This is a specific problem, and is often linked to number 4 on the list. Follower is using her arm to pull herself in (for instance, the 1-2-3 of a swingout.) In dancing, we can accomplish so much more, and with much greater comfort to ourselves and our partners, if we let that muscle network handle as much as possible.ģ. Our arm muscles are small and frail compared to the muscle network of the back, core, and shoulders. Let’s say a leader with a relaxed frame sits away from his follower and asks for some form of counterbalance–if she doesn’t know how to match that by moving her own body, then she will probably result to using her arm muscles to keep the couple balanced–which means she’s pulling on the guy, and thus “heavy.” A follower is using her arms to create stretch… Now for some more specific arm tension-related problems. Make sure all the arm muscles have a natural give and take throughout your dancing–that none of them are rigid, or become rigid at a certain point through their motions.Ģ. It only takes a little bit of tension in small parts of the arm to create a “heavier” follower. But first, let’s address the problem as if it’s the only problem. For instance, almost any issue with the follower’s posture can result in the follower using her arms to compensate. This one is tricky–it can easily be the problem itself, or, more likely, a symptom of some greater problem. Follower in general carrying more tension in arm than needed. Possible Reasons Why a Follower Might Be Described as “Heavy.”ġ. (Sure, there are exceptions to the rule that followers can do for specific reasons, usually in the name of asking for more or less tension in order to do something artistically expressive, but more on that later.) Many advanced leads will sometimes do moves that require a lot of counterbalance–and expect a follower to respond as such, which could easily be described as “heavy.” A great follower is someone who can dance like a feather or a lead zeppelin, depending on what the lead requests at that moment. A follower’s goal is not simply to be “light”–“light” doesn’t necessarily mean “better.” A follower’s goal should be to give what they think the leader’s asking for. I’ll keep adding and editing this post, too, as I continue my research.īefore we get to those, however, I want to address the problem at its root. I’m going to try to collect them here, starting with these 12. Telling a follower they are “heavy” is like describing an animal as “wounded” and expecting that to be enough information for the blind vet (weird analogy.) If a follower is described as “heavy,” there are several different possibilities of what’s going wrong, some of which could be the leader’s fault. People have freaked out slightly, backtracking and apologizing before she suddenly can’t hold it anymore and starts to crack up. “Are you calling me fat?” My partner Kate asks, with a straight face, whenever someone says this. Over the years, I have come to believe that one of the least helpful pieces of advice a follower can get is to be told she is simply “too heavy.” I will update this article with those changes (and others) when I have a chance. The dance connection should be a compromise if the follower doesn’t like what the leader is asking for. Secondly, I’d stress that followers can come into the dance with their own desired connection, they don’t have to completely match the leader if they don’t like the kind of connection the leader is bringing to it. First off, I’d rewrite the article so that all use of the word follower was gender-neutral, as well as the illustrations. A lot has changed and grown in my understanding of the dance, and were I to write this post today, it would be pretty different. In 2010, this post was the first viral hit of Swungover*. You will be *literally* helping support an artist, and have my sincerest gratitude. If you read this article and find it useful or thought provoking, please consider a donation. As a professional dance instructor in the time of COVID-19, my income for at least five months of the year has been erased.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |