Technolophile Culture as a Deprivation Factor

Dance culture is a part of human culture. At all times the ability to dance has been considered a must for high society, cultured men. Today, humans have become more and more isolated from the real world because of involvement with computers and the virtual world. How they impoverish themselves, those who engage heavily in virtual space! How many unique experiences and opportunities they deny themselves! There are many unsolved controversies happening which are not creating new knowledge or enriching nature.

This social phenomenon has changed attitudes towards dance culture. The isolation and impoverishment have caused many ballroom dance couples to fail to really feel the fundamental, organic joy in partner dancing. Still, those who once felt the call of nature are coming to dance schools or clubs, or simply stretch out their hands at the dance party, merged in a hug position to reach the highest of pleasures: the unity of opposites.

By the way, this unity is not necessarily built on parity. Each partnership has its own parameters and proportions. Some couples search for and find such parameters as mutual actions and those actions’ equality. They will eventually achieve harmony by performing their respective specific roles. Adequately developed male and female roles are an asset. And here it becomes clear that a major technique of interaction is not in the legs and body actions first, but in the correctly working mind. And if there is no order in it, it means no understanding of the laws of nature, and therefore there is no chance for success. “All our problems and their solutions are between the ears” (Leonid Pletnev, a book “With Reverence…”).

Man Not To Lead But Obey

The man invites a lady to dance and humbly awaits her consent (and sometimes disagreement), and after having pleasure, thanks her and hopes for another consent for the next dance. To be invited SHE must be attractive to generate interest and desire, and HE (to get her consent) must be properly educated, handsome, neat and accurate. And of course a man has to be able to dance the Lady! According to visual analogy, at minimum men must be able to correctly lead a partner by using basic techniques, but then also to do and understand more.

But only on top of the mastery he becomes able to guess her desires and to lead according to them, not even leading, but in fact obeying them. Not to command, but to serve a WOMAN! And isn’t this in fact the role of MEN? It doesn’t even matter to what they are dancing, as long as it shows how they feel towards each other. How SHE submerged in his commanding impulses, and HE focused on her reactions. How her eyes are sparkling, and hot cheeks are getting pink, how goose bumps of pleasure covered her wet-from-excitement skin. They touch each other’s bodies trembling from anticipation, breathing in unison and hearing heats’ beating. They reach the same wave – and the magic begins! In one moment they forget everyday troubles and problems. They all becomes unimportant and stays outside the dance floor. It is time for PLEASURE!

Queen Delegates, Prime Minister Pledges

A very important and essential natural right is initially distribution of roles in a partnership. Today’s generally accepted male dominance is a misconception because it is not based on men’s inherent initiative or demand. In fact, it is the proposition of women! Therefore, desire of a woman – the desire of God! Queen invites Prime Minister to the service of her needs, delegating him the rights to drive.

So, in the very first place SHE is the main element of the couple, and she naturally assumes her Prime Minister/partner knows it. Thus, initial decisions the man makes – on matters such as how to suggest his commands to her, so she will behave to help him fulfill his pledge to serve her – are possible only when all the following conditions are met: 1) the comfort and pleasure of his actions for her; 2) timeliness of entering commands, taking into account the time she needs for processing and acting; 3) uniqueness of incoming commands (if woman has a choice, as opposed to him, she likely selects something else).

This decision to delegate is not because of the woman’s weakness but her wisdom! It is based on the fact that having two opinions inevitably implies at least a slight disagreement, and at the worst a brutal war. The woman understands that she should work to satisfy man’s consciousness of quality. He strives to bring it about, using his own logical and analytical capabilities to make physical and metaphysical calculations. These calculations are needed to prioritize his actions – and her reactions – in a limited time. In delegating these decisions to the man, the partner has entrusted the task for both of them as a couple.

Her Sensuality as a Nod, Her Smile as a Goal

For her part, she offers a natural feminine characteristics: sensuality (The man’s sensual characteristics in general are no comparison to those of the females’ in their depth.). This sensuality underwrites her understanding in her task to follow. Therefore in the correct partnership there is a proper allocation of powers and responsibilities. No one is humbled: it’s simply that each gender has its own role and its own responsibility area. And the end result is achieved solely through mutual effort.

