End of digression.>
> >
> > I found it interesting that Ron said, "the buzz-step swing gets axed if
> I'm
> > short on time".  If I only had time to teach one thing then the only
> thing I
> > would teach would be the buzz-step swing, and how to finish it so you
> end up
> > in the right place.  I can't think of anything else that newcomers can't
> > learn during the walk-throughs.
> >
> > Question: If you were calling for a group with a dozen newcomers in the
> hall
> > out of 100 people, and the organizers said you could have two minutes
> > teaching before you started the first walk-through, what would you teach?
> > For me the answer is obvious, every dance has a buzz-step swing; teach a
> > buzz-step swing.
> >
> > Another reason for teaching swinging is that there are a significant
> number
> > of "experienced" dancers who have bad swinging habits.  I dance all over
> the
> > USA and the UK and wherever I go there are always some people who:
> > - grip, clamp, squeeze, hang, press
> > - hold their partner in the wrong place so it is uncomfortable
> > - use too much strength and try to do silly things like making their
> > partners feet leave the floor
> > - lean sideways or backwards
> > - start twirls too late and when they are facing the wrong way so that
> they
> > end up in the wrong place
> > - etc.
> >
> > If just a couple of those dancers pick up on any of these points and
> improve
> > their swinging then you have done good work!
> >
> > Yes, I hate it when callers talk too much and take time out of dancing
> time.
> > But this can be really short:
> >
> > Sample teach:
> > = = = = = = = =
> > Hi, I'm John.  We have some new people here today and they are going to
> > spend half an hour swinging tonight, so please let's spend a minute or
> two
> > on showing them how it's done.  And all you great dancers out there why
> not
> > see if you can't make your swing even better for you and your partners.
> >
> > This is called a buzz-step swing.
> >
> > First, let go of you partner completely. Put your left toe just behind
> your
> > right foot like this. Now walk fast on the spot. Now push with your left
> > foor as though you were on a skateboard and turn clockwise by yourself on
> > the spot. Relax your knees so you don't bounce up and down.  See how
> > smoothly.you can turn with the minimum of effort.
> >
> > Now take your partner in a ballroom hold - the man's hand on the lady's
> > shoulderblade - it is far more comfotable for the lady if you hold them
> up
> > high.  Now relax - make sure you are not pressing on any part of your
> > partner.
> >
> > And swing - it should be a gentle embrace where, as a single
> counterbalanced
> > unit, you glide smoothly and effortlessly around. Smile at your partner
> and
> > you won't get dizzy.
> >
> > Now think of your joined hands as an arrowhead and finish pointing at the
> > other couple.
> >
> > If you are having trouble with the buzz-step then you can always just
> walk.
> > = = = = = = = =
> >
> > I just timed that and it took less than 90 seconds. Surely that is worth
> > doing!
> >
> > Yes, some of them won’t get it, but for those who do you have just
> greatly
> > enhanced their enjoyment of the evening.
> >
> > Anyway, that's what I think. :-)
> >
> > Happy dancing,
> > John
> >
> > John Sweeney, Dancer, England john at modernjive.com 01233 625 362
> > http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
> >
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