Head Movements
In my philosophy, a lady's head movements must play two roles:
(1) Produce a better line, whether it is one-sided or two-sided.
(2) To maintain balance.
In short, good use of the head must be based on the need to improve quality and practicality, no matter how convinced a lady may be of the effect she is achieving. It would be wrong for a lady to make a head movement that throws her partner off balance or causes him to have to use extra muscular effort to control it. Even though many forms of head movement have been developed, don't believe that the more head movement you do, the better; an unnecessary head movement is counterproductive to what you are looking for.
The most valuable quality of a woman's body is to be able to make elegant head movements and postures with her shoulders steady and serene in a comfortable situation. Knowing how to make head movements is one thing, but choosing the right time is another.
Generally speaking, a woman's head appears to be on the left, but there are a few special head movements that are in the opposite direction, such as the Whisk. The lady can decide whether her head is on the left or the right, but in the end it should produce an appropriate line. The line extends from the left toe through the leg, body and neck to the head, and if the head is turned to the right, the line breaks at that point. Ladies should avoid unnecessary head movements when doing a Wing or Chasse, and simply follow in a general way.
If the Whisk comes from a backward step or a right rotation, it supports my argument, because the woman's right head movement creates a "throw" for the man, which negatively affects the man's body speed and the comfortably guided form of the Whisk.
Most women will still insist on turning their heads right, but if the men accept my argument, no one will agree that it is easier for a woman to **** dance. I don't deny that good dancers can do a beautiful picture right side up, but the lines I'm talking about are the better choice.
Let's look at another general Fallaway, which in my opinion is not much of a choice, if the next move is a reverse movement, which is usually followed by a Reverse Pivot, the lady should stay in her normal position - left. If she doesn't, then her weight will be thrown away from the man at the center of the reverse movement, and there is simply not enough time in Fallaway for the lady to get back to her normal position before there is only one step, and the same is true for the application of lines.
There are only one or two Fallaway steps that do not immediately follow a left turn, such as Open Impetus, Fallaway to right, Back Cross in Fallaway position leading to Wing. Wing). The head can be kept on the right side in the Split Turns all the way to the Wing. My partner always keeps her head on the left side after the fallaway, which helps me control the right side of the line.
I have always told ladies not to turn their heads, two examples of the disadvantages of turning the head, one is a completely individual move, end taking into account the whole of the two, and also not sure if it produces the best advantage.
There are in fact a number of dance steps that have a gentle head movement. Such as the Open Telemark, the Countra Check, the lunge lines, the Oversway, and many of the other steps begun by P.P., but always depending on what comes before and what comes after. But it always varies depending on the step before and after, and it helps the lady to keep her head on the left side when doing most of the Outside Swivels to get into the PP position.
I think the Promenade in Tango is modified so that if the lady beautifully keeps her head on the right side as she enters the Link, and as mentioned time is an important factor, the lady does the Promenade in three steps (two of which are very clear head positions). She must return to her normal position almost immediately after doing the outside rotation in order to do the Promenade Link or any other step that brings her face to face with her partner.
Unfortunately, it's hard to have a perfect answer for head movement, so here are three principles of head turning to remember:
(1) Don't turn your head to the right when the next move is an immediate left turn.
(2) There should be plenty of time for the head to turn to the right, and if there is not enough time then keep the head still, but not the head movements during the special breaks in Tango.
(3) Whether your head is turned to the left or right, the shoulder line must not break or interfere with balance.
In short, a lady should refrain from head turning movements, pay special attention to the problems it may cause, and prioritize the overall balance and harmony between the two parties before pursuing a vivid performance.
The square step in the waltz
The square step actually consists of four basic steps: forward left foot and change, forward right foot and change, backward left foot and change, backward right foot and change. Although these four basic steps are simple, want to dance well but it is not an easy thing, with the deepening of the degree of comprehension of the essentials, slowly to find the feeling. In this step, you can train a lot of important skills to dance waltz well, such as waltz "transport step, lift, swing, tilt, reverse, horizontal step, mobility, the center of gravity of the movement" and so on waltz dance feeling, is to master the waltz dance style is very important to the beginning of the dance step.
