Shoulder awareness?

[sigurd]

I wonder if I can get some suggestion. I have a lot of problem with my right shoulder. It is not like I was borned to be uneven, but I was told that I lift my right shoulder when I dance. It starts okay, then couple figures later it my teacher told me that it went up. The thing that really annoyed me is, I don't feel my shoulder is up. My teacher keeps pushing it down, but I don't feel my shoulder line is distored.

My question is, how do you train yourself to feel whether your shoulder or other body parts is out of alignment?

 

[fascination]

for me it usually requires an investigation as to why...tape yourself...observe when it is happening, think about what you are trying to accomplish in your dancing in those moments. for me, there is often a realization in that process

 

[skwiggy]

for me it usually requires an investigation as to why...

100% agree. I have the same right shoulder problem and I believe it's not really a problem in and of itself but a symptom of other problems. Could be your right arm is too far back or too low, could be your left side breaking or pulling away from your partner. Could be many many things causing it and forcing it back into place is only putting a bandaid on the symptom.

Talk to your teacher about exploring why this might be happening.

 

[fascination]

is the elbow locked?...are you inadvertantly lifting everything when you rise instead of lifting center and sternam and leaving shoulders relaxed?......all sorts of possibilities...but when I can see it, I can often then say; "well this was what I was trying to do by moving this or that..." then i can try a correction

 

[ireniecat]

I also have the right shoulder issue, and I was given an exercise that was helpful. Just stand normally and intentionally lift your right shoulder, then push it down back into place with your left hand. Repeat over and over. Eventually your shoulder will start correcting itself without you having to be "aware" of it.

 

[kathyt cupcake]

for me it usually requires an investigation as to why...tape yourself...observe when it is happening, think about what you are trying to accomplish in your dancing in those moments. for me, there is often a realization in that process

Along the lines of taping yourself, it might be helpful to use mirrors when you practice by yourself to check your lines. Generally speaking I will use mirrors a lot more when practicing by myself to check alignment. When practicing with a partner you can also have them give you some feedback if they notice your shoulders are uneven.

 

[Josh]

I wonder if I can get some suggestion. I have a lot of problem with my right shoulder. It is not like I was borned to be uneven, but I was told that I lift my right shoulder when I dance. It starts okay, then couple figures later it my teacher told me that it went up. The thing that really annoyed me is, I don't feel my shoulder is up. My teacher keeps pushing it down, but I don't feel my shoulder line is distored.

My question is, how do you train yourself to feel whether your shoulder or other body parts is out of alignment?

Are you a man or a woman?

 

[Piggles]

Try activating your lats down and back. Keep your back and arms loose, but your muscles activated. I usually find that my shoulders come up when I'm thinking too hard about technique...

 

[ballroomdancertoo]

I too have the same problem. I often wonder though if the "culprit' is the other person. If I try to move the other person forceably, my right shoulder goes up. I tried to look in the mirror and did not notice the rise when i did it by myself. May be it's a nature response of lifting something. it's pretty hard to get rid of especially if the motion is an automatic response. The only thing i can say is to be more conscience of it and lowering it even if you think you dont. Also, try to see when the coach is correcting the rising shoulder it may be only in one movement so you can focus on that particular movement.

 

[Mengu]

I too have the same problem. I often wonder though if the "culprit' is the other person. If I try to move the other person forceably, my right shoulder goes up. I tried to look in the mirror and did not notice the rise when i did it by myself. May be it's a nature response of lifting something. it's pretty hard to get rid of especially if the motion is an automatic response. The only thing i can say is to be more conscience of it and lowering it even if you think you dont. Also, try to see when the coach is correcting the rising shoulder it may be only in one movement so you can focus on that particular movement.

Same exact experience here. Relaxing the hold and having a more breathing and sympathetic frame should help, but it certainly isn't happening overnight (at least not for me).

 

[Leonid Turetsky]

Almost every student that starts learning how to dance has a shoulder problem...In dancing you must push your shoulders down all the time....and I mean all the time... you stretch your spine but at the same time press those shoulders down...when? ALL THE TIME.... if you don't press them down they will creep up on their own somehow...

 

[Josh]

Saw another post by you sigurd, and see that you're a guy.

There are two main reasons the shoulder, specifically the right shoulder, will rise.

1- It rises when you rise through your legs and feet. To fix this try to relax your shoulders down, focus the energy on the feet, and elongate the neck.

2- It rises when you turn your body inside your own frame, specifically when turning left and going to promenade. Put your arms up in a frame, and turn your body to the left but keep your shoulders where they are, and you will notice your right shoulder creep up. To fix this, focus on turning your FEET, not your body, when you turn, and when going to promenade, don't turn your body to the left, nor should you look completely straight forward in the direction you are looking. Your head should be looking more in the direction of the joined hands, not so much to the left of the hands.

 

[Benjy]

I feel like you're looking for some solution that will make this easy, or some sort of trick.

I feel like it's counterproductive to examine why it's happening, or when. It doesn't matter. Assume it's going to happen at every possible opportunity unless you are pulling them down. So pull them down always. No trick to it.

 

[waltzgirl]

I feel like you're looking for some solution that will make this easy, or some sort of trick.

I feel like it's counterproductive to examine why it's happening, or when. It doesn't matter. Assume it's going to happen at every possible opportunity unless you are pulling them down. So pull them down always. No trick to it.

But beginning dancers have so many things to think about at once that they may not be able to be thinking about their shoulders all the time, too. And if the shoulder is going up because of a problem in some other part of the body or in the movement, yeah, maybe you could force the shoulder down while still making the mistake, but it's better to fix the mistake and solve both problems.

I found this exercise helpful to increase awareness of my shoulders and how to move my arms without raising my shoulder:

Extend your right arm out to the side, in a position where the elbow is slightly forward of the shoulder and the wrist is slightly forward of the elbow (arm straight but not locked).

Place your left hand on your right shoulder and pull your right shoulder down as far as you can.

With your left hand keeping your shoulder down, slowly raise your right hand to the side, to the front, and other positions as high as you can *without* raising the shoulder.

Repeat on other side.

Pay attention to what muscles you are using to raise the arm. You may find that you have to use different muscles and/or move a bit differently to move your arm with the shoulder down.

 

[waltzgirl]

I too have the same problem. I often wonder though if the "culprit' is the other person. If I try to move the other person forceably, my right shoulder goes up..

There's an easy answer to that. Don't ever try to move your follower forcibly (except maybe to move her out of the way of a collision). Keeping a good frame and moving your own body should give your follower the information she needs to follow.