How to swing dance alone
How to Practice Swing Dancing Without A Partner
Swing your partner ‘round and ‘round, or don’t. Swing dancing, though typically done with a second person, can be practiced on your own. In fact, you can perfect several dancing techniques without a partner!
If you’re interested in learning how to swing dance, these tips can help you prepare for your first lesson too.
What is Swing Dancing?
Swing dancing is a popular dance form typically performed to American music, such as jazz, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, country, pop, and more. Typically swing dances are characterized by a lively beat, and quick feet and body rhythm.
Dances in this style include East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Jive, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Country Swing, and Hustle. It’s fast paced, loads of fun and a great way to exercise!
First developed in American in the Jazz Age (1920s-1940s), the term “swing” comes from the type of beat jazz percussion was playing. A “swung” beat plays with the length of the space between beats.
With such a rich history rooted in American culture, the dance form is alive and well today. It is even ‘swinging” back into popularity! Modern bands like Maroon 5, Katy Perry, and Muse all have classic swung beats that you can swing dance to no matter where you are.
What Can You Practice on Your Own?
When it comes to dancing, footwork is essential. You don’t need a partner to practice your steps either. We recommend holding out your arms too so you can get a feel for where your hands need to be as well!
When you’re on your own, you have the ability to go at your own pace and repeat as many movements as you need to. You can count out loud and play the same tune over and over, and you can do it until you feel comfortable with your footwork.
Posture
You don’t need to be dancing to practice better posture. While you’re at home, you can rethink how you sit: straighten your back, puff your chest out a little and lift your head. Making dinner is the perfect time to work on your standing posture as well.
You can work on un-rounding your shoulders, tucking your pelvis under, or just lengthening your spine.
A second part of your posture is focusing on your walking. As you move, you can practice rolling through your foot and delaying your body flight.(creating a floating transition by shifting your weight so your momentum carries through).
Balance
Balance is key to dancing elegantly and it is one of the easiest things to practice on your own. Try standing on one leg for 30 seconds at a time. Keep your gaze fixed on a static point to help you. If you’re uncertain with your ability, stand next to a wall or chair to help keep your balance.
When you’re more confident, move your gaze around the room while standing on one leg.
To take it one final step further, you can balance on a smaller object, like a brick, or a more unstable one, like a pillow, to help you learn how to shift your weight. Also remember to stay comfortable and safe when doing this and to keep something nearby to help steady yourself.
Never put yourself in a dangerous situation when practicing your balance and always stay close to the ground. If you’re on an unsteady surface, try to practice with padding around you.
Musicality
Your partner will thank you if you develop your understanding of rhythm on your own. More specifically, learn how to count music.. This is the biggest and perhaps the most important step in musicality!
Learning how to do this is simple: put on your favorite song and count to the beat. Try stepping to the beat too so you can have an understanding of how it affects your movements.
Where Can I Learn How to Swing Dance?
If you want to learn to dance, trust your feet to American’s second oldest dancing franchise, Arthur Murray Dance Centers. Each studio offers students of all skill levels an experience that is unlike any other and classes are interactive and enjoyable to attend.
Instructors utilize a comparative style of teaching called the Arthur Murray Method, which enables students to learn the skills needed for dancing in the most efficient way possible.
Their goal is to help you get out on the floor dancing as soon as possible.
Their basic introductory classes with emphasis on foot position, rhythm and timing, and leading or following. They also offer full programs for novice to advanced students who wish to perform. Instructors are highly knowledgeable and trained to assist everyone.
Sound like fun? Contact them today to reserve your spot in a free dancing lesson!
How to Swing Dance | The 2022 New Dancer’s Guide
Have you ever wanted to know how to swing dance? While learning how to swing dance certain variations are more complicated than others, all of the dances begin with a few basic steps that aren’t too hard to learn.
Lace up your dancing shoes and read further to discover how simple and fun it can be to learn how to swing dance!
Jump to Section
- Learn How to Swing Dance
- Swing Dance History
- Swing Dance Basic Steps
- Country Swing Dance
- East Coast vs.