1, forward or backward step
We all know that the first thing we need to do is to move the center of gravity, and then step up or step back, but many people dance waltz square step, the center of gravity did not move, but the first to put the legs out, jump out of the feeling like the legs to pull the body out, this is the biggest drawback of the dance, no matter how to move forward or backward, the center of gravity of the body to move forward or backward, so that the body can move forward or backward. Whether forward or backward, it is necessary to move the center of gravity of the body forward or backward, so that it can be easy to jump out of the big step, the center of gravity of the body forward or backward, then the legs are also easy to follow the forward or backward, the legs are moving with the body, so that the dance out of the dance is rich in rhythm, in order to jump out of the stretching and straightening of the elegant and generous posture in order to have a sense of the whole, so that the jump can be out of the big step, a lot of people can't jump out of the big step in the national standard dance is because of the center of gravity of the move! There is a problem.
Some people's center of gravity, although moving, but the body is tilted out, not the support leg pushed out with force, so that there will be a momentary loss of control of the feeling of jumping, affecting the quality of the whole dance, posture deformation is unsightly, so in the process of dancing social dance, we should be careful to experience their own whether there is this problem.
The center of gravity of the body moves first, that is, the upper body should move first (note: the legs follow the body's movement speed but faster than the heavy heart's movement, always the first to come, twice as fast as the heavy heart's movement speed, and twice as big as the distance moved), and the center of gravity's forward or backward is pushed forward or backward by the supporting leg, and the body's posture must be kept upright, and it cannot be excessively leaned forward or backward, and the foot of the forward or backward must lightly touch the ground. The foot of the forward or backward must lightly rub the ground, when moving forward the foot is from the toe to the foot and then to the heel to land to the whole foot, when moving backward the toe lightly rubs the ground and then from the foot to the whole foot, in the forward or backward leg before the landing of the movement of the process, the body has been controlled by the supporting leg, can not be out of control, the supporting leg should be strong, able to control the body to move forward or backward smoothly to count as a real kung fu.
2, lifting
Waltz is a kind of deep wave dance with lifting and lowering, lifting and lowering action is completed in the knee, ankle, toe joints of flexion and extension of the conversion. Good lifting and lowering can maintain the stability of the center of gravity and the sliding nature of the footwork.
Dancing waltz square step of the first step, forward or backward step, the body forward or backward at the same time the center of gravity of the body should also be a smooth decline, the movement of the leg to the ground, down to the lowest point, in the process of the body's center of gravity is completely transferred to the leg, the body slowly and smoothly rise, the second step continues to rise, the third step continues to rise to the third step of the second half of the beat of the body began to fall at the same time out of the next section of the The first step. The waltz in general follows this pattern of ascending and descending. Whether it is forward or backward, or to the side and step, the feeling of the body's elevation is smooth, the center of gravity must be a smooth curve, there can not be a step-like change in the sharp rise and fall. The feeling of lifting and lowering can be comprehended by everyone, and all can jump out of the lifting and lowering, the only defect is that some people lift, unstable, incoherent, lifting and lowering the curve of the movement is not smooth, there are ladder-like mutation, the feeling of jumping out of the very poor.
When dealing with lifting, the most common problems for beginners are the inability to keep the knee joints relaxed and the inability to sink the shoulders when lifting. I have seen a lot of people in the body to the highest point of the body, hard chest shrugged shoulders, the body is too much back, give a person a kind of floating to be blown away by the wind as the same kind of feeling, very unstable, can also be said to be the center of gravity is not stable. After rising, you must keep your shoulders sunk, giving the impression that your center of gravity is still firmly on the floor, and you can't have the feeling that you are going to float up.
