PSRDanceAndrewSuttonWorkshop

Dance Notes

Andrew Sutton Workshop

December 19, 2004

Peter attended a swing-dancing workshop conducted by Andrew Sutton on 12.19.04.

Connection

• Connection Drill #1

  • Stand facing your partner in open position.

  • Maintain a loose connection.

    • If you let go of the follow's hand, the follow's hand should fall.

  • Try asking for 'push' and 'pull' connections.

    • The follow should match your connection but not move.

  • This should be strictly a body lead.

    • Your arms should not move.

      • In fact, nothing should move, at least not visibly.

• Connection Drill #2

  • Start in the same position as before.

  • Now, try leading with the arms.

    • Note that this lead is still connected to your center

      • (no spaghetti arms, no marionetting arms)
      • If you tilt forward or back, your connection to your center is totally screwed.
  • The follow should move back and forth.

  • Your arms should move smoothly and consistently.

    • No sudden "jump start" followed by going slack.

  • Your arms will extend beyond what you are used to in lindy hop

    • (at least for purposes of this exercise)

    • Your arms go 'all the way out' (almost locking your elbows) to 'all the way back' (your elbows even poking a bit behind you)

      • Note that nothing locks in place, and your arms stay seated in your shoulders.
  • Remember to ask for the connection before you go anywhere (or stop).

• Connection Drill #3

  • Start in the same position as before.
  • Try both the 'body lead' and the 'arm lead.'
  • First, do a body lead forward
  • Once moving, add an arm lead forward
  • Once that lead is finished, move forward with the follow in a loose connection.

  • Slowly put on the brakes with a pull connection.

    • Note that you are still walking forward while pulling backward.
  • Come to a stop.
  • You can follow this by doing the same thing in the other direction, with pull and push reversed.

• Some Open-Basic Options

  • Strict body lead: this is what you're used to leading.

  • Body & arm...

    • 1: the body lead leaves the handhold in place

    • 2,3: the arm lead comes immediately after

      • The follow moves in smoothly.

  • Body then arm...

    • Start as normal

    • Somewhere between 2 & 3, add the arm lead.

      • The follow whips around you quickly.

  • Body then push connection...

    • Note that, in the part of the basic that's more-or-less closed position, you can maintain a 'push' connection in your handhold.
    • You can increase this to actually pushing the follow away (using the left arm) around the 4 count.
    • The follow can be all the way out by 6.

Some Good-Natured Hijacking

• The Follow Pushes Off

  • This is based on an open basic.
  • 1-4: As normal.

  • 5: The follow asks for a 'push' connection.

    • The lead should match that connection.
    • The follow gathers her weight on her right leg.

  • 5½: The follow uses this connection to push off of the lead.

    • The lead should match that connection, too.

    • The follow should push herself laterally (not up-and-down).

      • Put another way, she's scooting across the floor & not jumping.
  • 6: The follow lands on her left foot.
  • 6½: The follow's right foot continues its momentum, kicking back/curling around behind her.
  • 7: The follow's right foot curls around in front and taps. (?)

  • 8: The follow's right foot kicks back.

    • On counts 6 through 8, your lead footwork can be whatever.

      • ... just so long as you match whatever connection the follow is asking for.
  • Note that if you pull back on the subsequent "1," you may well pull the follow off of her balance (not very nice).

• A Variation on the Same

  • 1-6: As above.

  • 7: The lead body-leads a counterclockwise 1 turn.

    • This 'hijacks the lead back,' so to speak.

  • After this, there are many options. Here's the most straightforward one...

    • 8: Immediately start catching the follow's back in your right palm.
    • 1, 2: Follow the rotation, ending up in closed position.
    • 3&4: Continue to rotate in closed position.
    • You are now ready to finish out an open basic.

• Underarm Turn Variation

  • This is based on a normal underarm turn.
  • This works best when the lead gets himself sort of rotation clockwise in the first few counts.
  • 1-4: As normal.

  • As the follow starts to rotate counterclockwise...

    • She catches the lead's left arm in her left hand.

      • The handhold should still be relatively high at this point.

    • Then she starts the lead rotating clockwise.

      • She also pushes off of that, aiding her own counterclockwise rotation.
    • Note that the lead would do well to continue his clockwise momentum through whatever move follows.

Steals

• A Very Useful Class Structure

  • Divide the class into groups of (at least) four.
  • Each group of four should have (at least) two follows and two leads.
  • In each group of four, have one lead and one follow dance normally.
  • The other two (or more) dancers queue up nearby.
  • Then, the person at the front of the 'steal queue' steals in.
  • The replaced dancer then gets in the back of the 'steal queue.'
  • Repeat ad infinitum.

• General Advice

  • Stay close (say, arm's length) to the couple you're stealing from.
  • Keep moving -- even just stepping on every beat -- so you're not moving from a dead stop.
  • Stealing is okay during dj-specified steal dances, or if you've asked the couple's permission first.
  • Steal in smoothly and with good connection -- and for god's sake, don't hurt anybody.

  • Things that a steal dance is NOT....

    • It is NOT a "give-away" dance, wherein the lead notices another lead coming around and sloughs the follow.
    • It is NOT a "keep-away" dance, wherein the lead notices another lead coming around and does all sorts of 'ha-ha-you-can't-take-the-follow-from-me-nyah-nyah-nyah' crap.

    • It is NOT an "all-skate," wherein everybody starts dancing at the start of the song.

