Can We Talk About Bal Now??, anyone?? anything??

[BigDaddyK]

QUOTE (Gogo @ Apr 18, 2003 01:28 PM)

QUOTE (Green Gretsch @ Apr 17, 2003 05:47 PM) Right now I'm working on smoothing out my reverse turns (with a slide).  Also getting comfortable with pop turns.  just curious as to what people are working on or doing more often these days. What are pop turns? Are they the same as free turns out of lollies? And what are reverse turns? Is it that turn when both people turn and the lead begins it with his back facing the follow with his left hand reaching over his right shoulder?

pop turn: lead an inside free spin with you right arm, not your left hand. better seen not described

reverse turn: think of it as the shoulder toss. its when the lead turns to his left as the follow is doing an inside turn.

[Gogo]

QUOTE (BigDaddyK @ Apr 21, 2003 05:50 PM)

look at CampHolly 99 (i think) when Christian and Thea won the shag jam, he is a major down kicker. the best of them all (contemporarily speaking)

Christian rocks!! :kick:
I believe they actually took first place in 2000. Till now I'm still trying to breakdown his footwork. I still haven't seen anyone else Bal like him.

[Soupbone]

QUOTE (Gogo @ Apr 21, 2003 09:45 PM)

Christian rocks!! :kick: I believe they actually took first place in 2000. Till now I'm still trying to breakdown his footwork. I still haven't seen anyone else Bal like him.

Is he still dancing? I think I saw him at the Vegas exchange, but I'd heard he was no longer dancing.... ?

[GemZombie]

QUOTE (Soupbone @ Apr 22, 2003 04:47 AM)

QUOTE (Gogo @ Apr 21, 2003 09:45 PM) Christian rocks!! :kick: I believe they actually took first place in 2000. Till now I'm still trying to breakdown his footwork. I still haven't seen anyone else Bal like him. Is he still dancing? I think I saw him at the Vegas exchange, but I'd heard he was no longer dancing.... ?

I think his priorities are now on drinking, rather than dancing.

[Soupbone]

QUOTE (GemZombie @ Apr 22, 2003 11:17 AM)

I think his priorities are now on drinking, rather than dancing.

:huh:

Good times...

[Green Gretsch]

Hey could I borrow the aforementioned footage of christian and thea from someone?

[MINI b]

QUOTE (frustratedmynx @ Apr 17, 2003 12:39 PM)

see, even carolyn doesn't count.  :P

I don't count either - it makes it harder for me to follow :)

Sorry I'm a little behind - was at VLV6 all weekend

This post has been edited by MINI b on Apr 22, 2003 11:38 AM

[Green Gretsch]

One of the things that I found useful as a survival tool is lollies or swing kicks. Just blew that come around. no problem, get into some lollies, do a spike out and try again. Can't find the one? lollies. Not sync'ed with your partner. rock step and lolly.

Anyone else have useful survival tips?

[Gogo]

Yeha don't Bal or Shag while wearing super traction New Balance running shoes. Damn my calfs are sore and swollen! >_<

[Green Gretsch]

what happened to the chromed leather bottoms?

[Gogo]

I left all my dancing gear at home last nite. If you didn't notice. :(
I had no idea that wearing sneakers could change the way you dance. I dance and look totally different in my hard leather soles.

[Green Gretsch]

I thought you had your 'groove attire' on. :blink:

[frustratedmynx]

heh. i was about to say that.

but you know... when we get started on our groove-bal, i'll have to plunk down some money on new shoes too...

tip (mostly for me, in the future): never have more than one beer when attempting anything other than pure bal.

[Gogo]

QUOTE (Green Gretsch @ May 1, 2003 03:59 PM)

I thought you had your 'groove attire' on. :blink:

Hey Gretsch.... (IMG:http://www.acuraworld.com/forums/images/smilies/stfu.gif)

BTW I thought you guys were going to hit up the Elbo Room.

[Green Gretsch]

come on now. Ya'll pulled out a body roll and a wave. ;)

we passed by but I was a wuss and needed to go home to sleep. how was it?

This post has been edited by Green Gretsch on May 1, 2003 05:18 PM

[Green Gretsch]

So anyway, balboa survival tips...besides defaulting to lollies and not wearing new balance super traction shoes...what else can anyone impart?

[BigDaddyK]

when it's crazy hard core fast, and you start getting off time. bust out slow motion for a bit. people think you are being cool and forget you are off time, once you hear the beat again, go back full steam.

cha ching$

[Soupbone]

Survival? Three words: Itsy bitsy steps...

