under par
9th-March-2006, 01:04 PM
Some Tips for Looking More Refined on the Dance Floor
If your hand is on your partners back (in a close embrace, for example) close your fingers so they are touching. Spread fingers look messy and look like you are going for a grope, and they are more likely to uncomfortably dig into your partners back.
Keep your chin up. You can still look down with your eyes, but tilting your whole head down is no good for your posture or your image!
If you are much taller than your partner, adjust your arms so they are comfortable for them, but don’t compromise your posture!
Keep your spare arm above your waist line. You don’t have to do anything special with it, but a dangling arm can look uncontrolled and careless.
Brush your thighs together between steps. Not a rigid rule, but try to avoid the wet knickers look, unless you’ve got wet knickers, in which case you should probably stop dancing until they dry.
I recieved the above helpful tips in an E-mail from Amir before I went to Storm.
I took a particular interest in the first and the last tips during Storm not that I feel I am fully conversant with the other tips just yet.
It was easy enough to close / cup my fingers to make them look more refined.
BUT the revelation to me was the Brushing Of The THIGHS!
I first tried it out at home whilst walking through a few steps.
Next I watched some male dancers who I enjoy to watch on the Friday at Storm (Paul F, KevF, Franck to name a few).
Then I attempted to use it in my dancing.
I have previously had difficulties with connection and balance between my partner and myself because I, being very tall, was used to stepping big steps its just natural take too bigger steps and I do so whilst dancing too.
When I tried this brush your thighs between steps I immediately noticed 2 things
1. I took vastly smaller steps.
2. My feet spent more time on the floor and I began sliding /scuffing my soles on the floor.
As I practiced this more I found that
1. My connection improved.
2. My instant reaction to smaller steps was to rein in my arms, so I didn,t let my partner move as far away from me. Thus my followers balance was better.
A small downside was as I concentrated on thigh brushing, footwork, connection and balance more my repertoire of moves dropped to a minimum.
I am sure in due course this will change once it becomes more second nature.
Feedback. I spoke to several forumites about what I was doing/trying to acheive and got very favourable feedback on my frame connection incorporating this new aspect of my dancing.
I have never done any West Coast Swing but I do like the look of it done well..... and one of the "feels" I got from dancing with this "brush the thigh method" was I had moved closer to the look of West Coast in as much as I felt my footwork was much much neater and my connection improved.
I offer my thoughts up for discussion and for others to try if they wish.
My thanks go out to Amir for putting the thoughts together and sending them out in his e-mail. :respect:
Others have told me about this "difficulty " I have had with my dancing but this message arrived at the right time and in a form I felt I could work with.
If your hand is on your partners back (in a close embrace, for example) close your fingers so they are touching. Spread fingers look messy and look like you are going for a grope, and they are more likely to uncomfortably dig into your partners back.
Keep your chin up. You can still look down with your eyes, but tilting your whole head down is no good for your posture or your image!
If you are much taller than your partner, adjust your arms so they are comfortable for them, but don’t compromise your posture!
Keep your spare arm above your waist line. You don’t have to do anything special with it, but a dangling arm can look uncontrolled and careless.
Brush your thighs together between steps. Not a rigid rule, but try to avoid the wet knickers look, unless you’ve got wet knickers, in which case you should probably stop dancing until they dry.
I recieved the above helpful tips in an E-mail from Amir before I went to Storm.
I took a particular interest in the first and the last tips during Storm not that I feel I am fully conversant with the other tips just yet.
It was easy enough to close / cup my fingers to make them look more refined.
BUT the revelation to me was the Brushing Of The THIGHS!
I first tried it out at home whilst walking through a few steps.
Next I watched some male dancers who I enjoy to watch on the Friday at Storm (Paul F, KevF, Franck to name a few).
Then I attempted to use it in my dancing.
I have previously had difficulties with connection and balance between my partner and myself because I, being very tall, was used to stepping big steps its just natural take too bigger steps and I do so whilst dancing too.
When I tried this brush your thighs between steps I immediately noticed 2 things
1. I took vastly smaller steps.
2. My feet spent more time on the floor and I began sliding /scuffing my soles on the floor.
As I practiced this more I found that
1. My connection improved.
2. My instant reaction to smaller steps was to rein in my arms, so I didn,t let my partner move as far away from me. Thus my followers balance was better.
A small downside was as I concentrated on thigh brushing, footwork, connection and balance more my repertoire of moves dropped to a minimum.
I am sure in due course this will change once it becomes more second nature.
Feedback. I spoke to several forumites about what I was doing/trying to acheive and got very favourable feedback on my frame connection incorporating this new aspect of my dancing.
I have never done any West Coast Swing but I do like the look of it done well..... and one of the "feels" I got from dancing with this "brush the thigh method" was I had moved closer to the look of West Coast in as much as I felt my footwork was much much neater and my connection improved.
I offer my thoughts up for discussion and for others to try if they wish.
My thanks go out to Amir for putting the thoughts together and sending them out in his e-mail. :respect:
Others have told me about this "difficulty " I have had with my dancing but this message arrived at the right time and in a form I felt I could work with.