Hyperreal

Stirling workshop and freestyle… Tonight was using your spare hand…

It was going to be hands and heads, but we ran out of time before we got to the head…

It was a good workshop. They key thing was to realise that you are connected to your spare arm, and so it should be part of the connected experience of the dance.

This has different implications for men and women. Typically women will want to put more elaboration into their dancing – but guys need to be more careful as they don’t want to upstage the women.

Just kidding! Guys want to be more subtle in their elaborations, but it doesn’t mean that they get off scot-free. They need to be connected to their spare arm, keeping it at least to the elbow as part of the frame. The two easy things that they can do is either to put their spare hand on or near their belt loop – meaning the arm will be well connected to the movement of the body – or hold their hand in an active-looking “clicking finger” pose. (But don’t keep clicking your fingers, it’s annoying!) Whatever you do, you don’t want any part of the arm to look dead.

Then there are more active things you can do, like mirroring the movement of your feet or leading arm – for example in a ronde, sweep the arm along with your foot. Or in a yo-yo, sweep your left arm back at the same time as your leading right arm.

The last thing to consider with your arm is caressing touches – either yourself (but again, guys have to be careful not to look effeminate), or your partner, but you have to be very, very careful here not to be creepy. Better to pretend to touch, and with the back of the hand, than to freak out your partner – especially if you’re not very good friends with your partner.

Over-all, I’m becoming happier with my spare-arm use. I’m not bad at attaching it to myself at my belt loop, and even using it for a few elaborations in some moves. But certainly got some food for thought during the workshop.

Even after dropping a bit of the workshop, it over-ran which meant the freestyle didn’t start until nearer 9. As I had already decided I was leaving around ten, half-ten, I was a touch disappointed by this.

At the end of the workshop, Franck asked for input on the future timing of these classes. It’s clear that the one and a half hours currently allocated isn’t enough, but I’d prefer an earlier start than a later ending. Even if I was driving myself home, on a “school night” I’d ideally be home for midnight. Pushing things back would just mean less dancing for me.

My own preference would be to have a tea-dance and workshop. Down London-way, maybe every second Sunday (not sure?) there is a “T-Jive”, usually combined with a Jango workshop/class. This is in the afternoon. That’d be better timing for me.

Or perhaps a workshop, a break for a meal, then a freestyle. Maybe more people would only do the workshop or the dance and not both in this case though…

Anyway, on to tonight’s freestyle… Another good night, had some storming dances with a few folks, though some disappointed a little.

I’m coming to the conclusion that what makes a good night is simply the right music with the right dancers at the right time, in the right mood. With all those variables, it’s amazing I ever have a good time at all. Maybe I’m just easy pleased…

Thanks to Franck and Sheena for a good night. And for the dancers, for all the lovely dancers, and to the ladies who gave me lifts there and back.

Cheers!