Now this is excellent material Eglis !!! Very well documented. Clearly explaned. Faltlessly demonstrated. Could not be better !!! By the way, I dance since age 14, was 4 times Blackpool Champion, am now 67 and learned a lot with your basic video's. Thank you soo much !!!
Learning from every video I watch. Feels impressive. Of course, real improvement comes when I do them myself. However I am really thankful to you Egils for giving so detailed attention. I truely believe that even from 0, someone can learn how to dance from these videos with enough ambition. :)
I belong to a dance circle in a remote part of Japan. We are mostly not so young. The Japanese woman teacher is excellent, and very sweet but as my Japanese is somewhat lacking - the fine points of posture, sway etc. are difficult to communicate. Your videos are excellent for me. Would you have a CD or MP3 of your teaching? John
+Jack Curran, thanks for your interest in dance tutorials. I don't have tutorials outside UA-cam. If you cannot find here anything you looking for or if you have questions I'll be happy to answer.
+Robert Wiegman thanks for comment. I'm not sure that I understood your question correctly. But if you asking about rotation in different ballroom figures then I think generally - where is more turn is less rotation.
Can I ask how are neck positioned (for leader and follower) throughout a dance for ballroom? Are there any rules? If so are there exercise for it? It would be appreciate that if you can make a video tutorial for it! :)
Bernard, thanks for your question. Generally I would say that neck position depends from spine. Neck is extention of spine and reflects how energy goes from spine upwards. Thanks for idea, I will think about video in future. Egils
@Egils! - and/or anyone --- Why do ballroom waltz followers lean back and look away? Does it help the motion somehow? Does the counterweight - with a shared central axis - facilitate rotation? I half believe that, but I'm skeptical. I watched a set of Blackpool finalists and they all look stiff to me. It looks like a lot of effort, for no benefit. It looks less fun - and less graceful. It appears to make breathing harder. Am I just projecting how it would feel to me now? (If I trained, as a follower, would it become near-effortless as muscles and fascia grow?) I hear ballroom dance praised for precise biomechanical technique, but sometimes it seems contrary to physics / organic biomechanics. I agree it's good to be comfortable dancing off-vertical. Motorcyclists lean into curves, towards the axis of rotation. Ballroom waltz dancers lean away from the axis of rotation - both the axis between the two bodies, and the "axis" at the "centre" of curving patterns. Why the difference? Thank you!
Thanks Jonathon for your interesting and important questions. I agree that because of "trend" doing big shapes in competitions dancers strive to do shapes often biger that theit ability allows. I would encorage produce shapes that are done with good personal balance and create heathy movements, understanding own physical abilities. Idea, I believe, is not to lean back, but to stay in balance so that your body center goes forward, but head weight stays over your foot. Degree of this shape depends on each dancer, but balance line should remain vertical. So it looks like leaning away with head from centre of couple, but actually its strong "leaning" with body centre towards centre of coulpe, even go over balance forward towards partner and create pushing feeling in right rib or right hip. About sway (side inclination). There are different kinds of sway, but most basic is for example in Waltz Natural Turn. It is reaction to swing action. In standard technique sway is towards centre of rotation. Example: Man 123 of Natural Turn in Waltz: Straight, to Right, to Right. Today dancers often delay rotation and sway so that it becomes: Left, Straight, Right. But as I said before I would encourage to develop such shapes that are compatible with dancers physical abilities and allows to stay flexible, but not stiff.
Thank you Egils. I like "[the idea] is not to lean back, but to stay in balance so that your body center goes forward, but head weight stays over your foot. ... So it looks like leaning away with head from centre of couple, but actually its strong "leaning" with body centre towards centre of coulpe, even go over balance forward towards partner and create pushing feeling in right rib or right hip." You also wrote: "In standard technique sway is towards centre of rotation." Compared to a motorcyclist, both lean into the centre of rotation, but for the ballroom dancer, that is true only for the lower "half". Is that correct? While in the swing of a waltz natural turn, am I right that we could get more precise than saying the head weight stays over the foot, vertically? While in the swing of a waltz natural turn, the head weight isn't vertical over the foot relative to the environment (the room / floor), it is vertical over the foot relative to the body, which at this moment is leaning into the centre of rotation. Even if the body centre is leaning most torwards the centre, the torso and head are more towards the centre (to counteract angular momentum) than if they were standing on the spot with the same amount of "banana curve". I'm sure that could be stated better, but does this sound right to you? Thanks
Yes, I think youre right that in swing and rotation movement balance for dancer is more towards centre of rotation, compared to static "banana" shape. Otherwise there will be no positive body contact in couple. This is why there should be enought space between partners toes.
