20 Jun
2025
20 Jun
'25
9:57 p.m.
Around Atlanta we've had some discussion that "giving weight" sometimes
just doesn't work that great with new contra dancers.
And some report that new dancers sometimes misunderstand and may hang on
you a bit, (weight?) giving you more work to do.
It's such a key thing to do our best within a beginner lesson. Beginners
that get it are so much fun to dance with, and have more fun from the first
night!
Amanda and I have tried a few things in welcome sessions:
We talk about giving the other dances good connection,
some tension, like
a shock absorber or your arm being like a spring between 2 people
in the
circle.
We sometimes ask them in the circle to lean back
slightly and feel that
connection/ tension, and say that's what we want the
entire dance, in an
allemande, circle, or any dancer connection.
We sometimes demonstrate a very short "limp armed
circle left" and ask
wasn't that pretty unsatisfying? Now lett's
compare to being connected
with arms in a "W" with *"reflexive tension".*
When we teach the contra swing, after discussing arm
position, feet
position, that you can go slow or fast, looking at each other, I
usually
mention that "to feel connected, I as the Gent/ Lark like to feel some
PRESSURE on my hand which is on the Lady's shoulder blade." And then
demonstrate how two people can easily "swing" more like a balanced
"top" if
they have this connection.
Great topic!
Rob
On Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Thanks John, I really appreciated this article as I am
always looking for
ways to describe this particular art of connecting in dance, without saying
"giving weight".
I most recently have been using the term "strong connection" (but I like
"good connection" instead, and will use this going forward!)---
and before practicing the allemande in the intro session, I have people
join hands in an allemande position, and simply try taking turns rocking
gently from side to side- aiming to get to a point where when one person
rocks sideways, the other person is moved with them.
I also get people to rotate around the circle and try this with at least 3
different people, so if they were unfortunate to be a weakly-connecting
person connecting with another weak-connecting person in the first round,
they hopefully get to experience something different in the next round.
It seems to be producing some success, but not 100 percent success (By
which I mean, I'm always jumping in to demo things with different dancers,
and I still occasionally encounter someone who has been through the intro
session but still takes my hand like a limp noodle).
Would love to hear what other folks do in their intro session, to get
people to feel this "good connection" in their bodies.
Descriptors help some people, but I think most of you will agree that an
exercise that gets people to *feel* it will be most effective!
That said, good descriptors *are* part of the recipe, and I loved and
noted down the following phrases from your article John, that I plan to
make use of going forward:
A good connection should allow for:
- a shared centre of gravity
- shared momentum
- moving as a single entity / dancing so that you and your
dance-partner(s) move as one unit
- moving with a shared flow
- hands joined firmly but elastically
- arms behave like springs
- aim for elasticity, not rigity
In summary, always aim to be "well-connected!"
Thanks again!!
Kat K in Halifax
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net