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General | |
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The following exercises are found to be of great help in preparing mind and body for safe and confident movement when dancing.
They are not intended to develop athletic fitness, but have been found to help develop poise, balance and co-ordination of movement that support confident and
enjoyable dancing.
For people unused to dancing they can help to short-cut the physical side of learning and get satisfying results earlier.
These exercises each have five characteristics that are perhaps rather unusual in any exercise regime:
- You do not need a ballroom or an exercise mat. Any flat floor will do
- You do not need any other equipment or apparatus. Music is entirely optional
- You do not need to change your clothes, but better to use footwear (if any) that doesn't grip the floor
- You don't need to shower and change afterwards
- You don't even need to find time to do them
It is not required that you find time for these exercises.They should be practised at odd times during the day while you are doing something else. For example
- When watching television or taking a 'phone call it may be convenient to take a few steps one way or the other
- When waiting for the microwave to go "ping" on a hot drink
- When preparing food or standing at a desk (or in a queue somewhere), standing exercises can give your hips something to keep them busy
- When out walking (with or without a dog). If anyone asks, tell them it will improve next week's weather.
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Walking | |
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When learning modern ballroom the first (and for many the biggest) problem is simply walking comfortably and confidently in close
company with a partner. This is not something we normally do, so it presents a strange and difficult problem if we don't adapt to a
slightly different style of movement.
When in close hold if one partner steps forwards then the other has to step backwards with an equal stride. This applies to both leaders
and followers, so all of us may spend as much time walking backwards as we do forwards.
The other problem is that of signalling to our partner that we are about to move so they can be ready to move with us.
This exercise develops the ability to do these things with confidence and poise.
- When walking with a partner it is important to carry your weight in the direction of movement. At the same time maintaining an upright
posture and a level eyeline (no stooping or looking down!)
- So, slightly before moving a foot forwards or backwards the body should be "slid" forwards or backwards from the hip so the body weight
is felt towards the toes or heels
- This must be done while remaining upright and without leaning either way
- The foot is then moved and placed forwards or backwards to support the body weight as it continues in the direction of travel
- For continuous movement, when taking several steps, the body weight should be kept slightly towards the toes or heels
- The effect, through your hands, is to communicate your movement to your partner before you actually move, so there are no surprises
- When walking forwards we normally "dip" slightly by bending the knee on our standing leg. We need to do the same when walking backwards
- We also straighten the knee of our moving leg before landing the foot. The same must be done when walking backwards, otherwise
the pace would be shortened and we would obstruct our partner
The exercise is simply as follows
- Stand somewhere where there is space to take three normal walking paces forwards
- Take three paces forwards and close the feet
- Take three paces backwards and see where you end up
- You should be somewhere close to where you started
- Repeat the exercise using different feet to start each way
- If the backward steps are shorter, check your upright poise, balance of weight, slight dipping action and straight moving knee as described above.
Don't cheat by taking unnaturally short steps forwards!
Repeat this exercise at convenient intervals over days or weeks if necessary until you feel perfectly comfortable and accurate. Then, when
opportunity permits, practise with a partner.
As a matter of interest, this technique is also helpful in extending the stride (perhaps by 10%) when out walking or running.
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Pendulum | |
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When dancing latin there is much less movement around the floor than in modern ballroom. The figures are more compact and are intended to look
as stylish as possible but with minimum apparent effort. The idea comes from countries in Latin America, which is generally a hot climate.
The technique therefore depends on a strong hip action from both partners. But for most of us this is not our natural habit and needs careful
cultivation.
The core of the hip action is described as a pendulum. This involves swinging the hips from side to side, front to back, or any angle in between
depending on the position of the feet, which are a few inches apart and do not move during the pendulum action. This exercise is described with the feet side-by-side.
- The feet are initially placed side-by-side and a few inches apart
- On step 1: one hip is slid slightly sideways. The supporting leg is held straight and the knee is "locked". This causes that hip to be lifted
- At the same time the other knee is slightly flexed, which causes that other hip to drop slightly.
- The head and shoulders do not noticeably move, so the upper body tilts in the style of a pendulum swinging to one side
- To begin with it can be helpful to rest one or both hands on something solid, like a table or the back of a chair
- On step 2: the hips are slid towards the other leg
- At the same time the straight leg is relaxed with a slightly bent knee and the other leg is locked straight
- This has the effect of swinging the pendulum the opposite way
- This is repeated from step 1
The same exercise can be performed with one foot a few inches foward. In this case the body must not rotate, but swing back and forth diagonally.
