"Talk" with the body and "listen" through the contact

[DanceMentor]

Ok, still going through some of Geoffrey Hearn's Advanced Standard Ballroom Figures book, and finding some interesting tips. Here is another one:

The man must "talk" to the lady with his body,
and the lady must "listen" to the man through the contact with his body.

I actually had heard a similar reference before. I was getting some coaching from a US professional finalist. He told me how he and his partner were at Blackpool and they were arguing about a step. Bobbie Irvine came up to him and said something like:

You wouldn't be having a problem with this step if you could tell her with your body.

Of course at that point he had lost the argument.

 

[Chris Stratton]

Yes, but the listening is not just through the body - it's also what you feel in your hands, and at some level just the sense of the other person.

It might be worthwhile being specific about how to "speak" but the listening side needs to be general, and total.

 

[DanceMentor]

Sure, no doubt about the hands being important. I think this is just a good phrase in the sense that it promotes thinking about how the body can be used (maybe including the hands too). I can't count the number of times I have heard lady's talking about guys trying to tell them what to do on the dance floor (and them not being too keen on that).

 

[fascination]

Ok, still going through some of Geoffrey Hearn's Advanced Standard Ballroom Figures book, and finding some interesting tips. Here is another one:

The man must "talk" to the lady with his body,
and the lady must "listen" to the man through the contact with his body.

I actually had heard a similar reference before. I was getting some coaching from a US professional finalist. He told me how he and his partner were at Blackpool and they were arguing about a step. Bobbie Irvine came up to him and said something like:

You wouldn't be having a problem with this step if you could tell her with your body.

Of course at that point he had lost the argument.

agree...I have just learned top spins this way...and it is delightlful...I try to know the inside and out of all that I do, but this is a new step for me and it is not biggie b/c his body just tells me everything I need to know...i just love that

 

[Angel HI]

This is the very essence of Argentine Tango.

 

[elisedance]

When my partner tells me verbally what to do I just refuse equally verbally. Indeed, I can't do it that way even if I try - the trouble is that my body is responding to the physical lead and any amount of telling me 'this comes after that' is by default put second to 'I feel this after that'.

 

[DanceMentor]

One thing that can be rather interesting is to practice without saying anything for a set amount of time such as 10-15 minutes. It helps to have a plan beforehand, such as trying to avoid stress in the frame, and stopping and restarting if that is felt. Repeat some of the moves where stress is felt, and see if you can communicate through the bodies and find the answers.

 

[skipper]

One thing that can be rather interesting is to practice without saying anything for a set amount of time such as 10-15 minutes. It helps to have a plan beforehand, such as trying to avoid stress in the frame, and stopping and restarting if that is felt. Repeat some of the moves where stress is felt, and see if you can communicate through the bodies and find the answers.

What a great idea!

 

[j_alexandra]

One thing that can be rather interesting is to practice without saying anything for a set amount of time such as 10-15 minutes.

This has been very helpful for me in lessons, too. A couple of times, I have brought in a kitchen timer and set it for 10 minutes, and my teacher has the luxury of knowing I will not speak a word that whole time. Which has been very interesting for me. I talk a lot.

 

[zp3929]

it isnt just the man who is "talking" through his actions though, much of it is done through resistance on both sides. there are points in dance where the lady must do the talking for it to make sense.

 

[Angel HI]

^ Yes. I beleive that the man actually does a great deal of listening.

 

[Josh]

agree...I have just learned top spins this way...and it is delightlful...I try to know the inside and out of all that I do, but this is a new step for me and it is not biggie b/c his body just tells me everything I need to know...i just love that

That is why I love dancing in a closed hold so much--it truly is like having a conversation without being verbal, and given a reasonable 'vocabulary,' a truly spontaneous, totally non-choreographed dance can be created and be umpteen times more beautiful than prechoreographed dancing.

 

[waltzguy]

That is why I love dancing in a closed hold so much--it truly is like having a conversation without being verbal, and given a reasonable 'vocabulary,' a truly spontaneous, totally non-choreographed dance can be created and be umpteen times more beautiful than prechoreographed dancing.

Yes, same here.

 

[Josh]

(FTR, I'm not saying that a conversation can't be had without a closed hold, as in latin with only a single hand hold--it's just a bit different, that's all.)

 

[Angel HI]

That is why I love dancing in a closed hold so much--it truly is like having a conversation without being verbal, and given a reasonable 'vocabulary,' a truly spontaneous, totally non-choreographed dance can be created and be umpteen times more beautiful than prechoreographed dancing.

Agreed.