Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five played Bobby McGee's this afternoon with no admission fee. Wow. I'd always heard the old-school Bal dancers did Bobby McGee's every other Sunday, but hadn't made it over. D'oh! It's 100 meters away from my apartment, has a free fruit and appitizer buffet, and pretty cool dancing. I was told the crowd turned out because of the live band, but it's tough to go wrong with free food and dancing. :-)
After a couple hours, I ran home to grab my vitamin supplements and came back to see the jam session. I recognized Nick Williams, Tip West, Jacob Wigger... ah geez, I wish I brought my camera to video everything. Tracy tried to bully me into jumping out onto the jam. Screw that! I need some performance stuff before I'm willing to let it all hang out like that. Introduced myself to Shaheed Qassim, who I chatted on the phone with a few months ago. Really nice guy. Watch him dance a bit too. He has a lot of dynamism, which I'd really like to add to my dancing. A lot.
The evening was a lot of fun as the pace of the music, the atmosphere, and the crowded floor pressured me to do mostly Balboa. Now I'm far from an expert, but I think I've gotten a lot more solid lately. Last Friday at Atomic, I was doing Bal with MichelleM, when I realized I didn't quite know what kind of footwork I was doing. It wasn't standard Bal footwork, but some kind of sideways flaring of my feet. It was in rhythm, but I couldn't figure it out. Sometime after the fact (last night? Today, even?), I realized I was doing a "fall off the log" without really putting any lean or motion into it. Works just fine. Dancing with MichelleM again, she remarks on it and I explain. I try to put more motion into it, which works a bit better. In retrospect, I see I can do a "fall onto the log" as well in this situation. In fact, that was part of the choreography in the Bal/Shag routine. Well, we never did that routine enough for me to anchor any of it into my social dancing.
What else am I doing? Oh, sometimes out of cross-breaks, I'd throw in a tuck turn, then be at a loss as to how I could work that back to Bal. Sometime in the last couple of weeks, I started doing the tuck-turn with Bal footwork, with a down-hold on four. Now I'm confused as this make the 6 count tuck-turn into an 8 count move. Oh, I'm making the 7-8 a spike-out. Then the return is a Sioux into a come-around back to Bal.
Was going to go to Atomic for Swing and Soul Sunday, but just ran out of gas. Food with some friends at Islands, than retreated to the Fortress of Solitude.
Showing posts with label new dance moves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new dance moves. Show all posts
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Excitement
I've been fighting through a few months of stagnant feelings in my dancing, but have been re-energized recently with some conversations and classes.
The first shock was my private lesson with Laura Keat... sort of. Let me be clear in saying it was an awesome, mind-blowing lesson that focused on a new connection paradigm. But in some ways, it's forced me to regress and focus on all my basic moves. As a result, my dancing doesn't feel as interesting. That's a bit frustrating, though I imagine if I took more private lessons, I would make faster progress.
Next was the series on smooth Lindy that Augie Freeman taught at Atomic Ballroom in April (2008). His swing-out basic involved a constant rotation on counts 3-6, giving the swing-out an extremely smooth, rotational feel. Very cool.
Next was a conversation with Jofflyn Valencia and Amber Villa. They filled-in as teachers for a class in April, and it was the most like taking a class with Jerry Jordan that I've ever had. That is, they were able to break down the footwork of their moves with extremely insightful technique observations. This month, they started teaching a level 1 and level 2 series on Tuesdays, as well as DJ'ing regularly on Tuesday nights. They mentioned in passing that all their technique and dancing was revolutionized by badgering (my word) competition judges for notes. Then they compiled their notes into a theory behind their dancing.
So after I heard all this, I contacted Jofflyn and told him I'd like to hear about his theory. We finally chatted this past Friday night and I got the brief version. They view dancing as broken down to movement, momentum, and rhythm. That's it, stripped bare. They re-emphasized the swing-out that Augie taught as what a basic swing-out should be, stripped of all styling. To this point, they view the slotted swing-out as a styling, theorizing that it was developed for movie formation work (single camera, no camera moves). Very interesting. The theory behind this is the idea of continuous movement: taking out as many of the places in which dancers come to a complete stop. I danced with Amber a bit and she had me strengthen my right elbow and smooth out my rotation (I was still accelerating through counts 5-6). Oh, she also wanted me to look her in the eye as much as possible. That felt creepy. :-)
Amber and Jofflyn also had me work on my Balboa basic. They tell me that I shouldn't gather, then step on 3-4 and 7-8. Rather, move my foot directly from where it was to where it's going. Again, as a basic, stripped of all styling. Much smoother. Very cool feeling. I know I've learned this before, but it's gotten lost in the mists of ... trying to learn moves. :-)
May's series with Augie starts out with us working on Balboa, and this same feeling carries across to his class. We start out working on our basic, doing a box step instead of a linear basic. We slightly change 2 and 6 to slightly sideways steps. Then we add the "lilt," leaning forward in the first half of the basic, then tilting back in the last half. Tweaked connection by focusing on leaning in and against each other and having leads connect to follows with the right forearm, relaxing the hand completely.