3, swing
Swing refers to the dancer's body in the forward and backward as if swinging like a swing, start forward, as a swing forward, there is a top-down to the lowest and then continue to rise to the other side of the highest point of the feeling of swinging up, move backward, as a swing backward, there is a top-down swing back to the feeling. The feeling of swinging is actually due to the dance steps of lifting and moving skills embodied, so we must find the feeling of swinging like swinging in the process of dancing the square step forward or backward with lifting and lowering of the dance steps.
4, tilt
Tilt movement refers to the tilt of the body in the first step of the left-right horizontal step or left turn and right turn. When jumping in the big step horizontal movement, it is always the waist and hips together with the foot moving horizontally, and then the part above the waist and hips to keep the center of gravity stable and gradually follow up, so as to form a natural tilting movement in line with the laws of physics. When you turn left with your left foot or turn right with your left foot, your body leans left, and when you turn right with your right foot or turn left with your right foot, your body leans right, which is also a natural tilting movement in accordance with the laws of motion.
When dancing the square step, if the male step is the left leg and to the right leg, the second and third steps of the male partner will be tilted to the left, while the female partner will be tilted to the right; if the male step is the right leg and to the left leg, the second and third steps of the male partner will be tilted to the right, while the female partner will be tilted to the left. This pattern is also followed when turning left or right and stepping together.
But it is important to note that the tilt has a pendulum-like inclination of the body, with the spine always straight but not curved, and that the left and right tilts should not be misinterpreted as intentional sideways bending of the left or right waist.
I have observed that there are many people who do not dance with a tilt, and if they do so they do not bring out the full feeling of the waltz.
5, reverse
Left foot forward, the right shoulder and right crotch forward; right foot forward, the left shoulder and left crotch forward; left foot back, the right shoulder and right crotch back; right foot back, the left shoulder and left crotch back, so that the body and the dance steps to form a reverse coordination, which is called the reverse movement. The reverse movement is mainly used in the first step of the left or right turn, which not only facilitates the men and women to turn sideways with their waist and hips close to each other, but also increases the gracefulness of the dance.
Is there any reverse movement in the square step? In the square step, there is also a reverse movement, but it is a slight reverse movement, not as obvious as the reverse in the left or right turn step, in the first step of the square step, the male partner and the female partner also have a slight reverse movement.
6, left and right cross step
Square step of the four basic steps, the second step of each basic step, we must make the movement of the leg through the foot of the supporting leg and then to the side of the front or side of the back of the cross step, a lot of people in the cross step, the problem is that the leg to the side to reach out to the side, and the center of gravity of the body did not move to the side, and still remain in the supporting leg, and more serious is that some people reach out to the side of the leg first is not the thigh with the calf out, but the thigh with the calf out, but the thigh with the calf out. Thigh with calf out, but stomping the sole of the foot out, as if there is something on the bottom of the foot to prevent their feet to the side of the cross step, need to put the power to the sole of the foot side stomp out, feel very bad. Some people even call this "stomping square step", this stomping word misleads a large number of dance enthusiasts, stomping out of the leg this way of jumping is wrong, do not have this feeling.
The correct way of jumping is still the body's center of gravity to the side of the first lateral shift (pay attention to the lateral shift to have a tilted feeling), and the thighs are followed by the body to the side of the lateral step, I observed a lot of dance masters are also this way of jumping. Committing this kind of fault of modern dance fans is also the most, we remember a, no matter forward and backward, or traverse and step or even rotate, the legs are to move with the body, not the body with the legs, the legs move with the body to have a sense of wholeness.
Another common problem is that when some people dance a horizontal step, the moving leg passes the foot of the supporting leg and then pauses there for a long time, making the whole step incoherent. Do not pause when the leg passes the foot of the supporting leg, but continue to move sideways or backwards.
