11/25 Lesson with Slavi: Using the weight

Put the entire weight over the supporting foot. Use the floor. The shaping etc should all come from the feet, foot pressure. For example:

- Foxtrot basics: Roll the feet, feel the floor

- Waltz: Stretch left on the natural turn, it has to originate from the feet. Then on the spin turn, pivots: Bring weight entirely over the right foot when stepping on the right foot. Same just before the turning lock. After the turning lock, continue to go before turning the head to promenade

- Foxtrot: Outside spin and ronde: Also don't forget to bring the weight over the right foot when stepping on the right foot. Don't collapse the left side.

Slavi lesson 11/16/09 Viennese & Quickstep

Flekrels

First on all reverse turns, use lower leg more to give follow a clearer signal.
Then to initiate flekrel, instead of going forward, go side.

Reverse turns--stay left.
Natural turns--stay right.

Contracheck exit--don't turn with upper body, just go straight back, then use right leg to give the girl lead for "mini" ronde. It is ok to drop as you're doing this.

Then final exit, go straight like your waltz beginning natural turn, then again don't turn/rotate, go straight back.


Quickstep
* changed intro, enter back line of dance
* emphasize sloows
* changed the woodpecker to emphasize standing leg

Slavi lesson - Nov 12

(W,F,VW,Q) Feel the connection in the hips: No tucked in, butt not sticked out, just straight and the front is picked up.

In the Waltz natural turn, don't lose the shape completely on the first step, keep the connection in the hips, don't stick the butt out too much. There are certain steps where the butt sticks out more (like feather step in foxtrot)

Stretch both sides: To the left but ALSO to the RIGHT. The weight must be balanced over the standing leg, not shifted too much to the left. This will lower the right shoulder and create a better connection in the right hand.

Tango: Frame: Stretch from the body (left AND right).

In the fallaway: Lady "doesn't move", stays with the man. Lady is in the inside of the left turn: smaller step and get out of the man's way. Think stretching left too.

Before the right lunge: Man closes the lady before stepping with the left foot. Then transfer the weight to the right foot and ONLY AFTER THAT do the right lunge.

Spanish drag: Man just takes his weight to the left. Then stays to the left while going to promenade.

Foxtrot:

Reverse turn: Lady turns left early, getting out of the man way. Lady is in the inside of the turn, smaller step.

Chasse: Must think of pushing from the standing leg to the SIDE, not up (otherwise it's jumpy).

To move forward, lady uses body weight, not feet. The weight must go towards the man, not around. Don't take the head weight to the left of the man. Stay in position and take the body weight towards the man (as if we don't know what will happen next). Example: Waltz pivots, Viennese Natural turn.

11/03/09 Slavi lesson

Waltz (and other dances)

Chasse on 2nd way, take two steps forward (left [prev step]->right->left strongly forward still, side ways-ish) then stay/project forward as you go backwards.

Don't overturn step before contracheck.

Usage of head...only go where the body stretches. Apply e.g. on natural turn.

Foxtrot

Same principle, but note especially on
* feather finish (body should be over left leg, before too back weighted/stretching leg out), and 3 step, just hip forward, and use the lower body to create the look of the stretch.



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other stuff realized at practice
* viennese fleckrels use weight
* tango rock spin turn entrace rotate left side strongly

slavi lesson 10/28/09

Waltz

So started mainly with the girl, connecting from lower and stretching rib cage to create shape.

On double reverse, send the girl away.
After completion, stay forward as I do the reverse turn. Almost samba-ish the way left leg would go back, and then just close.

On the whisk, keep stretching forward (left side)


Tango

*main thing* upper body as constant and closed as possible.
It's a little forward lean first section...on the throwaway, use hips not arms.

Right lunge--first delay leg to give girl a lil extra time to close, then use weight to right--*then* weight again to go left instead of shaking with upper body, this way to make things more compact

On same foot lunges, really close (as in even foot closes)...again keep upper side stable.

Fallaway chasse--almost like paso (but without the upperbody shaping) on the 3rd step, throw hips pass girl, but keep down, then use lower body only to do the whisk

Slavi lesson 8/12 waltz & tango - 2

Waltz

Natural turn: Thomas should "keep his head back" a bit more

Pivots: The first one is not a spin turn, it's a "high" pivot. The last one before the turning lock is a spin turn.

In general during the pivots the connection was too high in the chest, it should be more from the entire core and hips.

On the first step, Thomas should step more to the side to "get out of my way", then we each get out of each other's way (general principle). I should push on the 2, that will provide the power that Thomas is asking for.

Also very important: RELEASE the foot as soon as possible and start bringing it around. That also provides more energy and rotation and avoids having the feeling that we're stuck

Going to promenade after the turning lock: internalize more through the body still going to the left, start "going over" with hips back a little earlier, then the head follows and turns to the right as a result of internalizing the movement in the core and the spine

Tango

Spanish drag: Should have much more a feeling of resistance like a rubber band. First we move together to the right but my head resists slightly to the left (but chest keeps moving together), then it snaps.

