I think the thing that makes twirls feel better/easier for those who tolerate rotation well, is the the straight one has at least two changes of direction, and not even easy changes such as a straight reverse. Done at present fast contra speeds, they can be jarring to the knees. Twirls provide a way to have continuous flowing movement instead. Andrea
Sent from my iOnlypretendtomultitask On May 31, 2013, at 4:46 PM, Erik Hoffman <[email protected]> wrote: > For those of us who are used to twirls, spins may make a Do Si Do easier. > This idea of the challenge of "back-up" vs "spin" is intriguing. > > I've never noticed it particularly hard to back up and miss. And > occasionally a shoulder might bump. "Nice running into you!" is what I say. > And one learns to glance over a shoulder. As far as positional awareness and > spinning goes, this takes practice. For the novice this awareness is not > automatic -- it can become more so to the seasoned dancer. Many newcomers > complain -- in the spinning world of fast-swing and twirling contra dancers > -- of dizziness. For them, spinning may be eons away, if they decide to > return. > > And, as I stated in an earlier email, a Do Si Do starts on a spot, facing a > direction, and ends on that spot facing that direction. Or it ends "a > quarter more" from that spot, or "one and a half" from that spot, facing the > direction one started in -- it's a directional move. Often, when people > spin, they loose this sense of direction. This is true of many somewhat > "experienced" dancers. > > At a one-night-stand dance, since the Do Si Do is something people actually > "know," as the arms cross and the smiles of "knowing" appear, and since that > sense of "knowing" brings such joy that I would never "correct" it from this > version of "correct!" Again, an arms crossed Do Si Do is not incorrect, it's > just gone out of fashion in the contra dance world. And, anyone who comes to > a contra dance and returns will quite quickly stop crossing their arms, as > it's not the style there. > > At a contra dance, I teach the directional details of the Do Si Do, and > demonstrate the spin that they'll see. I actually object to teaching > beginners to spin, as I consider that a modern flourish (that I actually do > -- about half the time), and find that adding that flourish confuses more > beginners than helps. > > John Sweeny writes: >> Why teach the dosido spin? Because it helps people to know which way to >> spin, and because there are elements like catching your partner's eyes >> between the spins that people won't necessarily pick up without some >> guidance. > > Hmm, I think this might be a good idea to show this after someone's been > coming for a while. Most of the people I know who solo spin were never > taught these things, and seem to have successfully learned them. As far as > eye contact goes, don't forget that, as many of us over-emphasize the > importance of eye to eye in the contra dance world, many newcomers find this > a bit too intimate at first, and need to get comfortable with it. I always > let people know that they don't have to make all that eye contact if they > don't want to. And there are lots of opportunities in just about every contra > dance for eye contact, it need not be so ubiquitous... > > As far as teaching twirls and spins, I'd focus much more on cranking leaders, > and strive to teach how it is the leader's invitation, the follower's choice, > and the importance of how small the leader's motion actually is: No > Cranking!!! This is something many "experienced" dancers need a lesson in. > > ~erik hoffman > oakland, ca > > > On 5/31/2013 12:48 PM, Aahz Maruch wrote: >> [been offline almost two weeks, so responding late] >> >> On Tue, May 21, 2013, Donald Perley wrote: >>> On Tue, May 21, 2013 at 4:28 PM, John Sweeney <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>>> Why teach the dosido spin? Because it helps people to know which way to >>>> spin, and because there are elements like catching your partner's eyes >>>> between the spins that people won't necessarily pick up without some >>>> guidance. >>> There may be an easier way to spin (easiest is not spinning, so you >>> are already beyond worrying about easy), but no mandatory direction. >> Actually, I find that spinning is easier than not spinning, partly >> because of the point someone else made about backing up and also because >> the spin puts my feet naturally into the right positions for each spot. > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