West Coast Swing Dances - Fun Swing Dance Moves
- How to Swing Dance Solo
Learn How to Swing Dance
Is Swing Dance Hard to Learn?
If you’re a complete beginner to dancing, don’t worry. Learning how to swing dance isn’t overly complicated, and with some practice learning a few basic steps, you’ll be ready to incorporate variations and a flair of your own in no time.
So, when it comes to learning how to swing dance, is swing dance hard to learn? The short answer is: no! But it becomes even easier with the guidance of a highly rated dance instructor.
Swing Dance Lessons
As with learning anything new, it helps to have an expert guiding you through the process. The same goes for dancing. If you’d like to learn how to swing dance, look for dance classes in Colorado Springs, dance classes in San Diego and dance classes in Las Vegas wherein a talented dancer will lead an engaging, fun course designed to ease the transition into learning these new steps!
You’ll get a unique and exciting workout in whilst learning something new: how to swing dance with style.
Both beginners and experts alike will find that these dance classes near you are a fun way to switch up your routine and one of the best ways to learn to dance.
You may decide to sign up for online dance classes, where you will still receive some of the best dance instruction around, right from the comfort of your own home, so there’s no pressure!
via CanvaSwing Dance History
Do you know that the swing dance has influenced countless popular dancing styles since the 1920s? When you think of the roaring ‘20s, images of rowdy speakeasies, jazz bands, swanky parties and swing dancing likely come to mind.
As jazz music began to develop in the 1920s, so did the swing dance and others like it, as crowds of people learned how to swing dance. Certain forms of jazz music are actually referred to as “swing music” for this reason.
According to the Chicago Swing Dance Society, majorly influential artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, are known for their impact on swing music throughout the early 1900s.
The dance has evolved since its pioneering days, and now encompasses numerous variations, including the Lindy Hop, the Jitterbug, the East Coast Swing, the West Coast Swing, Country Swing and others, which makes learning how to swing dance a popular hobby from coast to coast.
Swing Dance Basic Steps
Whether you decide to sign up for dance classes with a professional to learn how to swing dance or you’d like to give swing dance a try on your own, it helps to understand the basics of the dance before you actually get moving. Read on for some simple ways to get started.
Swing Dance Count
Before you can master how to swing dance, ffirst you must learn to count to the swing dance beat. These dances typically follow a six- or eight-count rhythm. The basic count is a rock step (1, 2), a triple step (3 and 4) and another triple step (5 and 6).
Five Basic Steps of Swing Dance
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To start with the rock step, step backwards with your left foot moving behind you, and step forward with your right foot.
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For the first triple step, you’ll step to the side with your left foot, the same way with your right foot, and again with your left foot. So, to the beat of 3-and-4, you’ll step left, right, left.
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Then, you’ll repeat this triple step in the opposite direction, so that you are moving right, left, right.
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If this dance is being done with a partner, the leader typically starts on the left foot while the follower starts on the right foot.
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Next, it's time to incorporate the swing! All this means is that after doing the basic steps (rock step, triple step, triple step), you’ll pivot 1/4 of the way to your left, while your partner pivots 3/4 to their right, and then you’ll do a triple step.
Country Swing Dance
As aforementioned, the swing dance has been adapted in various ways to a variety of music forms.
One popular swing variation is the country swing dance. When it comes to how to swing dance in the country variation, you’ll learn to incorporate more twists, turns and other fun moves as you dance with your partner. Read further to learn how to swing dance the country swing dance.
Country Swing Dance Moves
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First, it’s important to distinguish who is the “leader” and who is the “follower” in your dance. As you join hands to dance, the leader will have their hands facing upwards while the follower’s hands are facing downwards.
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After your first rock step, you’re going to walk towards each other rather than moving side-to-side. As your partner steps forward with their left foot, you’ll step forward with your right, and then repeat with the opposite feet. This dance is done with an eight-count beat, so you’ll be taking eight steps.
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Once you’re comfortable with those basic swing dance moves, you can incorporate a spin, wherein you are still doing the basic steps, but as you both hold hands, you are turning your bodies rather than staying in one place. Then you can start to incorporate some of the following moves into your dance.