Hi, as usual great videos, I'm getting confused with the Sway in 'Foxtrot Three Step', I am seeing this figure with LLS as Man and as Lady RRS, don't know if this is correct. Is it suppose to be SRR as man and SLL as woman? ISTD has it as LLS, RRS and the Dvida has it as SLL as man and as Lady SRR.
Hi, Lana, thanks for interesting question! Foxtrot Three Step. Mans starts with Left Foot Forward and dances timing SQQ. In this case sway acording Guy Howard's Book is SLL for Man (SRR for Lady). Left sway means that Head weight is moved leftwards, Right Sway means Head weight is moving rightwards. In ISTD book Three Step starts for Man with Right Foot and timing is QQS. First step in ISTD book coresponds to second step in Howard's book. Therefore sway which is basically same as in Howard's book but acording described steps in ISTD book is LLS for Man and RRS for Lady. Hope it helps. Egils
When you lean back with your head, it forces your partner to look up your nose, and prevents a visual connection between both of you. This posture seems designed to please judges rather than the dancers.
Now this is excellent material Eglis !!! Very well documented. Clearly explaned. Faltlessly demonstrated. Could not be better !!! By the way, I dance since age 14, was 4 times Blackpool Champion, am now 67 and learned a lot with your basic video's. Thank you soo much !!!
Thank you so much, it's honor to receive such appreciation from you!
Egris, love your tips for exercise to create better volume and better posture.
This is pure gold Egils. THANK YOU, THANK YOU & THANK YOU!
Thanks John for watching and appreciating this exercise video!
Amazingly graceful dancing and excellent explanation. I follow the exercises repeatedly. Thanks Egils and Threada!
Thanks Shigeru Ashida, really glad you appreciate and find helpful these exercises!
Hello Egils. I am practising body rotation at home. Thank you for the exercises and your teaching. Keep safe and well.
Great to hear, keep exercising!
There’s so much to learn. Thanks Egils. Your videos are so helpful.
Thanks seema, really glad you find my videos helpful to you!
Excellent instructions! Very helpful. I love Egils and his woman partner. Thanks so much.
Thanks Shingeru, really glad you appreciate our video instructions!
Very simple approach to teaching. showing body mechanics in very natural fluid movements. Enjoy watching your videos. Thank you for sharing.
+Lynn Fabia thanks for enjoying our exercises
Egils Smagri
Thank you for the exercises. As A bronze 4 student I am working very hard on these concepts and proper balance. Your exercises are helping me a lot.
+ccix2 thanx for your positive feedback, enjoy exercises and share videos you like 👍 Egils
ccix@ Gold Level have the same problem
Learning from every video I watch. Feels impressive. Of course, real improvement comes when I do them myself. However I am really thankful to you Egils for giving so detailed attention. I truely believe that even from 0, someone can learn how to dance from these videos with enough ambition. :)
Thanks Yato for finding our videos helpful. Wish everyone to develop and enjoy dancing 💃 🕺
It is very impressive for your 7 exercise ,very useful.
Thanks Attapol Martin Hong for watching and appreciating these 7 exercises!
thkq for sharing.
Very good exercises! I'll use them in my trainings.
Thanks Tony! Let us know how they work.
Egils Smagris samba. hi
I learned a lot about the posture of the rotation and the direction of the face. I am always grateful for your help. egiru
Thanks Dunlop!
Well explained !! Very clear
THANK YOU....
I belong to a dance circle in a remote part of Japan. We are mostly not so young. The Japanese woman teacher is excellent, and very sweet but as my Japanese is somewhat lacking - the fine points of posture, sway etc. are difficult to communicate. Your videos are excellent for me. Would you have a CD or MP3 of your teaching?
John
+Jack Curran, thanks for your interest in dance tutorials. I don't have tutorials outside UA-cam. If you cannot find here anything you looking for or if you have questions I'll be happy to answer.
Jack Curran Č
thanks for the info! would there be there on figures like Running Steps Forward/Streamline, Crossovers, Balancetes?
+Robert Wiegman thanks for comment. I'm not sure that I understood your question correctly. But if you asking about rotation in different ballroom figures then I think generally - where is more turn is less rotation.
Hi Egils great video as usual Question what does Sway: SRR and Sway: SLL mean
Hi, Ramnarine! Straight, to Right, to Right. And: Straight, to Left, to Left. Hope it helps.
