Standard Geekery

j_alexandra said:
I had long conversations with dance geek friends years ago, when this discussion was called move-to-lower rather than move-to-bend, but the philosophy seems the same. The MTL people are 100% convinced that it is easier than LTM. Don't dispute that. But where do you come from, when you're moving to lower? Do you start from a standstill? Or do you do the prep steps so you'll have somewhere to come from? And what are the results? What result do you want? How do you get it?
Click to expand...

Can you explain what the MTL and LTM concepts actually are? I suspect the thread on MtB and BdM died partly because no clear definitions were provided, so people were left to guess from the names. But there may also be differences because the "B" appears to refer to pretty much any leg and foot flexion, but not the vertical lowering at, say, the end of a waltz natural turn, while presumably the "L" refers to traditional lowering, including at the end of a waltz natural turn.
 
fiesta0618 said:
I think you would very much appreciate one of the ideas I got from Smooth Master last time. Summarized, he essentially advocated using so strong a Commencement that you need to work to hold back from taking the step!
Click to expand...
I've had it said to me that I might "commence" until I have to move. HAVE to, not "am ready to" or "want to" but can't not move. Is that similar?
 
Warren J. Dew said:
Can you explain what the MTL and LTM concepts actually are? I suspect the thread on MtB and BdM died partly because no clear definitions were provided, so people were left to guess from the names. But there may also be differences because the "B" appears to refer to pretty much any leg and foot flexion, but not the vertical lowering at, say, the end of a waltz natural turn, while presumably the "L" refers to traditional lowering, including at the end of a waltz natural turn. figure
Click to expand...
FTFY
as I (perhaps mis)understood it, in those ancient conversations, MTL basically creates a fall from which you catch yourself, and that's how you find yourself propelled forward (or back, or side). In this case, @joy's comment (post 37 on the MTB/BTM thread) about moving the spine and core is related but not absolute.

LTM means that you get down into your leg and use the power that generates to propel yourself forward (back,side).

Both are necessary, IMHO. Different times, different places, different uses.
 
j_alexandra said:
FTFY

as I (perhaps mis)understood it, in those ancient conversations, MTL basically creates a fall from which you catch yourself, and that's how you find yourself propelled forward (or back, or side). In this case, @joy's comment (post 37 on the MTB/BTM thread) about moving the spine and core is related but not absolute.
Click to expand...

So, at the end of count 3 in a waltz natural turn, we allow ourselves to fall vertically. We then use our bodies - mostly our legs and feet - to redirect that vertical velocity into horizontal velocity, say backwards for the gentleman if we are following with the second half of a natural turn? If so, put me in that camp. I note that if I'm interpreting what you're saying correctly - possibly a big 'if' - no unbalance is involved, as MtB advocates seem to want in the physics thread.

j_alexandra said:
LTM means that you get down into your leg and use the power that generates to propel yourself forward (back,side).
Click to expand...

How does that generate power? Are we using energy stored from the lowering, or does the leg flexion permit the leg muscles to generate more power? I'd agree with the latter, but I'm not understanding how the former would differ from MTL.

j_alexandra said:
Both are necessary, IMHO. Different times, different places, different uses.
Click to expand...
 
Warren J. Dew said:
How does that generate power? Are we using energy stored from the lowering, or does the leg flexion permit the leg muscles to generate more power? I'd agree with the latter, but I'm not understanding how the former would differ from MTL.
Click to expand...
I will not get physics-y here, and I think this leading question gets physics-y. There's a thread for that elsewhere.
 
j_alexandra said:
I've had it said to me that I might "commence" until I have to move. HAVE to, not "am ready to" or "want to" but can't not move. Is that similar?
Click to expand...
Not in exactly those words, but yes.

This followed the "heavy silk in space" game, where one person pretends to be a heavy piece of fabric in a a gravityless environment, and the other person applies forces to them to manipulate how they move. One element of being the "silk" in that game is that the body gently resists moving in the direction of the new push or pull, and the body parts furthest from the leading point "hang back" until the tension in the fabric makes it irresistible.
 
j_alexandra said:
Spent most of an hour-and-a-half lesson today on the transition from the feather finish to the three step.
Click to expand...

As distinct from the transition from the feather step to the reverse turn, or just as a convenient place to work on the action? And are you working on more than just the time over which you lower into the left toe?
 
Is the Feather Step called the same in smooth (I realize you can do it in both standard in smooth but is there a different name)? Seems like I remember sometime it being labeled differently. I was not taught terminology for the first...oh 10 years of my lessons so I feel like I am playing catch up.
 
Tracy said:
Is the Feather Step called the same in smooth (I realize you can do it in both standard in smooth but is there a different name)? Seems like I remember sometime it being labeled differently. I was not taught terminology for the first...oh 10 years of my lessons so I feel like I am playing catch up.
Click to expand...

A feather finish is the same as a continuity finish, and a feather ending is the same as a continuity ending. There is such a thing as a continuity step in Smooth, but it's not commonly danced, while feather steps are very common in Standard. Feather/continuity finishes are common in both, being the second half of the reverse/left turn for both, though the first halves are different.

All of these end in the same way; they differ with respect to how they are entered, the feather/continuity finish entered moving backward for the man, the feather/continuity ending entered from promenade, and the feather/continuity step entered forward for the man. Since they end in the same way, the transition from them to a following three step should be essentially the same from all.
 
Warren J. Dew said:
As distinct from the transition from the feather step to the reverse turn, or just as a convenient place to work on the action? And are you working on more than just the time over which you lower into the left toe?
Click to expand...
Quite distinct from feather to reverse. And definitely working on more than just time and working the feet. So much happens at that moment of change from FF to 3S.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top