Rumba

[cornutt]

Found out something interesting in my lesson last night.  The Cuban walk, open circular walk, whatever you want to cal it -- how many of us have problems with this figure collapsing as we try to do it?  I do.  Instead of staying in a nice V, it's like my partner wants to walk in a straight line, and in an attempt to make the darn thing actually go in a circle, I wind up almost back-to-back with her. 

Well, I've always been taught that the lead should be communicating visually with the follow when doing this step.  But last night, my instructor had me dance it with my head facing to my right, away from the partner.  Presto!  Now it goes in a circle.  In fact, she led me through it, both ways, and there is a definite difference in what the lead feels like.  When she looks towards me, it defininitely feels like I am being led to walk in a straight line.  So I asked her about the visual thing; why does everyone teach it that way?  She said not to worry about it for now, and we'll work on that later. 

[TangoDancer]

I have always known it to be danced almost back/back in a widely opened V. Glad it worked.

[cornutt]

We did silver rumba in our lesson last night.  One thing that my instructor is really emphasizing now is sticking my steps.  And it's been a problem for me, in rumba and cha-cha particularly.  I guess it get it from smooth, where your feet are moving all the time, but I have a lot of trouble with unnecessary foot movement in the Latin dances.  Things like letting my standing foot rotate when it isn't supposed to, or dragging my moving foot through a step rather then stepping and placing.  Sometimes I fee like I my legs are made of concrete and I just can't make them move quickly enough.

[pinkstuff]

One of my favorite latin dances to dance, only like to watch it if danced really well and there is good connection between the dancers, otherwise I find it hard to believe.  Currently working on walks - have gone from dropping the moving hip joint too much to rotating with no settling action - never goes right, and I have a tendency to replace one problem with another 

[MusicChica]

Just don't thrust your hips forward trying to fix it.

[pinkstuff]

Ugh, at the moment my hips do very little except drop too much resulting in a knock-kneed rumba walk (attractive, I know) or nothing.  I think because I am taught to release my hip to initiate the movement and then the follow this with the foot action, pushing from the standing foot, may be I am not getting it and I need to think of it some how differently?  I think the knee issue results from my lack of hip control and "dropping" the hip instead of just releasing.

[MusicChica]

Yeah, I think you need to think about it differently.  I don't like that bit about the hip release initiates the movement...but I am SO not alert enough to talk through it rationally right now.

I'll get back to you.

[pinkstuff]

Thanks 

[QPO]

I love rumba but only do is socially, I just dont understand it went they say dance into the floor because then I want to bend my knees and I think it is  now done with keeping your legs straight when doing Latin.

[cornutt]

Yeah, I think you need to think about it differently.  I don't like that bit about the hip release initiates the movement...

I think MC's right.  The hip release takes any remaining weight off of the moving foot and prepares it to move.  But if you just fall into the released hip, you won't have any control over the direction or amount of movement, and it just won't be very crisp.  You have to set and control the movement by how you push off of the standing foot. 

[Some guy]

LOL!!! 

[pinkstuff]

Oh dear....that could be dangerous

[pinkstuff]

Giggle

[elisedance]

now the best thing that i heard how to get the feeling of rumba (in this case international rumba) is to look at your partner like you are looking at a man of your fantasies all covered in ice cream. 

That does it.  I'm taking up rumba again.  And icie cream.  And.... better stop there

[elisedance]

argh - I may give up standard .... pant.... pant....