Egils Smagris thank you very much great help appreciate the quick response keep educating
Exercises for rotation and sway in Ballroom Dancing
really very interesting...i'll try to use
+Effeemme please try and tell us how it works
Can I ask how are neck positioned (for leader and follower) throughout a dance for ballroom? Are there any rules? If so are there exercise for it? It would be appreciate that if you can make a video tutorial for it! :)
Bernard, thanks for your question. Generally I would say that neck position depends from spine. Neck is extention of spine and reflects how energy goes from spine upwards. Thanks for idea, I will think about video in future. Egils
@Egils! - and/or anyone --- Why do ballroom waltz followers lean back and look away? Does it help the motion somehow? Does the counterweight - with a shared central axis - facilitate rotation? I half believe that, but I'm skeptical. I watched a set of Blackpool finalists and they all look stiff to me. It looks like a lot of effort, for no benefit. It looks less fun - and less graceful. It appears to make breathing harder. Am I just projecting how it would feel to me now? (If I trained, as a follower, would it become near-effortless as muscles and fascia grow?)
I hear ballroom dance praised for precise biomechanical technique, but sometimes it seems contrary to physics / organic biomechanics.
I agree it's good to be comfortable dancing off-vertical. Motorcyclists lean into curves, towards the axis of rotation. Ballroom waltz dancers lean away from the axis of rotation - both the axis between the two bodies, and the "axis" at the "centre" of curving patterns. Why the difference?
Thank you!
Thanks Jonathon for your interesting and important questions.
I agree that because of "trend" doing big shapes in competitions dancers strive to do shapes often biger that theit ability allows. I would encorage produce shapes that are done with good personal balance and create heathy movements, understanding own physical abilities.
Idea, I believe, is not to lean back, but to stay in balance so that your body center goes forward, but head weight stays over your foot. Degree of this shape depends on each dancer, but balance line should remain vertical. So it looks like leaning away with head from centre of couple, but actually its strong "leaning" with body centre towards centre of coulpe, even go over balance forward towards partner and create pushing feeling in right rib or right hip.
About sway (side inclination). There are different kinds of sway, but most basic is for example in Waltz Natural Turn. It is reaction to swing action. In standard technique sway is towards centre of rotation. Example: Man 123 of Natural Turn in Waltz: Straight, to Right, to Right. Today dancers often delay rotation and sway so that it becomes: Left, Straight, Right.
But as I said before I would encourage to develop such shapes that are compatible with dancers physical abilities and allows to stay flexible, but not stiff.
Thank you Egils.
I like "[the idea] is not to lean back, but to stay in balance so that your body center goes forward, but head weight stays over your foot. ... So it looks like leaning away with head from centre of couple, but actually its strong "leaning" with body centre towards centre of coulpe, even go over balance forward towards partner and create pushing feeling in right rib or right hip."
You also wrote: "In standard technique sway is towards centre of rotation."
Compared to a motorcyclist, both lean into the centre of rotation, but for the ballroom dancer, that is true only for the lower "half". Is that correct?
While in the swing of a waltz natural turn, am I right that we could get more precise than saying the head weight stays over the foot, vertically? While in the swing of a waltz natural turn, the head weight isn't vertical over the foot relative to the environment (the room / floor), it is vertical over the foot relative to the body, which at this moment is leaning into the centre of rotation. Even if the body centre is leaning most torwards the centre, the torso and head are more towards the centre (to counteract angular momentum) than if they were standing on the spot with the same amount of "banana curve". I'm sure that could be stated better, but does this sound right to you?
Thanks
Yes, I think youre right that in swing and rotation movement balance for dancer is more towards centre of rotation, compared to static "banana" shape. Otherwise there will be no positive body contact in couple. This is why there should be enought space between partners toes.
Very very good lesson
Thanks tuyet le
Hi, as usual great videos, I'm getting confused with the Sway in 'Foxtrot Three Step', I am seeing this figure with LLS as Man and as Lady RRS, don't know if this is correct. Is it suppose to be SRR as man and SLL as woman? ISTD has it as LLS, RRS and the Dvida has it as SLL as man and as Lady SRR.
Hi, Lana, thanks for interesting question!
Foxtrot Three Step. Mans starts with Left Foot Forward and dances timing SQQ. In this case sway acording Guy Howard's Book is SLL for Man (SRR for Lady).
Left sway means that Head weight is moved leftwards, Right Sway means Head weight is moving rightwards.
In ISTD book Three Step starts for Man with Right Foot and timing is QQS. First step in ISTD book coresponds to second step in Howard's book. Therefore sway which is basically same as in Howard's book but acording described steps in ISTD book is LLS for Man and RRS for Lady.
Hope it helps. Egils
Thank you it really helps!
You are truly a great teacher and it is so easy to learn from you, hope you keep coming with more videos, looking forward!
You can suggest 🎥 topics if you want
Sure! Thanks! I will think of something
Excellent teacher.
Good
SHOW SWAY FROM THE BACK..................
See "The Walking Code: Lesson 7-Torsional Rotation"
When you lean back with your head, it forces your partner to look up your nose, and prevents a visual connection between both of you. This posture seems designed to please judges rather than the dancers.
👍👍👍👍
👌
3Q