I was a (good) ballroom dancer a long time ago, probably before dinosaurs became extinct. At that time we were told that the chests of both partners had be together at all times. The lack of connection at the breast area was considered a serious mistake. Nowadays ladies bend backwards even more than the talented teacher here, filmed 9 years ago. Who and when started this worryingly unhealthy trend, I wonder. The spines of the present followers are going to pay a heavy price for that, sooner or later, and hundreds of osteopaths are going to be rich, sadly.
Fantastic video, and they really put these body actions into perspective. As a fairly new dancer, I was wondering just one thing with the banana action. Isn't your head supposed to be in alignment with your feet when you are the top of the banana/sway action? I have been instructed never to break your side by over extending when using the "Sway" or "Banana "action. This question is for a more experienced dancer please. Thanks in advance
No. It all goes back to stretching in the couple. If you are in balance, and stretching then it is right. I encourage you to focus on how you feel in the couple, and to always try to find your "edges". If it feels natural and "easy" then you are doing something right. if it feels wrong, then dial it back, think about the feeling. But shaping so big does not make sense early on. I say, work hard on your personal body posture and alignment. Whether that be with yoga or some other way, and learn to feel your body to gain that sensitivity. That is what makes a good dancer. Not thinking about technique, or moving which body parts where.
Your instructor will try to rein your dancing in at the early stages - one needs to learn to walk before learning to run. I suggest you follow their advice so you have a firm grounding. But by all means experiment and find what turns the dancing on for you. The top dancers experiment all the time to push the boundaries.
Wonderful video. Thank you for posting it. I try to incorporate these actions into my dance, but you have showed me a different perspective for my training. Again, thank you very much
Thank you for posting this useful video. I'm new to ballroom dance and as an instructor training for social bronze I could use as much advice as possible.
It's excellent. New techniques help make ballroom dancing more interesting and beautiful. I've recently seen a Russian couple dancing with these new techniques during Slow Waltz, and I was wondering how the new body actions move. Thanks for your video, and it helps clarify it very well. Michael
