24 Jun
2015
24 Jun
'15
4:38 p.m.
I have the dancers think of a time when they were descending some steps and someone
offered them a hand to steady themselves. You don't give all of your weight to the
person offering their hand. You share the weight, giving just enough to allow some
stability as you make your own way down.
And then I ask them to think about themselves offering their hand to steady someone else
who is descending the steps. If you're too aggressive about it, you could throw the
person off balance and send them toppling down. If you don't offer enough support,
you're not really helping.
And then I apply that analogy to "helping" each other through the moves of a
contra dance by the gentle support of shared weight.
BrooksMérida, México
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 12:33:30 -0700
To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Subject: Re: [Callers] Giving Weight
From: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
On 6/24/2015 11:29 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote:
How do you descibe giving weight, and how do you teach it for circles,
allemandes, and, swings?
Rich
Stafford, CT
In my beginner sessions, I have them form a ring and then circle left
and right a couple of times. Then I ask them to bend their elbows and
feel "that springy tension between you and the dancers next to you. If
you can keep that elasticity while you're connected to other dancers,
then you're all supporting each other as you circle and turn, and it
makes everything easier." And then we circle again, with the extra bit
of sproing, and then do the same with allemandes. Just for fun,
sometimes I'll have them go back to the floppy arms, just to feel the
difference. I also let them know that with a little bit of tension in
the connection, it's easier for the person they're dancing with to give
them physical cues.
And I know there's a better word than tension, and I'm pretty sure I've
used it in the past, but right now I can't think of it.
Kalia
Sebastopol, CA
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