17 Mar
2012
17 Mar
'12
11:07 a.m.
In his article Colin Hume says that the balance before a swing is "more
of a lurch". But I would disagree.
My experience is that most dancers do some sort of footwork - they step
forward with a 1-2-3 and back with a 1-2-3 or do a step and kick across
or anything else they fancy in the way of footwork.
What is the general view? What do you teach when you teach a balance
before a swing? What do people actually do on the dance-floor?
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 &
07802 940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
17 Mar
17 Mar
3:41 p.m.
I agree. A balance may be a number of different things, but it is
definitely not a lurch,
at least as I understand the term.
This is one of a number of points I intended to raise in response to
Colin's article,
but I haven't yet gotten around to a due reading and finding the time to
reply.
Some of my objections -- his characterization of the swing and the
overemphasis
of twirling, for example -- have been discussed by others.
-- Marlin
On 03/17/2012 07:07 AM, John Sweeney wrote:
In his article Colin Hume says that the balance before
a swing is "more
of a lurch". But I would disagree.
My experience is that most dancers do some sort of footwork - they step
forward with a 1-2-3 and back with a 1-2-3 or do a step and kick across
or anything else they fancy in the way of footwork.
What is the general view? What do you teach when you teach a balance
before a swing? What do people actually do on the dance-floor?
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362&
07802 940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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4:04 p.m.
I assumed the lurch he was talking about was the pulling into the
swing. I'm not sure what the pedagogical (or Terpsichorean) advantage
is in describing it as something willfully inelegant, but I do think
that's what he's referring to.
When I teach beginners, I describe the point of the balance as moving
you away from (while connected to) your partner so that you can pull
in to your partner as you begin the swing (California twirl, etc.).
With experienced dancers, it can be worth reminding them that fancy
balances that end without that tension in the arms lose the pulling-
in aspect.
--Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA
http://lcfd.org
On Mar 17, 2012, at 7:07 AM, John Sweeney wrote:
In his article Colin Hume says that the balance before
a swing is
"more
of a lurch". But I would disagree.
My experience is that most dancers do some sort of footwork - they
step
forward with a 1-2-3 and back with a 1-2-3 or do a step and kick
across
or anything else they fancy in the way of footwork.
What is the general view? What do you teach when you teach a balance
before a swing? What do people actually do on the dance-floor?
4980
days inactive
4980
days old
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
-
John Sweeney -
Marlin Whitaker -
Read Weaver