waiting - the essence of following

[Some guy]

I think its really a case of developing faith in yourself.  Faith that all your learning has made your body/subconscious actually better able to deal with the demands of dancing (or fighting, or soccer, or ...) than your conscious one is...

Amen to that!  It's definitely about having complete faith in your body, that you can throw anything at it and it'll be able to deal with it without disturbing you.   

[elisedance]

I think its really a case of developing faith in yourself.  Faith that all your learning has made your body/subconscious actually better able to deal with the demands of dancing (or fighting, or soccer, or ...) than your conscious one is...

Amen to that!  It's definitely about having complete faith in your body, that you can throw anything at it and it'll be able to deal with it without disturbing you.   

...and how could I have omitted from my list playing an instrument!!
I really do need to read my own advice from time to time.  I am both my own worst teacher and worst student!!!

[Alice]

I think its really a case of developing faith in yourself.  Faith that all your learning has made your body/subconscious actually better able to deal with the demands of dancing (or fighting, or soccer, or ...) than your conscious one is...

Amen to that!  It's definitely about having complete faith in your body, that you can throw anything at it and it'll be able to deal with it without disturbing you.   

also internalizing that faith enough to not have to think about it, only recognize that it's happened already.  Then you really get to enjoy the ride!  (not a consistant experience for me yet, but ooo I'm excited for when it is!)

[Bordertangoman]

verrry interrresting.....

[Some guy]

also internalizing that faith enough to not have to think about it, only recognize that it's happened already. 

Beautifully put!

[drj]

Showed video of my most recent competition to a dance buddy, who commented, "Wow, you can really see that you're waiting for his lead!"

 

She could have said nothing better. And I stopped obssessing about all the bad moments in the video, the ones that made me wince, right then and there. Pardon me for being ridiculously pleased with myself. It is not easy to learn to wait for a lead.

[elisedance]

...And I stopped obssessing about all the bad moments in the video...

We all do that of course - but it helps to look a few times and then focus on whats good, which is strangely invisible when you first look!  Same thing for playing music - and maybe every act we do. 

Perhaps it highlights a deeper issue - that we tend to work very hard on improving errors and but never work the other way from our strengths down.  I wonder if we would be much better dancers with more of the latter?

[Alice]

DRJ, wow.  congratulations!  You must be flying high on praise like that!

Elise, what do you think it would look like to "work from our strengths down"?  In my head, I kind of see it as building from our strengths up.  i.e. building on a strong foundation, and when we find errors, rather than working to fix those specifics, going back to a foundational understanding of what could be causing the mis-step or whatever the problem is.  Maybe we're saying the same thing?

[elisedance]

Maybe we should comprimise with starting from our strengths and building sideways - kinda like a topple wall of dominos ...

Isn't building up from our strenghts the usual thing we do?  I think thats standard learning.  Stand then take a step then two etc.  Come to think of it isn't the opposite exactly what BoS is?  We start with natural movement and figure out how to do it from there down.

[Alice]

well if you start with natural movement and natural posture as the foundation to which you return, I think that would be within BoS.   

[elisedance]

well if you start with natural movement and natural posture as the foundation to which you return, I think that would be within BoS.   

yes, but a natural movement would be the hardest of all to learn 'from scratch'.  Imagine trying to teach a person that had been paralysed from birth and suddenly recovered all mobility how to move 'naturally'.  Thats why I think its starting from your strength and then going 'down' to learning much more simple things like rise-and-fall, for example.

[Alice]

what would you consider a strength from which you would work?  (not being contrary, just trying to understand!   )

[elisedance]

emotional expression.  Start from that and then try to understand how your body works to let you express. 

We need a topic on this... its dynamite (and probably ho-hum to DSV )

[Alice]

emotional expression.  Start from that and then try to understand how your body works to let you express. 

We need a topic on this... its dynamite (and probably ho-hum to DSV )

Ahh I see. yes.  i, for one, would be interested to read it!

[QPO]

Showed video of my most recent competition to a dance buddy, who commented, "Wow, you can really see that you're waiting for his lead!"

 

She could have said nothing better. And I stopped obssessing about all the bad moments in the video, the ones that made me wince, right then and there. Pardon me for being ridiculously pleased with myself. It is not easy to learn to wait for a lead.

Dont apologize. I know exactly where you are coming from. Last night we had something similar. My partner is becoming much more consistent with his frame and he did our routine  but not in the normal long side and short side and I followed all of it and he was so impressed that I did so. but I said to him well it was your lead, you were strong and in charge and I could only do what he wanted... that feeling gave me the confidence to know that I can follow when given the right signals