How to improve musicality in dance

Dance is an art, and two components make it beautiful: plasticity and musicality (although for sports dances, another criterion of technicality is added). The first relates to working with your own body, and the second - with music, and they work only as a set. If you remove at least some element, the dance will not look harmonious, but will turn into ordinary movements with music playing in the background. We definitely do not need such an effect, and therefore special attention should be paid to these points. It is worth talking about musicality directly when listening to music and using examples, but for now let's focus on plastic.

What is plastic surgery?

Body plasticity refers to better control of its various parts. Here the following points play a key role:

• "isolation" of individual points or parts of the body. By isolating one muscle from another, you will be able to perform the movement only with them, without using unnecessary parts of the body. For example, turn your head without turning your torso or work with your arms, shoulders with a static body;
• coordination as the ability to control several such points or parts of the body at the same time. When, for example, the legs take steps, the back remains straight, and the arms play their part.

Plastic movements look much more advantageous. An element of the same complexity will look different for a plastic and a beginner dancer. From dances, plastic moves into ordinary life and is manifested by a graceful gait, confident movements and the ability to present oneself.

Developing plasticity

It is not possible to improve the plasticity of the body in theory - this can only be done in practice. Most of all, plasticity is needed in dancing, they are also best suited for its development. For example, Exotic Pole as one of the directions of pole dancing, focused specifically on plasticity, develops femininity (or, conversely, masculinity) and grace.

The dance elements and training exercises here are selected in such a way that when they are performed, the plasticity of the body improves. Even if it will be difficult to complete them the first time, repeated repetitions with the exact implementation of the trainer's recommendations will lead to the desired result. No need to be lazy and do full leg, avoid exercises that cause discomfort. Only by leaving the comfort zone, one can improve and improve natural plasticity. If you leave training for a long time, the result may worsen again.

In addition to full-fledged dance training, some simple tricks help develop plasticity:

• watch videos of professional dancers, notice how they move, and try to repeat;
• do stretching - it does not guarantee plasticity, but helps to improve it;
• film yourself on video and look as if from the side. Pay attention to what you would like to improve, dance again, shoot - and so on in a circle;
• work on a mirror, notice how the reflection changes depending on your work. When you see a picture that you like, concentrate on the sensations at that moment, remember them and try to repeat blindly;
• train your muscles and bring the mastered elements to automatism. Then there will be time to think about plasticity, and not about simply not forgetting any figure;
• work on yourself to remove excess tension from the muscles. Tense muscles are clamped, fettered and cease to be plastic.

And most importantly, enjoy what you do. Immerse yourself in music, create images for yourself, follow the impulses of the body and relax.

Connection (dance) - frwiki.wiki

For articles of the same name, see Connection.

Two dancers connected with their bodies.

In partner dance , the link is a form of physical communication used by dancers to facilitate the synchronization of their dance moves. The connection in the dance is the feel of the dancers, not the appearance. One dancer guides another dancer's movements with non-verbal instructions transmitted through the physical connection between the dancers. It is an important technique in many partner dances, especially dances with significant physical contact between the dancers, such as Argentine tango, Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing and English Waltz, for example. The term "connection" also has a second meaning in dance, which is different from the first, but related to it. It is sometimes used to describe points of physical contact between the bodies of dancers, an aspect closely related to the dance setting.

CV

• 1 Terminology
• 2 Guidance and suivage ( lead and follow )
  • 2.1 Description
  • 2.2 Synchronization (or lack thereof)
• 3 Connection purposes
  • 3.1 Communication of information
  • 3.2 Power transmission
• 4 connection types
  • 4. 1 Physical connection
    • 4.1.1 At physical contact with the body (other than hands)
    • 4.1.2 Without physical contact with the body (but only through the hands)
  • 4.2 Non-physical connection
    • 4.2.1 Visual and verbal communication
    • 4.2.2 Psychological connection
  • 4.3 Musicality
• 5 Connectivity technology
  • 5.1 Communication without physical contact with the body (but only through the hands)
  • 5.2 Communication with physical contact with the body (other than hands)
• 6 See also
• 7 Notes and references
• 8 External links

