Summer Term - Week 2

We recapped the combinations from last week in the Warm Up dance, so you could see how they can slot into the music, which is really the whole point of me teaching them!

Tonight with Veils, we were working mainly on Twirls, which we started last week. We practised twirling the veil in both directions, and brought in some variations on the basic twirl: 

• Half twirls, changing front to back & vice versa, or changing Right to Left & vice versa
• Incomplete twirls, with wafting opportunities
• Possibly Twirling and walking (typing this in advance, I don't know if we'll have the time for this, it's not as easy as it sounds!)

As last week, I took a basic move - the hip circle - and put together some movement combinations using different circle variations. 

• Using all circles
• Beg, Medium, Small circles
• Varying the speed of the circle, front half quick in 2 counts, back half slow in 6 counts OR the other way around
• Hip circles with stops - front half smooth, back half (stops on 5,6,7,8)
• Using circles combined with other moves
• Hip circle x 1½, hip push x 2
• Hip circle x 1½, forward back step

You can do these combinations with any music with a basic 4 or 8 count. You just need to find something that's the right speed for you.

Here's the video:

Try practising the combinations this week. Start with just one or two, and really try to get them into your muscle memory, so that you can do them without having to think about them.

If you're feeling brave, see if you can create your own combination, maybe starting with one of the combos I've set out here, and changing part of it. 

Summer Term - Week 1

Welcome back! It's good to be dancing with you again!

This term is going to focus less on Technique, and more on personal interpretation. We'll be looking at the skills you can use to keep dancing even when you haven't got a choreography to follow (that's right - Improvisation!) There's a lot of simple tricks we can use, and we'll look at how you can keep your dancing looking fresh and sparky.

We'll also be working on Veilwork. I gave you a little taster last term, and this term we'll build up some basic technique, some tricks and fancy Veilwork, and how we could put together a short routine (not choreographed, but structured).

Tonight we started with the Veils (before we all got very tired arms and shoulders), revisiting our Walking and Wafting from last term, and working on Veil Twirls.

• Remember the Golden Safety Rule of Veils - don't tread on your Veil. (Also, don't tread on anyone else's Veil).

Other guidelines include:

• Try to keep your shoulders down, to stop your arms and shoulders getting tired.
• Keep the top edge of the Veil taut, so you can keep control of it better.
• Keep your arms straight to create beautiful lines
  
• Try not to bunch your hand up into a fist, again, we're trying to create beautiful lines

After that we did some starter work on Improvisation skills. We used Side to Side/Hip Hit movement combinations, to start thinking about how we can put moves together, using simple 4-counts and 8-counts. 

• Using all Hip hits
• RLRL RRR, LRLR LLL
• RR LL RR Step back with the L & hit the hip backwards, LL RR LL step back with R & hit backwards
• Hitting to diagonals - Front RR LL RR, then Back with L.
  This one is single sided, it will always start R first. So if you want to change sides, you'll need to add a little step before starting the next combination
• Using Hip hits combined with other moves
• RLRL Forward Back step
  Again this one is single sided so if you want to change sides, you'll need to use one of the Forward Back changeover options 
• RLRL Hip drops R x 3. Again, you'll need to add a little step R to change sides between the third drop and the hip hit on the L
• RRLL ½ circle to change sides (like we did in the choreo)
• RRLL Fig 8 x 1½ to change sides.

Here's the video (sorry for it being late):

Our motto for the term is going to be: JUST KEEP GOING!