Winston, Alan P. wrote:
> Over in English dance land, Bruce Hamilton used to describe the amount of 
> pulling force as

[Stuff deleted]

Alan, I particularly like the understandable reference to a tetherball pole. I 
think it's easy for anyone to comprehend what might happen if one used the same 
forces on another dancer that one might use to navigate around the pole.

I heartily agree, also, with your observation that a negotiation takes place 
every time one makes (intentional... and choreographed!) contact with another 
dancer. That period of negotiation might last only for a second. Even less, 
maybe. And, I think, it will determine the quality of the interaction.

Ken Panton
Ottawa 


 "
> More recently he's been taking that the position that the hand *knows* the 
> right
> amount of pull/connection; you can find out by putting your cupped hand 
> around a
> tetherball post (or some other round pole) and turning around it with an 
> amount of weight
> you find satisfactory.  The static post essentially gives you back as much 
> firmness /
> connection as you put into it - and it does it without squeezing your hand or 
> trapping
> your thumb.
> 
> It may also be worth pointing out that every allemande is, and every swing 
> is, a
> negotiation, where you find a mutually comfortable amount of tension and of 
> speed; you
> never know whether the person you've come to has a wrist / shoulder / back/ 
> hip
> problem or a dizziness/vertigo problem or is just too tired to go around that 
> fast right
> now.  You're obliged to pay attention to what the other person is giving you 
> and not
> pull them off balance or fling them around, and you should offer only a 
> degree of
> tension/connection you can tolerate.
> 
> -- Alan
> 
> 
> ________________________________________
>
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]

Reply via email to