Standard Geekery

[fish]

I'd say the outside/inside position in slip pivot is mostly determined by the amount of turn. Once the amount of turn starts getting to, or exceeding 1/4, it becomes necessary for the lead to slip their right foot around followers leg so that the follower steps inside, allowing for a greater amount of turn. (Yes, this should be controlled by the lead, who knows how much turn is intended -- not the follower.)

 

[j_alexandra]

Am starting to appreciate Karen Hilton more and more. Thank god for YouTube and people who post troves of ancient videos. The Geoffrey Hearn light-and-shade videos and Simply Beautiful videos are so lovely.

 

[Warren J. Dew]

In the former three, the dancers spend significant time outside of body contact, with each individual dancer controlling their own axis. In Standard, the dancers are always in contact, therefore the axis is always (partially) shared.

It’s even more complex than that.

In particular, in the lowering at the end of the first half of a natural, there’s a significant difference between neutralizing through rotation around the shared axis, and through rotation around the axis of the lady’s torso.

Rotating around the shared axis tends to result in the lady’s right foot sneaking ahead on the right heel, starting the step before the lowering is completed. Rotating around the lady’s axis allows her to complete the lowering while the feet are still together, allowing more of the walking action to be deferred until it can be powered by a rolling of the weight through the full left foot.

In my limited experience dancing with Blackpool finalists - following Stephen Hillier in this action, plus a lesson with Nancy Jenkins - it seems like there’s more of a focus on the lady’s axis than on any shared axis, even for the man.

 

[vit]

In particular, in the lowering at the end of the first half of a natural, there’s a significant difference between neutralizing through rotation around the shared axis, and through rotation around the axis of the lady’s torso.

That "shared axis" doesn't have fixed orientation, so both "versions" can actually be equal

Fiesta's point on that post in other thread was however that ladies head is never on that axis so loose hair will fly around - as it does in zouk when dancing closed hold figures

 

[Warren J. Dew]

That "shared axis" doesn't have fixed orientation, so both "versions" can actually be equal

I think of the shared axis as basically being vertical, which it needs to be for couples pivots and spins to work.

 

[vit]

I think of the shared axis as basically being vertical, which it needs to be for couples pivots and spins to work.

Sometimes it is (as you mentioned), but mostly it slants somewhere ...