7.2 On Balance

"*Bend your knees a little while keeping your upper body and shoulders square (don't lean back). Try this balance exercise: Now that you are in this position, have someone else push evenly on both your shoulders and you will notice that you can maintain your balance much better than if you are stiff with knees locked."

"*Good balance is essential to good dancing. Keep your weight over the balls of your feet. Do not lean back or forward, except for some figures. In general, have a comfortable and stable position over your feet and be able to move in any direction instantly without having to drastically shift your weight to be able to move in the opposite direction - keep your feet close together on turns, don't spread eagle to be grounded, be elegant." Carrie Lucas can maintain her spins even when her partner is instructed to lead her poorly and try to throw her off. Followers who are more in control of their own weight can do more things - that's part of why people like Carrie can do that.

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This file is part of the lead/follow FAQ list. These are articles compiled from the newsgroup rec.arts.dance by Mark Balzer. Html-isation by Victor Eijkhout, victor at eijkhout dot net. See also the Rec Arts Dance FAQ list Copyright 1996/7/8/9 lies with the compiler, the maintainer and the contributors of various parts.

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