But how many “wrong” couples are there today at the competitive dance floor! How many of them seem to perform out of self-satisfaction and selfishness. You can see their constant dissatisfaction and frustration in their dance. Hence there is a lack of smiles on the faces of the dancers. Because the smile is a natural reaction to the pleasure, and its absence is a sign to the contrary. Through a smile, or lack thereof, judge can’t get a feel for their style and orientation as dancers. A woman is able to hide displeasure, but to hide the pleasure is not in her power! When a woman is pleasantly satisfied, it is certainly reflected in the smile on her face. If your woman is smiling, you have reached a goal. The smile of a woman is the best compliment to the man and the recognition of his outstanding abilities and skills, as well as the highest award. She will say “yes” for next dance again, for sure!

So, my dear readers, let’s get pleased with each other and dance with love, if you want to achieve real pleasure! – Smile!

With Reverence,
Leonid Pletnev

The Laws of the Universe:  By : Maja Serve

I have been asked about the laws of the universe and how they are and can be used in the Ballroom dance/dancesport setting.

I am going to describe the Laws as they are defined. These Laws are universal Laws and should be work into everyday life as well as in the dancing. They may come across as being complicated and very similar. They do all tie together and fit under the one Great Law “ENERGY IS”. Have fun working them into your life and dance. Remember dance is life and life is a dance so they are all tied together. Work on the Laws and master the Laws. What goes on in your life will be visible in your dancing.

THE LAWS

There is but one Great Law: namely “ENERGY IS”

All physical and mental science is based on this one great law and it seven subsidiary laws which operate in co-ordination with each other.

The seven subsidiary Laws are…

1)     The Law of Perpetual Transmutation

2)     The Law of Relativity

3)     The Law of Vibration

4)     The Law of Polarity

5)     The Law of Rhythm

6)     The Law of Cause and Effect

7)     The Law of Gender

These laws or rules govern every individual. You can act in accordance with these laws or you can disregard them.

We have the capacity to choose to use them to our advantage or not, but you can’t alter them.

If you want to be successful in life it is better to live in accordance to these laws.

Let me go more into details of each of these laws….

1)     The Law of Perpetual Transmutation

This Law states that energy moves into physical form and that the images you hold in your mind most often materialize in results in your life.

The law explains that everything in the universe that we can see, hear, smell, taste or touch together with our emotions, is the manifestation of energy in various levels of vibration. The universe as a whole is changing all the time. Change is the only constant in the universe.

Change is Energy’s only attribute. Energy is in a constant state of transmission and transmutation. It is the cause and effect of itself and can be neither created nor destroyed.

This law explains that the non-physical level of life is always moving into physical form. The physical level of life is a manifestation of the non-physical. Emotions are expressed with and through the body. The body is moving into action which produces the result.

The law explains the creative process. It also explains prayer. Prayer is the movement that takes place between spirit and form with and through you.

As an example

Thought energy – non-physical- energy-spirit-thought stirs emotions and emotions are expressed with and through the body thereby becoming a physical manifestation of your thoughts. In dancing this means that you need to have an idea of your dancing before you can make it into it physical form. If you have no idea of what you want to look like or do you can’t create it in its physical form. The clearer you are on what it is you want in your dancing, the better the creation in its physical form it will be.

What goes on in your life will show up in one way or another in your dancing. It is therefore important that you not only work on your physical dancing but also on your mental dancing.

Remember everything in this universe is created twice, once in the mind and then in its physical form. That is the Law of Perpetual Transmutation at work. You do need have a clear idea of what you want to create before you are able to get your body to create it. You also need to face and deal with the fears that you hold in your mind. A child’s mind is like a cup and everything that the people around you were thinking and doing will be programed into your mind. You may have fears that you are not consciously aware off and they may be the fear that is holding you back from succeeding. Let me give you all an example of a fear that most people hold in their mind that will hold them back for succeeding in most sports.

When you were a child the people that looked after you, probably told you to be careful or you would FALL. They may even have “promised” you that if you were to fall you would hurt yourself. They made falling into a bad thing. Most sports work on falling to more or less of degree. You are taught to work to the limits just before falling over. The ability to get to the limit may be hindered by the fear that the people that took care of you instilled in you. They, of cause, didn’t do this out of malice. This “promise” of hurting yourself for many people develop over time into a fear that is now holding you back for reaching your full potential.

