Dance Lesson with Ikaika on 8/24/2010

Attendee: Sharron, Daniel

Just got back from New York. A week without practice :(

today we worked on waltz again, natural spin turn.

1. In terms of shaping. when given an inch, take a mile. I need to respond earlier, and let the partner pass/go earlier.
2. In the shaping in the prep step, I need to stay forward on the knee/foot, but feel extending into partner's right arm to fill up the space.
3. In the first step of the natural turn, start turning from the hip joint earlier. It's an internal turn in the hip joint, don't let the hip join fall out.
4. In the step 2 of the natural turn, let the partner pass first then match the step.
5. Spin turn, in my part to get around the partner, need to step through his right side, not around, and then need to make additional more turns at the end so that we can line up correctly. Daniel need to get his balance, keep weight stack above his foot, not falling out at the end of the spin turn.
6. An exercise to shape the partner with using only the left side of the leader. Leader dose almost like the same thing as the girl while shaping: take the tummy in, have some internal turn in body, feel left shoulder blade forward and then shoulder over it as in high jump.


Below is Daniel's notes
Prep step:
1) Rotate around spine using the rib cage, not the shoulders, to create the wind-up.
2) When winding up, give Sharron more space with the right arm; also, do not enter her space with the shoulders or head.
3) Keep stomach in, shoulders down

Natural turn:
1) Delay the sway, but also try to get more rotation.
2) To create the wind-up for the spin turn, finish the natural turn normally, then get wind-up during lowering. Do not alter step 2 of Natural turn to create wind-up for spin turn.

Spin turn:
1) After 1, anchor on left foot, then make Sharron go (using hands), then follow up with her
2) We need to be right side-right side when we commit our weight over our feet, not all the time. This means we can have foot placement which may seem awkward, if it all works out by the time we commit weight. This leads us to the crazy circular-like motion where we get out of each other's way.
3) Do not go all the way up on the knee on 2 of spin turn. Keep the knee flexed.

Shaping exercise:
1) I did not really get it. What I try to do is keep stomach in, rotate shoulder slightly, but compensate with the arms so arms do not move.