After a dry stretch of about two months, Steve and Susan are back and our summer ballroom classes began today. These classes are more focused toward improving the basic movements in the Standard and Latin dances and therefore are in no way, easy. Today's class showed just that and also the plethora of tiny nuances that one needs to consciously put into practice while dancing, that make a significant difference.
In a series of posts, I am going to highlight some of the intricacies which I found really helpful to improve my dance.
Today we had a session of Waltz and Rumba.
Waltz
Touching Feet: Always have your feet together on Three. An effective way you can know if they are touching is when you can feel them.
Step Three: This step in Waltz is a combination of getting the feet together, going down on the incoming foot and slightly letting the other foot move out. Make sure that you have your entire weight on one foot so that the other foot is free to swing outward on step One. To accommodate enough time to do all this, the third step is the longest which can be broken into 'Tha-Ree' for effective counting.
Step One: Step Three ends with lowering your weight onto your main foot, while the other foot is slightly let outward and weightless. 'Swing' this foot outward (forward or back) and pushing onto the weighted foot, roll the weight onto the other foot and reach into the step. Take Long Steps. Forward comes as toe-first but actually becomes a heel-first, Backward like usual is toe-first. Leg swings first and body follows it. Push down on your knees to gain force to make the body follow the leg.
Step Two: Since step Three needs to be given a lot of time, this step is 'attacked' into immediately after step One. The foot should directly reach its place diagonally across and in line with the first foot instead of
tracing a right angle following the first foot and then moving side of it. It takes up too much time and messes up step Three. This is a sidestep and should Always be on the balls of the feet. The heel does not come down till step One because even in step Three you lower on the foot coming in and not this foot.
Rise and Fall: One of the most important aspect of Waltz is the rise and fall. The rise should occur gradually with the highest point coming at step Two and smoothly lowering into step Three. This gradual rise should be facilitated by the swaying of the knees which would in turn lead into the slight swaying of the body. Fall is as explained in step Three.
Rumba
Rumba Walk: Stand straight with your weight on one foot, while pointing the other behind, toe downward, no knees bent. Start by bringing the back foot in line with the weighted foot, bending the back knee. Simultaneously move your hip of the weighted foot outward feeling the weight gather onto the heel of that foot. Now at this point you are balanced with your weight supported by one foot and the other leg with a bent knee and toes grazing the floor in line with that foot. Now instead of swinging this leg forward, let your body slightly fall forward in imbalance and catch it by extending the bent-knee foot forward straight and leaning into it, shifting the body weight onto it. Now the first foot is raised by the heel to point toes down at the floor. Do not slide this foot backward. It has to be raised in its position only.
In a series of posts, I am going to highlight some of the intricacies which I found really helpful to improve my dance.
Today we had a session of Waltz and Rumba.
Waltz
Touching Feet: Always have your feet together on Three. An effective way you can know if they are touching is when you can feel them.
Step Three: This step in Waltz is a combination of getting the feet together, going down on the incoming foot and slightly letting the other foot move out. Make sure that you have your entire weight on one foot so that the other foot is free to swing outward on step One. To accommodate enough time to do all this, the third step is the longest which can be broken into 'Tha-Ree' for effective counting.
Step One: Step Three ends with lowering your weight onto your main foot, while the other foot is slightly let outward and weightless. 'Swing' this foot outward (forward or back) and pushing onto the weighted foot, roll the weight onto the other foot and reach into the step. Take Long Steps. Forward comes as toe-first but actually becomes a heel-first, Backward like usual is toe-first. Leg swings first and body follows it. Push down on your knees to gain force to make the body follow the leg.
tracing a right angle following the first foot and then moving side of it. It takes up too much time and messes up step Three. This is a sidestep and should Always be on the balls of the feet. The heel does not come down till step One because even in step Three you lower on the foot coming in and not this foot.
Rise and Fall: One of the most important aspect of Waltz is the rise and fall. The rise should occur gradually with the highest point coming at step Two and smoothly lowering into step Three. This gradual rise should be facilitated by the swaying of the knees which would in turn lead into the slight swaying of the body. Fall is as explained in step Three.
Rumba
Rumba Walk: Stand straight with your weight on one foot, while pointing the other behind, toe downward, no knees bent. Start by bringing the back foot in line with the weighted foot, bending the back knee. Simultaneously move your hip of the weighted foot outward feeling the weight gather onto the heel of that foot. Now at this point you are balanced with your weight supported by one foot and the other leg with a bent knee and toes grazing the floor in line with that foot. Now instead of swinging this leg forward, let your body slightly fall forward in imbalance and catch it by extending the bent-knee foot forward straight and leaning into it, shifting the body weight onto it. Now the first foot is raised by the heel to point toes down at the floor. Do not slide this foot backward. It has to be raised in its position only.
