And how is that done?

Act as though you're trying to keep yourself from breaking wind.

Sorry if that response seems vulgar but it's what I was originally taught and it works.

jj

Being impeded by counterproductive muscle tension seems as common a problem as not using the muscles necessary to create a given quality in dancing.

So I'm a little cautious about out-of-context advice to activate this muscle or that muscle.

Instead, I find it more productive to teach the specific properties of body alignment and movement which the student should be trying to maintain, and how various muscles can contribute to that.

By being aware of the goal, the student is better able to find just the right amount of muscle tone at the times when tone is needed, and relaxation at the times where that is what is essential.

The core is never relaxed at any time in any dance.

jj

"The core is never relaxed at any time in any dance."

There is enough difference between the core tone needed to "hold together" the dramatically swinging body when moving towards and through step 2 of a feather, as compared to the relaxation that was needed when first arriving onto step 1, that I'd be strongly inclined to disagree.

Dancing is a study in contrasts. We need to use the muscle tone needed to hold our alignment when the movement forces challenge it, but it's equally important that we find the relaxation needed to move through a foot in an easy and settled manner when that is appropriate. At the times when we are simply following our inertia with our body vertical, there should be no need for any real "dance" tone in the center, because there should not be any more forces to distort than there would be if we were just standing there waiting for the bus. If we carry muscle activation when it is not appropriate, we are just wasting energy and inhibiting our ability to settle into the ultimate character of the dance.

Excess tension is also notorious for its interference with partners' ability to be sensitive to each other, or even to be fully aware of the position of their own weight.

One must also learn that there will often by marked contrast between one side of the body and the other - one leg and its hip active, the other at times as relaxed as our motor system can allow it to be.

I see from your response on his thread and your completely pointless response on another that you want to start another fight. I'm not going to accommodate you.

Your claim that there is such a thing as "the relaxation that was needed when first arriving onto step 1" is just silliness. Even if there were some part of the dancer's form that would be relaxed at such a time, it would not be the core.


There are no such times.

Also, I have no idea what you mean by "excess tension." Do you seriously believe that some dancers could be tightening their core too much? Are there any recorded instances of a dancer suffering a hernia, for example, due to extreme exertion of the abs and glutes?

If by "excess tension" you mean a lack of flexibility then you don't understand what tone is.

As I and others have pointed out many times, if something the dancer does is painful then the dancer is doing it incorrectly.

Go ahead and prattle on with your nonsense. I've said my piece and I'm done.

jj

"Your claim that there is such a thing as "the relaxation that was needed when first arriving onto step 1" is just silliness. Even if there were some part of the dancer's form that would be relaxed at such a time, it would not be the core."

If you wish to fully utilize the energy available in the downswing, you need to release the muscle tension you are carrying into it. Since there are not at this point any forces due to movement that would distort your body trunk, you really do not need any more core tone than you would have if you were just standing around in a non-dancing mode.

". . . the times when we are simply following our inertia with our body vertical, . . .

There are no such times."

You will be a much better dancer when you discover them. Dancing is not about work, work, work - it is about the cyclic transition between drive and drift, and between fall and rise.

"Also, I have no idea what you mean by "excess tension." Do you seriously believe that some dancers could be tightening their core too much?"

Absolutely, it is an extremely common problem.

"Are there any recorded instances of a dancer suffering a hernia, for example, due to extreme exertion of the abs and glutes?"

I'd be surprised if there weren't. But that's largely irrelevant. Over use does not have to risk injury in order to be detrimental - the minute it starts limiting the needed release it becomes a problem. Luca Baricchi has or at least had a great lecture on this on youtube - though in my opinion he argues for taking the relaxation too far.

The essentially skill is to be able to have one muscle activated to sustain an aspect of posture that could not be maintained against otherwise, while having another immediately next to it, or its sibling on the other side of the body, entirely relaxed to permit a range of movement that could not be achieved otherwise.

Listening to the exchanges between anymouse and jofj reminds me of what goes on in Washington, D.C. -- a lot of rhetoric from men and women who are so much alike, they think they dislike each other. Watching from the sidelines, I can say that both of you bring very insightful and thoughtful material to this board. Who is right and who is wrong is not as important as understanding how other dancers think and view things, so all of that is very good. Since I started this post, and received a lot of great ideas and feedback, and then it went off into other interesting areas, I can say that jofj's idea about holding the butt firm as if not wanting to break wind is a humorous and good tip to share with students, and it actually works in making you look more solid and strong. And anymouse always views things almost like a scientist, which is also good.
Thanks for the debates.

No vulgarity taken. I was told to engage my ab muscles all the way down to just above the pubic bone. I think that's possibly the same thing. I'm not an expert in such matters!

Yes, that works.

It is possible to contract the lower abs without also engaging the hips but doing so requires a complex action.
It's easier and much more effective just to tighten your butt.

jj

PS Not too hard, though. Don't want to risk a hernia!