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Our Circumference
Posted by Quickstep
4/19/2006  11:05:00 PM
Somebody was asking for a few excercises to help understand dancing. I've lost them somewhere. Don't dance outside your circumference when stepping to the side. Stand feet together knees straightish. Point a toe to the front and draw a half circle to the rear. Now bend the supporting knee and draw a half circle again. It's bigger isn't it. Bend it some more,its bigger still. You must dance within that circumferance. When we watch tapes we only see what appears to be a large step to the side. What we need to do is take note on how much the supporting knee is bending and is being used..
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by phil.samways
4/20/2006  9:30:00 AM
I know this isn't on the 'circumference' topic, but it is on exercises to help understand dancing.
I think i have 2 good exercises to help develop good leg and foot action.
1)walk upstairs without your upper body/head moving up and down - keep it moving upwards in a straight line. Very tiring on the legs, but you have to develop good co-ordinated leg and foot action.
2)Walk backwards uphill (not too steep a hill at first) Doing this requires you to push hard with the standing leg, and this feeling is obvious doing this exercise. Explain to your neighbours that you're developing dancing skills!!
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Quickstep
4/20/2006  11:43:00 PM
Phil. Another excercise worth doing is to stand with the feet together.Put the weight onto whichever side you like. Bend the supporting knee as much as you wish. Point to the side and draw the feet together on the two toes and lower. Repeat on the other leg. Not only is this a strengthener excercise, it teaches how important the bending of the knee is on the supporting foot. Which takes us a stage further than the cicumference comments. After this it should be easy to step forward from a fully lowered position (bent knee) and complete a Closed Change. And further if you wish, turn 90 degrees over your now standing foot and complete the first three of a Natural Turn using the same action.
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Anonymous
4/21/2006  12:43:00 PM
Wouldn't the circle move with your body between the time you start the step and the time you place it?
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Quickstep
4/22/2006  12:30:00 AM
Anonymous. No. This is our distance. To visibly move the center will result in a collapsed second step and usually does
just that through over stepping. When writting I was on a step to the side. Try the same on a forward or backward step. With the bending of the knee push to the circumference. Now you are on a new center position. I was at a lecture last year when it came up that on a step to the side as in step two of a Natural. Some are arriving almost flat on that step. Not the best dancers though. They arrive incredibly high on there toes, which can't happen if a person overstrides. Don't take anybodys word for it. Check with a video in slow motion especialy IDSF competitions. If I can't get as high on my toes as they, then I have to find out why. A mirror is a great help.
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Anonymous
4/22/2006  9:07:00 AM
"To visibly move the center will result in a collapsed second step and usually does
just that through over stepping."

So you don't believe the body moves during the course of preparing a step"
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Quickstep
4/22/2006  8:48:00 PM
Anonymous. Finding the area around our centre revisited. Two straight legs at the extent of our stride. Front toe off the floor. Rear heel of the floor. Front foot is at our maximum to the edge of our circle. Back leg starts to bend and pushes forward. The weight is arriving onto the front leg which is bending allowing the rear toe to go to its very end . You can please yourself if you want a Feather Step or after coming into a nuetral position a step to the side as in Waltz from a very bent knee. If you study, some also have a bent knee on step two which gives an apearance of having more rise. Does the body move. Common sense would tell you that unless you wish to dance all night within a circle you will be taking your body over whichever is your standing leg The point of this discusion is.Do we have outside of our centre, an area which is the circumference, and how can we find it. Try yourself. Point the toe to the front from a bent knee on the standing leg the more you bend the bigger the step will be.. Mark that spot. Then step from a neutral position, with a heel lead. Where do you finish up. It should be on the edge of your circle. Any further will create difficulty in your movement. The same applies going to the side.
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Anonymous
4/22/2006  9:37:00 PM
It seems to me that in calling the path of possibility circular, you are neglecting the momentum of the body, which as you should know is never zero when lowered.
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Quickstep
4/24/2006  12:00:00 AM
Anonymous. I dont know about you but I lower verticaly in the Waltz at the end of three and. I then start to move into CBM on the and count.
In the Foxtrot at the end of the Feather lower and then I come to a neutral balance point with the weight over my RF before the Reverse Turn. Having completed the first three steps of the Reverse I will have feeling and a look of about to dive forward off a diving board. Any arguments there I suggest you go and have a look at your tapes. This allows a lowering and bending of the knee on step three. Very important but often missed. The reason for using a circle as a guide is we don't draw a square which is not natural for this type of work. Moving the foot in an arc from front to back also gives us our side distance. Just a reminder. The more the knee is bent the greater the distance becoming available.
Re: Our Circumference
Posted by Anonymous
4/24/2006  6:09:00 AM
You have to pick a direction before you lower, quickstep. So you possibilities are not even remotely circular.

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