2)     The Law of Relativity

This law state that everything just “Is” until it is compared to something else. Nothing is big or small until they are compared.

When you study this law, you will find that all things are relative.  All laws are related to each other and correspond with each other. The laws of the little are the laws of the great. There is no big nor small, fast nor slow except by comparison. Every law that is a law must be relative to all other laws. In other words, they must be in harmony, agreement and correspond with each other. Whenever this law is properly used, you win. Remember that everybody does something better than you and, likewise you do something better than every person you meet. When you relate something you do that you are not proficient at, to something another person does that they have mastered, you will not look good. You are using the law against yourself. Begin using this law to heighten your self-esteem. You will then become aware of how special you are in the light of truth.

The studio you learn to dance in is not big nor small until you compare it to other places. I am sure the studio is a lot bigger than the bathroom at your house but it is a lot smaller than the Winter Garden in Blackpool. You are not fast or slow until you compare it to somebody or something that is either faster or slower than you are.  In dancing you are compared to the other dancers by the judges. The judges then mark you according to what they see as being better. Use this law to help you understand that you need to be slow at time to appear fast and that you need to have a small topline in order to show a big topline.

3)     The Law of Vibration

This law states that everything vibrates, nothing is ever at rest.

Your thoughts control your paradigms and your vibration. Your vibration dictates what you attract into your life.  What you focus on is always moving towards you and it is always moving towards you. You could call it action and attraction. This is where the intuitive factor is used. You can use it to pick up other peoples vibration. When you become conscious awareness of vibration is called feelings. Your thoughts are vibrations that you send off into the universe. When you concentrate, the vibrations are stronger. Your thoughts are cosmic waves of energy that penetrate all time and space. Thought is the most potent vibration. Your thought controls the vibration your physical body is in. Disease is the body that is not at ease. Health is a body at ease.

Use this law to attract the healthy body that you need for dancing. Use the law to attract the teachers and information you need. Use the gut feeling to tell you if a vibration is going to help you get what you want or if you should change direction. You will also be able to use this Law to sense what your partner wants you to do even if you are not in contact with your partner. This Law is also used by judges as they will pick up either consciously or unconsciously what vibration you are in. They can in other words tell whether you are confident or not just by sensing the vibration you are sending out.

4)     Law of Polarity

This law states that everything has an opposite….it is equal and opposite.

Everything in the universe has its opposite. There would be no inside to a room if there was no outside to the room. You have a right and a left side to your body, a front and back. Every up has a down and every down has an up. If there is 4 feet from you to the wall there is also be 4 feet from the wall to you. If something bad happens in your life there has to be something good about it. Realize that everything situation JUST IS. You make it negative or positive of virtue of how you choose to think of the situation.

If something happens that you perceive to be negative turn it around and look for the positive in the situation. A bad result could be what you needed to change things around and create better results.

The best way to explain this Law is to relate it to my own situation. I had torn meniscus and loose cross tendons in both knees before I started dancing. I used this to my advantage as I could tell from the pain that I felt if I lowered wrong. I used my “disadvantage” to an advantage and it helped me improve where most people that didn’t have the knowledge of this Law would have focused on the disadvantage. I could use my knee issue either way. It was not good or bad till I chose to use it for good.

5)     The Law of Rhythm

The law of Rhythm states that everything moves in rhythm. The tide comes in and goes out….Night follows day….bad times follow good times.

The Law of Rhythm embodies the truth that everything is moving to and fro. Everything is flowing, both in and out, in accordance with this law. There is always a reaction to every action. Something must advance when anything retreats. Something must rise when something sinks. Men and women can observe this law in their mental, physical and emotional states. The Law of Rhythm is universals. This law governs the movement of the planets in their orbits and also manifests in the mineral and animal kingdoms. You are not going to feel good all the time, no one does. If you did feel good all the time you recognize it as you had nothing to compare it to. The Low Feelings are what makes you enjoy the Good Feelings. There will always be highs and lows in your life. You get to choose your thoughts about the bad feelings. Even when you are on a natural downswing, you can choose good thought and thereby continue to move towards your goal.