      • You only want a third of the crowd dancing at the start of a steal dance.
      • As the dance progresses, more people will get involved (via simultaneous 'double steals,' etc.).
  • Note that all of the steals described below assume you're stealing from an open basic, but can be applicable to other positions.

• The Simplest Steal: open position, the handhold is on the far side from you.

  • As lead...

    • Just slide in & replace the lead.

      • Connect to the follow's hand.
      • Connect to the other lead through the left forearms.
      • Nudge the lead out of the way.
  • The same for the follow, just reversed.
  • Be thinking about stealing when the couple is in closed position.
  • Initiate the steal as they're opening.

• The Only-Slightly-Less-Simple Steal: open position, the handhold is on the near side to you.

  • As lead...

    • Sidle up next to the other lead.
    • With your right hand, chop down to the right of the the other lead's left hand.
    • Wrap back up to the left of the other lead's left hand.

    • Finally, bring the right arm down a second time and connect to the follow's hand.

      • This is the move that finally nudges the other lead's arm out of the way. (Assuming you're doing everything right.)

  • As follow...

    • Sidle up next to the other follow.
    • With your left hand, chop down to the left of the other follow's right hand.

    • Bring that left hand back up on the right of the other follow's right hand.

      • This is the move that lifts the other follow's hand out of the lead's hand.
    • Bring it back down, landing in the lead's hand.

• Stealing from Behind 2

  • As lead...

    • Position yourself behind the follow.

    • On 7 & 8, make contact with the follow's shoulders and prep her with a counterclockwise (?) rotation.

      • My notes may be wrong about the counterclockwise thing -- in any case, make sure the preparation is in the same direction the follow is naturally going at that moment.
    • Then on the 1, firmly lead the follow clockwise and behind you, catching her.
    • Let this rotation motivate the next 8-count.
• As follow... ** On 7 & 8, make contact with the lead's shoulders and prep him with a clockwise rotation. *** Again, my notes may be wrong -- prep in the same direction the lead is already going. ** Then on the 1, firmly lead the lead (!) clockwise, breaking through the handhold. *** As you do this, rotate yourself clockwise and nestle into closed position.

Blues

• Ettiquette

  • Don't force a close distance on the follow.

• Simple forward/back weight shifts offer a lot of possibilities.

  • Step front, tap back, step back, tap front.
  • Smoothly move forward, down, back, up.
  • Hips forward, body forward, hips back, body back.
  • ... and so on.

• Popping Around

  • Start side-by-side, with a leg connection.

  • 1: Step down on your left foot

    • You should move slightly back, so you're a little bit behind the follow.

  • 2: Step right on right foot.

    • You should step far enough to make this a big crossover step for the follow.
    • As you do this, stay connected through the thighs/legs.

  • 3: Pop right hip right.

    • Keep the follow's upper body in place.
    • This should cause the follow's right leg to pop out and spin around.
  • Then, rotate the follow around, continuing the motion, and landing in (say) closed position again.

• Scooping Under

  • 1,2: Rock-step. (Left/Right.)

    • On the two, lift your weight up a bit.
    • This will give the follow something to move down from.

  • 3: Step on left.

    • As you do this, drop down.
    • Make sure there is sufficient distance between you and the follow.
    • Stand up straight; don't bend
    • Keep your right arm relatively straight.

    • Around 3½, let go with your left hand.

      • It can move to the follow's right shoulder and aid the rotation that starts in count 4 (below).
    • Start leading the follow counterclockwise.

  • 4: The follow starts rotating under your right arm.

    • Make sure you start lifting the follow.

      • This will have the side benefit of making more room under your right arm.

  • 5-8: Finish out the rotation

    • Stay connected throughout.
    • To a certain extent, the follow will end up using your left bicep to lift her the rest of the way up.
    • Towards the end of this, your right hand reconnects to the follow's back, and the left hand reconnects to the follow's right hand (assuming you'd like to end up back in closed position).

• Spinning into the Follow's Arms

  • First, a Useful Drill...

    • The follow stands on one foot, arms out.
    • The lead pushes the follow around in a circle using one of her arms. (Like a turnstile.)

    • The useful lesson to take away from this: when the follow is on one foot, you can only push her in a circle.

      • Pushing her any other way pushes her off of her balance.

        • ... and possibly pushes her over.
  • Start in a relatively-open "V" connection.
  • 1: Back on left.
  • 2: Together with right.

  • 3: Crossover on left.

    • That is, your left foot steps in front of & to the right of your right foot.
    • Ideally, your right abdominals will end up in the follow's right hand.

  • 4-5: Start rotating into the follow's right arm.

    • At the same time, you are pushing her clockwise like a turnstile (see the Useful Drill above).
    • 6-8: Continue the clockwise rotation, only let the follow overtake you a bit so you can catch her in closed position.

• Keep in mind that many blues moves are leadable from a variety of positions.

  • Experiment on your own.

Musicality

• Always search for inspiration in the music.

• A Musicality Drill...

  • Walk from one side of a room to the other, with your motion inspired by the song that's playing.
  • Then, everyone discuss what they felt in the music.
  • Then walk back, incorporating what other people said about the music into your motion.

• The folllow is in a good position to add musicality to the dance -- especially while the lead is distracted by complicated 'lead stuff.'

  • The lead has to pay attention to the follow and pick up on all of this.

Footnotes

1 For purposes of these notes, "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" are as viewed from above the floor, looking down.

2 My notes are very iffy on this, as I was kind of confused about it in class.