I had a wake up call earlier this afternoon. My dance partner Sherri wanted me to take a private lesson with her from her teacher and coach Slava, a superb instructor! (He and his am partner Pinky danced wonderfully at Blackpool recently.) Sherri's goal for the two of us is to dance "showcase quality" when we dance socially. My thought was, "Be careful what you wish for!"
The dance du jour was slowfox. Having not seen us dance together, Slava suggested that we dance around the studio for about a minute and a half while he assessed.
He loved my top line, posture, and frame. He felt that my "poise" was a bit weak. To fix this, he had me dance a stronger left side. He did not care for what was happening with my legs and feet. Bottom line: Push and pull was "weak." He thought that I was being "too careful or tentative" with my much shorter partner Sherri. His literal translation: "I was moving like an old person." Well... I'm 63.
"I think that you have the ability to move much better."
He then worked with my legwork and footwork. To step forward, I stretched my free toe out as far as it could go until the toe became a heel. Then he had me "push even farther" before I left the back foot. Okay, now the push was working. But then I lost musicality because there was no controlled "pull." To improve this control, he talked about the first "quick" for the feather step being a "fast quick," and the second quick being a "lazy quick." This had the effect similar to the way that an ocean wave forms and swells when it approaches a shoreline.
My own group instructor Ron had broached this more focused push and pull during his group fox trot classes. But he "dropped that subject" when the ladies in the class were completely bowled over by my efforts. Either the gals could not match my push and pull, or I was like a rampaging bull in a China shop with all strength and little grace.
Since I had little fear that I would overrun my private instructor Mary, I've always been much bolder about push and pull when I danced with her. But Mary is taller than Sherri; and, Mary is more skilled. The point to today's lesson was to improve my partnership skills with Sherri.
Sherri too was unprepared for my increased push and pull. So Slava worked with her to improve her own backwards push and pull to better accommodate my improvement. We then danced better together. But doing this consistently better will take MUCH practice.
We changed to a feather finish and a wave to provide a venue for me moving backwards as she moved forward. Strangely enough, Sherri and I adapted to this much quicker than we did to my forward motion for the feather.
Later that afternoon, Sherri and I put these principles to work by dancing some slowfox at a party. The results were mixed. But curiously, my increased push and pull seemed to "bleed over" into other standard dances such as waltz and quickstep.
Sherri absolutely LOVED our paired lesson.
Bottom line: It was a challenge to me to employ proper push and pull to dance slowfox with Sherri. But since she is much shorter, she has the greater challenge to match my efforts.
The dance du jour was slowfox. Having not seen us dance together, Slava suggested that we dance around the studio for about a minute and a half while he assessed.
He loved my top line, posture, and frame. He felt that my "poise" was a bit weak. To fix this, he had me dance a stronger left side. He did not care for what was happening with my legs and feet. Bottom line: Push and pull was "weak." He thought that I was being "too careful or tentative" with my much shorter partner Sherri. His literal translation: "I was moving like an old person." Well... I'm 63.
"I think that you have the ability to move much better."
He then worked with my legwork and footwork. To step forward, I stretched my free toe out as far as it could go until the toe became a heel. Then he had me "push even farther" before I left the back foot. Okay, now the push was working. But then I lost musicality because there was no controlled "pull." To improve this control, he talked about the first "quick" for the feather step being a "fast quick," and the second quick being a "lazy quick." This had the effect similar to the way that an ocean wave forms and swells when it approaches a shoreline.
My own group instructor Ron had broached this more focused push and pull during his group fox trot classes. But he "dropped that subject" when the ladies in the class were completely bowled over by my efforts. Either the gals could not match my push and pull, or I was like a rampaging bull in a China shop with all strength and little grace.
Since I had little fear that I would overrun my private instructor Mary, I've always been much bolder about push and pull when I danced with her. But Mary is taller than Sherri; and, Mary is more skilled. The point to today's lesson was to improve my partnership skills with Sherri.
Sherri too was unprepared for my increased push and pull. So Slava worked with her to improve her own backwards push and pull to better accommodate my improvement. We then danced better together. But doing this consistently better will take MUCH practice.
We changed to a feather finish and a wave to provide a venue for me moving backwards as she moved forward. Strangely enough, Sherri and I adapted to this much quicker than we did to my forward motion for the feather.
Later that afternoon, Sherri and I put these principles to work by dancing some slowfox at a party. The results were mixed. But curiously, my increased push and pull seemed to "bleed over" into other standard dances such as waltz and quickstep.
Sherri absolutely LOVED our paired lesson.
Bottom line: It was a challenge to me to employ proper push and pull to dance slowfox with Sherri. But since she is much shorter, she has the greater challenge to match my efforts.
due to university which totally rewind my life massive regret and Im 20 I still have about 3/4 of my flexiblity but lost my middle split this is because about 3 years ago I was doing resist splits and I felt a massive tear like somone got a hot knife slashed on my leg but that held 2 mins after I did it bit odd. Then about 6 months later on the very inside of my leg in the middle I ripped and streched out the ripped park and as I did kicks and over splits I felt a clicking overlapping bone or musle feeling and here I am years later no matter how much I warm up that leg It keeps happerning when it happens its a ouch then my leg feels ok but sore and stiff but I can strech it no problem as son as I rip it and then a week later it sets inplace then I have the same problem again and I dont want to rip it of go back to dancing because of it what shall I do it feels so tight!!!! also behind my knees where my hamstring is my teacher would be like strech more im like I cant I have an agonising pain in the back of my knee feeling like somthings going to rip I have been dancing since I was 6 btw