This week focused on spike-outs. And though this was a level 3 class, I was shocked how much I've learned. The first revelation for me was that I wasn't making "catching" contact early enough. If I contact on 7, the natural motion of the return rolls the follow back into my forearm. If I contact on 8, the follow gets so far away that my arm extends and she jerks to a stop. This dovetails with Amber and Jofflyn's continuous motion theory. My spike-out is so much better from this one class. We add a spike-out variation where the leads face away on 5, with the left arm wrapped around us clock-wise just below shoulder level. We need to have our right hand ready to catch on 7 again. Also continuous spike-outs: We do another spike-out instead of a come-around to end it.
Finally, we worked on improv steps. We're repeating certain counts. Last week was repeatedly shuffling 5-6 until we felt the need to go on. This week, we do paddles, something which I've never learned successfully. Augie makes it easy. :-) Initially, we prep our 1-3 like a transition step, down on 3 rotating to the left. Hold 4. Repeat 5-6 (right, left) either rotationally or in-line. Similar action with feet reversed on 1-2 (after down on 7, hold 8). Fall-onto/off-the-log are the final move, starting with either a left foot kick on 4 or a right foot kick on 8. Just realized we can do either the on or off version by leading the weight shift.
Anyway, this smoother style of basic is awesome. Application, there's a heavier follow who comes regularly to Atomic. Well, there are lots, but this one dances extremely heavy. Before, I had to really dig in on 3-4 and 7-8 in order to keep from getting overbalanced. I dance with her every night, so I specifically remember this happening last week. Last night with this continuous motion swing-out, it was effortless on 3-6. Even 7-8 was better with a more circular feel.
Danced with Caitlin of the Bobbysox Brigade (Amber and Jofflyn's troupe) last night. Amazing.
The first shock was my private lesson with Laura Keat... sort of. Let me be clear in saying it was an awesome, mind-blowing lesson that focused on a new connection paradigm. But in some ways, it's forced me to regress and focus on all my basic moves. As a result, my dancing doesn't feel as interesting. That's a bit frustrating, though I imagine if I took more private lessons, I would make faster progress.
Next was the series on smooth Lindy that Augie Freeman taught at Atomic Ballroom in April (2008). His swing-out basic involved a constant rotation on counts 3-6, giving the swing-out an extremely smooth, rotational feel. Very cool.
Next was a conversation with Jofflyn Valencia and Amber Villa. They filled-in as teachers for a class in April, and it was the most like taking a class with Jerry Jordan that I've ever had. That is, they were able to break down the footwork of their moves with extremely insightful technique observations. This month, they started teaching a level 1 and level 2 series on Tuesdays, as well as DJ'ing regularly on Tuesday nights. They mentioned in passing that all their technique and dancing was revolutionized by badgering (my word) competition judges for notes. Then they compiled their notes into a theory behind their dancing.
So after I heard all this, I contacted Jofflyn and told him I'd like to hear about his theory. We finally chatted this past Friday night and I got the brief version. They view dancing as broken down to movement, momentum, and rhythm. That's it, stripped bare. They re-emphasized the swing-out that Augie taught as what a basic swing-out should be, stripped of all styling. To this point, they view the slotted swing-out as a styling, theorizing that it was developed for movie formation work (single camera, no camera moves). Very interesting. The theory behind this is the idea of continuous movement: taking out as many of the places in which dancers come to a complete stop. I danced with Amber a bit and she had me strengthen my right elbow and smooth out my rotation (I was still accelerating through counts 5-6). Oh, she also wanted me to look her in the eye as much as possible. That felt creepy. :-)
Amber and Jofflyn also had me work on my Balboa basic. They tell me that I shouldn't gather, then step on 3-4 and 7-8. Rather, move my foot directly from where it was to where it's going. Again, as a basic, stripped of all styling. Much smoother. Very cool feeling. I know I've learned this before, but it's gotten lost in the mists of ... trying to learn moves. :-)
May's series with Augie starts out with us working on Balboa, and this same feeling carries across to his class. We start out working on our basic, doing a box step instead of a linear basic. We slightly change 2 and 6 to slightly sideways steps. Then we add the "lilt," leaning forward in the first half of the basic, then tilting back in the last half. Tweaked connection by focusing on leaning in and against each other and having leads connect to follows with the right forearm, relaxing the hand completely.