Tip: Don’t forget to stay loose when learning how to swing dance! There’s no room for stiffness, especially in the country swing dance.
via CanvaEast Coast vs. West Coast Swing Dances
What is the Easiest Swing Dance to Learn?
The East Coast swing is likely the easiest for when it comes to learning how to swing dance. It contains the most basic steps, and many other variations are built off of this version.
In fact, the basic steps listed above are exactly what the East Coast swing dance is. It consists of a rock step followed by two triple steps.
However, you can make the dance your own by deciding whether to step side-to-side with your partner or front and back.
What is the West Coast Swing?
When learning how to swing dance in the West Coast version, you will usually have to dance to a slower tempo than in the East Coast swing. This doesn’t mean that the West Coast swing is by any means a slow dance — it will just work well with a slightly slower tempo.
The key difference between East Coast and West Coast swing is that East Coast swing is done at a pace of around 136-144 beats per minute, while West coast is done around 102-114 beats per minute.
West Coast Swing Steps
A West Coast swing dance incorporates a “sugar push,” which means that your partner and you will be facing each other and walking forward and backward together. While you take two steps backwards, your partner will take two steps forward, then take two steps in place at the same time before repeating the move in the other direction.
After the sugar push, you and your partner will perform a “sugar tuck.” After the last step in place of the sugar push, the follower will turn away instead of simply stepping back. Then, they’ll triple step their way into a half circle, and face the leader once again.
The biggest distinction for the West Coast swing is that the entire dance is performed in a sort of linear way, whereas the East Coast dance follows a more circular pattern. Either of these styles are a greta starting point for those in the beginning stages of learning how to swing dance.
via CanvaFun Swing Dance Moves
Hammerlock
The hammerlock comes from doing turns with your partner. Rather than holding one hand while your partner turns around, you will both hold both of each other’s hands.
This way, once one partner turns, you’re in a sort of, well, hammerlock, wherein one hand will be held down and the other hand will be raised above your partner’s head as the turn.
Once the turn is completed, the lower hand will be behind your partner’s back.
Cuddle
The cuddle is kind of exactly what it sounds like. In this move, you and your partner will do the beginning of a hammerlock, but in the end, your partner will be in front of you, facing the same direction as you, while your hands are held in front of your partner’s body.
Lean
While in the cuddle, you would typically simply reverse the move so that your partner turns out of the cuddle back into facing you.
For a lean, you (as the leader) would instead turn your body to open up to allow your partner to continue their turn all of the way until you are both only holding hands with your inside hands, and your outer hands are free and you are both facing forward.
Then, your partner would simply lean against you, so that your sides are touching.
Jumpin’ Joe
The Jumpin’ Joe move is great for upbeat tempos and lively dances.
It’s very simple, and works best when the leader is shorter in height than the follower. In the move, leaders will spin their partners and then bring their arm over their head while jumping in the air.
Tunnel
For those of you who want to learn how to swing dance and how to incorporate some intricate, impressive moves, the tunnel is for you. This will take some practice with a partner, so be patient!
The tunnel is a move that involves several inward twists while you and your partner are holding hands, so that it sort of looks like one partner is going through a “tunnel,” which refers to the other partner’s arms.
via CanvaHow to Swing Dance Solo
When learning how to swing dance, you might ask yourself: can you swing dance solo? When it comes to practicing the dance or taking online dance classes, a partner may not always be available to you. Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers.
Can You Swing Dance by Yourself?
Although swing dancing is typically performed and practiced between two partners, it can certainly be practiced with just one person.
Learning how to swing dance by yourself is simply a way to practice and master the basic swing dance steps.
When you are swing dancing alone, it does help to act as if you are dancing with a partner. What that means is that you should dance with your arms out and in position as if a partner were with you, so that when you do do the dance with a partner, it will feel practiced and natural.
When practicing how to swing dance on your own, pay attention to your footsteps and decide whether you’re dancing as a leader or follower, as your moves will differ slightly, and you want to be ready for when you do end up dancing with a partner.
