By Stanley McCalla, Fred Astaire Dance Board Member and Examiner. Hello there! I hope that you all are enjoying a wonderful summer dancing and otherwise.
After many years of experience performing, teaching, and coaching, I’d like to share with you today a subject that I sometimes cover in some of my lectures.
After many years of experience performing, teaching, and coaching, I’d like to share with you today a subject that I sometimes cover in some of my lectures.
"What creates a great performance, and what creates a dynamite couple?"
There are many parts to this answer, but one of them is connection.
There are many parts to this answer, but one of them is connection.
CONNECTION IS TOUCH…
VISUAL, EMOTIONAL & RHYTHMICAL
VISUAL, EMOTIONAL & RHYTHMICAL
Touch Connection
• The push and pull technique (body weight forward, toward one another with a left and right hand connection or double hand hold). It is a bracing action first and then a release.
• Centrifugal connection (with a left to right hand connection or double hand hold and counterbalancing each other by pulling the core of the body away).
Visual connection
• Consciousness and awareness of each other’s minute movements, including partner’s body weight.
• Being able to use this awareness to the couple’s advantage and responding to each other in this fashion (kind of a question and answer session).
Emotional connection
• Whether in Closed or Open position, each party of the partnership is completely emotionally open to communicate their sense of movement and music. It is a high form of communication where usually the man initiates this emotion and the woman responds by first embracing that feeling, then, in a harmonious fashion, expresses it even further by adding her own colorful passion.
• When this type of emotional union is coupled with rhythmical connection, the couple will experience a dynamite performance and will surely touch their audience in so many positive ways.
All the types of connections mentioned above can be achieved. First, it takes understanding and knowledge, and then practice, practice and more practice.
Make sure to practice these exercises with or without the supervision of your teacher.
Until next time, happy dancing! §
• The push and pull technique (body weight forward, toward one another with a left and right hand connection or double hand hold). It is a bracing action first and then a release.
• Centrifugal connection (with a left to right hand connection or double hand hold and counterbalancing each other by pulling the core of the body away).
Visual connection
• Consciousness and awareness of each other’s minute movements, including partner’s body weight.
• Being able to use this awareness to the couple’s advantage and responding to each other in this fashion (kind of a question and answer session).
Emotional connection
• Whether in Closed or Open position, each party of the partnership is completely emotionally open to communicate their sense of movement and music. It is a high form of communication where usually the man initiates this emotion and the woman responds by first embracing that feeling, then, in a harmonious fashion, expresses it even further by adding her own colorful passion.
• When this type of emotional union is coupled with rhythmical connection, the couple will experience a dynamite performance and will surely touch their audience in so many positive ways.
All the types of connections mentioned above can be achieved. First, it takes understanding and knowledge, and then practice, practice and more practice.
Make sure to practice these exercises with or without the supervision of your teacher.
Until next time, happy dancing! §
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