This week focused on spike-outs. And though this was a level 3 class, I was shocked how much I've learned. The first revelation for me was that I wasn't making "catching" contact early enough. If I contact on 7, the natural motion of the return rolls the follow back into my forearm. If I contact on 8, the follow gets so far away that my arm extends and she jerks to a stop. This dovetails with Amber and Jofflyn's continuous motion theory. My spike-out is so much better from this one class. We add a spike-out variation where the leads face away on 5, with the left arm wrapped around us clock-wise just below shoulder level. We need to have our right hand ready to catch on 7 again. Also continuous spike-outs: We do another spike-out instead of a come-around to end it.
Finally, we worked on improv steps. We're repeating certain counts. Last week was repeatedly shuffling 5-6 until we felt the need to go on. This week, we do paddles, something which I've never learned successfully. Augie makes it easy. :-) Initially, we prep our 1-3 like a transition step, down on 3 rotating to the left. Hold 4. Repeat 5-6 (right, left) either rotationally or in-line. Similar action with feet reversed on 1-2 (after down on 7, hold 8). Fall-onto/off-the-log are the final move, starting with either a left foot kick on 4 or a right foot kick on 8. Just realized we can do either the on or off version by leading the weight shift.
Anyway, this smoother style of basic is awesome. Application, there's a heavier follow who comes regularly to Atomic. Well, there are lots, but this one dances extremely heavy. Before, I had to really dig in on 3-4 and 7-8 in order to keep from getting overbalanced. I dance with her every night, so I specifically remember this happening last week. Last night with this continuous motion swing-out, it was effortless on 3-6. Even 7-8 was better with a more circular feel.
Danced with Caitlin of the Bobbysox Brigade (Amber and Jofflyn's troupe) last night. Amazing.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Dancing Dissonance
Jerry Jordan was covering for Shesha Marvin at yesterday's OC Swing Sunday classes. I wish I'd remembered in time to make the beginner lesson. It would have been priceless to see Jerry teaching a swing-out with a rock-step at the beginning.
The lead-and-follow class was slanted more toward swing-out technique than Shesha and Nikki's classes. Well, what little I've seen of their classes, anyway.
The cool content was the Intermediate and Intermediate Shadow Charleston classes.
Swing-out from closed
The "AJ" swing-out
This was a swing-out where the leads release the left hand during 3-a-4, and the follows hijacked by sliding under the lead's extended right arm (or ducking under). Follows kept the left hand in the standart location on the shoulder, and slid the right hand under the leads right shoulder to clasp it from both sides. Ended in right-to-left.
Rotational rock-step to a sit-dip on 5, spinning out on 6-7, connecting by 8
Swing-out with outside free-spin, leads kick-step with right leg on 7-8 to set up Cross-Kicks
Cross-Kicks
Cross-Kicks with release (kick-step, kick-step, kick-step in circle and back in to cross-kick position)
In handshake, rock-step, kick
Rock-step, inside turn to rag-doll (follow's back into lead's chest for dip), pop up into
Shadow Charleston
Follow Turn
Follow half-turn, Lead Turn to right into lead-in-front Tandem
Dusseldorfer (bring follow around to standard tandem, weight on right foot on 8
Rock-step kick (left), into chase
Right side is kick-cross with upright feel
Rock-Step kick-cross
Rock-Step skip, skip, badump (jump-land)
Tuck-Turn from Chase position (Leads rock-step right, release left hand, end in handshake, fake footwork)
Nice!!!
Especially liked the outside free-spin to cross-kicks transition.
The lead-and-follow class was slanted more toward swing-out technique than Shesha and Nikki's classes. Well, what little I've seen of their classes, anyway.
The cool content was the Intermediate and Intermediate Shadow Charleston classes.
Swing-out from closed
The "AJ" swing-out
This was a swing-out where the leads release the left hand during 3-a-4, and the follows hijacked by sliding under the lead's extended right arm (or ducking under). Follows kept the left hand in the standart location on the shoulder, and slid the right hand under the leads right shoulder to clasp it from both sides. Ended in right-to-left.