When you feel your dancing is not going well use that as a guide to when it is feeling great. Know that your partner may not feel good to you today but you are only able to recognize this because there was a time when s/he didn’t feel good to you. Appreciate the downs so that you can feel and enjoy the ups. I am sure that all top dancers would agree with me that they didn’t feel great every time they danced. They felt bad but choose to get on-with-it and in some times that later turned out to be a great night. Use the Law of Rhythm to appreciate the bad times so you can enjoy the good times.

6)     The Law of Cause and Effect

This law states that everything you send out into the universe comes back. Action – reaction are equal and opposite. This law is also sometimes called The Law of Psychological Reciprocity.

Every cause has its effect; every effect, its cause. There is no such thing as chance. Everything happens according to the law. Nothing in the entire universe ever happens, unless it occurs according the law. Nothing ever escapes the law. It is impossible for the human mind to conceive of starting a new chain of causation, for the simple reason that every effect must have a cause; and in turn, that cause must have an effect. That basically leads to the perpetual, never-ending cycle of cause and effect.

Learn to live by this law and forget about luck. When you put positive out, you will get a positive back, but rarely straight away. When you put negative out, you will get one back. Use this law to help you get positive back. When somebody gives you a positive give one right back. When somebody sends you a negative, step aside and let it keep going.

When you are angry with a fellow dancer because they bumped into you during the competition, let it go. If you get negative about it you could find yourself in a collision later. When you get a bad result congratulate your competition. This could help you later to get a good result. Treat your partner with respect as you would want them to respect you too. Know that every thought and action that you sent out will come back to you sooner or later.

7)     The Law of Gender

This Law manifests in ALL things as masculine or feminine. It is the law that governs what we know as creation.

The word creation is often erroneously used. Most time nothing is really created but in reality it is merely a result of changing something from one format to another. The Law of Gender manifests in the animal kingdom as sex. Without the dual principle of male and female in all things, there could not be a difference of potential, perpetuation of motion, nor a regeneration. This Law decrees that everything in nature is both male and female. Both are required for lie to exist. This law also decrees that all seeds have a gestation or incubation period before they manifest. Ideas are spiritual seeds. When you choose a goal or build the image in your mind, a definite period of time must elapse before that image manifests in the physical result.

Be patient…all ideas move into physical form or results at the right time. Your goals will manifest when the time is right….know the will….

This is the Law that many people have trouble with. They set a goal and then don’t feed the goal.  You need to have a clear goal, feed the goal and then know and expect that goal to happen. If you were to plant a seed of a carrot a famer could tell you almost to the day when that carrot will be ready to harvest. Ideas are spiritual seeds but we human has as of yet not developed the awareness of how long it takes for a spiritual seed to mature. It has to be noted it also depends on how much you feed the seed. These is where having a goal card, carry it on you and read it often can be of great help.

These laws will work for you, I guarantee it. It might take a little time to learn how they are integrated in your dancing and how to get the most out of them. You will also with time learn that these laws are deep. Every time you work on them you will get to a deeper insight of them and a deep level of use for your life and dancing. Have fun exploring and developing the unlimited potential that these laws promote.

What goes on in your life will show up in one way or another in your dancing. It is therefore important that you not only work on your physical dancing but also on your mental dancing. Remember everything in this universe is created twice, once in the mind and then in its physical form. You do need have a clear idea of what you want to create before you are able to get your body to create it. You also need to face and deal with the fears that you hold in your mind. A child’s mind is like a cup and everything that the people around you were thinking and doing will be stored in your mind. You may have fears that you are not consciously aware of and they may be the fear that is holding you back from succeeding. Let me give you all an example of a fear that most people hold in their mind that will hold them back for succeeding in most sports. When you were a child the people that looked after you probably told you to be careful or you would FALL. They may even have “promised” you that if you fell you would hurt yourself. They made falling into a bad thing. Most sports work one falling to more or less of degree. You are taught to work to the limits before falling over. The ability to get to the limit may be hindered by the fear that the people took care of you instilled in you. They of cause didn’t do this out of malice. This “promise” of hurting yourself could have developed into a fear now holding you back for reaching your full potential.

