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+ View Older Messages

Re: Heel Leads
Posted by anymouse
8/25/2007  8:17:00 PM
"with the NT which does not have a foot position on three as the foot is already in place so this gives you an extra half beat that has to be used up somewhere?"

Actually this is incorrect.

Step 3 begins when the foot is only halfway closed. As a result, there is still movement of the foot to be accomplished during the period of step three.

Reality is further confusing though: this portion of the period of step three will customarily take place during the second half of beat 2, such that the foot arrives ready to take weight sometime around the strike of beat 3.

In terms of using up all of beat three - some is used as your complete the rise, some is used as you lower, and some is used as you move the other foot towards the next step one, so that it can arrive on that beat.
Re: Heel Leads
Posted by anymouse
8/21/2007  7:22:00 PM
"You asked for an exercise. This may sound silly but you could try pushing a very heavy wheelbarrow. This will help because the heavy wheelbarrow will make it impossible for you to move in a choppy way. you will get the feeling of your body moving continuously and smoothly forward while you legs and feet work underneath you"

Phil, this has a kernel of great insight in it.

What the wheelabarrow does is give you a resistance to work against, and encourage you to fully commit your weight and drive into the movement without holding back.

Most beginner and intermediate dancers won't get the opportunity to do that, because the've already gotten ahead of themselves and must try to slow their body down at a time when they really should be driving.

When the dancer develops enough skill to draw out the preceding lowering action, then they will have the opportunity to drive into the next heel lead - instead of already going to fast, they will be needing to speed slightly with an actual drive. Instead of external resistance in a wheelbarrow, the small but critical resistance will be coming from the inertia of pushing to accelerate their own body.

If you feel like you you need to put on the brakes during a heel lead step, well that's evidence that you've gotten yourself moving too fast too soon. There's nothing within the realm of proper technique that you can do to fix it this time around, only try to draw out the preceding step more in the next measure.
Re: Heel Leads
Posted by jwlinson
8/21/2007  10:20:00 PM
Perhaps I should elaborate...

"rolling" was my terminology, not theirs. Anymouse, your description:

"When the movement is done properly, the ball of the foot directly follows the heel - you very nearly are placing the whole foot, because the "just heel" time is very short."

is probably a better description. It describes what I am doing.

my bad.

J
Re: Heel Leads
Posted by Doug
8/22/2007  4:53:00 AM
Anymouse. If I understand what you are saying,in order to get that long two in the waltz N.T. we should slow down or take more time on the preperation step or the end of a preceding step.
Re: Heel Leads
Posted by Serendipidy
8/24/2007  10:53:00 PM
Where are your teachers. These are the very first steps we ever take . Find a good DVD. Look and see how the weight arrives under the body and if you are counting , on what count. Look to see how much the knee has bent as the weight arrives on it. That must take some moment of time to get that compression. Do you agree. Now do you swing on two and sway on three. Richard Gleave and John Wood will tell you on their videos. Both of which are still available. Guys this is just the first three steps. If they are not done correctly what hope is there for the rest of your routines.
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