Doing this smoothly and in a relaxed way is a fundamental characteristic of latin dancing. But it requires prectise, so the exercise is simply as follows
- It can be practised while doing something else, such as preparing vegetables, eating a snack, taking a 'phone call or just watching television
- Take your time, a full second for each movement can ease the hip joints before or after exercise and be relaxing
- To keep pace with the rythm and tempo of rumba music a full cycle back and forth is performed each second
- Allow yourself to relax but while maintaining an upright, balanced posture
- Don't overdo it with exaggerated movements, this is about relaxed technique rather than contortion
Repeat this exercise at convenient intervals. When practised smoothly for a couple of minutes it can induce a pleasant mental relaxation.
It can be followed up with "figure of eight" movements, where the hips are rotated slightly as they swing. This also helps to develop tone in the stomach muscles.
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Pivoting | |
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In modern ballroom it is often required to turn quite sharply, rotating by a quarter turn or even a half turn in a single beat of the music.
This can present a problem when we are in close company with a partner as we somehow have to get round each other. This exercise presents a
technique that allows this to be done smoothly and comfortably, and the technique is the same whether we are leading or following and applies
whether we are turning to the left or rignt.
- For practise it is helpful to imagine we are holding a tray of drinks that we don't want to spill
- The exercise requires us to turn smoothly and quickly to face the opposite way and move off
- The technique requires three steps
- On step 1: a straight backward step is taken on one foot, and the foot is "turned in" to point at an angle, across behind the standing foot
- This results in a slight rotation of the hips and body and the tray begins to move with it
- On step 2: moving backwards with weight on the toe of that foot the whole body is rotated to place the other foot a small step in the intended direction of travel.
- The tray has now rotated with the hips by a bit more than a quarter turn
- On step 3: the first foot takes a step in the intended direction of travel, rotating the body by nearly a further quarter turn
- The hips and tray have now rotated by half a turn and the whole body is moving in the intended direction of travel
- The steps must all be taken in a straight line along the intended direction of travel
- This method is used to turn either left or right
It may seem counter-intuitive to move, for example, the left foot back to make a turn to the right, but this technique results in a smooth and rapid change of direction. it
also allows a partner to follow us easily.
When practising with or as a partner their steps are
- On step 1: step forward to place the foot between the other's feet, slightly rotating the body and hips to maintain close contact
- On step 2: step forward and around the other to place the second foot in advance of the other's foot in the direction of travel.
- This requires a strong pivoting action with slightly more than a quarter turn on the toe of the first foot
- It is important that the other partner has taken only a small step at this point
- The body and hips should have rotated by a bit more than a quarter turn, following the other partner
- On step 3: complete the remaining quarter turn and take a step backwards in the intended direction of travel.
Repeat this exercise at convenient intervals over days or weeks as required, practising in both directions solo and, if opportunity permits,
with a partner until the movement is smooth and comfortable.
This technique can be usefully applied when you really are carrying something, not only when dancing.
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Contra Body Movement (CBM) | |
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When making a natural (right) or reverse (left) turn the first step needs to anticipate the rotation of the body so that the second step can be comfortably
placed in a rotated position.
The same applies whether moving forwards or backwards and to the right or left, and without using this technique it can be very difficult to make
even simple turns comfortable and accurate.
To achieve this the technique of contra body movement is used, where the body is gently rotated in advance of placing the foot. This makes the turn a lot smoother and prepares the other partner to follow easily.
For many of us this seems an unnatural way of moving forwards or backwards, so this simple exercise helps to make it easier
- Find a place to stand where there is space to take a few steps forward
- Stand with both hands held a few inches in front of the lower chest
- While taking a small step forwards with the right foot, rotate the body to bring the left hand across in front of the right foot
- While taking a small step forwards with the left foot, rotate the body to bring the right hand across in front of the left foot
- At all times remain upright and poised (no stooping or looking down!)
- Continue for a few steps and close the feet
- While taking a small step backwards with the right foot, rotate the body to bring the left elbow behind the left foot
- While taking a small step backwards with the left foot, rotate the body to bring the right elbow behind the right foot
- At all times remain upright and poised
- Continue for a few steps and close the feet
The overall effect is a sort of exaggerated swagger.
Repeat this exercise at convenient intervals over days or weeks as required until the movement is smooth and comfortable.
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