trouble with Shorty George

[loupdebois]

Hi all,

I've been having some serious problems with the Shorty George. I can get it to look mostly right, but I know I'm not doing it right because I'm getting SERIOUS medial shin splints just from doing it a few times! Translated, I know that my weight is too far toward my instep, and it's pulling on my ankle muscles.

I've tried taking steps straight down, but in order to get my knees in the right direction I need to TWIST and that's pulling my feet off kilter. Has anyone run into that problem and can anyone suggest a solution? Or should I just keep practicing and icing my ankles down between sessions, until my ankles get stronger?

 

[Spitfire]

Welcome loupdebois,

Sorry to say that I'm not familiar with the Shorty George and I don't believe I've heard of it. Is it a dance or is it the name of a pattern?

 

[LindyKeya]

(The Shorty George is a solo step used, most commonly for new dancers, in things like the Jitterbug Stroll, but can also be thrown in when returning from an open/apart position to one's partner when dancing normally, as well as elsewhere. It involves pointing down with both hands, dropped to the side, and moving forward, with a dropping to one side (alternating) motion.)

Maybe Dnice will chime in (Jazz steps have never been my strong point), but as I've been taught it, the twisting is more of a drop of your knees to one side, together, then to the other side (not really a twist, but it does look like it, it's more like they fall out of alignment briefly, then switch). The fact that you are trying to twist may be the problem (but again, it is difficult for me to diagnose the problem without seeing it).

Do you have teacher you can go to? If not, hopefully some others will chime in here, but I would also recommend searching for some good videos, and really looking at how the movement is created. I know there are good instructional videos for Jitterbug Stroll (both free and for a cost). (You might check How2Dance (obvious website). I don't recall if they have this move, but they do have links to other similar sites that might.

 

[loupdebois]

Thanks, LindyKeya, that helps a lot. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I can see the difference between what the pros on videos are doing (there's a great Jitterbug Stroll on Google Video) and what I'm doing.

I'm going to have to lay off practicing for a few days while my tendons heal (still inflamed, I really pounded the heck out of them) but at least now I know how to avoid hurting myself with this move in future! Thanks!

 

[tangotime]

Sounds like Boogie walks ? or the strut -- hard to tell from description

 

[loupdebois]

Just for completeness, here's what my instructor had to say about the Shorty George:

On 8, kick to the right. Your knees stay bent throughout.
&1 - bring feet together so that the ball of the right foot is in the instep of the left. Knees point left at a 45 degree angle, left shoulder drops and your hand points down
2 - step forward so that your right heel is now in the left instep (so that the ball of the left foot is in the right instep). Knees now point right at a 45, right shoulder down, hands pointing down too.
3 + same little step as before, switching from left to right until the end of the movement (ends on 3 in the Jitterbug Stroll, 7 in the Shim Sham or on the dance floor).

The point to watch is really in the ankle. The feet stay pointed forward, and you don't want to twist or roll. The way I ended up thinking of my knees was like skiing: keep the knees together, and don't overdo that lateral movement.

 

[LindyKeya]

There you go! Is it still bothering your shins, or does this fix that problem?

And TT- I've never heard it called anything other than Shorty George, but in your neck of the woods, who knows?

 

[tangotime]

Thats a b/room term, and i think from the description, sounds like boogie walks, that were developed in the forties .

 

[misswaltz]

Wow! I actually know what's going on in this discussion! I participated in a workshop on the Shim Sham last night and we did the Shorty George, among other things. Tackie Annie's was another thing we did. Lots of fun!

 

[leftfeetnyc]

Boogie Walks and the Shorty George are closely related. Boogie Walks are a Carolina Shag term (and I believe also used in other dances) whereas Shorty George's are a Lindy thing (named after the famous 1920s dancer..."Shorty" George Snowdon).

From what I've seen, Boogie Walks tend to be more constricted in the amount of space the knees/legs take up whereas Shorty Georges tend to be alittle larger.

Execution and body movement is the same however.

 

[loupdebois]

So, in spite of knowing how to do it properly, I'm still getting pain. Turns out that the major issue is with my leg and not the step (I'm starting physio next week)... Thanks for all the input!