Terminology

Initially, the dancing couple consisted of a man and a woman. The man led the dance and the woman followed her partner. This structure is still the most common today, but there are now more same-sex or opposite role-playing couples, both at social events and in competition. To designate these two roles , avoiding gender differences, we now use the terms leader and follower (or follower ), borrowed from English. The terms rider / horsewoman or male / female , which are sometimes only used to describe women leading or following men, as well as the terms mentor / guide , leader / leader and follower / follower" will not be used in this article because they make text heavier. by their genre, and the meaning of dancer is sometimes missing from their definitions. Thus, in order to maintain a uniform, concise and inclusive notation, in this article the names " leader" or " leader" refer to the dancer, leader couple, regardless of gender and gender, and the names " follower" or " attendant" denotes a dancer. follows his partner while dancing. These terms are already in use in the French-speaking dance community. Terms « guide" and " follow-up" will be used to indicate activities corresponding to the roles of the two partners.

Guidance and suivage (

In most partner dances, one of the two partners leads the movements of the couple, and the other partner. This concept, called in English lead and follow ( lit. Guide and suivage ), allows to develop a couple on the dance floor and perform various drawings and assists at the same time.

Description

Leading and following is done through the connection between the dancers and their staff. The frame allows the leader to move the body of the transfer to the follower and gives the follower improvisation or styling support. A frame is a stable structural combination of two bodies held through the arms and/or legs of the dancers.

Synchronization (or lack thereof)

In many types of partner dances, the tension and compression of the lead through the connection are not signals for immediate future movements. Dancers don't always move at the same time. There is a slight time delay between leader indication and follower response . Follower must not move before leader has initiated his movement. Until the leader begins to move, the dancers must maintain their connection pressure without moving the involved body parts.

Connection purposes

The connection can be used to transmit power and energy as well as information and signals. Some dances (and some dancers) emphasize power or signals, but most use a combination of the two.

Transfer of information

One of the purposes of the connection is to provide information transfer between dancers. For example, leader can tell his partner what steps or figure he wants her to do. Through the connection, the dancers will also indicate to their partner their level of dancing, whether consciously or not. This may, for example, allow experienced dancers to tailor their efforts and expectations to their partner. An experienced dancer may lower his expectations or the energy of his movements if he dances with a beginner partner, or he will redouble his efforts and try to go beyond his limits if he dances with a partner of the same or higher level.

In some dances, such as in Latin-style ballroom dancing (rumba, cha-cha-cha, samba, etc.), tensions and bonds of connection are mainly used to indicate an approaching figure. The dancers keep their structure, and, as a rule, the leader points to the follower at the figures by short-term tension and contraction, without exerting much effort.

Energy transfer

In dances such as West Coast Swing and some styles of Lindy Hop, communication is still used to transfer information between partners, but energy transfer is more important and tensions and contractions can be much stronger and maintained for many times. . . Sometimes the tension can become very strong, even if you do not start moving. These energy transfers are especially important in sudden changes of direction and dances that contain a lot of energy.

Connection types

Two dancers in a closed position with close skin contact.

Physical connection

The most commonly used term connection, in dance, refers to this type of connection, the physical connection. This type of connection can be divided into two subtypes, differing in the position of the dancers and in the contacting parts of the body.

In the closed position (closed frame) in contact with the body, the connection is established by holding the frame. Dancers are not in contact with a limb, but with another part of their body. This type of connection is used, for example, in all standard international ballroom dancing.

When a frame is created, voltage is the primary means of establishing communication. In this type of connection the leader guides his partner mainly by moving his torso and very little or not at all with his arms. Tension changes are made to create variations in the rhythm of figures and movements, and these are transmitted through points of contact. At the follower moves to follow the leader , maintaining the pressure between the bodies as well as the position of its body.

In standard ballroom dancing, dancers in this position tend to dance as if the couple had only one body. Contact is so close that 9The 0058 follower of can almost instantly respond to their partner's movements, contributing to the illusion that the two partners are moving as one body.

In an open position (open frame) or a closed connection without contact with the body, the arms and hands themselves provide a connection that can be in tension, compression or in a neutral position.

• the dancers move away from the partner and apply a force equal to the force of the latter and opposite to it. The arms are not the only source of this strength: they are often assisted by tension in the muscles of the torso through body mass or momentum.
• At squeeze the dancers push each other.
• In the neutral position, the hands do not exert more force than is required to hold the hand.

