Defining and categorising what makes a dance style (Engelbert )

[Andy McGregor]

There are some who would disagree with this!!!

Most people who teach MJ would disagree with this. MJ is led by a mix of arm and body leads.

[Martin]

Alan
Do yourself a favor and stop mentioning Skippy Blair.

All your answer's seem to come from Skippy Blair rather than your own experiences

Either answer the question or say you do not know.

You do not get credit from who you know (or who you are a student of), but from what you know.

[Andy McGregor]

Is Skippy on the forum?

More to the point, Skippy Blair is not an expert at Modern Jive. All the MJ experts are in the UK, Australia and NZ. If Skippy Blair wanted to know more about Modern Jive I'd expect her to ask me, not the other way around. If I wanted to know more about WCS I'd be asking Skippy.

There could be much we could learn from Skippy Blair to improve the way we teach MJ. But it's the way rather than the dance - we know more than her about MJ because we are specialists in that particular dance.

p.s. I think we all need a new forename or nickname that means something to a dancer.

Kind regards.

Hoppy McGregor

[Martin]

Most people who teach MJ would disagree with this. MJ is led by a mix of arm and body leads.

Plus, the more you progress in MJ the more it becomes body leads.

In fact when I think about it, I could probably dance a whole track with an experienced MJ follower without hands.

Experiment time, try putting your arms by your side and dance MJ with someone... I bet you could do it Andy...

[Andy McGregor]

Experiment time, try putting your arms by your side and dance MJ with someone... I bet you could do it Andy...

I've done it with my hands in my pockets

[straycat]

In fact when I think about it, I could probably dance a whole track with an experienced MJ follower without hands.

I've done it with my hands in my pockets

Would you guys mind defining what you regard as a body lead?

[Alan Doyle]

Skippy taught you the Lindy Hop swingout?

Yes, she taught some basic patterns in Lindy. I do not teach Lindy, nor do I specialise in it that's why I say talk to Skippy about it.

[Andy McGregor]

Would you guys mind defining what you regard as a body lead?

For me it's a lead where your hand does not move relative to your body - your top half is usually an isolation. You move your feet, which moves your body, which leads the lady. An arm lead is where you move the lady by moving your hands relative to your body. As I said above, most of the time in Modern Jive you're doing a bit of both.

[Lory]

Hoppy McGregor

[straycat]

For me it's a lead where your hand does not move relative to your body - your top half is usually an isolation. You move your feet, which moves your body, which leads the lady. An arm lead is where you move the lady by moving your hands relative to your body. As I said above, most of the time in Modern Jive you're doing a bit of both.

OK. Then I'd say we have a somewhat different understanding of it....

Strutty Straycat

[Martin]

Would you guys mind defining what you regard as a body lead?

Where the movement of part of your body and not just arms dictates the movement of your partner.

Could be belly, shoulders, legs, feet, hips.

I have done excersises (as have other teachers) on lead and follow where you are not touching. In fact I have danced whole tracks with no contact and it has been a lot of fun, one step on, would be as Andy said, put your hands in your pockets and see if you can dance a track.

Something to try Straycat? - Give it a go with an experienced follow... is Lindy also relient on body lead as well, when done well?

PS, just re-read Andy's post, I do not agree with the just feet thing. My understanding of body lead, is body movement, not just feet, could be just about any part of the body, or a whole body moving.

[straycat]

Yes, she taught some basic patterns in Lindy. I do not teach Lindy, nor do I specialise in it that's why I say talk to Skippy about it.

I do both. In what way would my talking to Skippy help sort out your confusion?

[straycat]

Something to try Straycat? - Give it a go with an experienced follow... is Lindy also relient on body lead as well, when done well?

It's very much reliant on body lead, to be done well, yes. Some teachers teach it with a certain amount of arm-lead for some purposes, while others will aim for 100% body. I'd say I'm one of the latter - not so much because I disagree with the former, but because arm-leading is more instinctive for most people, and it's hard to get people to break the habit in the first instance.... whereas it's easy to add it back in later.

[straycat]

PS, just re-read Andy's post, I do not agree with the just feet thing. My understanding of body lead, is body movement, not just feet, could be just about any part of the body, or a whole body moving.

Aye. As practised in Lindy, it's about where movement originates - which is never the feet, but always in your core. To say one's hand does not move relative to one's body .... it's a good starting point when teaching body leads, but the techniques quickly go very much deeper than that. For a simple example - there was a much earlier discussion on another thread about the concept of body-leading a step back, while stepping back oneself.

[Andy McGregor]

PS, just re-read Andy's post, I do not agree with the just feet thing. My understanding of body lead, is body movement, not just feet, could be just about any part of the body, or a whole body moving.

I was putting it simply. You don't have to move your feet to move your body. The thing is that the lead comes from body movements rather than the hand moving relative to the body. You can, of course, move your body without stepping.

[Andy McGregor]

Strutty Straycat

Hoppity Mack

[Andy McGregor]

(totally missed the point about new names)

Come on Martin, get with the programme. Do you like "Jiggly"?

[spindr]

That's the way I learnt it from Skippy, if you have any questions...ask her about it.

Don't buy her this t-shirt then.

SpinDr

[Alan Doyle]

I do both. In what way would my talking to Skippy help sort out your confusion?

Your talking to Skippy would clarify why she teaches to realise on count 6 and do the extra turn. I am not confused that she teaches it this way.

[straycat]

I am not confused that she teaches it this way.

Great! Then you wouldn't mind explaining what you mean by an 'extra turn'?