Teaching Latin Motion - suggestions?

[motardmom]

Hi.... It's been a while....

So I have a new dance partner/friend. Way back in college he danced on a dance team, mostly standard stuff. He did some chacha, a little latin, but he said it never felt really comfortable. I get the impression that it's the whole real-men-don't-shake-their-hips thing. (ugh! It's so sexy!) He loves to dance and we've been having a really good time. He hasn't danced much at all in the last few years so it's all still just coming back. We've had a really great time doing country swing and two step. I want to build on that, and he seems like he's game.

Anyway... I invited him to work on his latin motion with him in the privacy of his kitchen, with some good music and no inhibitions. I was going to work with him on paying attention how his hips move when he bends his knees... not trying so hard to sway his hips but just allow his body to move naturally when his knees bend.... Any other suggestions on how to thaw his middle? Or just encourage him to not be so self-conscious about moving his body like that... in public....

 

[waltzgirl]

A couple things come to mind:

1. Show him how to practice isolating the rib cage and the pelvis. Here's the exercise I did to loosen up and get comfortable moving my hips:

--Hands on hips, keep pelvis still, move rib cage forward & back, side to side, and in a circle. Also good to do sitting down.

--Keeping rib cage still, tuck pelvis under, arch it back, lift left hip, lift right hip (returning to neutral between each movement). Combine movements to circle pelvis. Combine movements to make figure 8 with pelvis.

2. Suggest he think more about twisting his hips than moving them side to side. Not only will that look better, but it will probably not feel so feminine.

3. Teach him merengue. The steps are simple and he can focus on moving his hips.

Another thought--a good bottle of wine (or beverage of his choice) before the practice!

 

[cornutt]

What I'd work on with him is not what the hip motion looks like, but on what causes it: the bending and straightening of the legs. My observation is that most non-experienced dancers who see Latin motion mis-interpret what they are seeing, and then when they try to do it, they try to bump-n-grind the hips. It doesn't look very good, and guys in particular feel doubly ridiculous trying to do it. :? This is exactly what I went through with it at first.

So work on nailing the alternating extension and tucking-in of the legs. If you can get him doing that right, the hip motion will start to come along. Once he starts to get that, put him in front of a mirror and let him see what it looks like. That way, it will seem more natural and less cartoonish.

 

[tangotime]

You are into a very tricky area- 2 fold --- firstly, the techn. of motion is a fairly complex animal, and can be mis construed if not taught correctly.

more importantly-- develop his leading skills with basic combos to build his confidence-- motion is the " icing " on the cake, which needs to be added at a future date .

 

[latingal]

I have to agree with tt, teaching cuban motion is complicated. There are a lot of layers to the movement, and that's probably why you're not getting a lot of response to this thread....most people wouldn't know where to start (nor how to explain in written form where they'd start).

 

[motardmom]

Thanks all....

We aren't going to be competing anytime soon.... I'm not too concerned about how perfect things come out. I think I have a few ideas that I can try with him and we'll see where that takes us. Either he'll gradually loosen up... or not. And if he does, then we'll build on that. I've seen him move to latin music in the privacy of my kitchen, he feels the music and it makes him move - this is a good sign, eh? lol I think we need to work on the motion just enough to lose the inhibition for long enough to maybe get some proper lessons.

 

[cornutt]

Tell him that if I can do it, anybody can do it.