The connection between the dancers' hands must be clear and allow for a quick change of direction while remaining continuous and avoiding jerks. Dancers must keep their hands in balance between hardness and softness.

Non-physical connection

Visual and verbal communication

Other forms of communication, such as visual or verbal cues, can sometimes help connect with a partner. However, these alternatives are only used in special situations, such as during training or when the dance figures are intentionally dancing apart (with no physical contact at all).

Psychic connection

Because dancers are human, psychological and sociological aspects come into play between dance partners. Good dancers empathize with their partner to enhance their experience. A sensitive connection can come from of a leader with clear and convenient guidance, from a conciliatory or compassionate follower of , or from a benevolent smile in response to a mistake. Ideally, communication is a dialogue: the leader remains aware of the follower's choice of interpretation and innovation, as well as the rigidity of the physical connection. The two dancers adapt to each other and constantly adjust their movements to keep the couple in harmony. Research has also shown that dance strengthens social bonds, in part through the synchronicity of the dancers' movements, and may also be used in some therapies.

Musicality

“A technical dancer without musicality will be like a painting without color. To choose, I prefer to look at a dancer-musician, but not very flexible and with less beautiful legs. "

- Lorena Feijoo, soloist

In the context of dance, musicality is the ability to listen, perform and dance to music. The music can influence the actions of the dancers to some extent. In mastering both dancers, the notion of musicality can also be seen as a form of mental connection between partners, but the guiding and therefore physical connection also plays an important role.

Musicality is more important in dances in which different figures often have different durations (here referred to as asymmetric ), such as swing dances (west coast swing, rock, etc.) or discofox. These dances differ from dances in which most figures are danced on the same number of beats as the musical phrase (here called symmetrical dances), often eight beats long, such as salsa and dance dances. standard sports. sit back.

The basis of a dancer's musicality, applicable to both symmetrical and asymmetrical dances, is the ability to stay in the rhythm of the music. Each dancer must be able to carry the weight of his body to the rhythm of the music and the conventions of his dance. This requires the ability to consciously or unconsciously feel the rhythm of the music. For the leader of , the ability to count beats is important in order to be able to direct the figures in rhythm and start the dance itself. More advanced musical skills, more important in asymmetrical dances, are, for example, the ability to adapt one's movements to the music by adapting the figures or the rhythm of one's steps, the ability to align one's figures with musical phrases, or the ability to mark key elements of music such as breaks or jumpers with style changes or short breaks.

Connection Technique

Communication, like many concepts in dance, can be learned and improved with practice and experience. A good connection often requires a good structure, since the latter provides a medium through which a good connection can be established.

Communication

The general rule for open connections is that the movement of the arms of the leader to the left, right, forward or backward is the movement of the whole body. So for follower the movement of the bound hand is immediately transformed into the corresponding movement of the body. This effect is achieved by stretching and tensing the muscles and locking the hands, but this is uncomfortable and wrong. Such tension removes thin elements of the connection and prevents the free movement up or down necessary to perform many turns and turns.

Instead of strengthening the arms, the connection is made with the muscles of the shoulder, upper body and torso. Movements are made from the center of the body (in English core ). Leader behaves by moving while maintaining the frame and connection. Different dance forms and different movements in each dance may require different types of connection. In some dances, the distance between the dancers remains more or less constant. In others, such as West Coast Swing, closing and pulling are fundamental to the dance and require flexion and extension of the arms, alternating contraction and tension. The feeling of connection between partners is different in each dance and with each partner. Good social dancers adjust to dance traditions and the reactions of their partners.

A good connection is neither too tight nor too soft. The connection should be easy and comfortable with minimal physical contact. Dancers touch with the palm of their hand or only with their fingertips, for example, hooking their fingers on a hook. The pressure exerted by the two dancers must be equal and constant. The follower of must not cling to the leader of because the latter must be able to change the connection at any time. Leader should adapt his indication in Followers of responses and guidance explicitly without forcing movement.

