|
|
Ballroom Dance Resource - Articles on Dancing Dr. Wong goes into great detail with this article on posture, footwork and more. A must read for all ballroom/Latin dancers.~ by Dr SH Wong www.rpmerleon.com The Art of Resistance by Mariann Cataletto The art of resistance while dancing is very difficult to explain and even more difficult to execute well. A very basic explanation would be: The leader exerts a force either pushing or pulling you in a specified direction. You exert an ALMOST equal force in the opposite direction. For example, while holding both hands the leader wants to push you back. If you exert NO force pushing back towards him, you will not move at all. Exert too much force and you will push him back instead. Exert just the right amount of force pushing back towards him and you will end up in the exact position that he would like you to be in. This holds true for pulling motions as well. There are many variables that affect the amount of resistance that you will exert. Some are: Your partner's dance style. The way you are feeling at the moment. The way your partner is feeling at the moment. The character of the dance. The dance tempo.........and much more. Developing a good resistance is an intuitive process that requires time. Awareness is the first step. Now that you have a basic understanding of it, you are on your way to mastering this art and becoming a better follower. Yet, you may be keeping all these things in mind and STILL be having problems following certain patterns that involve swivels, turns or syncopations. I would like to give you a rule of thumb that I follow for the amount of resistance to apply in different situations. ***** Let your arm location determine the amount of resistance you apply.***** Use a base line amount of resistance when your arms are at waist level. This is determined by the factors we mentioned above. Lessen the amount of resistance as your arms approach your head area as this is indicative of turns. If you resist while turning you will be thrown off balance. Increase the amount of resistance as you arms drop below waist level or if you feel an increased force from the leader. Both these events indicate that a syncopation or some other move that requires mutual resistance is coming up. Article by Mariann Cataletto, co-founder of Dancestudent. Visit www.dancestudent.com for more original content like this |
|
|
|