The first thread that you started on this topic died when it veered off into a discussion of ballet.

I posted that the quality of softness in ballroom dancing depends on the proper use of the legs and feet to absorb energy, thus keeping the vertical movements - and to some extent the horizontal as well - fluid and not spasmodic.

When you were first learning to dance, how often were you told to "keep your knees flexed"? Unfortunately, some less than articulate instructors would use the word "bent" instead of flexed, making their students look like the graduates of a correspondence school for fashion modelling.

Keeping the knees flexed and executing rise and fall properly build leg strength and, in my opinion, provide a great deal of the physical benefit of dancing. Unfortunately, in their tunnel-vision focus on learning step patterns, many beginning students fail to devote adequate attention to leg- and foot work (no, I'm not forgetting that tone in the upper body is also critically important to good dance form).

I remember a showcase that I attended (as a spectator) when I first started learning ballroom. During the party after the dancing, I went into the office for some reason and noticed the stack of completed judges' forms on the desk. I leafed through them and noticed that "Bend your knees" was the only comment written on every one.

The need to achieve the quality of softness is an excellent reason for amateur couples to record some of their lessons or practices on video. When they see that their movements are either completely flat or "herky-jerky," they will understand the need to start using their legs and feet.

Good idea for a topic. Let's see if we can keep it on track.

Incidentally, I don't mean my comments as a criticism of those who introduced ballet terminology into the first discussion. They were just trying to participate.

jj

If you go to an angle of 45 degrees in your lowering your knees are bent. Our pole vaulting friends would know that the pole flexes but doesn't bend except if it breaks, which did happen just recently. i do think flex sounds much better than bend. To us though they are both the same even if they are not.

Hi again, astaire and jj! Mea culpa. Or is it that we three put it so well that there was nothing more to discuss

Point well put by jj nevertheless: the difference between "bending" and "flexing." The former gives a static, frozen, locked, inefficient, funny, etc., appearance and non-functionality. The latter, a synergistic, dynamic, interplay of the quads, hamstrings, calf muscles resulting in ballon (oops, sorry).

Gary McDonald once likened this smooth, gliding movement to a swan moving serenely across the water, but paddling like crazy underneath.

Thanks, nigel, for the excellent verbiage on legwork.

The swan analogy is lovely. Of course, to satisfy certain other users, we need a video so that we can "copy" the swan's magnificent form (Trumpeter Swans).

Seriously, nice post.



jj

Gary McDonald once likened this smooth, gliding movement to a swan moving serenely across the water, but paddling like crazy underneath. What lovely analogy, I don't see myself as a swan but my partner could fit the image. There is still a lot more to say on obtaining softness. Hint: When we wanted to dance softly in a competition I would tell my wife to imagine that we were dancing on ice and had to be careful that we did not break through the ice, What parts of the body did we use to do this?

astaire. "What parts of the body did we use to do this?"

Not sure. Are you referring to the core muscles, an essential component for balance, strength, and flexibility in any physical activity?

NIgelgwee. No I was thinking of the use of the feet,how carefully you would place each foot,not wanting to put full weight on them any longer than is required. You would concentrate on using the whole of the foot,a little like walking in bare feet on hot sand.

I think the term "flexed" for the knees is quite different than "bent." Flexed keeps things smooth and soft, bent makes things look more forced and rigid. At least that's the way I would explain it to someone learning.
I have a bit of a dilemma that maybe someone can give me an idea with. I am teaching a couple preparing for their wedding dance, and the groom has ankle problems. He's getting the hang of the dance I'm teaching (a slow American Standard Fox Trot, with more box step used than traveling) but he tends to be stiff-legged because there isn't a lot of flexibility in his ankle. We have had about four lessons now, and his progress from lesson one to lesson four is quite good. But if I had a way to somehow smooth out his steps and "hide" the ankle problem, it would really be a plus.
I know it's a tough question when you cannot view the student, but just in case anyone else has ever encountered something similar, or turned a stiff-legged student into something more gliding and smooth, I'd appreciate any pointers.

dheun, I imagine that he's having trouble stepping straight ahead.

BTW, with which ankle does he have problems?

Without being able to see him, I'd suggest putting a lot of turns into his routine. In that way, he will be stepping either sideways or at an angle.

jj

It's his left ankle.

And yes, he does have trouble with the forward steps.

I have them doing a couple of turns to start the dance, and finish it, so maybe I can slip a couple in the middle as well.

I think you are right. He does OK with a couple of zig-zag patterns, but not so good on the regular box step or traveling along LOD.

Thanks.