Communication

When the dancers are in contact with the torso, as in standard ballroom dancing, the connection is very different from the connection in the open position. In this position, the dancers are in contact with the right side of their body from the hips to the middle of the torso. This close bodily contact is necessary. In this situation, 9The 0058 leader is still leading from the core since it is in the open position, but the information is transmitted directly to the follower stem without passing through the shoulders, arms and hands. Guidance is no longer done by hand. The two dancers must give the impression of moving as one body. To avoid separation, the two dancers push each other slightly to keep the contraction. This means that the dancer moving backwards must hold the other dancer, they must back off while holding the weight forward. This close connection is also important for performing fast simultaneous movements such as quickstep jumps or quick turns in the Viennese waltz. In the English waltz, the dancers must perform a wave-like movement along a vertical axis together.

For some dancers, the need for close physical contact can be unbearable or overwhelming. It is possible to dance dances that should have close contact without touching your body, but the dance is not technically performed correctly. It becomes less regular, less fluid, and some shapes become much more complex. Lack of body contact is also common among beginner dancers who do not always recognize its importance or have developed the habit of controlling their hands.

See also

• Frame
• Dance

Notes and links

• (fr) This article is taken in whole or in part from the English Wikipedia article titled "Communication (dance)" (see list of authors) .

1. ↑ (in) " Dance Dictionary " on BallroomDancers.com (accessed October 15, 2020)
2. ↑ ^{a b and c} (in) Richard Powers, " Connection ", at socialdance. stanford.edu (accessed 15 October 2020)
3. ↑ (in) Patty Wells " Dance Connection for Partner Dancing " on dancetime.com (accessed November 24, 2020)
4. ↑ (c) " BYU Allows Same-Sex Couples in Ballroom National Competition " ["BYU Allows Same-Sex Couples in National Ballroom Dance Competition"], at universe.byu.edu (accessed October 6, 2020)
5. ↑ ^{a and b} " 10 terms of the world of dance ", on partner-danse.fr (accessed 30 October 2020)
6. ↑ " What to follow and what to lead? ", Available at Shouldweswinglyon.com (accessed 3 November 2020)
7. ↑ Valeria De Luca, Semiotic Universes of Dance: Forms and Meaning Journey in Argentine Tango (PhD Thesis in Language Sciences/Semiotics), University of Limoges, December 2, 2016 (read online) , pages 211
8. ↑ " Definition: rider, rider ", on larousse. fr (accessed 3 November 2020)
9. ↑ " Le Jive ", on lpa.be (accessed 30 October 2020)
10. ↑ " jivestudio.com ", on jivestudio.com (accessed October 30, 2020)
11. ↑ " La Belle Blues Paris ", on labelleblues.com (as of October 30, 2020)
12. ↑ " Definition: Tracking ", on cnrtl.fr (accessed 3 November 2020)
13. ↑ ^{a and b} (en) F. Matzdorf and R. Sen, " Demanding Followers, Strong Leaders: Dance as an 'Incarnate Metaphor' for the Leader-Follower Ship", Organizational Aesthetics , v. 5, p ^o 1, 2016 , pp. 114-130
14. ↑ (in) Joseph Daniel DeMers, " Frame and Conformity .DELTA.P T ED: A Framework for Teaching Swing and Blues Partnerships ", Research in Dance Education , vol. 14, p ^o 1, 2013 , pp. 71-80 (DOI 10.1080 / 14647893.2012.688943)0363
15. ↑ ^{a b and c} " Communication and guidance " on danserlerock.fr (accessed 22 October 2020)
16. ↑ (in) Bronwyn Tarr, " Let's Dance: Synchronized Movement Helps Us Bread and Strengthen Friendships " on theconversation. com, October 28, 2015 (accessed October 22, 2020)
17. ↑ ^{a and b} " Musicality for dancers " on retroguidage.fr 9 (De) " Listening and dancing ", on west-coast-swing.net (accessed Nov 3, 2020)
18. ↑ " Find the beginning of 32- multiples of sentences ", at aerobix.ccdmd.qc.ca (accessed October 22, 2020)
19. ↑ (in) " Breaks " on west-coast-swing.net (accessed October 22, 2020)
20. ↑ (in) " Ballroom Basics " ["Live Basics of Dance"] on thedancestoreonline. com (accessed Nov 24, 2020)
21. ↑ (in) " Tips and Techniques: The Physics of Dance Communication " on dancestationusa.com, February 24, 2009 (accessed November 24, 2020)