Solo swing dancing is great for learning to master your posture, footwork, rhythm and overall confidence in the dance!
via CanvaNow that you know how to swing dance, get out on the dance floor to test your moves! As you learn how to swing dance, you’ll see that it simply takes practice of simple steps in order to feel more comfortable including some fun variations of your own.
Don’t forget to check out dance classes near you if you think you could benefit from some extra help to learn how to swing dance.
For even more creative ideas and inspiration, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
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What is swing dancing? Part 1 | Culture
Swing was born in the south, but then migrated to the northern states, fleeing the laws of Jim Crow and racial segregation. In 1911, the San Francisco Tribune reported on the Texas Tommy, an improvisational dance with elements of acrobatics that can rightfully be considered the great-grandfather of swing. Dozens of variations emerged one after another.
As if on the palette of an unknown artist, they mixed up, absorbed the most inconceivable movements, blooming with new colors.
Almost a century after the birth of swing, I bring you confetti from ten vibrant swing styles! We will start moving with the strides of the Charleston and we will reach the wonderful times of the popularity of the step ...
Charleston
A quick, playful and at the same time simple dance, which could be danced both in pairs and solo, burst into the measured life of respectable citizens and turned everything upside down. Charleston was not danced only by conservative critics, standing guard over morality and unanimously talking about bad taste and public danger.
But against all odds, the Charleston was everywhere.
Virtuosos managed to invent hundreds of movements (although it was believed that there were only 74 of them in this dance). Even the police, regulating traffic, danced the Charleston! The dance floors shook with vibrations. Cracked floors and injuries from overly expressive dancing forced nightclub owners to put up signs reading "PCQ" ("Please Charleston Quietly").
Black Bottom
“Black bottom is when your right hip doesn't know what your left hip is doing,” people used to say. The girls squealed with delight when they heard Perry Bradford's "Black Bottom Dance" and quickly learned a new dance by simply listening to the text, each line of which was a kind of instruction for the dancers. The original version of "Black Bottom Dance" was riddled with "obscenities". Bradford brushed up the text a little, trying to fit into the narrow boundaries of decency, but it didn’t turn out to be puritanical - the dance still remained emphatically erotic and fiercely expressive.
Offended men from that moment were forced to dance the Charleston in splendid solitude, not wanting to swing their hips and wave their arms femininely, as their ladies of the heart did. That is why black bottom was better known as a solo female dance.
Shim Sham Shimmy
In those turbulent times, the dancers had a hard time: often they had to not only dance, but also run with trays. The way out of this situation was a linear "collective" dance, in which dancers could easily replace each other and which was so simple that it could be learned phenomenally quickly. Soon all of New York, including the orchestras, was dancing shim sham shimmy! Over time, the eccentric dance leaves the Broadway stage and becomes a fun game in which the host calls out the movements, and the dancers must imitate them immediately. On command "Swing!" general fun began - you had to grab your neighbor and dance the Lindy Hop until you drop.
Big Apple
Mischievous and unpredictable Big Apple is in many ways similar to shim-sham-shimmy, but the game becomes more and more exciting thanks to the imagination of the presenters. The most ordinary party was suddenly interrupted by someone shouting “Cut the Apple!”. The dancers instantly formed a circle and, at the command “Come on and swing!” performed a hurricane version of the Charleston. The host asked for Rusty Dusty, Praise Allah, Suzi Q, Scarecrow and a million other naughty dance moves. From time to time, a couple would “shine” (“Shine!”), dancing in the center of the circle to the enthusiastic screams of the rest of the dancers.
Shag
Shag - From the whimsical Carolina, stomping St. Louis, hyperspeed Kansas to Arthur Murray's famous Shag, the Shag is the perfect dance if you're on a tiny dance floor with a glass in one hand and a lady in the other.
Six counts, closed position, bouncing steps - and you are dancing a step! Sometimes it is called the “peacock dance”, because the partner here can “dress up” as much as he wants, but the partner is only allowed to mirror his movements. However, with the spread of feminism, the situation has changed - now the ladies will easily give a hundred points ahead to their partners, dancing a first-class step!
