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Corporal Whip
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Fun..damentals
Sometimes its healthy to critique technique & go right back to the beginning and look at absolute basics.
If its good enough for the pro's to spend hours drilling fundamentals, it should be good enough for dancers at all levels.
Here is a new thread covering some of this as there has been some people asking for it..
Frame (Lead & Follow): Tatiana’s guidance to all is always feel it through the latorial muscles, these need tension to create a frame correctly.
Her simple method is to roll the shoulders up back and down, taking both hands forward in the typical default position.
‘Default’ position (Lead & Follow): Upright & head up keeping eye contact with partner helps here), weight centred* (as though a string running through you top to bottom, * (contradictory well… no)- back on the forward part of the heel (divide the foot into 5 parts – 1 toes, 2 ball, 3 instep, 4 front of heel, 5 back of heel).
Arms: upper downwards slightly forward to create gap 75mm approx between torso and elbow. Hands forward wrists straight and not inclined. The arms should be therefore more than shoulder width apart and the hands straight out, not inclining inwards to the stomach.
Grip:
Try too make a few things clearer, there is novice hand holds and more advanced techniques for communicating the dance. It changes as the dance advances but look early for the bad habits developing.
Novice; Lead is offering left hand little finger to the floor the thumb to the sky with the forefinger pointing (sometimes described as the pistol grip). Leads offer as much as possible flesh & bones of the 2 middle fingers. Offer the right exactly as the left for two hands.
The Follow in here offers as much RH hooked over the top of the 2 digits as possible.
Leads try not to twist the hand as it influences the lead and can start to pull muscles. Ask what’s comfortable to a few follows. Visually you are looking for straight wrists.
Leads try to minimise the air gap between the hook over and the fleshy bit of the palms near the thumb but do not make this like a parking clamp.
Please please please do not wrap the thumb over ever.
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12/Sep/2007, 12:59 pm
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AllanAJ
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Re: Fun..damentals
Nice. Thanks.
Always go to re-visit this stuff, forgot about pistol grip.
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12/Sep/2007, 1:41 pm
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alexo
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Re: Fun..damentals
All good stuff, I need to work on not overextending my arms (apparently).
Bum in, t*ts out n all that.
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21/Sep/2007, 12:53 pm
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Corporal Whip
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Re: Fun..damentals
Now there's a sight....let me dwell for a few mo's
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21/Sep/2007, 6:42 pm
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alexo
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Re: Fun..damentals
where's the blush smiley 
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21/Sep/2007, 6:46 pm
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Corporal Whip
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Re: Fun..damentals
ah the red blooded testosterone part me will not allow... 
So foward on ward and upward , will pop a few more words on basics in the next few days.
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23/Sep/2007, 4:22 pm
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Corporal Whip
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Re: Fun..damentals
Rolling through the feet:
As above consider the foot divided into 5 sections
1 toes, 2 ball of foot, 3 instep (middle arched area) , 4 front of heel, 5 back of heel).
Fundamentals would be walking forward.
Place heel 5, roll through to 4, 3, 2, 1 in sequence.
Note very soft soled dance shoes (suede sole manufacture are favoured) are required really to achieve this, dance sneakers, leather soles, make this very difficult. Equally the body of the shoe needs to be very pliable / flexible to allow the foot to move. These shoes take some getting used to.
Also whilst on shoes, the Cuban 1.5” (38mm) high seem to be optimum and favourite for posture in WCS, for both Lead & Follow. Ladies in high heels 50 mm+…good luck to you!!
Going backwards (Follows is the reverse 1,2,3,4,5 in running order)
The step forward tends to make the foot slightly out turned by a few degrees as it increases core stability.
The normal is not to roll onto the toes the bulk of the body weight remaining on the balls of the feet.
The distribution on the (2) ball of the foot is probably like 40% with the remainder in the front (4) of the heel at 60%. Toes receive a negligible amount of mass in here.
Ok this is not finite, we are all built differently this is indicative and links to the exercises with weight changes and sensitising.
If the frame and core stability is poor rocking forward and backward when anchoring or typically doing a sugar push, sees the torso collapse, and the weight being pushed to far forward or backward. So speed is a factor here (music determined), not to charge out of the one like a high velocity train but also not so sloth like, taking a calendar month to go down the slot. (Also stay on the tracks Follows no swinging out).
The power for the triple step is generated through the knee to ankle and allows the torso to keep stable & still. This also contributes to the look of WCS. It also helps as when the body moves it is intentional, with purpose and is conveying lead and communicating meaning.
Moving forward on the ‘& 1 count’: Move with the body. The body breaks the balance. Try not to step forward with the foot and put the toes down first (as though testing bathwater temperature… it looks weird and does not work).
Bear in mind it’s like walking normally.
Maintain the frame, keeping the tension and torso upright until sufficient confidence in the follow, it sensitises sufficiently where the odd ‘break’ is not a problem.
A source of frustration for Follows, is Leads over compensating for them not reacting to a preparation. A common cause is the frame breaks. This can be seen with both Lead and Follow, but the error compounds.
This means the Leads over compensate. We then see this big preps (eeeek), left, right, sweeping the follow out 20-30 degrees off centre line down the slot, all totally unnecessary.
Leads keep the hand to the left or right off the slot, be mindful not to centre in putting the hand in the middle of the Follows stomach unless you really want it there
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24/Sep/2007, 11:58 am
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rosieR
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Re: Fun..damentals
"Bear in mind it’s like walking normally"
- that was my eureka moment last yr, and also absorbing my triples through my legs and not torso. Made such a difference.
---
X Rosie X
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25/Sep/2007, 12:22 pm
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LisaX
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Re: Fun..damentals
Arggggghhhhhhhh too much to think about!!!!!!!
---
XXX
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28/Sep/2007, 1:12 pm
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Corporal Whip
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Re: Fun..damentals
Saw something worrying the other night which is why I thought I would focus on this for a thread to sit alongside fundamentals.
Leads:
We face up and down the slot as default!
Otherwise how can a Follow know where it is?
Generally if we are off the slot its not at a jaunty angle (e.g. 126°) designed to confuse the Follow but probably 90° and facing the correct direction, up or down the slot making eye contact if possible. Visually this gives the Follow intuition as to expectations.
Leads always step back on the 1 count, to give length and direction down the slot.
This is the case, particularly in basics, like Whips where Leads intent is to step off the slot, the direction lead must be and straight.
The initial step back is from the mass of the body, not a huge wrench on the arm, followed by a later step back.
The movement for the Lead is whole, like the body is locked up with the arm in place.
Leads this therefore does not have to be big. You risk muscle & joint injury and offence to the Follows if poor technique is employed.
This is what inspired this thread as I was cringing at the yanking around of a Follow by this lead.
For the more advanced there is a small release of an advanced Follow on the ‘&’ between the 8 and 1. This allows some momentum backwards to release the Follows change of weight onto her left foot.
The frame allows WCS to work.
If the Lead has noodle arms, do not expect much from the Follow!
Doing this well and not injuring Follows is easy to achieve, really!!
If you need some help or need to know how to improve, ask someone who does know & is willing to help. You will gain a lot more good technique & look better in a far quicker time.
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26/Oct/2007, 2:48 pm
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