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Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by anymouse
7/7/2008  9:50:00 AM
"Does anybodyn else believe that the ISTD made a mistake when they allowed the word fall to be used. Should it have been rise and lower.What we most certainly don't do is fall. We lower dont we."

Ultimately, it is like this:

When you practice, you "lower".

When you dance, you "fall".

To fully dance, you must make use of the full energy of gravity pulling you towards the floor, and do so with abandon, without holding back.

But to do that safely and not bombastically, you must spend a lot of time practicing careful movements to build control, both as a skill and as a physical strength in your muscles.

Therefore - practice "lowering" but when it comes time to fully dance, let yourself "fall" and trust in your practice-earned ability to use that energy.

It's like that "life lived in fear is a life half lived" quote from the movie. You can't go around being irresponsible all of the time. But you also can't fully live without occasionally taking a risk.
Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by Polished
7/6/2008  4:45:00 PM
cdroge. Practice for Foxtrot. On your own to music. Dance down the floor all slows and with every step a heel.Only allow the moving foot to arrive under the body on the second beat and on the next step on the fourth beat. Obey the golden rule spoken about by John wood on his tape.. Stand on the supporting foot as long as possible. This may feel like a momentary pause, but it isn't because you are now flexing the knee which at the extent of the stride was straight. You must count either 1 2 3 4, or slow (and) slow (and). (and) being beat two and four.
If you had been made to do this type of practise 35 years ago you wouldn't have needed to read the above.
I've gone into a bit of detail here because reading this there might be some less informed.
Any of you who are into the Rumba would be well advised to do the same up and down the floor to music but stepping ball flat and not heel leads of course.
Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by cdroge
7/7/2008  11:46:00 AM
Polished: Welcome back Quickstep it is you is it not?
Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by Polished
7/11/2008  1:35:00 AM
Lets get back to the raising and lowering in the Swing Dances. The person who has written and believes that the third step is down on a Feather Step and not maintained as the technique book says. How would you do an Open Telemark third step. Are you up and then lower. How about in the same step in the Waltz. What of the last step of a Progressive Chasse. Don't tell me that isn't at its highest point after step three onto step four. How about the last step of a Lockstep in the Quickstep. Don't tell me that that isn't with height maintained then lower. How about step four on your Quarter Turn in the Quickstep. What does the book say. Page 44. Alex Moore.
Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by terence2
7/11/2008  4:07:00 AM
PLEASE... dont quote the book.. thats for exam purposes, and was devised to create standardisation, and much of it does not relate with reality ,into todays interpretations of the practical application of advanced theories.

Remember, that was written in 1948.... there have been many changes in techn., music and style since that time ( I know, Ive lived , danced and taught thru them ) .

There is an ongoing discussion in great detail on a far more technical level, on this very subject , on Dance Forums .

There are 3/4 dominant styles currently being proffered to the comp. arena...... Italian, Classic English and Round , which many coaches are teaching, with no consensus . In addition to those, add the " body " school also prominent.

Let me pass on this nugget for you to consider... world famous coach once stated ( para phrased )

" no technique can be firm, and any may change due to circumstance ".


Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by anymouse
7/11/2008  9:36:00 AM
"The person who has written and believes that the third step is down on a Feather Step and not maintained as the technique book says."

You are misquoting.

What was said was that the quality mentioned in the book, the rise in the feet, is in fact maintained. But at the same time, the body is already losing altitude as the legs separate during the beginning of step three.

Foot rise and altitude are not the same thing. You can have altitude without foot rise, and you can also as in this case loose altitude while still maintaining foot rise.

Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by Polished
7/11/2008  8:02:00 PM
Anonymous. I doubt if any of us get as high on step two as for instance Luca on youtube does.Which means that step three isn't as it could or should be. Harry Smith Hampshire posed the question Where should the moving foot be at the time the heel lowers to the floor on the third step of the Feather Step. He never did give the answer and now never will unfortunately. But it does show for he to put it in writing on his web- site that it is a contentious point. It will probably be argued about for ever. But never the less the book does say how it was being danced at the time it was written,I don't think anybody else has been game enough to have written that step in any other way. Which is. Rise at the end of one .Up for two and three. Lower at the end of three.
Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by terence2
7/12/2008  12:16:00 AM
Wrong again my friend... Scrivener addresses that very point IN writing , and totally contradicts the written technique with good theory. ( and he danced rings around Harry ! ,, but there again, he did that with everyone !)

There were 3/4 great theorists during that time.. Scrivener, Tolmeyer, Jacques and Thiebault , ..many agreed with Lens theories ( harry was more a technician.. big difference )
Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by anymouse
7/12/2008  8:39:00 AM
"Scrivener addresses that very point IN writing , and totally contradicts the written technique"

Scrivener does not actually contradict the written technique nearly as much as it first appears.

The difference is that scrivener is speaking of rise and fall in terms of overall body altitude, and accurately describing what you would see developing in the body altitude when a good dancer is fully dancing.

Moore on the other hand describes the specific component of rise in the feet and legs, and accurately describes the timing used for that. But his descriptions lead to misleading conclusions about something that he actually does not discuss, which is the overall altitude of the body.

As for the timing of when the heel lowers, a little sense will show that if you are planning to descend deeply into the knee as in done today, then the foot will have to go flat on the floor a lot earlier in the overall process of descending than it would if we were not going to bend our knee as deeply. In other words, both answers are correct for the circumstances they describe, but the real general answer is 'precisely when it needs to in order to sustain the chosen path of descent'
Re: Rise and Fall in the International Waltz
Posted by terence2
7/12/2008  9:03:00 AM
If you had lessons with Len, you would know that he DID disagree with the " book" .
He went at great lengths to demonstrate the innacuracy of the wording . No one is denying the legs come into play.. thats not the issue .

Also worth repeating more of his philosophy.. the exactitude of each individual, may differ to some degree .

len chose his words very carefully, and pretty much what he said was what he meant .



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