Chris Stratton
06-27-2004, 12:12 PM
Prompted by some recent comments by both Warren and Jimmy, I thought there might be some aspects of the evolution of the smooth and or standard ballroom frame and hold that might be interesting to discuss.
From my point of view, the contemporary (closed) hold for these dances has four important qualities, plus a number of commonly associated aspects which may actually be negative distortions rather than inherint qualities.
1) Presented. The modern ballroom hold is clearly performance oriented. This large and flowering look may be the greatest evolution from past practice, but in the right setting (show or competition) it does seem to make a lot of sense.
2) Supported. Posture is and always has been a virtue.
3) Connected. The hold, and the supported frames that create it ultimately have the purpose of enchancing communication between the dancers. If this aspect is missing, then the hold is only an illusion to fool an unsophisticated audience.
4) Quiet. While not stiff or rigid, a closed hold should rarely change in ways that draw attention. Certainly stretches and 'breathing' play a role in some actions, but these are primarily functional requirements, not visual displays.
From this perspective, I see two main contemporary problems.
The first is that dancers today seem to either not have much of a frame at all, or be locked into a full, perhaps over-done competition version. We need more practice at stepping back to a more compact social hold, while still retaining the traditional qualities of posture, connection, and quiet. Too often, if you see a couple encounter a situation where they must drop their elbows, they also abandon posture and connection.
(Not unrelated, there are also some distortions quite commonly seen in competition today - misconceptions about arm extension rather than head seperation creating a big look, excissively open promenades, etc)
The second issue is a unique challenge of American Style, which is to learn to translate the positive qualities of a closed hold into the open positions. This requires not just an ability to achieve a good closed hold, but an understanding of the how and why of each component, so that they can be applied individually in the different context of a partially open or complete separated position. Even as smooth does emphasize the changing relationship between the partners, these changes can be most appreciated when they are in character with the dance and music, rather than excessivley 'noisy'.
From my point of view, the contemporary (closed) hold for these dances has four important qualities, plus a number of commonly associated aspects which may actually be negative distortions rather than inherint qualities.
1) Presented. The modern ballroom hold is clearly performance oriented. This large and flowering look may be the greatest evolution from past practice, but in the right setting (show or competition) it does seem to make a lot of sense.
2) Supported. Posture is and always has been a virtue.
3) Connected. The hold, and the supported frames that create it ultimately have the purpose of enchancing communication between the dancers. If this aspect is missing, then the hold is only an illusion to fool an unsophisticated audience.
4) Quiet. While not stiff or rigid, a closed hold should rarely change in ways that draw attention. Certainly stretches and 'breathing' play a role in some actions, but these are primarily functional requirements, not visual displays.
From this perspective, I see two main contemporary problems.
The first is that dancers today seem to either not have much of a frame at all, or be locked into a full, perhaps over-done competition version. We need more practice at stepping back to a more compact social hold, while still retaining the traditional qualities of posture, connection, and quiet. Too often, if you see a couple encounter a situation where they must drop their elbows, they also abandon posture and connection.
(Not unrelated, there are also some distortions quite commonly seen in competition today - misconceptions about arm extension rather than head seperation creating a big look, excissively open promenades, etc)
The second issue is a unique challenge of American Style, which is to learn to translate the positive qualities of a closed hold into the open positions. This requires not just an ability to achieve a good closed hold, but an understanding of the how and why of each component, so that they can be applied individually in the different context of a partially open or complete separated position. Even as smooth does emphasize the changing relationship between the partners, these changes can be most appreciated when they are in character with the dance and music, rather than excessivley 'noisy'.