This is a problem for my wrists, too. It can cause enough pain to bring tears to my eyes so I've taken a direct approach. With a friendly (I hope) smile, I put my opposite hand on the back of the other person's hand & gently push to straighten out the bend. This is often baffling to my co-allemander; the ones who care ask me then or later why I did that. I'm grateful that so many are truly curious and willing to alter the angle. A couple of friends have told me they still have no idea they are bending my wrist until I tell them. I can see that it might be a little trickier for a man to do this with another man....
-----Original Message----- >From: Perry Shafran <[email protected]> >Sent: Mar 13, 2012 3:17 PM >To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [Callers] Re Allemande Hold (was Analysis of Stars) > >Speaking of allemandes - is there ANY way to teach experienced dancers to not >bend their wrists when they allemande? The wrist is supposed to be straight, >not bent, as bending can cause pain to the other person's wrist (generally >mine). Nowadays when I find a person allemande with a bent wrist I go ahead >and keep mine straight and sacrifice a good allemande with weight for >protecting my arm and wrist. > >As for thumbs, I protect my thumb in an allemande or a wavy line by keeping it >close to my hand, not straight up ready to be grasped. I found that by >"dancing defensively" in this manner I can protect all my digits and limbs and >continue on the joy of dancing longer! > >Perry > >--- On Tue, 3/13/12, Andrea Nettleton <[email protected]> wrote: > >From: Andrea Nettleton <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [Callers] Re Allemande Hold (was Analysis of Stars) >To: "Caller's discussion list" <[email protected]> >Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 3:08 PM > >As a dancer my personal solution to the Rory o more situation has been to have >an old fashioned allemande grip for the first balance, as I balance away and >have a little momentum to help tear the hands apart, I switch to an ECD hold, >kind of like what you do for a balance before a swing, then it is only curved >fingers, which actually give plenty of oomph to the spin, but also disengage >easily. I don't spin out of allemandes as much, maybe because few women give >enough connection to do so, in fact there is often no time for such a flourish >because the connection is too weak to accelerate the allemande. This has >nothing to do with the position of our hands or fingers or thumbs, but more a >refusal to engage the whole arm so the presence of their body can be felt. I >love a zesty dance weekend where a high proportion of women connect. I think >by and large, we all wrap our fingers around the base of the other person's >thumb, often enough with our > thumbs also loosely curled arou > nd. The only time I recently remember being 'gripped' was by a terrified > newbie who seemed to want to hold on in hopes we would all help him get where > he needed to be. Although it hurt, I was sorry for his fear and simply slid > my thumb straight down. Like catching a falling pencil, it is pretty hard > for someone to hold your thumb if you pull straight down. >Cheers, >Andrea > >Sent from my iPhone > >On Mar 13, 2012, at 2:20 PM, Ron Nelson <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> John Sweeny wrote: >>> >>> Yes, people always used to interlock their thumbs - that is >>> how I was first taught it many, many years ago. >>> >>> But the dancing has changed. What has happened is that >>> people now like to spin out of Allemandes; and Rory O'Mores are more >>> prevalent, where you spin out of an Allemande-type hold. If someone has >>> locked my thumb I can't spin! You say that it is easy to disengage when >>> the thumbs are interlocked. That is not my experience. I really, really >>> hate it when people hold on to me so that I can't enjoy the dancing. It >>> is definitely easier to disengage if the thumbs aren't interlocked. >>> >>> Dance styles evolve, and this is an example of a good change >>> as far as I am concerned. >>> >>> Let's all work on getting rid of thumbs from dancing! :-) >>> >> >> Ron Nelson adds: >> >> I could not agree more. As one who suffers from arthritis in my hands, I can >> testify that the thumb is particularly susceptible to abuse and subsequent >> pain. >> I try to avoid any grip which might entrap and discomfort. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >_______________________________________________ >Callers mailing list >[email protected] >http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >_______________________________________________ >Callers mailing list >[email protected] >http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers Bree Kalb, LCSW 301 W. Weaver St. Carrboro, NC 27510 919-932-6262 ext 216 Regarding the Use of Email -- Please Note: Although I use a firewall and my computer is password protected, my emails are not encrypted. Therefore, I cannot guarantee confidentiality of email communication. If you choose to communicate confidential information with me via email, I will assume that you have made an informed decision and I will view it as your agreement to take the risk that email may be intercepted. Please be aware that email is never an appropriate vehicle for emergency communication. If you are canceling an appointment less than 48 hours in advance, please also leave me a voice mail message at my office. “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Carl Rogers
