Hello everybody!

Can somebody help me? Until now we found our dancing was quite ok and our competitions were more or less successful but now everything changed. We have a new trainer (who is still active, very successful and wellknown in the ballroom dancing scene). You know, our problem so far was that our shoulders start to "freeze" during the dancing and everybody told us to dance smother. Now we were told that our movement basics are completely wrong and we started to reconstruct our dancing. Consequently our last competition was the worst we ever danced - you can imagine that this is very frustrating and discouraging. Do you think it is useful to go back to the roots and to rework every single step you make? There is a second question I have....I learned a lot about bodyflight here. It was quite clear but what I do not understand is, where is this magic momentum when you stop controlling your action and start releasing energy and how much energy do you have to "hold back" so that you do not start falling around instead of dancing?

And one more question....how does it happen that the man does open his left side (taking it away from the lady) while going backwards?

Hope that somebody has an answer for me! Thanks!
(Some expressions might be incorrect (as I am a German) but I hope you understand what I mean.
Alice

Hi Alice
When you say your shoulders start to "freeze" i'm assuming you mean your dancing was too 'stiff' and so didn't look smooth enough.
It is often a difficult experience to go back to basics, but in many sports this is necessary to make an improvement. It's like making a step or two backward in order to make a lot of stpes forward in a new, more correct, direction. In skiing, it's used to cure 'intermediate plateau' as it's called.
You shouldn't have to re-work every single step - if you can develop the correct basic priciples of movement and swing, then this will work itself into all the steps you make and your dancing will improve in the long term.
You ask a question on bodyflight and controlling energy - -i can only answer as a man and Jonathan Atkinson (who runs this great site) will probably answer this much better than i can, but if you practise a simple natural turn in the slow waltz from a standing position..the very first movement is a softening of the left knee (for a man)with a slight lowering. This alone produces energy which is then transferred into movement by pushing from the standing leg (the left leg in this case) and the right foot lands on beat 1. During this movement the man starts rotating his body (clockwise) and then 'releases' his left side so it can swing through for the next step and the left foot lands on the toe on beat 2. The movement for beat 1 and the swinging action for beat 2 create the energy which allows the dancer to rise at the end of beat 2 and on beat 3. this energy must be controlled with sway (to the right for the man in this case) but in my experience, the sway comes naturally.
The details of this natural turn are complex and it's hard just to write them. Your coach will be able to demonstrate. But this swinging action with all the energy transfer is the key to expressive dancing.
As you improve and take longer steps, the energy involved increases, and if you can use it to your advantage, your dancing will improve.
don't tell anybody this, but when i'm warming up for a practice session i go round the floor several times doing slow waltz natural turns, and then reverse turns on my own. I find it puts me in the correct 'mood' as well as being a physical warm up.
Your other question about how does the man open his left side when going backward....he simply rotates his hips slightly in preparation for opening his left side. You should feel this movement, as he will lose some contact with you at the hips, and so you will know he is about to open in this way

Thank you very much for your detailed answer. I hope you are right - so let's go back to very basics. You know, we are already dancing for a couple of years and now I have to learn the toe pointing in the natural turn of the waltz - if you know what I mean.I had to laugh, when I read your warming up program - this is what we do many times! But we do it together, maybe we should try alone.

Only one thing is left. I think my last question was not clear enough. My problem with the man's back steps is that for my feeling the opening of the left side is not coordinated. It feels like he would fall over his left shoulder backwards! You know???

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My problem with the man's back steps is that for my feeling the opening of the left side is not coordinated. It feels like he would fall over his left shoulder backwards! You know???

Is it the problem of contact? If your hold and body contact are formed correctly, you should be able to follow his 'fall' then dance beautifully as he leads.

skipper

p.s. how come it always calls me anonymous even I have singed in? LOL

I will just answer one question.The bit about the man taking his left side away. You must be talking about CBM after the first three, maybe in the Modern Waltz. Or 456 of a Natural Spin Turn, In that case you might think he is taking the other side away. Learn what CBM is and how to use it. Just one thing about how to store energy . If you compress your knees towards your partner, it does not matter whether you are going forewards or backwards the knees compress towards each other.Dont stick your rear out. Don't let your upper body lower otherwise it will always beat your knees, and out goes your bottom The more you compress the more power you will have to use on your driving steps. Ask your teacher to explain. Good Luck