The Opposite Sexes as Natural Phenomena

Written by Leonid Pletnev.  First published for web magazine “Best Dance Tribune”

Why do people dance? Why does he invites, and she accepts the invitation to dance? What is hidden behind the rhythmic movements to the beats of music? What could it be?

“If life is a rhythmic alternation of natural phenomena, that means life is a dance” (Leonid Pletnev; from his collected essays “With Reverence… “). Nature dances, grass and trees dance, animals and birds, the seas and oceans, stars and universes dance. It is through rhythmic movements people come close to understanding and feeling connection with Mother Nature. In the evening, holding my young son in my arms and lulling him to sleep, I sing him a lullaby while rhythmically swinging and rocking him to the song’s beat. Finding himself at the mercy of this rhythm, he falls asleep. Mothers and fathers the world over do the same, because our rhythmic movements correspond to natural movements.

Life is composed of opposites. Nature, of itself, consists of fights between the opposites, yet at the same time balances itself through their necessary compromise.

The coherent whole of the universe can only be attained through co-existence of contradictions. Top – down, right – left, black – white, hot – cold, etc… Good and bad! Man and woman! Yes, we are created by God to be opposed to each other — That’s why men and women are called “opposing sexes”!) – being placed in need of a compromise. But opposites cannot negotiate themselves, because in nature they work against each other, negating themselves to equal out each other. To create the miracle of unity, they need a third connecting element! And it must necessarily be dialectically more developed. It is nature itself (or her messenger), as in any shape or form. Yin and Yang in symbol are united by a circle, an electron and proton in the atom – by magnetism. Man and woman in life are united together by LOVE! It is a magical feeling and still not understood despite the centuries. It’s because this force does not belong to us, but to nature, and is one of life’s major mysteries.

Dance as a Prelude to Unity

Love creates a primordial urge to touch, and dancing is an opportunity to do that! Dance is a prelude of togetherness, a pleasant, correct and legal way to rapprochements. It is exploration, research and recognition. It’s a possible discovering, of partner and self. It’s a spark, emotion.

An invitation to dance is a sign of attention, an obvious demonstration of interest, a proposal of connection.

At first it’s a light breeze blowing, but holds the promise that it may develop into a storm. In a relationship this is the hope that we live with and are guided by. This is a chance for nature to help overcome the contradictions, to end the fighting and bring out a new, unique and valuable unit, by its example, to develop and to change the world. And if dance is not filled with this, it would be meaningless to nature and far from its primary goal — the harmonious connection of opposites.

What is the power of two people — together, to join hands and dance? By nature we all are selfish and want to have pleasure in life, in everything we do. We expect the same from dance as couples. And the Angel sitting on the man’s shoulder whispers in his ear: “Do you want pleasure, the most possible? Look for HER!” And the other on her shoulder echoes: “Do you also want it? Then find HIM! “. And THEY find each other in the dance! Everyone understands that the more you give, the more you will receive. So it turns out that the main purpose of couples dancing becomes a mutual exchange of pleasures, the will and the capacity to deliver it to his or her partner.

Technique of Giving Pleasure

It’s more than merely the technique of dancing; it’s the “technique of giving the pleasure of dancing”. To dance a step from the heel, say, in this particular direction and that specific amount of turn should be done not for judges’ satisfaction, but for your partner’s pleasure, because that’s when she will be able to experience the maximum pleasure. Of course, only if she is able to feel! Sensuality! The highest pleasure cannot be achieved if a person is unable to feel, is not capable of experiencing the shades and nuances of pleasure, is not refined, not naked in soul, not in LOVE at last!

The dance between the bride and groom is one of the key moments of a wedding celebration. Why? Why do people, who have never even thought about performing publicly, who have never taken dance lessons, plan to dance to an audience on one of the most important days in their lives?

The dance of a young married couple says to the world that they, opposites, find agreement, solve contradictions, (by giving in or persuading each other) in their goals and methods of interaction, their mass and intelligence linked.

In that first dance together as husband and wife, they begin to feel they are becoming a COUPLE! A couple on the floor and a couple in life!

(To be continued to the second part)

With Reverence,

Leonid Pletnev

In today’s world, with all the media present, the word art is being manipulated and abused. We all know this, but still, the question remains – what is art, really?