On the ronde: More down, focus on crossing the foot behind earlier with a lot of power. The ronde should be very fast and I use the standing foot as an anchor very strongly. Also bring the hips more back when doing the ronde.

Doing the ronde this way should bring more energy and more of a tango feel to the next steps (like the same foot lunge).

For the kick: The point is not to bring the leg very high, it should be in relation to the position of the body. If the body goes back a lot then the leg can kick higher.

Slavi lesson 8/12 waltz & tango

Just pivots

He wanted head over spine more and not as much excessive shape (more straight)
I just tried to look up (e.g. a la vlad shahov) and he thought it looked better...so that's a way to accomplish what he wants...

Pivots
- still maintain the shape first step, as suspected (no rotation right away), though after slightly different, do not move left foot so much backward, but rather just place it so next step can drive off.

Head of spine thing again on contracheck--just connect your head to your right leg, even though always try to keep head over left

Turning lock--really shape the head to right (kind of like giampero's rule...left forward, back right)

Tango
Hold--much more bent
Spanish Drag--pull first (i.e. with body separation while leaving hands, not excessive though), then come back

Cecile--don't move legs as high/much, but place it strongly right leg behind left leg (almost fleckrel ish). Also changed the head lead (I'll actively lead it now)

maja quickstep lesson 04/30/09

tipsy go more linear

the transition to beginning, do a rise, then go right into the promenade...think
* energy goes diagonal
* movement goes linear

high hinge--use hips, similar to throwaway oversway, but have to really mean it to do a hinge just w/o dropping

spinning pivots after
- spins are movement, turn, movement
so do it same way, move, turn, move pivot, move
...for this step, just add more shaping

going back more to telemark
--keep thighs open
--girl should close feet

Lecture with Luca and Lorraine Barrichi

1. Subject

2. Opinion

3. Words (foot pressure, body actions...)

4. Energy

Lead/Follow => Talking, listening, communicating

Do not use the word "Weight"

Do not use "Lower" but Range

Push the floor

No judging, be devoted to what you are doing

March 26, 09 Slavi Lesson & Grovers Workshop

Foxtrot

Grovers

Feather
prep before (like what slavi said about waltz), i.e. get foot ready to step on 4&
usage of body weight for movement,

Weight should be entirely on right at the end
Only right foot should be outside partner--shouldn't see my belt


Reverse Turn
Just walk
remember the shape (right side up after)

Feather finish
toe flat - toe, let lady go first (similar to slavi lesson)
again finish on entirely right foot, press down and let the weight be on it

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slavi lesson

stay up more on the chasse to the right ending, keep moving don't drop

the "almost" check stay down more, slow, q - q sloooow, q q

cecile has a new head thing for throwaway oversway

Mar 12 Slavi Lesson Waltz

So told Cecile the closing shoulders stuff not to be taken literally

Hold more on the pivots (after whisk), also be careful to keep neck straight. also changed the rise & fall to be flatter
Now ending in a promenade, to double locks...slowly rise toward the end

After the right lunge, check spin want to use less body rotation, just remain body straight and take the right leg away to encourage the girl to follow leg timing.

The ending transition changed to a running weave.

February 26 Slavi lesson

Started with quickstep
long wall of chasses, getting into it
go forward and step hop (i.e. right now I do a curve back toward the right, but slavi wants more progressive head towards the left, then stay there on the next step-hop)

Last wall
hold longer after the q-q-slide, pose

and after pose, also slavi wanted an extra bar of music
so instead of q-an-q-and (1234) slow-q-q-q-qn (12-34-5n)
do q-an-q-and (1234) sloow qq slow (pause) then go

also last wall chasse-pepper pot slooow (now hold ship, and keep going/slide)


Waltz
whisk, hold head/shape to the right longer before turning head on the whisk
then pivots...right spin turn, after is too fast, settle on right leg more

Fallaways, weight should be on left leg after, same problem as the part above after right spin turn...need to spend more time on the standing leg

Right lunge in waltz, don't rise with legs on the first separation...rise with body only

Then after the chasses is too fast, slow -q-and-quick, the last quick, slavi wants almost a q-and-quick-and (i.e. the foot doesn't land on the "and" of 3-and, whereas I get there on 3)

Also wanted more positivity :)

Slavi lesson 2/16/09

Quickstep

tipple chasses
so cecile just would use body to shape more instead of head

on last wall
delay (for girl's head) before going into pepper pot
lean left strongly, actually pass the girl more on the pepper pot
pepperpot should be progressive, no stop/hopping

quick open reverse -- still shape left/lean left strongly

use legs to lift the girl on the continuous twists ending


Foxtrot
the continuous "right lunge" section let the girl lead
*hold* on the exit keep back straight