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| Kandykane dancing in class |
When it comes to dancing, we usually start with the feet. Of course we all learned the basic figures with a simple principle of "Left foot forward Right foot back", but it's it all about dancing? Surely not. After we manage to get the feet in the correct place, we have the arm styling, eye contact and line of vision. If the footwork is the main ingredient, these three are the necessary seasoning that add flavour to the dance, without which the dance.has no taste at all.
Arm styling is a special thing to Latin Dancing. Unlike Modern Smooth Dances, that require couples to maintain the closed hold most of the time, Latin American Dances allow open position (and quite a number of other positions check here), thus we have the free arm, or if the shine position is used, the free arms.
The arm, in this way, is not only a body part but an extension of the body line. It is on fact a powerful tool for expression if properly used.
A dance is not a speech, we do not speak during a dance, we can only convey with our body. The free arm, together with eye contact and live of vision, plays an important role here.
During a dance, even the music goes non-stop, the dance itself has moments for picture poses. It's like constructing a spectacular drawing, we need to present grand poses so that the great images can be left in audience's mind. The free arms help us balance, but also help to create a harmonious picture.
How to place the arm is an art. It mostly goes with the momentum, and it helps turns and spins by creating one's frame, so that the turning can make full use of the centripetal force.
Before we can fully utilize the force, we have to create the best of it. The simplest way is to contract the core, and tighten all muscles. However, it is easier said than done, what we need is firm, not stiff. When all muscles and joints are locked, it is impossible to move. We need to flex the joints but at the same engage the required muscles. It sounds contradicting but it is really what we need to do.
In order to get the best frame and posture, line of vision is needed. When a person is to look height than the eye level, the body tends to lift a little higher than use. And if the core muscle is intentionally tucked in at the same time, the whole body line looks slimmer, and the centre is more centralized. This is one of the reasons why we always tell students to look at the partner's forehead.
Another reason to look for a higher point is to ensure the dancer can have the most of the information from the partner, as well as from the surrounding. Without speech, the dancers need to connect each other with their body languages, lifting oneself enables both the leader and the follower have enough consensus by looking and observing much more clearly.
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