cdroge. This gets intersting. The rise for the lady is at the end of step five. Not on four. This is why we see the lady hurling themselves around the man out of conrol. Same for the man. Rise at the end of five. Out come the books.

There certainly are some analogies that can be drawn between the concept of a swinging body of mass in physics, the concept of swing as applied in sporting actions like the swing of a golf club, baseball bat or tennis racquet and the concept of swing as applied in ballroom standard swing dances. But to believe that the concept of swing as applied in these other pursuits is directly comparable in all respects to ballroom swing and that the concept is directly derived from these other sources is entirely misplaced.

There certainly is more than one type of 'swing' in ballroom dancing. Body swing is swing in the horizontal plane starting at the very commencement of a figure. Pendulum swing or upswing is the swing in the horizontal plane. They are two cases of a comparable and similar concept of 'swing' as applied in ballroom because in the case of body swing one has the 'feeling' of swinging one side of the body faster than the other side in the horizontal plane. In the case of upswing the 'feeling' is that the lower part of body is swinging faster the upper part of the body in the vertical plan. In both cases this swing type of action aids a forward progression taking us from one foot to the next so neither case of 'swing' actually has a fixed point during it's entire evolution.

Additionally I hold the view that CBM is a direct consequence of 'body swing' though body swing does not necessarily always create a CBM reaction. It depends on the figure, which foot is moving first, what the direction of turn is, etc.

I know this is controversial but upswing to me is not an intention to rise, it is an intention to produce a controlled swing of the body forward leveraging the lower body in the vertical plane that can produce an inclination of the body to the movement and various aspects of rise. In fact all rise 'n fall, whether foot rise or body rise, are not deliberate actions but reactions that occur from an intent to progress forward in a controlled manner with 'swing' both body swing and upswing.

Effective way of sorting out a whole bunch of 'technical' issues around CBM, rise 'n fall, aspects of sway and even footwork in ballroom swing dances is simply to think about progressing your body forward, in a controlled manner, using the knees/ankles with the correct amount and proportion of body swing and upswing.

Rha

"Pendulum swing or upswing is the swing in the horizontal plane"

Typo, I mean't vertical plane.

Rha

The problem I have with the idea of horizontal-plane body swing is that it's usually interpreted as throwing your body around, and that is something we simply can't have. Well timed CBM occurs while still supported from the standing foot, so it's much more of a twisting drive than a free throwing. There is a drifting phase in the body, but that is a straight-line movement that occurs after the body turn, and is coincident with the flatter initial part of any vertical pendulum-like swing.

Actually even twisting drive is a bit of a misnomer. There's not really much drive on step one of a figure, rather there is carrying the energy from the downswing through the step. The one thing the legs really have to add there is the body rotation we call CBM - that's the only thing that really happens with intent in terms of motion across the floor. The other intentional component would be footwork that creates an upswing, if appropriate.

Swing excesses apply in either case of the body swing and the up-swing.

Though I must say that I've seldom seen dancers who produce proper body swing from the standing foot overdoing 'CBM', without being immediately aware of the effect this has on their musicality or control over their weight transfer. In this context the CBM reaction comes from a clear intent. The most common fault is the separate twisting of the top action superinmposed, but not integrated, on a forward step just because the step is described in some text as having CBM without fully understanding the action.

Another point I think that requires mentioning is the 'swing' of whatever type used in ballroom is a much more controlled action compared to the swing of a golf club or the swing used to kick a soccer ball. I think this prompted a world champion of the recent past to say that 'swing' is an overrated concept. Anyway, at no point does one simply throw the 'side' or throw the 'hip' and simply catch the weight on the receiving leg. The weight is under full control when it is over the leg but also every transfer of weight effected through swing is under full control as it is sent from the sending leg and received under full control onto the receiving leg. It's about balancing being restrictive with being out of control, the mark of a really good dancer.

Actually the movement of the weight cannot be under full control - if you do things right, you will have to commit to movements in proper directions beyond your ability to control them.

What we have to watch out for is starting uncontrollable movements in improper directions, or aimed beyond their proper natural endpoint. Excessively swinging a side by waiting too long to start the CBM and getting too much "leverage" would be one example, overshooting beyond the point on the floor where where your feet should should close in a rise would be another. In neither case is the problem a lack of continuous control - instead, its a result of launching yourself on a path that doesn't really work.

Okay,

What do you understand by 'full control' and what do you mean by 'beyond your ability to control them'?

Rha

GEOffrey Hern says. Swing is used to propel the WHOLE body across the floor. Step and swing, not step and push. Where is the stright line movement when dancing a DRS,curving three step or a Big Top followed by a Bombshell, or the V.Waltz. Please describe what is ment by throwing the body arround. Thanks

The straight line is still between 3, 1, and often 2 in these figures - the curve in progression comes only after, though the linearity may be well disguised by body turn starting in step 1.

Yes, I can see the forward drive off the back foot that propels us into the turn, but how do I know if I am throwing my body around incorrectly?