7, mobility
What is mobility? Mobility is to dance in the process of the body panning movement characteristics, like flowing water in the flow. Dance with mobility, first of all, the dance should be stable, speed should be agile, and secondly, the pace should be big enough. There are a lot of people out of the dance lack of mobility, on the one hand, because of its pace is too small, on the other hand is the essentials of its transportation step problem caused by the always feel their dance steps messy jump out, not flow out. To make your dance steps have fluidity, the movement of your center of gravity must be pushed out by the supporting leg, not dumped out, the supporting leg should not be out of control, the movement of the body should be smooth, the center of gravity must move first, the leg is with the body movement, not the leg pulling the body movement.
8, balance of power
In the waltz, male and female dance partners in the movement must maintain balance. In doing the action when the center of the balance of power is in the right span to the epigastric contact point. This point of contact if the upper and lower misalignment, left and right distortion, extrusion or leave the distance, are indicative of the balance has been disrupted. When a man leads and a woman follows, the woman must know how to follow the dance silently, that is to say, the woman's movements must be slightly slower than the man's. For example, when dancing forward progressively, the woman must know how to follow the dance silently. For example, when dancing the forward step, the lady must be pushed by the man to dance, the lady always gives the man a proper reaction force, when dancing the forward step, the lady is backward, at this time the lady must not grab the beat and pull the man to dance. If the lady jumps back and pulls the man to jump, it will inevitably make the contact area from the right span to the upper abdomen of both sides separate, and at the same time, it also destroys the balance of power between the two sides. It is important for the lady to have a good sense of following the dance in order to maintain the balance of power between the two sides.
9, center of gravity
The center of gravity of the body is supported by the muscle joints below the hips when moving, and it is the thrust of the left and right feet and the change of steps that move the center of gravity of the body during the movement. Accurate use of the hips, knees, ankles and toes is the basis of stability and control. Generally, the body should move to drive the legs to move, with all the body's dance to show the stretching and upright elegant and generous posture. The movement of the center of gravity in the square step has already been explained, so I won't say more here.
10, posture and harmony
Waltz square step, hips, waist, shoulders should be relaxed (relaxation but not slack), and the head and neck to lead upward, up, so as to have a graceful demeanor. This is actually how all ballroom dancing should be done.
Originally, I just wanted to write about the most obvious faults that some dancers often commit when dancing the waltz square step, but I couldn't stop writing about it, and I'm not sure if the above is comprehensive or not, but I'm not sure if I'm right about the rest of it, such as the footwork, the footwork, the frame and so on, because this is all generally understood, and I don't want to go into detail. A simple square step requires so many skills to master, so dancing social dance looks simple, to dance well, really not an easy thing.
As long as the most basic steps are mastered, and you have solid basic skills, learning to dance those complicated patterns will become a very easy thing.
How to dance the national standard dance fancy routine
Dance the national standard dance, has not stepped into its doorstep, from the feeling of recognition that it is with the feet to dance. And in the learning process, also from a step by step, from the feet to feel the rhythm of dancing, from the feet to feel the fun of dancing.
Thousands of changes in the national standard dance fancy routines, no footwork, even steps to walk out, not easy, not to mention to jump out with the body. Therefore, in the early stage of practice, we tend not to think about it, but just concentrate on putting our efforts on our feet. Without the basic skills of the feet, it is impossible to talk about dancing. And to initially master the method of dancing, any dancer is very focused on footwork, focusing on the performance of the feet, specifically in each step of the heel, palm, tip proficiency.
The first time you learn to dance, it is true that you can only dance purely with your feet, and it is normal for your body to be as stable as it basically needs to be, without being able to take into account the overall consistency. However, after a few years of familiarization with the steps, if you want to enter a competition or a performance stage, you have to change your initial method of dancing, and find a more suitable artistic way of dancing (dancing with the body), so as to elevate the dance to the realm of the art of dancing.
Because many dancers do not have a proper understanding of the fundamentals and techniques of dance, they do not study and research the main body of dance movement, and they do not truly understand the requirements of dance - the body is the main part of dance, and the movement of the feet is only an extension of the body's movement. Therefore, in the process of practicing, they all hold the simple concept that as long as they learn and practice more, practice makes perfect, and their feet can basically pass the test, and they can always reach their goal step by step.
