We did today some exercises to improve our leading and follower skills:
Transfering the weight and walking. This exercise was very good for the guys to understand how to lead the lady, if you want that she cross to the front or backwards.
The second exercise with the head was good to understand the differences between painting circles with the leading or just bringing the head from one side to the other. Ladies: For your head movements think always on stretching the opposite side of your body.
Today we wanted to continue practising the bumerangue step and at the end of the class we learnt how to do a cambré after the bumerangue step.
For the guys: You will lead the bumerangue from the lateral. If you lead the last left turn for the lady you will go the first three steps a little bit to the right around the lady. You get the lady on 2. On the next 1 you bring the lady to you and there is no space between you and your partner, you have contact. You lead the preparation for the cambré. This part is very important. Don’t force the lady to go into the cambré, be sensitive. At the end you can lead the wave (first you lead the shoulders of the lady bending your upper body to the right) or you can bring the lady just up.
For the ladies. While turning to the left you bring your left arm in front of your chest. Feel the hand of the guy on your back and bring your left arm over his arm. Your preparation for the cambré is very important. Even if the guy doesn’t help you with the leading, put your pelvis to the front. You have to stay by yourself, you control your own weight. For the variation breathing up with your chest, remember to push up with your right foot.
Some times you are waiting for the beat and don’t know what to do at the beginning of a song. You can try this step. Going in slow motion you will look for the contact with the lady with your arm (watch the video) and with your back.
We’ve learnt today three variations.
To be in front of the lady again.
To open to the left. Guys, you bring the lady in front of you and you lead a left turn.
To turn the lady to the right. It’s a turn on the line. Ladies, do your steps on the line turning at the end your upper body to your partner. Guys, first the lady into the line and after that lead the turn. After thta you will do the yo-yo step.
It’s very easy to go from the titanic into the prison step. If you are on the titanic with the weight on your right, guys, you can go to the left and turn the lady on the line with your left hand up and your right hand down. In order to have enough space you will get just the fingertips of the lady and put the rest of your hand on her waist.
For the ladies: in the titanic step and in the prison step your body stays to the front like in a stage for an audience. Do your steps on the line and you can go always a little bit on your knees with your last foot (in the titanic with the right and in the prison step with the left).
As a variation, guys, you can turn the lady as much as you want whle leading the prison step. Just continue turning with the hand up and you sllide the hole time the hand down keeping the contact with the lady.
Today we did a nice step to practise the tension in the arms between the leader and the follower.
Guys: You will bring the lady with you right hand always around you, feeling the tension between both arms. You keep with your left hand the lady close to you. If the lady goes on 1 with the right again, you will pull her into the line and lead the bumerangue reverse.
Ladies: Stay with your upper body to your partner. You will walk around your partner because your partner is leading you, keep the tension with the arm and don’t go alone. Remember for the bumerangue reverse: It’s a turn on the line.
Ladies: Playing in circles with the upper body is always a chance to stretch your body. We are talking about the opposite side.
Today we do the preparation for the cambré but we want to lead a circle with the upper body. After that to go around of the lady. For the beginning of the circle, guys, you lead it with your upper body and you play with the shoulders of the lady. Ladies, go with your right foot to the right if the guy is leading your shoulders in this direction.
Stretch! For the circles with the upper body you have to grow, to be big, to stretch your body.
At the end the lady is doing a turn on the line with head. Guys, the first step you are bringing the lady to the front. Ladies, you stay with your head to the left side. The second step guys you lead the head to the front and let your left hand slide till you have the right hand of the lady and you bring her up on 3. Ladies, if your head is to the front, your chest is in and your head is over your center. If you go with the head to the front you will lose your balance.
It’s very nice if you have more than one possibility for every step. In this way you can always play with the music and at the same time the lady doesn’t know what’s coming and she learns to follow better.
Today we are doing the lateral with the guy behind the lady. We give you three possibilities:
A normal wave.
An elastic.
A cambré.
For the guys: Try to lead with your body and check if the lady is following you.
For the ladies: Keep the connection with the hands of the guy, it’s very easy to lose the contact here.