If you're ready to keep moving forward in time to the rhythms of swing, the next installment is elegant balboa, cheeky lindy hop, east and west coast swing styles and "mind blowing" boogie! In the meantime, keep dancing, folks! Dance, no matter what, and let the whole world spin with you!
Tags: America, entertainment, origin, dancing, culture
What is dance styleswing ? | 2010-08-02 16:53:16 |
| On this page you and I are going to take a trip to the black and white of his New Orleans underground and settled in the nightclubs of St. Swing was born in the south, but then migrated to the northern states, fleeing the laws of Jim Crow and racial segregation. In 1911, the San Francisco Tribune reported on the Texas Tommy, an improvisational dance with elements of acrobatics that can rightly be considered the great-grandfather of the swing . Dozens of variations emerged one after another. As if on the palette of an unknown artist, they mixed up, absorbed the most inconceivable movements, blooming with new colors. Almost a century after the birth of swing , I bring you confetti from ten vibrant swing styles! We will begin to move with the swift steps of the Charleston and reach the wonderful times of the popularity of the step . A quick, playful and at the same time simple dance, which could be danced both in pairs and solo, burst into the measured life of respectable citizens and turned everything upside down. Charleston was not danced only by conservative critics, standing guard over morality and unanimously talking about bad taste and public danger. But against all odds, the Charleston was everywhere. Virtuosos managed to invent hundreds of movements (although it was believed that there were only 74 of them in this dance). Even the police, regulating traffic, danced Charleston ! The dance floors shook with vibrations. Falling floors and injuries from overly expressive dancing forced nightclub owners to put up signs reading "PCQ" ("Please Charleston Quietly" - "Please dance the Charleston carefully"). “ Blackbottom is when your right hip doesn't know what your left hip is doing,” people said. The girls squealed with delight when they heard Perry Bradford's "Black Bottom Dance" and quickly learned a new dance by simply listening to the text, each line of which was a kind of instruction for the dancers. In those turbulent times, the dancers had a hard time: often they had to not only dance, but also run around with trays. The way out of this situation was a linear "collective" dance, in which dancers could easily replace each other and which was so simple that it could be learned phenomenally quickly. Soon all of New York, including orchestras, was dancing shim-sham-shimmy ! Over time, the eccentric dance leaves the Broadway stage and becomes a fun game in which the host calls out the movements, and the dancers must imitate them immediately. Mischievous and unpredictable Big Apple is in many ways similar to shim shim shimmy , but the game becomes more and more exciting thanks to the imagination of the presenters. The most ordinary party was suddenly interrupted by someone shouting “Cut the Apple!”. The dancers instantly formed a circle and, at the command “Come on and swing!” performed a hurricane version of Charleston . The host asked for Rusty Dusty, Praise Allah, Suzi Q, Scarecrow and a million other naughty dance moves. From time to time, a couple would “sparkle” (“Shine!”), dancing in the center of the circle to the enthusiastic cries of the other dancers. The step - from the whimsical Carolina, stomping St. Louis, hyperspeed Kansas to Arthur Murray's famous step - is the perfect dance if you're on a tiny dance floor with a glass in one hand and a lady in the other. Times have changed… Music has changed along with them, and new dances have appeared. Hardly anyone then could have imagined that these “novelties” would become popular in the 21st century social dances , that is, those that can be danced with any partner or partner at theme parties, improvising and communicating. Hence the name - "social" (from the English "social"). What to dance when the big band plays dixieland? Of course balboa ! This elegant dance is nothing more than an amalgamation of the "collegiate shag" shag and Arthur Murray's shag . Climax! Finally we got to the glorious lindy ! Taking another look into the maelstrom of history, we will see how all the newspapers glorify Charlie Lindbergh, who made the legendary flight across the Atlantic (“Lindy Hops the Atlantic!”), And the funny dancer George “Shorty” Snowden claims that he is dancing Lindy Hop . In every joke there is a share of a joke, but now you can’t tear off the name with ticks! However, sometimes, for the purpose of conspiracy, this “black” dance was called jitterbug (jitterbug), which in Negro slang meant “bad white dancer” . That's when the swing coup happened! Crazy