13 Mar
2012
13 Mar
'12
10 a.m.
People have been saying that you don't give weight in box stars, but
they are missing the point. It is not about giving weight, it is about
connection.
I hate the term "giving weight" anyway, it is much too easily
misunderstood and abused.
First, please don't call it a wrist-grip star. There is no grip - the
thumb is supposed to be on top along with all the fingers. There are
lots of other good names: box star, pack-saddle star, wrist-hold star,
wrist-lock star (especially when you have a star for six and it looks
like the lock that sword-dancers make!).
Choreography has changed. Most old dances that have a Star or a Circle
include a second one in the opposite direction. It doesn't matter how
far you travel in the Star Right as long as you travel the same distance
back in the Star Left. But modern choreographers use sequences such as
Circle Left, Star Right. Both moves are in the same direction so you
have to travel two full circles to get back to where you started.
This is much easier if you have connection and can help each other.
Types of star:
1. The bunch of bananas/lump of limp lettuce:
Sadly this is probably the most common type of star. Everyone just
sticks their hand in the middle, possibly grasping some random part of
someone else's hand. Looks a mess, can feel unpleasant, and really
doesn't help with connection!
2. Right Hands Across:
You take a handshake (actually just hooked fingertips) with the person
opposite. This gives good connection (but only for two pairs of people)
and is especially useful if the next move involves the men dropping out
so that the ladies can chain across. Also best if you are in waltz-time
or balancing the star. I don't believe that it is as easy as a box star,
for example you can get fumbling as you decide which pair of hands is on
top, or exactly which hold you are going for.
But the biggest failure of the Hands Across star is the lack of
connection between the couples. If the star needs to go faster to meet
the demands of modern choreography then there is nothing you can do
about it - if you accelerate you can affect the person across from you,
but you both just crash into the backs of the slower moving pair.
3. Palm Star:
(From Callerlab) "Place all hands together with fingers pointing up and
thumbs closed gently over the back of the adjacent dancer's hand to
provide a degree of stabilization. Arms should be bent slightly so that
the height of the handgrip will be at an average eye level."
Very pretty, but absolutely no use whatsoever for connection.
And I really don't like the bit about thumbs. I dance dozens of
different dance styles and have never ever found any circumstance in
dancing where you should use your thumb. Thumbs hurt and prevent people
letting go (I have seen dancers get their arms wrenched in a Grand Right
& Left because the person they just passed won't let go - they shouldn't
be holding on in the first place!).
4. Box Star
Each person hooks their hand (thumbs on top with the fingers) over the
wrist of the person in front. Now we have connection between all four
people.
Once people have learnt this it is by far the easiest good star to make
- you start walking and place your hand in a pre-defined position with
no question as to where it is supposed to be. If you are coming out of
a Ladies' Chain or a Right & Left Through then the man just moves his
hand to the lady's wrist and you have half a star before you even start
the move.
But the connection is the key - you are linked together so that you move
at the same speed. If someone realises that the star needs to move
faster then they can accelerate, helping the person behind, who just by
the connection is automatically helping the person behind them, and the
person behind them, and the person behind them - oh! that's you! It is
all one - you share the energy and you get to your destination together
and on time. Beautiful!
If you want to read more about connection see:
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk/Contra.html#connection
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 &
07802 940 574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent