21 Jun
2015
21 Jun
'15
10:44 a.m.
Yes, of course I always tell dancers that they can walk instead of buzz, but
the buzz-step is so much more fun that it seems crazy not to teach it when
every dance is going to have a swing and usually two.
<Digression:> Yes, I love swinging, and have been loving it for fifty years
now, but why does every new dance have to have two swings? Oh no, not
Neighbour Balance & Swing, Circle Left 3/4, Partner Swing again - that's
half the dance gone with nothing new or interesting in it! (And changing the
Circle Left 3/4 to Men/Ladies Allemande 1 & 1/2 does not make it more
interesting!) I write lots of dances with one or zero swings - a zero-swing
dance can have so much good stuff in it that the dancers don't even notice
there is no swing; they are having too much fun. It always puzzles me when
people take a great one-swing dance and re-choreograph it to add a second
swing, losing part of what made it a great dance just for the sake of even
more swinging. <End of digression.>
I found it interesting that Ron said, "the buzz-step swing gets axed if I'm
short on time". If I only had time to teach one thing then the only thing I
would teach would be the buzz-step swing, and how to finish it so you end up
in the right place. I can't think of anything else that newcomers can't
learn during the walk-throughs.
Question: If you were calling for a group with a dozen newcomers in the hall
out of 100 people, and the organizers said you could have two minutes
teaching before you started the first walk-through, what would you teach?
For me the answer is obvious, every dance has a buzz-step swing; teach a
buzz-step swing.
Another reason for teaching swinging is that there are a significant number
of "experienced" dancers who have bad swinging habits. I dance all over the
USA and the UK and wherever I go there are always some people who:
- grip, clamp, squeeze, hang, press
- hold their partner in the wrong place so it is uncomfortable
- use too much strength and try to do silly things like making their
partners feet leave the floor
- lean sideways or backwards
- start twirls too late and when they are facing the wrong way so that they
end up in the wrong place
- etc.
If just a couple of those dancers pick up on any of these points and improve
their swinging then you have done good work!
Yes, I hate it when callers talk too much and take time out of dancing time.
But this can be really short:
Sample teach:
= = = = = = = =
Hi, I'm John. We have some new people here today and they are going to
spend half an hour swinging tonight, so please let's spend a minute or two
on showing them how it's done. And all you great dancers out there why not
see if you can't make your swing even better for you and your partners.
This is called a buzz-step swing.
First, let go of you partner completely. Put your left toe just behind your
right foot like this. Now walk fast on the spot. Now push with your left
foor as though you were on a skateboard and turn clockwise by yourself on
the spot. Relax your knees so you don't bounce up and down. See how
smoothly.you can turn with the minimum of effort.
Now take your partner in a ballroom hold - the man's hand on the lady's
shoulderblade - it is far more comfotable for the lady if you hold them up
high. Now relax - make sure you are not pressing on any part of your
partner.
And swing - it should be a gentle embrace where, as a single counterbalanced
unit, you glide smoothly and effortlessly around. Smile at your partner and
you won't get dizzy.
Now think of your joined hands as an arrowhead and finish pointing at the
other couple.
If you are having trouble with the buzz-step then you can always just walk.
= = = = = = = =
I just timed that and it took less than 90 seconds. Surely that is worth
doing!
Yes, some of them wont get it, but for those who do you have just greatly
enhanced their enjoyment of the evening.
Anyway, that's what I think. :-)
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
21 Jun
21 Jun
1 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
Okay, so what about my first comment?:
Some people are not physically capable of a buzz step.
It can be too fast for any variety of physical limitations. If it could be
that some dancers simply can't get it easily. (Some dancers never "get" the
buzz step, and that's okay.)
The single most important thing to teach a dancer is "it's okay to make
mistakes". If we want to make our dances spaces where brand new dancers
feel comfortable, stating that all dancers need to learn the buzz step adds
an unwelcoming environmental factor.
I agree that a buzz step doesn't need to take long to teach, but I do it in
the context of teaching for beginners. I teach that the dosido works
spinning or not. That almost all moves can be done walking. That people
dancing lady role can refuse a flourish. (God forbid we teach lady role
dancers that they can initiate flourishes, but that's a different
discussion.) So teaching an optional swing method is contrary to these
other lessons. And I be sure, when I teach buzz step, to demonstrate that
one can buzz while the other walks.
Ron
On Jun 21, 2015 6:44 AM, "John Sweeney via Callers" <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Yes, of course I always tell dancers that they can
walk instead of buzz,
but
the buzz-step is so much more fun that it seems crazy not to teach it when
every dance is going to have a swing and usually two.
<Digression:> Yes, I love swinging, and have been loving it for fifty years
now, but why does every new dance have to have two swings? Oh no, not
Neighbour Balance & Swing, Circle Left 3/4, Partner Swing again - that's
half the dance gone with nothing new or interesting in it! (And changing
the
Circle Left 3/4 to Men/Ladies Allemande 1 & 1/2 does not make it more
interesting!) I write lots of dances with one or zero swings - a
zero-swing
dance can have so much good stuff in it that the dancers don't even notice
there is no swing; they are having too much fun. It always puzzles me when
people take a great one-swing dance and re-choreograph it to add a second
swing, losing part of what made it a great dance just for the sake of even
more swinging. <End of digression.>
I found it interesting that Ron said, "the buzz-step swing gets axed if I'm
short on time". If I only had time to teach one thing then the only thing
I
would teach would be the buzz-step swing, and how to finish it so you end
up
in the right place. I can't think of anything else that newcomers can't
learn during the walk-throughs.
Question: If you were calling for a group with a dozen newcomers in the
hall
out of 100 people, and the organizers said you could have two minutes
teaching before you started the first walk-through, what would you teach?
For me the answer is obvious, every dance has a buzz-step swing; teach a
buzz-step swing.
Another reason for teaching swinging is that there are a significant number
of "experienced" dancers who have bad swinging habits. I dance all over
the
USA and the UK and wherever I go there are always some people who:
- grip, clamp, squeeze, hang, press
- hold their partner in the wrong place so it is uncomfortable
- use too much strength and try to do silly things like making their
partners feet leave the floor
- lean sideways or backwards
- start twirls too late and when they are facing the wrong way so that they
end up in the wrong place
- etc.
If just a couple of those dancers pick up on any of these points and
improve
their swinging then you have done good work!
Yes, I hate it when callers talk too much and take time out of dancing
time.
But this can be really short:
Sample teach:
= = = = = = = =
Hi, I'm John. We have some new people here today and they are going to
spend half an hour swinging tonight, so please let's spend a minute or two
on showing them how it's done. And all you great dancers out there why not
see if you can't make your swing even better for you and your partners.
This is called a buzz-step swing.
First, let go of you partner completely. Put your left toe just behind your
right foot like this. Now walk fast on the spot. Now push with your left
foor as though you were on a skateboard and turn clockwise by yourself on
the spot. Relax your knees so you don't bounce up and down. See how
smoothly.you can turn with the minimum of effort.
Now take your partner in a ballroom hold - the man's hand on the lady's
shoulderblade - it is far more comfotable for the lady if you hold them up
high. Now relax - make sure you are not pressing on any part of your
partner.
And swing - it should be a gentle embrace where, as a single
counterbalanced
unit, you glide smoothly and effortlessly around. Smile at your partner and
you won't get dizzy.
Now think of your joined hands as an arrowhead and finish pointing at the
other couple.
If you are having trouble with the buzz-step then you can always just walk.
= = = = = = = =
I just timed that and it took less than 90 seconds. Surely that is worth
doing!
Yes, some of them won’t get it, but for those who do you have just greatly
enhanced their enjoyment of the evening.
Anyway, that's what I think. :-)
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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1:06 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
On Sun, Jun 21, 2015, John Sweeney via Callers wrote:
Question: If you were calling for a group with a dozen newcomers in the hall
out of 100 people, and the organizers said you could have two minutes
teaching before you started the first walk-through, what would you teach?
For me the answer is obvious, every dance has a buzz-step swing; teach a
buzz-step swing.
Another reason for teaching swinging is that there are a significant number
of "experienced" dancers who have bad swinging habits.
How often does it happen that you get to do your teaching to the entire
hall? IME, the teaching rarely reaches the experienced dancers.
Another point is that aside from the issue of where the swing ends,
swings create minimal change on location or formation, so wrong swings
have little effect on the overall structure/flow of the dance. What I
see most teaching sessions concentrating on is Ladies Chain and R&L Thru,
both of which move dancers around and rely on correctly doing courtesy
turn -- and which a lot of new dancers have trouble with.
--
Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/
<*> <*> <*>
Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html
2:02 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
Aahz,
I'm not sure what you're saying in your email. Do you teach a right
and left through plus the chain in the beginning lesson because
learning those moves is critical to the success of the evening? And
are you saying that you spend little time with the swing because
those other moves are difficult and deserve/need more time?
It's understandable that these two moves are difficult because
they're so similar, not to us but to the newbies.
What if you didn't use right and left through AND ladies chain in the
same dance or the beginning lesson? In other words, let people
practice/digest one before learning the other.
You also said, "so wrong swings have little effect on the overall
structure/flow of the dance". Can you explain this to me?
T
2:15 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
One maxim of the quick intro is don't load them with things they don't
need to know. Buzz step is something they don't need, and they can
learn by observation in their own time.
Highest priority to me are basics, like "What is a contra dance?"
(partner for the whole dance, neighbors for 1 iteration, move down the
line...)
Then things like weight, defense against twirls, some basic moves
(yes, swing, but buzz step is an unneeded option)
On Wed, Dec 31, 1969 at 8:38 PM, Tom Hinds via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Aahz,
I'm not sure what you're saying in your email. Do you teach a right and
left through plus the chain in the beginning lesson because learning those
moves is critical to the success of the evening? And are you saying that
you spend little time with the swing because those other moves are difficult
and deserve/need more time?
It's understandable that these two moves are difficult because they're so
similar, not to us but to the newbies.
What if you didn't use right and left through AND ladies chain in the same
dance or the beginning lesson? In other words, let people practice/digest
one before learning the other.
You also said, "so wrong swings have little effect on the overall
structure/flow of the dance". Can you explain this to me?
T
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2:51 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
On Wed, Dec 31, 1969, Tom Hinds wrote:
I'm not sure what you're saying in your email. Do you teach a right and
left through plus the chain in the beginning lesson because learning those
moves is critical to the success of the evening? And are you saying that
you spend little time with the swing because those other moves are difficult
and deserve/need more time?
I'm not doing enough calling to be teaching; I'm talking about my
observations of what other people are teaching.
You also said, "so wrong swings have little
effect on the overall
structure/flow of the dance". Can you explain this to me?
With Ladies Chain, two dancers change places. If they fail to execute
that part, it's likely that the progression will get affected. That's
probably not going to happen with a swing that ends up with the dancers
sashayed or otherwise in the wrong place.
--
Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/
<*> <*> <*>
"If you're black, you got to look at America a little bit different. You
got to look at America like the uncle who paid for you to go to college,
but who molested you." --Chris Rock
3:53 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
Thank you for letting me know about the date of my computer.
On Jun 21, 2015, at 10:51 AM, Aahz Maruch via Callers wrote:
With Ladies Chain, two dancers change places. If they
fail to execute
that part, it's likely that the progression will get affected. That's
probably not going to happen with a swing that ends up with the
dancers sashayed or otherwise in the wrong place.
Aajz, I'm glad you pointed out that you're not calling much. There
are some other situations you might not have observed yet. How about:
-the combination, swing neighbor, right and left through. Let's
assume a caller spends a great deal of time teaching the right and
left through but little time on a swing. If the dancers end the
swing sashayed what happens just before the right and left through?
Confusion maybe?
-there's a neighbor swing at the end of the tune. The beginning of
the dance starts with an allemande or swing or some other move with a
new neighbor. How confusing is it for the beginners (and frustrating
for the others) when they end the swing wrong?
I teach my beginning callers this: If you don't get the newbies to
correctly end a swing, the caller, the newbies and everyone else will
be frustrated at various points during the evening.
T
4:36 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
I do spend a lot of time on the swing in a beginners' workshop..
What I cover is how to get started, how to finish facing the correct
direction with the lady on the right, how long a swing lasts, not to face
your partner directly so both of you can WALK forward while you go around
(no side-slipping needed), and finally some hints about avoiding
dizziness. In my opinion these are the factors a new dancer needs to have
an enjoyable swing and an enjoyable evening.
Sure the buzz step is fun, but it's not very important! When Tom says
"Why not go for the gold?" my answer is because the new dancers are
typically feeling overwhelmed. Anything that they don't absolutely need to
know to have a good time, and to make the dance work, is extra noise that
detracts from the teaching and make them more likely to melt down and walk
away from the dance because it's "just too complicated!"
Another point I try to mention several time is "there are lots of
embellishments to these moves. You will see people twirling. You will see
people doing funny steps. You do NOT have to do any of these things until
you feel like you are ready. Stay in your own comfort zone. Women, in
particular, the men you are dancing with are going to try to lead you into
some of these embellishments. It's OK to smile and say "no thanks". You
are here to have fun and not to win style points,"
Also when you ARE ready for some of the fancy moves you will find
experienced dancers will be glad to help you learn them. You don't need a
caller to help you learn a good buzz step. You need a good partner, so
make a point of dancing with good partners (they want to dance with you.)
You can find the good dancers by looking for people having a good time.
Their partners are the good dancers.
Dale
On Sun, Jun 21, 2015 at 10:53 AM, Tom Hinds via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Thank you for letting me know about the date of my
computer.
On Jun 21, 2015, at 10:51 AM, Aahz Maruch via Callers wrote:
--
Turn Observation into Data. Turn Data into Information
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Information>. Turn Information into
Knowledge. Turn Knowledge into Wisdom. Turn Wisdom into Beauty. Turn Beauty
into Love .
With Ladies Chain, two dancers change places. If
they fail to execute
that part, it's likely that the progression will get affected. That's
probably not going to happen with a swing that ends up with the dancers
sashayed or otherwise in the wrong place.
Aajz, I'm glad you pointed out that you're not calling much. There are
some other situations you might not have observed yet. How about:
-the combination, swing neighbor, right and left through. Let's assume a
caller spends a great deal of time teaching the right and left through but
little time on a swing. If the dancers end the swing sashayed what happens
just before the right and left through? Confusion maybe?
-there's a neighbor swing at the end of the tune. The beginning of the
dance starts with an allemande or swing or some other move with a new
neighbor. How confusing is it for the beginners (and frustrating for the
others) when they end the swing wrong?
I teach my beginning callers this: If you don't get the newbies to
correctly end a swing, the caller, the newbies and everyone else will be
frustrated at various points during the evening.
T
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24 Jun
24 Jun
6:14 a.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
On Sun, Jun 21, 2015, Tom Hinds wrote:
On Jun 21, 2015, at 10:51 AM, Aahz Maruch via Callers
wrote:
Note that I've been dancing contra *and* MWSD *and* IFD for more than a
quarter-century each (plus bits and pieces of ECD and Regency and ballet
and other dance forms). I have a lot of observations and a lot of
opinions from that. You might also note that I wrote my dance RAQ more
than a decade before I ever began calling, and my minimal contra plus
two years of MWSD calling haven't changed my opinions much:
http://rule6.info/dance_raq.html
With Ladies Chain, two dancers change places. If they fail to execute
that part, it's likely that the progression will get affected. That's
probably not going to happen with a swing that ends up with the dancers
sashayed or otherwise in the wrong place.
Aajz, I'm glad you pointed out that you're not calling much. There are some
other situations you might not have observed yet. How about: -the combination, swing neighbor, right and left
through. Let's assume a
caller spends a great deal of time teaching the right and left through but
little time on a swing. If the dancers end the swing sashayed what happens
just before the right and left through? Confusion maybe?
-there's a neighbor swing at the end of the tune. The beginning of the
dance starts with an allemande or swing or some other move with a new
neighbor. How confusing is it for the beginners (and frustrating for the
others) when they end the swing wrong?
I teach my beginning callers this: If you don't get the newbies to
correctly end a swing, the caller, the newbies and everyone else will be
frustrated at various points during the evening.
That's true, but my observation is that people doing the wrong thing for
R&L Thru causes more breakdowns than people ending the swing on the
wrong side. Quite possibly other people have different data points on
this subject, but I think I've got a long enough baseline to make my
opinion reasonable.
And the fact that many people teaching newcomers concentrate more on
things like R&L Thru than swing makes me suspect I'm not alone in my
perception.
--
Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/
<*> <*> <*>
Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html
1:32 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
On Jun 24, 2015, at 2:14 AM, Aahz Maruch via Callers wrote:
And the fact that many people teaching newcomers
concentrate more on
things like R&L Thru than swing makes me suspect I'm not alone in my
perception.
You're definitely not alone. Aahz, each of us has a different system
for calling. I find many of these discussions a little meaningless
because we are talking about specific issues in isolation. It's all
the other details......
Some of us would never present for the first time a right and left
through and a ladies chain in the same contra or square (or
workshop). With that said it's possible that callers are
introducing moves in a way that's harder rather than easier.
Try teaching the chain in the newbie workshop and have them use it in
one or two contras or better yet a contra and a square. The right
and left through is much easier learned after they dance a ladies
chain. When I first introduce the right and left through, the
courtesy turn is done with one's neighbor, not partner. I don't seem
to recall it ever being hard for them to get. Sure, put it in the
first dance and it's going to be tough and sure, there are some
directionally challenged people who'll struggle no matter what you do.
My question to you and the others is do you teach the right and left
through with words or do you demo it? Could make a big difference.
T
21 Jun
21 Jun
1:16 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
One of the California square dance organizations decided to structure
their lessons based on the frequency of which calls were used at one
of their festivals. If a call had a high frequency, it was taught
earlier in the year, giving dancers plenty of time to practice it.
It makes sense to me to approach the beginning lesson for a contra
dance in a similar fashion. Since a swing is used frequently at a
contra dance, that means spending some significant time teaching the
swing, either buzz or walking. In my opinion there are some dance
techniques/style points that must be taught for safety's sake and
swinging is one of them.
I usually teach the buzz step swing because it's just what you do if
you are physically able. Why not go for the gold? The experienced
dancers who buzz will appreciate dancing with new dancers who dances/
swing well and can buzz too.
As others have mentioned, the swing is not taught or not taught
well. That's been my experience here in Charlottesville. Having
watched many a beginning workshop here, I'm convinced that new
callers simply don't know how to teach swinging. With that said, I
encourage callers to watch other beginning workshops. There's always
something to learn. I'm always learning.
Lastly, and I hate to say this, it seems younger newbies can learn
the buzz step swing well and quickly (ok they learn EVERYTHING
QUICKER than I do). The older newbies have a much more difficult
time- like will never get it. If I have a group of older people
I'll teach the walking step swing. If they're all younger, the buzz
step swing is taught.
T
3:23 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
Personally, I never use the "skateboard" example because folks plant the right
foot and never move it forward essentially becoming the "sun" while their
partner revolves around them. Think about it...when you use a skateboard the only foot
you move is the left one...the right one is on top of the skateboard and you, personally,
don't move it.
My approach is after a short explanation about ballroom position and with the dancers in
that position I introduce the buzz step after the walking swing. AFter a short demo, I
say, " Put your right foot in front and think about "galloping"".
(most folks remember that from grade school). "Ok ready? Gallop." while I
deetle, dum the "The Lone Ranger" aka "The William Tell Overture".
This really works! Folks can gallop to "The Lone Ranger" faster and easier than
a reel. And it brings a smile to their faces.
Most newcomers get it the first time through. Occasionally I have to work with someone
with a 2 hand turn so they get the idea and then move into the ballroom hold again.
If I had 2 minutes for a lesson, I'd do walking swing, buzz step swing, and address
dizziness and techniques to minimize that and encourage new folks to dance with other
people.
In my first dance I would teach allemandes and giving weight to the entire room as well as
talking/teaching through each and every move I introduce and address safe hand holds. A
few words, not a lecture. If necessary I also remind experienced dancers to use gestures
not words when helping a new dancer.
BTW: I strongly believe that teaching does not stop when the beginner lesson is over. I
usually talk/teach every move in the first couple of dances as a rule. It takes seconds
to say, "Ladies chain, Ladies give right hands to each other and pull by, give your
left to the gent and Gents put your right hand on the ladies back and courtesy turn with
Gents backing up and ladies going forward. And then you give necessary information to the
new dances who just arrived (and missed the lesson) as well as the 2nd or 3rd time
attendees who may need a refresher (and missed the lesson).
Contra dancing uses a foreign language with vocabulary that must be learned. We're
the callers, I believe we should be the teachers as well.
Donna Hunt
4:34 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
On Jun 21, 2015, at 5:44 AM, John Sweeney via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Yes, of course I always tell dancers that they can walk instead of buzz, but
the buzz-step is so much more fun that it seems crazy not to teach it when
every dance is going to have a swing and usually two.
I see a workshop coming on: "The Art of the Walking Swing". While I think
it is true that it is probably easier for most people to get a swing "up to
speed" with a buzz step, a skilled walking swing has a slightly subtly
different but every bit as exhilarating feel as a buzz step. From this
discussion it appears it is becoming a lost art. I am going to try an
experiment - walking swings only for the rest of June.
To me, what makes for a good swing is a balance of forces, and that is the
piece that is both difficult to teach and difficult to maintain. I can't
even count how many times I have gotten feedback from folks who tried
contra but didn't go back because people insisted on high speed buzz step
swings until they were so dizzy they wanted to puke. A quote from my early
dance education: A good lead can get their partner to go where they want
them to go. A great lead takes them where they want to go."
I do think it is good to teach the buzz step for those that want it. I got
my teach-the-swing technique from Becky Hill, and it has proven to be just
about bullet proof. It starts with ring-around-the-Rosie to develop the
idea of the balance of forces and negotiating the pace with the person you
are dancing with. While maintaining that balance of forces in the
traditional man's women's right, you walk into ballroom hold. The buzz
step is taught like a left-foot propelled scooter. It can be practiced
first without holding a partner to get the coordination and timing. I have
never tried teaching the buzz step out of ring around the Rosie, but I
think I will try it next week.
Interesting discussion. Thanks,
Bob Green
5:38 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
I love John's idea of teaching the buzz step as individuals first,
then as couples. The most frequent complaints I hear from men is that
women hang on them and don't hold up their own weight during a swing.
The most frequent complaint I hear from women is men pulling them off
their feet and going too fast. If they can learn to hold themselves
upright on their own first, then everyone will have a much more
enjoyable experience.
-Amy
On Jun 21, 2015, at 3:44 AM, John Sweeney via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Yes, of course I always tell dancers that they can walk instead of buzz, but
the buzz-step is so much more fun that it seems crazy not to teach it when
every dance is going to have a swing and usually two.
<Digression:> Yes, I love swinging, and have been loving it for fifty years
now, but why does every new dance have to have two swings? Oh no, not
Neighbour Balance & Swing, Circle Left 3/4, Partner Swing again - that's
half the dance gone with nothing new or interesting in it! (And changing the
Circle Left 3/4 to Men/Ladies Allemande 1 & 1/2 does not make it more
interesting!) I write lots of dances with one or zero swings - a zero-swing
dance can have so much good stuff in it that the dancers don't even notice
there is no swing; they are having too much fun. It always puzzles me when
people take a great one-swing dance and re-choreograph it to add a second
swing, losing part of what made it a great dance just for the sake of even
more swinging. <End of digression.>
I found it interesting that Ron said, "the buzz-step swing gets axed if I'm
short on time". If I only had time to teach one thing then the only thing I
would teach would be the buzz-step swing, and how to finish it so you end up
in the right place. I can't think of anything else that newcomers can't
learn during the walk-throughs.
Question: If you were calling for a group with a dozen newcomers in the hall
out of 100 people, and the organizers said you could have two minutes
teaching before you started the first walk-through, what would you teach?
For me the answer is obvious, every dance has a buzz-step swing; teach a
buzz-step swing.
Another reason for teaching swinging is that there are a significant number
of "experienced" dancers who have bad swinging habits. I dance all over the
USA and the UK and wherever I go there are always some people who:
- grip, clamp, squeeze, hang, press
- hold their partner in the wrong place so it is uncomfortable
- use too much strength and try to do silly things like making their
partners feet leave the floor
- lean sideways or backwards
- start twirls too late and when they are facing the wrong way so that they
end up in the wrong place
- etc.
If just a couple of those dancers pick up on any of these points and improve
their swinging then you have done good work!
Yes, I hate it when callers talk too much and take time out of dancing time.
But this can be really short:
Sample teach:
= = = = = = = =
Hi, I'm John. We have some new people here today and they are going to
spend half an hour swinging tonight, so please let's spend a minute or two
on showing them how it's done. And all you great dancers out there why not
see if you can't make your swing even better for you and your partners.
This is called a buzz-step swing.
First, let go of you partner completely. Put your left toe just behind your
right foot like this. Now walk fast on the spot. Now push with your left
foor as though you were on a skateboard and turn clockwise by yourself on
the spot. Relax your knees so you don't bounce up and down. See how
smoothly.you can turn with the minimum of effort.
Now take your partner in a ballroom hold - the man's hand on the lady's
shoulderblade - it is far more comfotable for the lady if you hold them up
high. Now relax - make sure you are not pressing on any part of your
partner.
And swing - it should be a gentle embrace where, as a single counterbalanced
unit, you glide smoothly and effortlessly around. Smile at your partner and
you won't get dizzy.
Now think of your joined hands as an arrowhead and finish pointing at the
other couple.
If you are having trouble with the buzz-step then you can always just walk.
= = = = = = = =
I just timed that and it took less than 90 seconds. Surely that is worth
doing!
Yes, some of them won’t get it, but for those who do you have just greatly
enhanced their enjoyment of the evening.
Anyway, that's what I think. :-)
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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5:52 p.m.
New subject: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing
Tom, at a guess, Aahz is not talking about NOT spending time on the swing,
nor about neglecting to teach dancers how to start/end one--just that the
finer points of technique aren't a priority for the beginner's lesson. Of
course any teacher worth their salt will teach that a swing always ends
with the lady on the right. But I think all Aahz is saying is that, IF the
dancers end the swing with the lady on the right, it doesn't really matter
how they get there--fumbling through a swing happens, and it's easy to
recover from, while moves that involve the rest of your hands-4 or the rest
of the set have potential to cause way more disruption to the dance if
botched.
I agree that the buzz-step is not the be-all, end-all of contra swing! I've
been dancing for going on 5 years and I pretty much exclusively walk-swing,
because I find it more comfortable and easy to control, and don't actually
like swinging extremely fast.
John mentions the bad habits that even experienced dancers may have while
swinging, such as:
- grip, clamp, squeeze, hang, press
- hold their partner in the wrong place so it is uncomfortable
- use too much strength and try to do silly things like making their
partners feet leave the floor
- lean sideways or backwards
- start twirls too late and when they are facing the wrong way so that they
end up in the wrong place
I find it pretty telling that this list of habits actually has nothing to
do with footwork! In my opinion, the reason to teach walking swing instead
of buzz-step to beginners is that there's SO MUCH ELSE to concentrate on.
The more things we can abstract away, the easier a time beginners will have
learning what's left. If you're focusing on strange new footwork (and I
find that buzz-stepping beginners tend to think that the buzz-stepping is
the most important part of the swing, and concentrate more on that than on
their frame), it's harder to pick up things like giving weight, a proper
hold, etc. But everyone already knows how to walk!
I would also add that I would much rather dance with someone doing a
funky/odd/strange/unpracticed walking swing than a
funky/odd/strange/unpracticed buzz step. I find that there are fewer ways
to mess up a walk, and that there's less potential for your partner to be
uncomfortable or perhaps harmed than with one of those galloping,
out-of-control excited-pony buzz step swings.
Just my two cents!
Cheers,
Maia
On Sun, Jun 21, 2015 at 1:38 PM, Amy Wimmer via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I love John's idea of teaching the buzz step as
individuals first,
then as couples. The most frequent complaints I hear from men is that
women hang on them and don't hold up their own weight during a swing.
