[Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

[John Sweeney via Callers]

Hi Read,
	Yes, you shouldn't pull away from the centre, but then I never recommend that in any move.  But you can pull forwards around the circle. I always teach that you are pulling the person behind you, who is pulling the person behind them, who is pulling the person behind them, who is pulling you!  You share the energy!

	It has a major benefit over the hands across star in this respect, in that all four dancers are linked together and can make the star turn faster when necessary.  In the hands across star you have no connection to two of the dancers, so if they are too slow you can’t help them to speed up.

	But I never mention weight!  I don’t want anyone ever to give me their weight.  I always ask the dancers to keep their own balance.  On the other hand I am delighted to counterbalance their mass and use my muscles to fight centrifugal force, but never to fight the people I am connected to. :-)

Happy dancing,
John

John Sweeney, Dancer, England john at modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
From: Read Weaver via Callers [mailto:callers at lists.sharedweight.net] 
Sent: 10 October 2016 21:35
To: Caller's discussion list <callers at sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Wrist-Lock Stars

When I’m teaching, I make the point that it’s pretty much the only move in contra where you _shouldn’t_ give weight even though you could—human wrists being neither strong nor flexible in that direction. And that if someone behind you is uncomfortably giving weight, you can just let go and turn it into a single file for yourself, since you’re not giving weight to aid the circle's momentum anyway.

Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA
http://lcfd.org