Open Shines like Susie-Q etc.

norb

norb

New Member
Hi, I am a new dance instructor. I was unable to find some video-material that shows some "open shines"-moves for warmup. I know the usual stuff like susie-Q or trestres, some variations of turs etc.
Can someone tell me what dvd to purchase that include the best basic open shines?
:rolleyes:

Thanks

Norb
 
Shines - Where to Find?

Take a few Jazz dance classes.

They will teach you the pops, flares, taps, body isolations, body waves that have worked their way into salsa. You might want to teach hook turns, front and back too.

Look to tango for rondes or front foot sweeps on leaders one or follower's five.

Failing that, search YouTube and analyze the videos.

As a new instructor though, you should consider spending your time on teaching your people how to work together with lead and follow through basic turn patterns and combinations.

Beginner leaders really really need all the lead and follow practice they can get. "Want to shine?" instead of "Want to dance some salsa?" usually does not cut it in a salsa club.

Solo work and shines will naturally come once the leaders can actually lead.
 
I took salsa lessons for two months. Third month new instructor comes in and starts teaching shines. It was like taking line dance lessons, only there was no step sheet.
I never went back.
 
norb said:
Hi, I am a new dance instructor. I was unable to find some video-material that shows some "open shines"-moves for warmup. I know the usual stuff like susie-Q or trestres, some variations of turs etc.
Can someone tell me what dvd to purchase that include the best basic open shines?
:rolleyes:

Thanks

Norb
Click to expand...


Shines are not "there " just to insert at will.

Their original intention, was to accent musical passages ( like Ibo rhythm ). and they were all , simply, and purely, " on the spot " ideas .

Shines today , are just very poor copies , of original thoughts .
 
Thanks sofar

I am aware that the shines are not just there to insert at will and that the shines are also not basic salsa moves. I try to teach my people how to react to the music and show them what each individual dancer can make out of it. Including footwork. But that is not the question.

I am looking for warmup moves, some basic footsteps that be named and have some simple and short moves. My goal is just to teach how to control the feet with basic pattern. I know "open shines" from other teachers and do not think that they come up with it by them self.

Where is susie-Q coming from? Was that a female performer named Susie? Somebody have to come up with this crap and spread it all over the salsa community!
 
norb said:
I am aware that the shines are not just there to insert at will and that the shines are also not basic salsa moves. I try to teach my people how to react to the music and show them what each individual dancer can make out of it. Including footwork. But that is not the question.

I am looking for warmup moves, some basic footsteps that be named and have some simple and short moves. My goal is just to teach how to control the feet with basic pattern. I know "open shines" from other teachers and do not think that they come up with it by them self.

Where is susie-Q coming from? Was that a female performer named Susie? Somebody have to come up with this crap and spread it all over the salsa community!
Click to expand...


Suzie Q, was adapted from an Afr. Amer. dance , dating back from the late twenties .( along with " Truckin " )

I understood quite well what your q was about.

Here,s my take-- the majority of people I see doing shines, cant even master basic principles -- so--I prefer to invest my teaching time, into what I consider, a more profitable area for the student . After all-- it is a partnership dance . Just tired of seeing the " spin, spin ,spin etc. syndrome "

You , of course , may choose another direction .
 
I'm kind of in the other camp here. I learned open footwork early on in my mambo dancing and it gave me more confidence on the dance floor. My instructor ALWAYS taught shines not with the purpose of creating shines monkeys (a la turn pattern monkeys) but to interpret the music. For example, he would have weeks where he taught rumba-inspired shines, mambo, cha-cha, etc and talk about the history, the rhythms, how to interpet, improvisation,etc. As a follower, pattern classes can be a drag sometimes--even with the best of teachers. And yes, yes, I know that the great teachers will also teach superior following techniques, but shines are still more fun for ME.

I think norb's idea of including basic footwork in the warmup is a great one--I know so many 'advanced' dancers that are still uncomfortable with shines. Norb, Seaon Stylist has some great shines dvds--I will caution you that they are DVD-R and some have mentioned it takes forever to get his dvds. But he gives you different ways to think about the rhythms and has lots of flava! If you or someone else is going to a congress, try to pick up some of his stuff. If I think of some others, I'll post more. HTH!
 
naturallove said:
I'm kind of in the other camp here. I learned open footwork early on in my mambo dancing and it gave me more confidence on the dance floor. My instructor ALWAYS taught shines not with the purpose of creating shines monkeys (a la turn pattern monkeys) but to interpret the music. For example, he would have weeks where he taught rumba-inspired shines, mambo, cha-cha, etc and talk about the history, the rhythms, how to interpet, improvisation,etc. As a follower, pattern classes can be a drag sometimes--even with the best of teachers. And yes, yes, I know that the great teachers will also teach superior following techniques, but shines are still more fun for ME.

I think norb's idea of including basic footwork in the warmup is a great one--I know so many 'advanced' dancers that are still uncomfortable with shines. Norb, Seaon Stylist has some great shines dvds--I will caution you that they are DVD-R and some have mentioned it takes forever to get his dvds. But he gives you different ways to think about the rhythms and has lots of flava! If you or someone else is going to a congress, try to pick up some of his stuff. If I think of some others, I'll post more. HTH!
Click to expand...

I dont disagree with most of your points--my concern, and I see it all too often, people attempting to do a " solo" movement, and then returning to a closed hold, and proceed to dance very poorly, in fundamentals .

There are several solo positions that I might be tempted to teach, but I think one should be very cautious about making them a standard part, of a class lesson.
 
Welcome norb! :D

Maybe this is what you are looking for salsadans.com/video/shines_1.htm :) It is a Swedish instructor called Huascar Saavedra living in Gothenburg that demostrates some shines/footwork (on three pages). :p

(He is changing the website so the link might not work later. Probably you can find it later by looking for "filmklipp" which is "video clips" in Swedish.)

Good luck! :D
 
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