The most frequent complaint I hear from women is men pulling them off
their feet and going too fast. If they can learn to hold themselves
upright on their own first, then everyone will have a much more
enjoyable experience.
-Amy
On Jun 21, 2015, at 3:44 AM, John Sweeney via
Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Yes, of course I always tell dancers that they can walk instead of buzz,
but
the buzz-step is so much more fun that it seems
crazy not to teach it
when
every dance is going to have a swing and usually
two.
<Digression:> Yes, I love swinging, and have been loving it for fifty
years
now, but why does every new dance have to have
two swings? Oh no, not
Neighbour Balance & Swing, Circle Left 3/4, Partner Swing again - that's
half the dance gone with nothing new or interesting in it! (And changing
the
Circle Left 3/4 to Men/Ladies Allemande 1 &
1/2 does not make it more
interesting!) I write lots of dances with one or zero swings - a
zero-swing
dance can have so much good stuff in it that the
dancers don't even
notice
there is no swing; they are having too much fun.
It always puzzles me
when
people take a great one-swing dance and
re-choreograph it to add a second
swing, losing part of what made it a great dance just for the sake of
even
more swinging. <End of digression.>
I found it interesting that Ron said, "the buzz-step swing gets axed if
I'm
short on time". If I only had time to teach
one thing then the only
thing I
would teach would be the buzz-step swing, and how
to finish it so you
end up
in the right place. I can't think of
anything else that newcomers can't
learn during the walk-throughs.
Question: If you were calling for a group with a dozen newcomers in the
hall
out of 100 people, and the organizers said you
could have two minutes
teaching before you started the first walk-through, what would you teach?
For me the answer is obvious, every dance has a buzz-step swing; teach a
buzz-step swing.
Another reason for teaching swinging is that there are a significant
number
of "experienced" dancers who have bad
swinging habits. I dance all over
the
USA and the UK and wherever I go there are always
some people who:
- grip, clamp, squeeze, hang, press
- hold their partner in the wrong place so it is uncomfortable
- use too much strength and try to do silly things like making their
partners feet leave the floor
- lean sideways or backwards
- start twirls too late and when they are facing the wrong way so that
they
end up in the wrong place
- etc.
If just a couple of those dancers pick up on any of these points and
improve
their swinging then you have done good work!
Yes, I hate it when callers talk too much and take time out of dancing
time.
But this can be really short:
Sample teach:
= = = = = = = =
Hi, I'm John. We have some new people here today and they are going to
spend half an hour swinging tonight, so please let's spend a minute or
two
on showing them how it's done. And all you
great dancers out there why
not
see if you can't make your swing even better
for you and your partners.
This is called a buzz-step swing.
First, let go of you partner completely. Put your left toe just behind
your
right foot like this. Now walk fast on the spot.
Now push with your left
foor as though you were on a skateboard and turn clockwise by yourself on
the spot. Relax your knees so you don't bounce up and down. See how
smoothly.you can turn with the minimum of effort.
Now take your partner in a ballroom hold - the man's hand on the lady's
shoulderblade - it is far more comfotable for the lady if you hold them
up
high. Now relax - make sure you are not pressing
on any part of your
partner.
And swing - it should be a gentle embrace where, as a single
counterbalanced
unit, you glide smoothly and effortlessly around.
Smile at your partner
and
you won't get dizzy.
Now think of your joined hands as an arrowhead and finish pointing at the
other couple.
If you are having trouble with the buzz-step then you can always just
walk.
= = = = = = = =
I just timed that and it took less than 90 seconds. Surely that is worth
doing!
Yes, some of them won’t get it, but for those who do you have just
greatly
enhanced their enjoyment of the evening.
Anyway, that's what I think. :-)
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
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14 comments
10 participants
participants (10)
-
Aahz Maruch via Callers -
Amy Wimmer via Callers
-
Bob Green via Callers
-
Dale Wilson via Callers
-
Donald Perley via Callers
-
Donna Hunt via Callers
-
John Sweeney via Callers
-
Maia McCormick via Callers
-
Ron Blechner via Callers
-
Tom Hinds via Callers