samina
02-15-2007, 01:52 PM
am starting new thread where we can discuss the mechanics of movement & dancing to our heart's content... am picking up relevant bits of commentary from hijacked thread...
This is just to take into consideration about your balance discussion.
Human body is an amazing design by nature to conserve energy and to maximize the ability to move. To that end, our body has pendulum actions. Arms swinging from shoulder joints, Legs swinging from hip joints, and when we walk, our head becomes the swing in reverse to our foot being the fulcrum of the pendilum. So, basically when we swing the leg out and place it on the ground, that immediate moment, the head becomes the top of swing for the whole body to get the body onto the next point of swing (when other foot becomes the fulcrum). There is also some degree of swinging from the knee and elbow (the range of motion is much less than from ball and socket or three dimensional movement joints of course)
Precisely because of that swing motion available to us we were able as humans to walk for a very long time without getting tired (we used to outwalk our much quicker animal prey).
Having smooth motion with a lot of flow is fabulous. If the problem is speed, than that is where the foot placement, leg release timing come into play. What you might want to look at is how you phrase your movement. Maybe you mostly use even phrasing, not enough impulses, impacts, accents, decreases, increases (all the above having to do with energy phrasing, effort qualities, hence muscle tension degree).
nice post from dancesomatics.
swinging lets us move without supplying power and controlling it EVERY moment, by using body weight and body mechanics.
this is how we want to dance in standard.
have no idea about latin, dont' know when this applies in latin...
...and can't believe I am actually involved in a latin discussion:-)...
my partner must be rubbing it off of me:-)
It is the same thing in latin to where your hip swing when you step, so your action never stops.
Samina, here is a little extra something for you to experiment with, since you seem as a pretty good and determined visualizer. As you walk, imagine your sacrum doing a figure eight. If you have problems with that image, let me know, because the figure eight is actually three dimensional.
doing the figure eight laterally, as if cutting through my body horizontally?
is this for regular walking, or rhumba walking.
i so appreciate your input, DS! :)
Ok. Let see if I can explain. It does not specifically happens in any plane, vertical, horizonal, or sagital. That is what I mean by three dimensional figure eight. Basically, when you flex your leg at the hip joint, there is a bone rhythm that happens between the femur in the socket and sacrum. Top of the sacrum (on the side where leg is flexing) slides forward and down (slightly of course), while the top of other side (the standing leg) slight goes up. Put two of hands together in front of you, palms away and try this motion. Wait, I just got an image for this, I am thinking the mantis ray movement in the ocean, it is actually even shaped a little like sacrum. Sacrum tumbling figure eight.
Hope this helps.
Oh, and it is for any walks.
thank you... am going to experiment & visualize & see what i come up with...
does this visualization/movement free up the hip/sacral connection, then? for any sort of movement?
Yes, particularly important when trying to really flex your knees, no tucking of sacrum under whatsoever. Only blocks any joint movement and forces into unnatural position. Plus because sacrum is the base for the long column of the spine, any deviation out of alighnment on the bottom creates huge deviation at the top of the spine. Most people carry their weight too far back by pushing the sacrum forward and under.
this sounds like it will be helpful in that i am trying to correct all misalignment that would result in injury to my knees... i have one exercise in particular for going back in foxtrot to reinforce how to move my body weight properly to avoid knee strain.
One little thing to help with the knee situation, as you are flexing imagine the femur bone rotating outward and the tibia in relationship rotating in.
dancesomatics, i used the visualization of the figure eight in my sacrum whilst doing rhumba walks w/ pivots last night, and frankly am amazed at the difference. i was so much more relaxed in my movement, able to shift my body weight more quickly, enabling sharper, faster movements.
my hip settling went deeper without much thought. and something else emerged for the first time... an energy through the middle of my hands, resulting in certain finger placement i'd never done before... it felt like i was stabilized in a kind of "cross" of energy, one vertically through my spine & another horizontal through my center & out my arms. i felt comparatively so much more balanced and relaxed, and therefore, apparently, able to use sharper movements that have always evaded me. i didn't seek out to do this... it just found me, and then seemed to really help anchor me far more confidently than i've ever felt.
that was just from that one visualization. i have to read thru the rest of what you've written -- i'm not sure i understand what bone rhythms are, and i have to piece together the rest of your anatomical references.
but thank you for that suggestion. i would not have thought something so simple would result in so much more freedom of movement... very pleased. :)
Samina, Bone rhythm is the movement that is happening inside the body between the bones designed by nature to facilitate the best movement possible.
In fact, no bone rhythm creates injuries and restricts dynamic alignment and ideal posture for the body.
