Hi Read,
Sorry, I’m not convinced by the idea of galloping, especially as
in the video you cite, where the feet are too far apart, the trailing foot
isn’t tucked in and the demonstrator is bouncing up and down. I have seen
people who learnt that way develop bad habits in their swing.
I much prefer to get them to turn individually on the spot with
the left leg tucked in behind and close, and with relaxed knees. I want them
to learn what it really feels like and to develop their own sense of balance.
This seems to develop a much smoother swing.
Lots more details about how I teach a swing at
http://contrafusion.co.uk/Contra.html#swinging
Of course if it is a one night stand and I am doing dances where
the dancers spring apart at the end into their own line, then I don’t teach a
buzz-step at all. I teach: join right forearms, gently hook you left hand just
above your partner’s elbow, join left hands (again, a nice hook) underneath,
then skip, walk, buzz or anything you like.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940
574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
From: Callers <callers-boun...@lists.sharedweight.net> On Behalf Of Read Weaver
via Callers
Sent: 25 July 2018 23:47
To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Folk Festival - Easy Contra dances to teach Beginners
Or don’t have them do a buzzstep—swings work just fine with a walking step. (If
you’ve got moderately experienced folks mixed in, though, you may need to teach
the buzzstep, since few moderately experienced dancers will do a walking swing
even if asked to.)
If you do teach buzzstep, I’ve had the most success teaching it as a gallop
https://youtu.be/5GmQ868ArAw?t=12 ; I’ll take a group of 8 or so, holding
hands, and have everyone gallop (clockwise, right/inner foot in front), then
break it into two circles without stopping, then into pairs; then stop and show
ballroom position.
Getting them into ballroom position for the swing and then teaching them to let
go of the pointy hands works much better than “gents on the left, ladies on the
right” for ending correctly.
Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA
http://lcfd.org
On Jul 24, 2018, at 12:00 PM, John Sweeney via Callers
<callers@lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > wrote:
Your next big problem is getting them to do a good buzz-step swing and finish
with the man on the left, lady on the right. With large numbers of beginners
there will some who get in wrong every time and break down the dance. I would
practice that in a circle mixer like:
<http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/TheExchangeSwing.html>
http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/TheExchangeSwing.html
or
<http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/VirginiaReelCircleMixer24.html>
http://contrafusion.co.uk/Dances/VirginiaReelCircleMixer24.html
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