|
This Page includes nuggets of knowledge about dance
and addresses a variety of topics of interest to dancers, including our mini-lessons.
Perhaps you've seen or heard the term "Jack and Jill"
but aren't sure what it means exactly. Check out the explanation further down the page.
Check out our latest mini-lesson on the Step Pivot. You may be wondering what good learning a single dance step does you. For the answer to that question, head
over to Greenhorn Junction (in Get What You Can From The Lesson).
Basic Components of Dance
There are three fundamental components of dance: Position, Timing (or Rhythm), and Styling.
Position is where you want your body to be, Timing is when you want it to be there (in time with the music, of course), and
Styling is how you get it there.
|
|
Click a topic to go to that lesson. |
|
|
Here are some tips on the "rules of the road" for dance.
Good to know when you are out on the dance floor.
|
|
|
Many beginners have a tough time starting out because
the dances taught are above their level. What is a beginner to do? A dance lesson should answer at least
two questions. Find out what they are. Beginning dancers will find some other tips on lessons, too.
|
|
|
You can download a list of songs to practice East Coast Swing moves. Learn
a little about the basics of East Coast Swing. Be a hep cat!
|
|
|
If you’ve always wondered why choreographers complicate
their line dances with tags, breaks, restarts, and/or special parts, then read all about Music and Phrasing here.
|
|
|
Having trouble doing a Jazz Box? Try out our very first
Mini-Lesson! It shows the foot work in pictures.
|
|
|
Many beginning line dancers have trouble with the Step
Pivot, sometimes also called the Military Turn. Here is a "mini-lesson"
on how to do the Step Pivot.
|
Back Leading
A back lead is when the lady (or follower) communicates a move to the man
(or leader). An appropriate use of the back lead is when the man is moving toward an obstacle that
the lady is aware of but that the man is not. For example, if the man is executing a pattern in which he steps backwards,
he may not be able to see other dancers in his path. In this case, the lady will apply pressure to the man's
back to indicate to him to slow down and/or change direction. This can be very helpful to the leader when navigating
through heavy traffic.
Back leads are also sometimes used by the lady in an attempt to initiate a move. In this case the man (or normal
leader) is reacting to the guidance provided by the lady. A lady dancer will sometimes use this technique as a
way to introduce a new move to her partner while the pair are on the dance floor. This approach is not always successful.
What is a Jack & Jill Competition?
Perhaps you've seen or heard the term "Jack and Jill" but aren't sure what it means exactly.
In a Jack and Jill competition, the competitors don't know who they will be dancing with
before the competition starts. Once the contestants have entered, each man is paired with a woman randomly
and in such a way that he is not dancing with his regular partner. Then the best couple is picked
as a winner.
Thanks to YouTube, here is a video of the Lindy Hop Jack and Jill Finals at Camp Jitterbug 2000 held in Seattle Washington. The Lindy
Hop is a high energy style of dance. In this Jack and Jill, the couples take turns dancing one after
another; no doubt they can use the rest.
Short Subjects
Helpful info you can use. Updated periodically.
Need to clean your Compact Discs? Here
are some tips.
When cleaning the surface of the CD, use a motion
which moves from the inside to the outside, perpendicular to the tracks the music is laid down in.
See Figure 1. Arrows show desired cleaning direction. If you accidently produce a scratch while cleaning,
it will do less damage to the readability of the CD if it is perpendicular to the data track
If a particular song is mis-behaving, it is helpful
to know that track number one is closest to the center of the CD and the higher numbered tracks are closest to the
outer edge. See Figure 2. Look for any smudges or dirt accordingly. If the CD player cannot recognize the
CD at all, it is likely having trouble reading the directory, which, again, is near the center of the CD, before the first
track.
To see where cleaning is most needed, hold the CD so that light reflects
off the bottom. You should be able to pick out smudges that way.
Use a clean, lint-free, non-abrasive cloth.
If necessary, use ordinary soap and water. Dish soap will also work.
|
| Figure 1. Cleaning Motion |
|
|
| Use a motion perpendicular to the track laydown. |
|
| Figure 2. CD Track Order |
|
|
| Track one is at the center of the CD |
|
|
We
call it “muscle memory,”
but
it is really your subconscious. When you first learned to drive a car, it probably
seemed like there were a lot of things to remember. But, with practice, a lot
of those things became automatic – you do them without thinking. It is
just like that with dancing. Once you get basic steps (like jazz box, coaster
step, Monterey turn for line dances, or the basic steps and moves of East Coast Swing) into muscle memory, you can think about
the overall dance, or for lead and follow dances, the next move. It takes practice
and time to get things into muscle memory, but once they’re there, you’ll be able to enjoy your dancing even more.
|
If you want the music that goes with your favorite line dance, you can purchase select CDs -- a fancy way
of saying "not very many" -- through our web site. Just check out our step descriptions.
|