Example, see my post earlier about the bone rhythm when you flex knees, or sacrum femor bone rhythm.
This is just to take into consideration about your balance discussion.
Human body is an amazing design by nature to conserve energy and to maximize the ability to move. To that end, our body has pendulum actions. Arms swinging from shoulder joints, Legs swinging from hip joints, and when we walk, our head becomes the swing in reverse to our foot being the fulcrum of the pendilum. So, basically when we swing the leg out and place it on the ground, that immediate moment, the head becomes the top of swing for the whole body to get the body onto the next point of swing (when other foot becomes the fulcrum). There is also some degree of swinging from the knee and elbow (the range of motion is much less than from ball and socket or three dimensional movement joints of course)
Precisely because of that swing motion available to us we were able as humans to walk for a very long time without getting tired (we used to outwalk our much quicker animal prey).
Having smooth motion with a lot of flow is fabulous. If the problem is speed, than that is where the foot placement, leg release timing come into play. What you might want to look at is how you phrase your movement. Maybe you mostly use even phrasing, not enough impulses, impacts, accents, decreases, increases (all the above having to do with energy phrasing, effort qualities, hence muscle tension degree).
nice post from dancesomatics.
swinging lets us move without supplying power and controlling it EVERY moment, by using body weight and body mechanics.
this is how we want to dance in standard.
have no idea about latin, dont' know when this applies in latin...
...and can't believe I am actually involved in a latin discussion:-)...
my partner must be rubbing it off of me:-)
It is the same thing in latin to where your hip swing when you step, so your action never stops.
Samina, here is a little extra something for you to experiment with, since you seem as a pretty good and determined visualizer. As you walk, imagine your sacrum doing a figure eight. If you have problems with that image, let me know, because the figure eight is actually three dimensional.
doing the figure eight laterally, as if cutting through my body horizontally?
is this for regular walking, or rhumba walking.
i so appreciate your input, DS! :)
Ok. Let see if I can explain. It does not specifically happens in any plane, vertical, horizonal, or sagital. That is what I mean by three dimensional figure eight. Basically, when you flex your leg at the hip joint, there is a bone rhythm that happens between the femur in the socket and sacrum. Top of the sacrum (on the side where leg is flexing) slides forward and down (slightly of course), while the top of other side (the standing leg) slight goes up. Put two of hands together in front of you, palms away and try this motion. Wait, I just got an image for this, I am thinking the mantis ray movement in the ocean, it is actually even shaped a little like sacrum. Sacrum tumbling figure eight.
Hope this helps.
Oh, and it is for any walks.
thank you... am going to experiment & visualize & see what i come up with...
does this visualization/movement free up the hip/sacral connection, then? for any sort of movement?
Yes, particularly important when trying to really flex your knees, no tucking of sacrum under whatsoever. Only blocks any joint movement and forces into unnatural position. Plus because sacrum is the base for the long column of the spine, any deviation out of alighnment on the bottom creates huge deviation at the top of the spine. Most people carry their weight too far back by pushing the sacrum forward and under.
this sounds like it will be helpful in that i am trying to correct all misalignment that would result in injury to my knees... i have one exercise in particular for going back in foxtrot to reinforce how to move my body weight properly to avoid knee strain.
One little thing to help with the knee situation, as you are flexing imagine the femur bone rotating outward and the tibia in relationship rotating in.
dancesomatics, i used the visualization of the figure eight in my sacrum whilst doing rhumba walks w/ pivots last night, and frankly am amazed at the difference. i was so much more relaxed in my movement, able to shift my body weight more quickly, enabling sharper, faster movements.
my hip settling went deeper without much thought. and something else emerged for the first time... an energy through the middle of my hands, resulting in certain finger placement i'd never done before... it felt like i was stabilized in a kind of "cross" of energy, one vertically through my spine & another horizontal through my center & out my arms. i felt comparatively so much more balanced and relaxed, and therefore, apparently, able to use sharper movements that have always evaded me. i didn't seek out to do this... it just found me, and then seemed to really help anchor me far more confidently than i've ever felt.
that was just from that one visualization. i have to read thru the rest of what you've written -- i'm not sure i understand what bone rhythms are, and i have to piece together the rest of your anatomical references.
but thank you for that suggestion. i would not have thought something so simple would result in so much more freedom of movement... very pleased. :)
Samina, Bone rhythm is the movement that is happening inside the body between the bones designed by nature to facilitate the best movement possible.
In fact, no bone rhythm creates injuries and restricts dynamic alignment and ideal posture for the body.
Example, see my post earlier about the bone rhythm when you flex knees, or sacrum femor bone rhythm.