Oh Boy!
Just when I thought we had it clear

Yes, so the first answer stated what "CBMP" stands for.

That doesn't help the person who asks the question! If they don't know what it stands for, they don't know what it is, how to do it, and how to use it! The posts that followed went into that actually useful information, and you trashed them!

And then you try to hide behind your gender or intimate that you're being bashed because of your gender - neither! You were trashing people giving extremely helpful information, and shouldn't get away with that!

guest,



i can't understand what you find so offensive about this response.

it's true and rather gracious imo.

ob

Here's some food for thought:

If you stand with your feet together and step absolutely straight forward, the feet are on two separate, albeit narrowly spaced tracks. Therefore to place one foot along or across the track of the other is to shift sideways, even if only very slightly.

Now you might think that you're facing squarely to the direction you are stepping, but that's not actually true. If you face LOD and step foward with your left foot in CBMP, your movement is almost, but not quite, down LOD. It's actually on just a slight diagonal towards the wall. Now although you're facing squarely to the LOD, with respect to the direction you're traveling, you're not quite square. You do in fact have your right side just slightly in front of your left.

So one could indeed reasonably argue that any step taken with one foot along the track of the other is in CBMP, even when the body and feet are perfectly in line with each other.



Jonathan

Tara asked a simple question with the potential for a complex answer. My simple reply was intended to enable her to take the first step and find the entry in the dance dictionary (where it appears against the full name not the abbreviation) and thus make use of the excellent resources provided by Jonathan.

I should probably have added at that point that a book definition is not the best way to learn dancing, and that a good teacher could show in a few moments what may take days of discussion and still not be clear.

The ability for threads to expand and evolve is what makes these forums interesting, even if the original questioner gets left way behind.

The nuances of CBM and CBMP can be confusing for many people which is why it seems to be a standard question in all professional exams.

Long may these threads meander round the dancefloor evoking discussion, but lets keep it constructive so that everybody gains.

Mr. ??, I just wanted to point out that Tara asked a very simple question! what does CBMP means? being a woman I assumed and made an a** of miself thinking that the answer should have been Contra Body Movement Position... I'm sorry if I Am simple minded!!!. Lia

Dronak put in a nice concise description. I just wanted to add that CBMP may have the feet crossing line, or in line with each other. So if a step description mentions CBMP, don't feel like you have to struggle to get your feet super-crossed. It's description of foot position and should just be enough to "feel right".

(seen students get themselves all twisted up trying to really show CBMP)

I'm not _arguing_ that CBMP can be feet in line - it's right there in the technique book, and was stressed to me as I was preparing for exams, since most people say it's a cross and leave it at that, and that's not the whole answer.

I don't have The Book (lol) with me at the moment, or I'd cite the passage.

And Jonathon as usually great description - I was about to jump in and say CBM & CBMP are often found together but are not necessarily so - but you covered it! Thanks for letting the rest of us rest our heads again, secure in the knowledge that another nagging question has been well addressed!

Stands for Contrary Body Movement Position.

The concept is often used a lot more in International Standard dancing and American Smooth
dancing than any other dance genre. The concept, CBM (Contrary Body
Movement), is used often as well as the CBMP acronym.

Without getting into too much technical concepts, let me tell you what
CBMP is....

Basically, it is the position achieved when the
dancer brings the foot forward or backward and brings out
the part of the hip leading to the free foot
at the same time. For example, in the Left Turn in waltz, which has six
steps for each beat, the leader
dancer moves forward with his LF and brings the R hip to the right at
the same time (on the first step), and on the fourth step, the leader goes
back on the RF and brings the L hip out (although backwards) at the
same time.

Hope this helps. Bringing the hips out in CBMP is important, especially in the basic turns in Standard and Smooth, because the follower will know
that she has to turn.


ë

Not a totally correct image but it might help a beginner conceptualize:

CBM John Wayne walking (but to too extreme)

CBMP After taking one step John Wayne hears a villian and freezes on the spot.

Sorry everyone. I taught elementary school.

OB