The word art, as a translation from Latin, in the beginning meant purely the skill, the craft of being able to produce or perform a “piece”.

Later on, the meaning of the word art changed into the ability to express oneself through creativity. The audience would engage their aesthetic sensibilities and appreciation for the artist’s work. Today, with all the new and provocative art forms, it seems the meaning of art has changed again, or at least “upgraded”. People are asking again: what is art?

Well, try to think of the artists that we all know: Claude Monet, the founder of impressionism, Pablo Picasso – the cofounder of cubism, Salvador Dali – the surrealist. All of them, in their time, were quite a shock to the audience. People would call them names and make fun of them. For them, they were not Artists. At least not in the beginning…

What about Ballet Russes, when they came to Paris for the first time in 1909, directed by the great Sergei Diaghilev? It was quite a shock for the audience seeing them for the first time. Now, fast forward to almost present times and try to think of Robert Mapplethorpe (famous photographer of the 80′s), or Marina Abramović (controversial Performance Artist). When these two artists exhibited, the public was shocked again, to say the least! In case of Robert Mapplethorpe, the exhibition in Cincinnati was forcefully closed and the director of museum prosecuted. What can you gather out of these facts? Shock is the keyword, right? But it is not about the shock. It is all about the reaction. Not all art is that shocking.

All art should provoke a reaction

People are very different in their acceptance of new ideas, creations, performances, work. Some accept new very eagerly and with appreciation, some react to it with very strong hostility. And there are all nuances in between.But the important thing is reaction. A real physical reaction to a work of the artist; we can feel joy, amusement, we can be left speechless, breathless, we can feel rage and anger…

Artist’s work is a reflection and interpretation of real life.

And life can be beautiful, tempestuous, difficult, disturbing. Sometimes people pretend these bad, negative and disturbing things don’t happen and when they see those interpretations, they can react with hostility. Time is usually the best judge wether a certain work remains, or becomes Art. If after a period of time it still:

• provokes you
• transforms you
• leaves you in awe
• influences you
• makes you forget about everything around you
• makes you impossible to forget it
• is still authentic and original

Than I guess, this must be art!

True art never leaves you untouched – unmoved

By now, I guess everybody has the same question on their minds – which category does ballroom dancing fall into? Is it art, or is it “something else”. If we look at the first description of the Latin word art – the skill, the craft of being able to produce or perform, I think everybody will agree – yes, it falls neatly under this description. Now, take a look at the second definition – a more developed one – the ability to express oneself through creativity. With the audience engaging their aesthetic sensibilities and appreciation in the performance. I would say yes here as well – maybe with just a bit of hesitation…What about the third, (upgraded) version – where does ballroom dancing fit here? Just for reference – I am talking about highest level in both art and ballroom dancing)

• does it Provoke you?
• does it transform you?
• does it leave you in awe?
• does it influence you?
• does it make you forget about everything around you?
• does it make it impossible to forget it?
• is it authentic and original?
• does it touch you and move you?

I would say we all know the answers to these questions, although some of them might be no. But some of the “no” answers come because we don’t even realize how “young” ballroom dancing really is. Take a look at painting, which has been around from prehistoric days. It had plenty of time to peacefully develop into a truly magnificent art form.

Classical Ballet already started as an art form

Even film, as one of the youngest art forms, has a bit longer history than ballroom dancing (and much more funding).
But ballroom dancing stared as a social activity and has undergone a metamorphosis…I would say we are right in the moment when we became self-aware and started to look at our identity – a bit like a teenager – standing at the crossroads, wondering which road to take (or maybe even take all of them???). My thought here is, if we are going to take the art road, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to contemplate a just bit more on creativity, authenticity, originality, and maybe spice it up with a bit of provocation in a sense of pushing the boundaries…

For people who are interested, here are the links:

Claude Monet http://www.claudemonetgallery.org/
Pablo Picasso http://www.pablopicasso.org/
Salvador Dali http://www.salvadordali.com/
Ballet Russes http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/d/diaghilev-and-the-ballets-russes/
Robert Mapplethorpe http://www.mapplethorpe.org/portfolios/
MarinaAbramović http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/965
And just to add a bit of taste and spice: http://www.dv8.co.uk/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7kAGgxXS0″>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7kAGgxXS0

Many many times I have heard this from people of all levels. The cause of this I hinted at during my last article. Many articles on these pages are based from a man’s stand point. In this one I have tried to give the ladies view point as well. Normally this is on the inside of an open reverse turn i.e. an open telemark. I hinted at it in my last little bit of writing that caused a “war and peace” type debate with Benoit Papineau.