As a result, because the body's functions did not follow up in time, and did not get proper forging, in later years, they could only apply more skillful footwork to dance. If you dance hard for eight or ten years, you will not be able to feel that your body is not in tune with the beat (the concept is still how the feet match the movement and how the feet match the rhythm); if you want to make more progress in your technique, you can only do so as if it were a castle in the air. Since you are used to dancing with your feet, you can only feel the rhythm with your feet and the joy of dancing with your feet, so you will never feel that your body is not in rhythm. Since there is no focus on the problem to start with, to improve, there is not much room for the root cause of the disease.
The basic method of Modern Dance for the average dancer is to take the step with the calf and knee first, and use the power of the knee and calf to move the body, or more directly, to move the body weight above the knee with the calf. It is naturally difficult to achieve a good center of gravity with such a step. As the dance steps are moved without utilizing the body to move the lower limbs, the body lacks direct participation in the movement. Without direct movement, there is no speed. As a result, the body (upper body) naturally lacks power, dynamism, and momentum.
Dancing with the feet is just a way to get started, and this method should be gradually improved in due course; otherwise, after dancing for eight or ten years and becoming accustomed to it, you will find that it is not compatible with the advanced technique, and it will be difficult to change the status quo at that time. How many excellent dancers can not escape the old habits are difficult to change the laws of nature. Asians, dance achievement is slightly less than the European and American people, one of the factors, is that the initial no good teacher guidance, a good start, and then, and late to change the original way of dancing, and even not much change, so the results are far less than the European and American players.
Almost everyone has gone through this process, when you dance to a certain extent, and feel that the technology is difficult to enhance the time, had to find a master to make up the basic skills. In front of the master, the old habit of dancing is like a worn-out old car, to be dismantled and overhauled, repaired and mounted, mounted and repaired, dismantled and mounted, over and over again, to be repaired again is a very difficult thing. Because it is not a continuous period of learning, technology is difficult to have a big breakthrough. Intermittent learning, although it can also improve your jumping, but before you completely change the old jumping habits, it is the same as the old car has not yet been repaired, and then continue to drive, always full of problems.
The three-time world professional champion and judge said, "The truth is, teaching dance to a higher level is a very complicated thing. You have to be able to take a student's skills and put them back together again, and you have to be able to take a couple of dancers from just dancing to the art of dancing, and that's a very tough thing to do.
From these words, we can realize that it is much more difficult to teach a dancer who is already a very good dancer to improve his/her technique than it is to teach a normal dancer (normal dance: a social, recreational requirement). Dance is an art that requires a high level of technique, which is difficult to master and control. Secondly, dancers have a variety of old habits that often hinder the development of new techniques. The first step is to make sure that you are able to get the best out of your work.
What is an original technique and what is a new technique? Take an example: Originally, the feet are used to move the body, and the feet must be strong. Even when the technique is skillful, the force of the feet is lessened, but the feet are still in force, and the knees are not relaxed; and in order to advance to the realm of (dance art), the body must be used to move the lower limbs (the lower half of the body). In order to advance to the realm of dance art, the body must be used to move the lower limbs (lower body). In this way, we can fulfill the requirement of the "Alex Moore" Modern Dance textbook that the knees must remain relaxed during the dance.
If you want to use your body to move the center of gravity, that is to say, to change from using the lower body to drive the body, to using the upper body to drive the body, to make a "reversal" of the original practice. It is not easy to change this habit alone, not to mention the difficulty of this technique, which is why it is so difficult to break up the original technique and put it back together again.
It is not easy to challenge the old habits, therefore, in the initial mastery of the basic skills of the premise, the early formation of correct technology and good habits, and to master the correct technology, you must know how to use the theoretical weapons of human physiological kinesiology, combined with the actual operation, so there is no complete theory of the foundation, it is always difficult to have a good performance.