Rotational rock-step to a sit-dip on 5, spinning out on 6-7, connecting by 8
Swing-out with outside free-spin, leads kick-step with right leg on 7-8 to set up Cross-Kicks
Cross-Kicks
Cross-Kicks with release (kick-step, kick-step, kick-step in circle and back in to cross-kick position)
In handshake, rock-step, kick
Rock-step, inside turn to rag-doll (follow's back into lead's chest for dip), pop up into
Shadow Charleston
Follow Turn
Follow half-turn, Lead Turn to right into lead-in-front Tandem
Dusseldorfer (bring follow around to standard tandem, weight on right foot on 8
Rock-step kick (left), into chase
Right side is kick-cross with upright feel
Rock-Step kick-cross
Rock-Step skip, skip, badump (jump-land)
Tuck-Turn from Chase position (Leads rock-step right, release left hand, end in handshake, fake footwork)
Nice!!!
Especially liked the outside free-spin to cross-kicks transition.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sunday Classes
20070909
I make it over for Shadow Charleston. Chase entry, basic, turn, push-out, chase, back to tandem, push-out exit.
Intermediate
Move of the week is a fake swing-out where we put our right hand on the follow's shoulder on 3-4 to add a turn, catch the follow's right elbow and sink forward on 5-6, lead a double turn on 7-8, exit into a drag.
Routine:
Rock-step, cross, step and step (x2)
swing-out going under the follow's hand on 5-6, rotating to the left, and going back into closed.
swing-out with outside free-spin, leads following back-into closed
swing-out with apache (stay in handshake, turning away from the follow. 7&8 footwork is right-right-left)
Shorty-George starting on 1
4-count outside spin + 4-count inside spin
rock-step turn into a drag
pop-up into closed
Nice little routine. I'm getting more comfortable with doing the basic drag, but I still have a ways to go with them.
Atomic:
Shag & Balboa
A little unstructured. We cover basic steps, basic styling. Some basic shag with tiny styling again. Back bal where we cover the super saturday night spike-out special: Spike-out with outside turn. Pick-up with inside turn, then Apache spike-out!
Routines Class
We cover the Shim-Sham, which we need for the Swing 2 team. I think with three choreography classes a week during the moth, we can get it done (by ourselves).
I make it over for Shadow Charleston. Chase entry, basic, turn, push-out, chase, back to tandem, push-out exit.
Intermediate
Move of the week is a fake swing-out where we put our right hand on the follow's shoulder on 3-4 to add a turn, catch the follow's right elbow and sink forward on 5-6, lead a double turn on 7-8, exit into a drag.
Routine:
Rock-step, cross, step and step (x2)
swing-out going under the follow's hand on 5-6, rotating to the left, and going back into closed.
swing-out with outside free-spin, leads following back-into closed
swing-out with apache (stay in handshake, turning away from the follow. 7&8 footwork is right-right-left)
Shorty-George starting on 1
4-count outside spin + 4-count inside spin
rock-step turn into a drag
pop-up into closed
Nice little routine. I'm getting more comfortable with doing the basic drag, but I still have a ways to go with them.
Atomic:
Shag & Balboa
A little unstructured. We cover basic steps, basic styling. Some basic shag with tiny styling again. Back bal where we cover the super saturday night spike-out special: Spike-out with outside turn. Pick-up with inside turn, then Apache spike-out!
Routines Class
We cover the Shim-Sham, which we need for the Swing 2 team. I think with three choreography classes a week during the moth, we can get it done (by ourselves).
Monday, April 16, 2007
First Trip To Lindy Groove
4/12/2007
Was originally planning to attend Atomic Ballroom's Club Dance classes (combining ballroom, latin, and swing moves with contemporary music), but made a late decision to head to Pasadena's Lindy Groove instead. Made it in time for the Intermediate lesson by Dave Graybill. He starts us off doing standard swing outs, then apache swing outs. The first move was an apache swing out with a catch of the follow's upper right-arm on 7, and moving into what I think of as the cabbage-patch reverse swing out. After that, we did the beginning of a standard swing out, but on the four count, the leads step under their own left arm, switching the right foot out for the left, then spinning the follow outside into side by side Charleston position. Pretty cool stuff, but I'll have to work on it.
Saw Jeremy and Laura, whom I know peripherally as Atomic regulars and team members. I'm probably barely on their radar, six weeks into my swing education.