rhythm, frenzied legs, flying partners - it's hard to believe that Lindy Hop has another side: the beautiful, almost feline plasticity of the dancers in a slow dance. But true spirit lindy hop - free. This is freedom of the soul and freedom of the body, freedom of improvisation and spontaneous creativity, freedom in the interpretation of music. By and large, there can be no erroneous movements here - any of them has the right to become a new element of the dance! The wave of Lindy that swept over America shocked the teachers of ballroom dancing . But the moment came when the popularity of the swing reached its peak, and it could no longer be ignored. Then the ballroom dancers reluctantly began to dance East Coast Swing East Coast Swing is a smooth, flowing dance that flows from movement to movement. It could be danced to slow, mid-tempo, and fast jazz or blues. Swing fever spread literally at the speed of sound. Dance followed the music, being its visual expression and the embodiment of its energy. west coast swing0038 lindy hop . Slow West Coast Swing is a spectacular dance with tremendous internal energy, like a sponge, absorbing the various movements of other dance styles. A whole scattering of styles instantly appeared: St. Louis imperial swing , "reconciled" swing both coasts, a New Orleans version, nicknamed Jamaica (Jamaica), Texas push and whip and whip 9 also sweeping bop (bop) and number one dance in Sweden - bug (bug). West Coast Swing is danced in especially difficult conditions on crowded dance floors (so you can train in narrow corridors). During the war years Lindy again had to "jump" the ocean to push the Europeans to the idea of creating a dance that could be danced whenever you find it difficult to sit still to the sounds of the characteristic high-speed piano playing. Based on boogie-woogie , jive and rock and roll were formed. But both of these dances split from swing because they lost their swing free base. Ballroom jive and sports rock and roll improvisation possibilities are extremely limited. In some way, the possibility of self-expression of the dancers was lost. In the 50's swinging America was covered by a new craze comparable in scale to the swing boom - Bill Haley and his Comets (Bill Haley and His Comets) created new music that reflected the freedom-loving mood of the time. It was rock and roll . But music and dancing have always drawn creative impulses from each other, so boogers, lindy hoppers and other swing guys did not lose their heads and soon danced confidently and under rock and roll ! In subsequent years, dances in the style of swing were forgotten.  .
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Louis, Detroit, Chicago, New York ... At a time when girls begin to wear short skirts, bob hairstyles and drive their parents to faint with "loose" and "lecherous" behavior ... Young people eagerly plunge into the atmosphere of freedom and emotionality that jazz offers, and splash out their energy on the dance floors of the famous "Savoy Ballroom" and "Cotton Club" in Harlem (the black quarter of New York). 
.. 
The original version of "Black Bottom Dance" was full of "obscenity". Bradford brushed up the text a little, trying to fit into the narrow boundaries of decency, but the puritanism did not work out - the dance still remained emphatically erotic and violently expressive. Offended men from now on were forced to dance charleston in splendid isolation, not wanting to swing her hips and swing her arms femininely, as their ladies of the heart did. That is why black bottom was better known as a solo female dance. 
On command "Swing!" the general fun began - you should grab your neighbor and dance the Lindy Hop until you drop. 
Six counts, closed position, bouncing steps and you dance step ! Sometimes it is called the “peacock dance”, because the partner here can “dress up” as much as he wants, but the partner is only allowed to mirror his movements. However, with the spread of feminism, the situation has changed - now the ladies will easily give a hundred points ahead to their partners, dancing the first-class step ! 
Regulars at the Balboa Park Club in San Diego call themselves "balboa dancers". They came up with a new dance, which was distinguished by the glued bodies of partners, rapid movements of the legs, a “ball-like” straight posture and smooth sliding on the parquet. Now balboa is considered a salon dance. The ladies wear evening gowns and high-heeled shoes, while the men always dance in tuxedos. 
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Boogie-woogie is a fad dance. One name is worth it! Boogie dancers literally soar above the ground, making a pretzel with their feet and dizzyingly spinning their partner in a state of complete detachment and pleasure. Unlike daddy lindy , the dance has become more compact and the very “drive in the legs” has appeared. 
