as i understand it from my training? concentrate on moving you RIB CAGE...your lower half automatically follows. stand in front of a mirror to see this: move your ribcage side to side (for practice and to notice how this happens-it just does!)...you'll notice that your lower half will fishtail..or follow your upper body movements.

i've been training with my current teacher for some time now and when i've danced with OTHER TEACHERS, they've commented on how GOOD i feel. so i'm assuming i'm doing something right.

double-check my suggestion with your teacher...they'll tell you.

Dear Curl and LovelyIsabella,

Thanks so much for your advice.

One more problem, how can I step my forward foot more steady on floor, Should I place my weight in the middle between two legs or just put all the weight in the standing leg and turn out the hip and toe of the leg behind?

Best regards,

Tina

when you have transfered your weight to your "new" standleg, the other leg give you stability and a good, strong body position and at all a good look .

after your weight is transfered your hip start moving to side as a effect of your other leg is straight, turned out and pushing slightly forward, but instead of transfering the weight it transfers your hip to side (have the feeling of side/very very slight forward). this is done at the begining of the "and" beat of rythm. shortly before the next "full" beat or lets say at the end of the "and" your hip turns back and your leg shoot forward to the new step position. during this shoot your leg pass the standleg with a high heel and you have the maximum hip movement. after that start weight transfer again.

In the timeframe your "behind" leg is straight your body is possible to be straight,too, this will make you look more powerful,straight and natural. if your "behind" leg is not straight your body looks lazy and weak.

this technique is very advanced and difficult to do (and to describe), but its used by all top 50 worldranking couples I personally know ... but pratice it very very slow at the begining... this technique with the "shooting" the leg makes chacha very nice and easy.

hope this helps. (sorry for my bad english)

Tina--

I'll stay out of the technical debate...but thought that I would let you know what worked for me. I used to struggle with the walks as well, practiced my hip and knee movement diligently but still had trouble. I was just not crisp and powerful, and I was having a little balance trouble as well. My instructor finally hit on the key point for me. I had to learn how to be extremely aware of my foot articulation. Which is just a fancy way to say that I had to learn to really press _through_ the entire length of my trailing foot. I was just stepping onto my fwd. foot...but when I began really concentrating on the action of my trailing foot, my body motion took care of itself. The power I learned from using my foot to press through gives me great movement, restored my balance, and gives me the strong leg line that I couldn't quite get before.

Good luck, hope that some of this is helpful... undefined

Curl--
Indeed it's true that no one else is doing the American style dances...but I'd rather not lose the mambo and the bolero just on principle. Besides, there are rather a lot of us here in the U.S., so I guess that as long as the American Style is a fun and enjoyable way to dance...there will still be some of us backward yankees insisting on doing it

That stated, I admit that I myself am relatively new to the International style...which part of our conversation were you objecting to as being American style? Cuban walks I guess? But even International has "Cuban" (American style) leg action in some steps...right? Do tell! Thanks, Mal

Newbie
can you tell me what library you borrowed your Kathy Blake technique tape ? I live in Ill.

hi

[
1. It contorts the body and lifts the shoulders.
2. The hips are forced into an unnatural position.
]

must disagree... walking this way is very natural, no shoulder raise, no forced hip...hip is only moved by legs & body weight. you have excellent balance and a natural body straighness. a similar techniqe is also used at samba...

chacha movement is very easy this way,too..and you are able to do body and hip movement real fast, useful on syncopated rythms, like guapacha timing or so...and it looks very very natural.

but there are some disadvantages..you have to train and use your mucles in your back (needs time and a strong will )and you must have strong muscles around your spiral because of the upright body (standard dancers are the better latinos ) since its not so easy like it looks.

in former years i learned 3 or 4 different techniques for walking latin, but all of them was ...let me say... very unnatural..

but at all..hey, there are different techniques out there and a lot of books are writen about technique, but who cares, if it look good what you do its fine no judge cares how you do it..express yourself

and dont forget to have fun

[This message has been edited by curl (edited 01-21-2001).]

[This message has been edited by curl (edited 01-21-2001).]

international style include steps that are done with a "merenge" hip movement,yes. The man backward steps in Jive/chickenwalks and Samba/Plaid are those kind of steps. some "delayed steps" in rumba and chacha are danced with a similar merenge action,forward steps before alemana is done with both legs streched but it is at all a special move. The "merenge" action mostly results of a delay or stop or direction change and is only one step.

A popular exeption I have seen at competitions is reveresed basic in chacha, a simple side basic step with "merege hip movement" and guapacha timing.

dont forget to have fun

is this mainly smooth dances? but my understanding is that ANTOHER thing to do is lead with the knee. what i mean is, (as best as i can describe): for instance if you are stepping with the right, your right knee leads out and then you step...

i've worked and worked...and worked on my cuban walks...working on certain parts of the body at a time. don't try to get the whole body doing it all at once in the beginning...