Today we did some exercises to improve the musicality of your dance. Musicality means that if somebody is looking you dancing, this person can see the music in your body.
At the beginning if we are learning musicality in the zouk class, (1) we try to be sensitive about the structure of the music and (2) we learn to move our body with the music. We will speak today about the structure.
The structure is almost always the same in every song: you could count till 8 for times and then the music changes. It’s like four sentences with eight words each sentence. At the end of every sentence you can hear a little accent and after the four sentences there is a bigger accent in the music.
It’s very important if you practise this exercise with all kinds of songs because later you will feel the structure without thinking on it.
Today you will learn one combinaton but in two different ways.
We call a normal turn “zouk turn” and it’s a turn if the ladies are going the third step on the spot. The first combination we use the hole time a zouk turn and the guys are going around of the lady.
In the second combination we want to dance the same but with turns on the line. For the turns on the line, the guys need to respect the line of the lady (don’t stay on her way). It’s important too to pull into the line. Guys you first lead the line and after that the turn.
Today we did one exercise to improve the following of the ladies. We have for this exercise one mantra. The ladies will think the hole time “First my arm, then I go”. The guys are leading the lady through the class. They can turn the lady. They can stop the leading and turn alone (in this case the ladies stays, no leading no move). It’s not about dancing zouk, it’s about helping the lady to understand what means to follow the leading.
At the beginning of dancing zouk is very difficult to follow. The ladies are thinking at the beginning about the intention of the guy and it’s normal. But on this way you will try to anticipate what’s coming and you cannot follow. It’s better to concentrate on your body, so your mind stays in the present and can answer better the leading of the guy.
Going with your hips makes your dance more beautiful! If you do this easy exercise you will improve the quality of your move.
We are speaking about two energies:
- The energy of the torsion: if you go with your right to the front you will turn your upper body to your right. If you go with your left to the front, you will turn your upper body to the left.
- Pressing with the foot behind. If you go with the right you will press with the left foot. If you go with the left, you will press with the right foot.
You will hold this extra-energy till the end of the move, from 1 to 3.
A lot of times we are dancing a left turn on the line and the guys can easily do the step more interesting.
We give you two possibilities:
1. The guys turn the lady and after leading her turn they turn to the left. It’s very important to think about getting the lady after her turn, so you have a focus for your turn.
2. While the lady is turning to the right, the guys can turn to the left and after that lead the last turn of the lady. For this possibility watch the video to see how to change the grip of your right hand and how to lead the turn. Important: feel the tension with the arm of the lady, so you can bring her into the line.
We are dancing today one turn on the line with head, half of circle with the head too, one spiral and another turn on the line with head.
First turn on the line with head in the close position
Guys, the first step you bring your lady to the front and you go to the side. You bend your upper body to the right, helping her to start the head movement to the left. The second step you bring the lady one more step on the line, you lead her head to the front (both shoulders are parallel to the floor) and your right foot is between both feet of the lady. The third step you open on the line, lead the head of the lady to the left and get the right arm of the lady with your left hand. In this way you can start the leading for the spiral. Try to start the spiral without a pause.
For the ladies, at the same time you try to stretch and to relax your neck. First step head to the left, second step to the front, third step to the right. If you bring you head back for the spiral, don’t think on going back, think on stretching the front part of your neck, this point is very important for you.
Spiral
On 1 you paint half of circle back, on 2 half of circle to the front and on 3 half of circle back again. On three guys, you can help the lady for her to open with the right hand over her head.
Ladies, watch the video to understand how to feel the hair (it’s not necessary your real hair, it could be an imaginary hair or weight hanging from the top of your head).
The second turn on the line with head.
It’s a normal turn on the line with head in the closed position. Like the first turn but without going with the right foot between both feet of the ladies. The guys don’t have to go in front of the lady.
The end
The guys bring the ladies in front of them. First step the head is to the side, second step the head is to the front, the third step the ladies go with the head up.
For the first spiral, ladies, you will look your left hand and think on stretching your upper body to the front. Guys, watch the video to see how to change the grip of your left hand and bring your right hand to your shoulder. For the beginning of the spiral you will go with your right to the right bending your upper body to the left. Give time the lady for to do her move, be a gentleman, invite her . Look now to the other side and look at the lady.
For the elastic the guys need to lead with the body, you go with your hips to the side. If the lady is going into the elastic, the guys let the right hand free and get the shoulder blade of the lady. Now the ladies have contact with both hands of the guy and you have to keep the tension against both hands. Go little by little into the cambre and contract your center. Don’t do the cambre now if it’s a new step for you, watch first this video:
. Look now to the other side and look at the lady.