I get in a bunch of dances in a row to start off the evening. There are lots of follows willing to dance, which makes for a really enjoyable time. SL, who originally inspired me to get into swing dance, is a regular at LG, shows up, and I get to show my zero to "solid in the basics" progress. I ask her for honest feedback, and after some searching, she points out that I still bring my left arm/hand up while dancing, but complements me in general. She hints that I might be a bit swing out heavy, which is probably tougher on follows. She's funny in her subtlety, though. "Do you know the Sugar Push? Maybe you could throw that in to take a break..." I remember thinking about how good a dancer she was back at ABC, but after learning more about the structure of swing, I'm even more amazed. She has an amazingly "solid" feel as a follow, which makes me reflect on how most beginning follows at Atomic don't follow-through with their momentum during the middle section of swing outs.
I get the "point out" tour of the best regulars at Lindy Groove, and it's an intimidating bunch. Quite a few people who perform, teach, and tour/teach dance at LG regularly. If the high-end dancers at Top Cats Monday are mostly advanced (with a sprinkling of master level dancers), then the high end at LG is mostly master level dancers. Even the people who aren't at that level have amazing musicality in their dance. It's a humbling experience to be faced with exactly how far I have to go. There are all kinds of stylings that get added on to the end of swing outs for two or four counts, body rolls, lead spins, etc. So much to learn!
Last dance was to Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity, and the people there (the true hard-core at that point), really went to town. I danced with SL, and was lost for a bit, but went to a blues rhythm and got on track. Managed to work in a couple swing outs as well, once in the groove. Tried to really get into the musicality with some body rolls and hitting the musical breaks. Nice. More for me than her. I couldn't stop thinking "charity dance."
Saw Nicole (Atomic regular and OC Swing Sunday class) after the wrap-up and significant other(?)[1] in the parking lot on the way out. Apparently she makes the trip every week. We didn't dance that night, but she says to "save a couple dances for me" at Atomic. For sure.
[1] Update 20071102
It was Henri. And I have no idea whether they're dating, but I kind of doubt it.
Was originally planning to attend Atomic Ballroom's Club Dance classes (combining ballroom, latin, and swing moves with contemporary music), but made a late decision to head to Pasadena's Lindy Groove instead. Made it in time for the Intermediate lesson by Dave Graybill. He starts us off doing standard swing outs, then apache swing outs. The first move was an apache swing out with a catch of the follow's upper right-arm on 7, and moving into what I think of as the cabbage-patch reverse swing out. After that, we did the beginning of a standard swing out, but on the four count, the leads step under their own left arm, switching the right foot out for the left, then spinning the follow outside into side by side Charleston position. Pretty cool stuff, but I'll have to work on it.
Saw Jeremy and Laura, whom I know peripherally as Atomic regulars and team members. I'm probably barely on their radar, six weeks into my swing education.
I get in a bunch of dances in a row to start off the evening. There are lots of follows willing to dance, which makes for a really enjoyable time. SL, who originally inspired me to get into swing dance, is a regular at LG, shows up, and I get to show my zero to "solid in the basics" progress. I ask her for honest feedback, and after some searching, she points out that I still bring my left arm/hand up while dancing, but complements me in general. She hints that I might be a bit swing out heavy, which is probably tougher on follows. She's funny in her subtlety, though. "Do you know the Sugar Push? Maybe you could throw that in to take a break..." I remember thinking about how good a dancer she was back at ABC, but after learning more about the structure of swing, I'm even more amazed. She has an amazingly "solid" feel as a follow, which makes me reflect on how most beginning follows at Atomic don't follow-through with their momentum during the middle section of swing outs.
I get the "point out" tour of the best regulars at Lindy Groove, and it's an intimidating bunch. Quite a few people who perform, teach, and tour/teach dance at LG regularly. If the high-end dancers at Top Cats Monday are mostly advanced (with a sprinkling of master level dancers), then the high end at LG is mostly master level dancers. Even the people who aren't at that level have amazing musicality in their dance. It's a humbling experience to be faced with exactly how far I have to go. There are all kinds of stylings that get added on to the end of swing outs for two or four counts, body rolls, lead spins, etc. So much to learn!
Last dance was to Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity, and the people there (the true hard-core at that point), really went to town. I danced with SL, and was lost for a bit, but went to a blues rhythm and got on track. Managed to work in a couple swing outs as well, once in the groove. Tried to really get into the musicality with some body rolls and hitting the musical breaks. Nice. More for me than her. I couldn't stop thinking "charity dance."
Saw Nicole (Atomic regular and OC Swing Sunday class) after the wrap-up and significant other(?)[1] in the parking lot on the way out. Apparently she makes the trip every week. We didn't dance that night, but she says to "save a couple dances for me" at Atomic. For sure.
[1] Update 20071102
It was Henri. And I have no idea whether they're dating, but I kind of doubt it.
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