Hey, any of you cats going to the Cleveland All Bal weekend?

[Green Gretsch]

I find it easier to get back into the basic on seven rather than one. Like when I'm lost, I'll hold my weight to the left and start leaning backward..seeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvveeeeeen eight. then go into 1. I don't know if that messes people up.

[BigDaddyK]

It doesn't mess me up, I don't mind. :P

[frustratedmynx]

QUOTE

Like when I'm lost,

wait, what?!?!?!? you lose track? don't you have a million numbers and patterns running each millisecond of each song? :P

it hasn't messed me up, but i fudge a lot of things so i usually think it's my fault.

what about the follows? is there anything you do if/when you slip out of sync with the lead? or is it the lead's responsibility to "hoist" you back into his rhythm?

[BigDaddyK]

it should be the leaders responsibility to notice that you are off and correct you. what ca YOU do? you can't really force him off time and back on, i mean, you could, but it would be smoother to let him do it

[Carolyn S.]

QUOTE (Soupbone @ May 2, 2003 05:12 AM)

Survival?  Three words:  Itsy bitsy steps... Hey, any of you cats going to the Cleveland All Bal weekend?

I am! I am! I get in town Thursday night of All Bal and will be there until Monday!

CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

[lindyprof]

QUOTE (Green Gretsch @ May 1, 2003 05:22 PM)

So anyway, balboa survival tips...besides defaulting to lollies and not wearing new balance super traction shoes...what else can anyone impart?

For me lollies are usually a cause of the problem rather than part of the solution. My survival tactics are pretty lame - a sequence of weight changes till I find the seven.

[BalBurgh]

Walking backwards steps: If you are at least on the right up/down beat eventually your left (lead's pov) will land on one. By definition this can't be more than 6 or 8 beats so it's quick.

Pops: A cool little thing from Rob and Diane. They run on single counts so you can even correct up/down beat problems.

Stop, sway side-to-side in half-time, restart: For complete meltdowns.

A nice slide could work, then just sort of pose until you can regroup. Anything not on the beat is obviously a purposeful syncopation!

[Green Gretsch]

I don't understand pops. can you explain it again?

[BalBurgh]

Well, that would be because I didn't explain them. From lead's pov, it involves creating a bit of space between yourself and the follow by moving into a small sideways (i.e. to the right) traveling rock step on your opposite foot. That is to say, do a rock step on your right, then each time you shuffle rightward (left foot always fwd on evens, right foot always back on odds), gently rock follow away on left, bring follow back close on right. To exit, stay close and hold right instead of rock stepping, then place 8 like in normal basic and continue from there. Getting into it requires a bit of a hitch where you hold someplace convenient.

[meowcatwoman]

QUOTE (lindyprof @ May 2, 2003 04:31 PM)

My survival tactics are pretty lame - a sequence of weight changes till I find the seven.

I don't think that's lame at all.

Both Marty & I use weight shifts all the time to get back on track (well, Marty more than me since I don't often lead). If the lead & follow are off from each other, the lead simply shifting his weight from left to right a couple times guarantees you get back together. The follow can easily feel it when the lead puts all his weight on either left or right, and it puts her exactly where she needs to be. And as long as you are still "dancing" through the weight shifts it doesn't make it lame. It's if you stop all movement to shift back and forth that makes it weird, in my opinion. :)

As a follow, when I feel that I am off from my lead I don't wait for him to put me back on track though, it's cool when he does and I definitely appreciate it, but if it doesn't happen I just relax until I can feel his center and where he's taking me and that gets me back on. When I was first learning I would get "happy feet", where I was so concerned about getting back on that I would step like 37 times in 3 beats trying to find where I was supposed to be, it looked really funny. When I started to just chill out and relax, it was much easier to come back together.

[meowcatwoman]

QUOTE (BalBurgh @ May 2, 2003 07:19 PM)

Anything not on the beat is obviously a purposeful syncopation!

HAHAHA Marty says that all the time "I'm not off-beat, I'm syncopated!"

Heehee.

[Gogo]

How about rock steps to reset yourselves?

So the Bal mantra is no rock steps, no rock steps, no rock steps. Personally I don't think it's too taboo. I admit to occassionally busting out a rcok step to resynch my partner and I. Sure it's not as aesthetically pleasing if you prep each move with a rock step, but using it to start out from basic or as a way to reset yourselves isn't too bad. Once or twice in a song isn't too distracting and no one will really notice.

Others treat rocksteps like the plague. :ph34r:

This post has been edited by Gogo on May 5, 2003 10:46 AM