Is there turn on a turn or a change of direction?

The lady is of course travelling backwards. In a previous article (to spin or not to spin that is the question.) I broached the subject of there being no such thing as a backwards step, rather the foot being placed behind, extending the leg from the hip and the weight taken to the standing foot. This prevents the shoulders from carrying the body weight past the standing foot. As we all know the ladies head is extended to the left in a closed Ballroom hold. Many ladies when dancing an open turn leave their head to the left until the last minute.

Is there a head turn for the ladies?

I don’t believe that there is. Then how do the ladies change from a closed to an open position. Whilst taking the first step the ladies as I have said extend their right foot from the hip the left foot scribing an arc on the floor to the point that the feet close. At this point they pick a point out on the wall and never taking their noses off that point. I say nose as many times ladies will follow the “spot” with their eyes, the eyes turn inside the head causing the heads to turn early. This I know is very hard to achieve as the brain tells the head it is not turning as the eyes are fixed and not the nose as I have stated earlier in this article, when the body has rotated under the head as far as it comfortably can and the lady is now looking over the back of her right hand. Thus the lady has changed her body position without dropping her weight back but not altering her body position in relation to her partner. This also gives the lady a more serene and relaxed look. This can be seen well in a video on YouTube of Benny Tolmyer and Sylvia Sylve from 1963 when demonstrating in Holland. click here

It can be caused by the man!

Now the problem of the lady feeling ”heavy” in the man’s arms isn’t necessarily the ladies fault. It can be caused by the man. I hear the men saying no never it’s always the ladies they lean on me. However if the man fails to rise at the end of step one and anticipates the turn he will pull the lady off her feet giving the impression that she is behind him.

How do we remedy this?

As I have already said I don’t believe that there is a turn, rather a change of direction. Many times the man will swivel or twist on his right foot in the endeavour to make a turn. With the use of CBM on the first step the man can take his second step on the same line as his first step (diagonal centre) and taking the third step diagonal wall in promenade position. Thus we have transferred from a closed position to an open without a twist or a turn thus enabling both partners to keep a strong positive top line without distortion and keeping their bodies together.
What both partners should remember at this point is not to collapse at the beginning of the third step but holding the lowering to the end of the third step which is when the feet are parallel.

Josephine Bradley dancing with Frank Ford

Excerpts from Ballroom Icons © Brigitt Mayer-Karakis

Josephine, “Jo” was affectiontely called the “first lady” of ballroom dancing. Those who were privileged to know her, remember her as one of the great personalities of ballroom teachers.

Josephine Bradley, Victor Silvester and Phyllis Haylor were the key players who founded and promoted the enviable English Style of ballroom dancing. They took on the task of analyzing what dancers, and in particular competitors of their time were dancing, and they started putting it down on paper.

Vita
1893 – 1985

• 1920 dance partnership with G. Kenneth Anderson and won the World Championship in the foxtrot
• 1924 opened her first school in Knightsbridge
• 1924– 47 chairwomen of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
]]> http://www.dancearchives.net/2013/03/26/who-was-josephine-bradley-mbe-by-brigitt-mayer-karakis/feed/ 1 http://www.dancearchives.net/2013/03/21/high-heels-by-anatomy-in-motion/ http://www.dancearchives.net/2013/03/21/high-heels-by-anatomy-in-motion/#comments Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:08:23 +0000 Prof. Dr. Ruud Vermeij http://www.dancearchives.net/?p=4650
• 
  “According to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, people take an average of 10,000 steps a day.
   High heels shift the force of each of those steps so that the most pressure ends up on the ball of the foot and on the bones at the base of the toes. (If you wear flats, the entire foot would absorb this impact.) A 3-inch heel — most experts consider a heel “high” at 2 inches or more — creates three to six times more stress on the front of the foot than a shoe with a modest one-inch heel.
• As a result, heels can lead to bunions, heel pain, toe deformities, shortened Achilles tendons, and trapped nerves. In fact, women account for about 90% of the nearly 800,000 operations each year for bunions, hammertoes (a permanent deformity of the toe joint in which the toe bends up slightly and then curls downward, resting on its tip), and trapped nerves, and most of these surgeries can be linked back to their high-heeled shoe choice.The problems can travel upward, too.

