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

[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

[Green Gretsch]

QUOTE (Gogo @ May 5, 2003 06:45 PM)

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:

You TRAITOR!!! And here I was thinkin' you be keepin' it REAL! :P

I think rock steps are great after you've done a slide (on purpose or not!). I like to rock step into lollies. good change and you can do it on the phrasing of the music.

I don't particularly care for rock stepping into the basic tho. its just a personal thing.

[Gogo]

QUOTE (Green Gretsch @ May 5, 2003 11:39 AM)

I don't particularly care for rock stepping into the basic tho. its just a personal thing.

I don't either rockstep to get into basic either. But really, I don't see it as a big deal becuase theoretically you only do it once to start offf the dance. Really, I think it's a Bal snob thang.... I guess I'm guilty too. ^_^

[Gogo]

QUOTE

I like to rock step into lollies

That's one time where I really think people should leave out the rock step. It looks so much better and smoother to lollies out of a come around or to just simply start it on the 2 of your basic.

This post has been edited by Gogo on May 5, 2003 12:04 PM

[Green Gretsch]

what if your partner doesn't know comearounds?

[frustratedmynx]

true. i'm thinking most of the time the unsync-ing happens when partners aren't too used to dancing with each other, and in many cases one is more of a beginner. so i'm digging the rock-step lollies to remedy this.

[Carolyn S.]

QUOTE (Gogo @ May 5, 2003 11:03 AM)

QUOTE I like to rock step into lollies That's one time where I really think people should leave out the rock step. It looks so much better and smoother to lollies out of a come around or to just simply start it on the 2 of your basic.

Word Gogo! I think Lollies are much smoother when you get into them with the come around.

I don't lead bal but as a follow - I begin to question the level of my lead when he starts to rock step - especially when starting off! I have had the pleasure of dancing with a number of AMAZING Bal leads and the only time I can ever recall them busting out a rock step is when the music is too fast and our feet get off and even then, they usually do something else to get us back on track.

I would advise that you do your best not to rock step in Bal and if you find yourself using it, work out a way to do what-ever-it-is-you-are-using-a-rock-step-for another way!

As for the follow not knowing the come-around Green: It is not that hard to catch-on to a come-around if it is lead clearly. She may have to fake her feet but it is not that hard to get right back on if you are moving her weight onto the correct foot.

[lindyprof]

Actually with beginning bal follows the problem I find is not so much the comearound but the transition step. If the transition feels really icky I am tempted to rock step. Also when I am throwing in some lindy I feel inclined to start that with a rock step. Generally speaking though I use rock steps more out of sheer habit than anything else, and I'm working on suppressing that habit.

In any case I don't find rock steps any good for syncing up. Weight transfers are easier and smoother.

[Gogo]

If the follow doesn't know the comearound, just go straight into lollies on the 2 without a rockstep it looks and feels better. It's easy to lead if you maintain a good frame.

[Green Gretsch]

on 2? is that a push her hip and kick thru on 2?

[Gogo]

Sorry my bad. I meant on 3. So on 3 you would twist inwards.

[Green Gretsch]

ok that makes more sense. I'll try that.

[Gogo]

Sorry we all can't be counting maniacs like you Gretsch. :P

[Gogo]

Did someone mention a snap turn earlier? What's the diff between a snap turn and a reverse turn? Is it the same thing?

Gogo: really bad at dance vocab and numbers

[Green Gretsch]

the difference between a snap turn and a reverse turn is 1 count. just kidding. I have no idea.


I had the same question.

[meowcatwoman]

Depending on how you do them, I don't see anything wrong with rocksteps. I remember way back when it was totally uncool to do them and I was on that bandwagon too. No one wanted to do those big hunka-chunka dorky step-off-a-curb-rocksteps because, well, they are lame, and it was like "ooh look at me, I can do balboa without them, nyah nyah!". Heehee. But if you use your rock-step as more of an "in-and-out" motion with the purpose of creating energy instead of just a lifeless rockstep, they can actually be useful AND aesthetically pleasing. :)

I stopped judging leads using the rockstep as an indicator of how advanced or not-advanced when Willie did one with me in his basic. I've heard several other old-timers say they use them too, but you know they can't ever agree on anything regarding what's "right" and what's "wrong" so I dunno I guess do whatever you like. I see people who do rocksteps and they make them look kinda dead and lifeless and almost as an interruption in their dancing, and then I see people use rocksteps to create energy and their dancing still feels "alive" and it flows. So I think it's all in how you do it.

Of course, rock step or not, I always feel like a big dork so that's kinda unavoidable...

[Green Gretsch]

Marlyn offered to slap me everytime I used a rock step in bal. :o

[Gogo]

Wow that's all you have to do? I usually have to put on my leather gimp outfit to get her to do that to me. :ph34r: (IMG:http://www.acuraworld.com/forums/images/smilies/whip.gif)

[frustratedmynx]

hey, hey now... don't be spillin' our secrets to the board. <_<

(but for clarification, the leather is reserved for whips and paddle-spanks, not mere slaps...) :shifty:

[Gogo]

Yes you're right. Please forgive me Mistress Mynx. I've been a very very very bad boy.... may I please lick your heel? (IMG:http://www.acuraworld.com/forums/images/smilies/yumyum.gif)

[Green Gretsch]

How do you lead drags?