Time: 10:45am.
Location: Ballroom Off fifth
Attendee: Sharron
The snow was falling down hard on my way to the studio. I was worried that lesson today will be cancelled. But when I walked in, there are so many people in the studio. Besides the faces that I've seen before such as Jonathan, Slavy, Charlotte is also teaching there today. And the lesson with Ieva today was loaded with information.
1. Questions from last week's exercise: Does the heel of the standing leg take any weight after lowered at 3&?
Answer: No. Keep the weight on the ball of the foot, the lady would be more ready to respond to go wherever the leader is heading. She went on to say that even in Tango, she feel that having the weight at the ball of the foot enables her to respond immediately.
2. Shape:
a. first always line up foot with the shoulder to be balanced.
b. Always keep the midsection (the waist) long, during all shaping. Don't crunch one side, this is when the side is broken. It can tilt, but don't shorten one side.
c. 4 types of shape, foot/knee can be up or down, shoulder can be up or down. 4 combination gives 4 different shapes.
d. We particularly focused on the down/down shape. In the turns, the inside shapes down down. For example, Natural (L side down down), spin turn(right side downdown). reverse turn (Left side down down)....
f. There really isn't a rule to say how much shape is too much. So long as it is pretty, and you are balanced, the more the better, like a sport.
3. How to stay together with the partner:
a. bent knee, weight forward on the ball of feet, ribcage toward partner.
b. feet always face toward the partner, especially in the turns, need to face toward the partner to keep connected. When one step if you feel you are not with the partner, try to adjust in the next step on your foot to face toward partner, do not try to adjust with the upper body.
4. Foxtrot:
a. foot work: on all back ward steps, the lady roll through the heel. Therefore there is no foot rise for the lady, but the leader does have foot rise, the lady respond with body rise. The body rise feels like breathing in (stretch ribcage) on the swinging side. For example, feather step, breathe in on the rigth side on the Quick and Quick. reverse turn: breath in on the left side. feather finish: breath in on right side. three step, breath in on left side.
b. Foxtrot has a lot of outside partner steps, but feet still needs to face toward the partner so that when we bend knees, the weight is projecting through the partner.
c. Ieva then told me to lead her though the dance. She said I need to give her more ribcage, and need to have my right albew/arm reflect the movement of the right leg, right nwow the right arm is non existing.
d. Heel turn: lady is on the inside of the turn, need to ACTIVELY open the door and let the partner through, and part of this is done with the arm.
e. exercise for the right arm: do the box step with quater tunrs, with right arm matching the right leg movement.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Standard Lesson with Ieva 01/19/2011
Time: 10:45am
Location: Ballroom off fifth
Attendee: Sharron
This the second lesson with Ieva, I think I like her teaching.
1. Foot pressure exercise
a. stand on one foot, raise heel of foot, repeat 10 times on each foot.
b. stand on one foot raise heel of standing foot, free leg points out as standing foot lowers. No knee bent though.
2. Apply above foot exercise in a box step.
a, 1,2,3, is the box step. Need to make sure weight on one foot on 3.
b. 4,5,6 lower and point. (do not bent the knee yet).
c. need to make sure to maintain a wide base. do a square box, not a skewed square.
d. Once familiar with the above, do it without stoping, i.e. instead doing the lowering on 4,5,6, do it on & count.
3. Apply above foot exercise in a simple routine
1 2 3. Natural, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 spin, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 reverse, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 reverse, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 whisk, 4 5 6 lower and point
1 2 &3 chasse,4 5 6 lower and point
4. Apply above foot exercise in the waltz routine.
a. do it counting 4 5 6 for the lower and point
b. once familiar with a, do it counting only & to do the lower and point.
c. make sure to be on one foot on 3.
Location: Ballroom off fifth
Attendee: Sharron
This the second lesson with Ieva, I think I like her teaching.
1. Foot pressure exercise
a. stand on one foot, raise heel of foot, repeat 10 times on each foot.
b. stand on one foot raise heel of standing foot, free leg points out as standing foot lowers. No knee bent though.
2. Apply above foot exercise in a box step.
a, 1,2,3, is the box step. Need to make sure weight on one foot on 3.
b. 4,5,6 lower and point. (do not bent the knee yet).
c. need to make sure to maintain a wide base. do a square box, not a skewed square.
d. Once familiar with the above, do it without stoping, i.e. instead doing the lowering on 4,5,6, do it on & count.
3. Apply above foot exercise in a simple routine
1 2 3. Natural, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 spin, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 reverse, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 reverse, 4 5 6 lower & point
1 2 3 whisk, 4 5 6 lower and point
1 2 &3 chasse,4 5 6 lower and point
4. Apply above foot exercise in the waltz routine.
a. do it counting 4 5 6 for the lower and point
b. once familiar with a, do it counting only & to do the lower and point.
c. make sure to be on one foot on 3.
Standard Lesson with Ieva 01/14/2011
First dance lesson post of the year! I moved to NYC, and this is the first lesson with Ieva Pauksena.
1. Feet goes to the right under the shoulder. This provides a wider base. Get rid of the mini skirt syndrome. Leader controls where the shoulder goes, while the follower follows by place the foot directly under the shoulder. This could make the response faster too.
2. Consider the following four components: Neck, ribcage, center (abs), knee.
a. Neck and center leads the backward moves. Especially on the back steps, the feeling the lead of moving backward from the center gives the sense to the partner that you are not blocking the the partner, you give him space to move.
b. ribcage and knee project forward toward the partner. Elbow and arms (especially the right arm of the lady) goes with the ribcage toward the partner.
1. Feet goes to the right under the shoulder. This provides a wider base. Get rid of the mini skirt syndrome. Leader controls where the shoulder goes, while the follower follows by place the foot directly under the shoulder. This could make the response faster too.
2. Consider the following four components: Neck, ribcage, center (abs), knee.
a. Neck and center leads the backward moves. Especially on the back steps, the feeling the lead of moving backward from the center gives the sense to the partner that you are not blocking the the partner, you give him space to move.
b. ribcage and knee project forward toward the partner. Elbow and arms (especially the right arm of the lady) goes with the ribcage toward the partner.
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