   The ankle, knee, and hip joints can all suffer from your footwear preferences. When you walk in flats, the muscles of the leg and thigh have an opportunity to contract as well as to stretch out. However, when wearing your high-heeled shoes, the foot is held in a downward position as you walk. This keeps the knee, hip, and low back in a somewhat flexed position, which prevents the muscles that cross the backside of these joints to stretch out as they normally would. Over time, this can lead to stiffness, pain, and injury. High heels can also cause lower back strain, because the heel causes your body to pitch forward more than normal, putting excess pressure on the back.”

  By: Anatomy In Motion
• 
  

The Dulaine Method  

Respect & Compassion: At the very core of the Dulaine Method is the essential respect that goes into being a lady and being a gentleman. Dancing Classrooms is a program that demands that children not only treat others with respect but also respect themselves.

Coupled with respect is compassion. Perhaps it is Pierre’s own childhood that predisposes him to walk into a classroom full of children who struggle to believe in themselves, open his arms and heart to them, and then guide them gently along a journey that leads these young people to joy and accomplishment.

Respect and compassion are the foundational elements of the Dulaine Method.

Unfortunately, very few adults know how to treat children with genuine respect. And even fewer adults seem to remember what it was like being a child.

Being Present: Probably the most difficult skill for any teacher to learn is the ability to be completely in the moment when teaching. Children are extremely aware of when the adult in charge (parent, teacher, coach) is not really there; and when a child senses that distance, woe be unto that adult.

Pierre’s ability to “be here now” enables him to observe every nuance of individual and group behavior. He can see when a child is nervous, not paying attention, when the group is becoming antsy, and he can respond to those issues immediately, thus keeping the classroom experience flowing.

Being present also allows Pierre to express his own positive emotions towards the children at precisely the moment the children need that affirmation.

Creating a Safe Place: Asking children to take the extraordinary risk of embarrassing themselves in front of their peers is precisely what Dancing Classrooms does. And the only reason that the children are willing to take this risk is because Pierre has perfected a way to make that experience safe.

A Dancing Classrooms class is a place in which everyone is equal: the students, the teaching artist, and the elementary school staff that are participating. In modern jargon we call this creating a therapeutic milieu, an environment so different from these children’s normal daily environment that simply being in that room and being part of that collective group experience changes that child.

Command & Control: Clearly, if you are going to move 25 children through twenty 45 minute classes and have them successfully learn seven dances, you need order and discipline. Pierre is in command of the class from the moment he begins until the moment the children leave the room.

An essential part of the Dulaine Method is developing the craft of managing the group. When teachers are being taught how to work with children, their training is invariably focused on individual child development. Rarely, if ever, are student teachers taught about group dynamics and how to manage a group of children.

Language: Body & verbal Language are the great connectors in Dancing Classrooms. Pierre’s entire physical affect is one of openness, warmth, and genuine affection for the children. His verbal repertoire is a consistent barrage of positive comments. There is no denying that when Pierre combines his body and verbal language, he is a force the children simply cannot resist.

Humor & Joy: Dulaine has been commended for bringing humor to the classroom. Gentle humor can help a shy child become less self-conscious; humor with that same child handled poorly can make him retreat and never come back. Pierre is playful, he is present, and the children can sense that he is just plain happy to be with them. He also has this little habit of playfully slapping the students at Dancing Classrooms with his tie.

Being in such a safe place, where the boundaries are clear, the teacher is fully present, where respect and compassion reign – these are the elements that bring joy into the lives of the Dancing Classrooms children.And, as one teaching artist states:

“Dancing Classrooms is not about teaching ballroom dancing. The dance is a tool for getting the children to break down social barriers, learn about honor and respect, treat others carefully, improve self-confidence, communicate and cooperate, and accept others even if they are different.”