27 Jun
2025
27 Jun
'25
6:25 p.m.
Giving weight in an allemande requires dancers keeping their elbows firm
and flexible, but not stiff adjusting the tension in their elbows so the
joined allenanding hands retain approximately the same position between the
dancers. Mastering this takes 5-10 min of practice Many new dancers
have a tendency to stiffen their elbows.
On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 4:09 PM Ellen Hodgkin via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I like talking about this as I teach promenade
position. I say how it is a
cool way to connect with someone, because you both can sort of drive the
couple around with how your hands are connected. Then we practice that for
a bit.
Also, just so y'all know, according to my high school students, "zesty" is
now part of teen slang and is a hurtful way to describe a male who is seen
as effeminate. Not that you shouldn't use the word (you really can't avoid
all the things they have decided to take over and change), but if it causes
snickers in a young crowd, that might be why.
Ellen Hodgkin
www.rememberlewiston.com
*she/her/hers*
On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 1:34 PM ROBERT FABINSKI via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I have started using allemandes as a way to
explain "giving weight", when
I lead a beginner workshop.
The instruction I use is "Pull yourself around the other person",
followed by doing it with noodle-arms for contrast. I also use the words
"unsatisfying", and "zesty".
Then we go back to the circle and use that same level of tension to hold
the circle together while I ask a band member to play one AABB of a highly
punctuated melody, such as La Bastringue. I lead/announce the first two
direction switches and tell the group to listen to the music, count the
beats to 8, and initiate the change in direction themselves. I also ask
them to maintain the tension even during the direction change. I point out
that the connection in our arms help us know when other people think it's
time to switch direction. Then I say that all the moves where we are
contacting other dances have approximately that same tension as connection.
Bob Fabinski
Rochester NY
bobfab(a)aol.com
On Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM, Robert Setili via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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