Re: semi-circles:
Probably, to all those questions.
You're maybe confusing cause and effect there a little. :innocent:
MH says one thing, Tessalicious says another. It's all very confusing.
Good thing I never use it :rofl:
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Re: semi-circles:
Probably, to all those questions.
You're maybe confusing cause and effect there a little. :innocent:
MH says one thing, Tessalicious says another. It's all very confusing.
Good thing I never use it :rofl:
Where there is room, it is safe, the music is to my taste, and I know I will slot straight into the rythym, I like to try to emulate the professionals and sweep my lady onto the floor with a whoosh and a turny spinny thingy. Get that right and I reckon I've already earned a browny point or two.
Otherwise I may be dragged onto the floor to some iffy (to me) track and have to fall back on the trusty arm-jive to try to tune in to the rythym (hate that word beat).
In either case the semi-circle is redundant but I can see the merits of of what Tess says.
On MHs point, can it be said there is a frame when the only connection is one hand to one hand ?
You would do with me! Great way of starting a dance, although not one I use myself. Being a fairly 'Beginnery' lead I do tend to use the 'side step to get the beat then semi-circle' start, but also know of a few much more advanced dancers who use the semi-circle ... one in particular who literally stands stock still in the middle of the dancefloor until he's ready to do his (rather large and emphatic) semi-circle. But because he uses a lot of compression, and not just the semi-circle itself, it works - much more like bouncing off an In and Out. I 'think' mine is probably similar (hope so anyway!). I rather like starting with just a plain turn or two as well (both as lead and follow).
Over the last few weeks i have noticed that i am now taking the lady on to the dance floor and starting them off with a nice sway or spin rather than the semi circle to the left or right, i also try and make the movement on to the floor a little more interesting. This i find only works with ladies that i dance with a bit and i dont find my self actually thinking about it.
Probally a realy bad practice that i will have to beat out of myself.
Gent
Arm Jive is open position, but it's the default in social MJ. It's a nice start, keeps frame (when done well), and it's easy to follow. I think it would work well so have the first move in every beginner's routine be an arm jive variation of some kind (normal, swizzle, or push spin), and starting out by holding both hands rather than just one. That would make the semi-circle no longer required as a signal/pre-lead.
For starting in closed, the "mambo" things work well enough, or else side-to-side sways. However, my preference for starting closed is a Lindy influence, and I can't think of any good reason for inflicting it on the whole MJ world, particularly given that all MJ moves are taught as starting and finishing in open position.
I just kind of drag them on to the floor by their hair and swing them around a bit.
Hey, it works for me :whistle:
Thanks hun. I think I am probably one of the 'former' dancers. But you can tell me on tuesday :hug: :love:
That's what I meant, yes. If they lead a step back, even with a gentle push with their hands, if I try and put my weight back I get pulled off my feet. Does that make sense? It's happened a couple of times.Quote:
Oh and Whitebeard, Genie doesn't mean that about the CC at all! I think she means that some leaders don't allow for weight change and just pull you into the next move regardless. I think!!!!!!
I think trampy might have been telling me at one point in a dance 'not' to lean back, but I didn't hear him, so I wasn't sure if he was/wasn't telling me to lean back. I didn't have time to ask... But I'll have to sort out this weight thing if men are finding it a problem to lead :confused:
Wouldn't dream of it!
My personal opinion is that from a standing-still start, it's actually quite tricky to push away from each other smoothly and together without a little bit of motion as Gadget and Tessalicious have said. The semi-circle (or whatever motion you want to make with your hand) is a signal for the follower to be ready for the push-away and to have some arm tension engaged with which to react to that push. It's not something over which to engage in Swiftian big-end/little-end wars.
I do think it's a useful learning convention, I think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Whether it's a useful dance convention, I dunno.
Yes - much better to save that for the important stuff, like "which foot to step back on" :)
Possibly not. But we're doing one here in Dundee tonight :whistle: