(no subject)

[freyakitten]

Itchy. Itchy itchy itchy. Not as itchy as last week, and the lip-blisters went down as soon as I got away from spray deodorant, so I'll add that to my list of 'explain gently and then complain bitterly until people remember' allergies. Others were remembered by random people throughout this trip, so I am very happy. I did not get mint blown in my face, nor cigarette smoke, nor chewing gum. Good people. Pat pat.

The hyperactivity which plagued me at intervals throughout the bridge trip has finally broken (yay for feeling able to dance the night through and bloody well trying to, sitting very few songs out, on a boiling hot night where the singlet I was wearing was too much outside the club, much less on the inadequately airconditioned dance floor, and singing along to every song I knew with impromptu harmony, probably startling various (interstate, and may not see again) dance partners who went to sit down at intervals), so now there is only the feedback. Still-healing feet-blisters, slightly bruised foot bones, brainfog, general lassitude, and lactic acid oboy. Not sure if the backache is unhappy kidneys again or just muscle-ache from dips done with flabby muscles. Liver definitely a little tender. Reflux nasty, has been all trip, except when I pulled an attempted all-nighter when, by rights, I should have been nauseous all the next day.

Bastard booked me a doctors' appointment for Friday stupid o'clock. He's a good boy.

Still, in better health than I usually am at the end of a bridge trip. The nasal saline, overdosing on vitamins, echinacea, mineral supplements and antihistamines appears to have paid off. Yay.

Must organise dancing lessons. Remind me about those until I do it. There's only one Ceroc place that does classes on Wednesday nights, or after, not during, work for Bastard, in Adelaide as far as I can see.

Comments

[reverancepavane.livejournal.com]

Ceroc sounds like lots of fun, although the comment that footwork isn't really important for men is kind of discouraging. Wish I had a Bastard to dance with. <grin> [Although I do prefer someone closer to my height to dance with, especially if it involves dips and drops and spins, so keep me informed if there are any tricks they teach you for serious height mismatches...]

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

It is very fun, and something a couple of bridge friends introduced me to in Canberra. And if you want to look good, footwork is important, but more important is making the correct signals for the move you want to make, because the guy is leading 100% of the time. He chooses what happens next, the girl is just reacting. No such thing as leading in reverse.

I can't wait to try the Octopus with Bastard. That was hard with Mark, and he is much closer to my size.

[reverancepavane.livejournal.com]

OK says the person (knowing he is going to regret this already), who may have been known to a few people by a name which translates as "Second Son of an Octopus," what, pray tell, is the Octopus? Enquiring minds want to inquire...

Yoinked from www.jiveoholic.org.uk

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

Octopus basic

Unique identifier 70 Complexity: 1/5 Intimacy: 0/3
Starting hands Double
Start with Octopus
Description

[1] Step apart under tension. The rest is in three parts.

[2] Part one: step together, raise your left hand, take it to your right, turn 90 CW as the lady turns 90 ACW under her head. You should now be behind lady, both facing in the same direction. Let go of your right hand and both continue to turn 90 running your right hand across the lady's waist, ending up changing places (this is permitted and expected!). This is performed in one smooth operation, not stopping after 90 as indicated above.

[3] Step back under tension.

[4] Part two: step together, this time raise your right hand and turn ACW 90 as you takes it over your own head whilst lady is turning CW 90 and ends up behind you (both facing in the same direction, and same compass direction as before). Let go of your left hand as you continue to turn 90 ending up in swapped places, lady running her freed hand around your back.

[5] Step back under tension.

[6] Part three is a repeat of part one, ie step together, raise your left hand, take it to your right, turn 90 CW as the lady turns 90 ACW under her head. You should now be behind lady, both facing in the same direction. Let go of your right hand and both continue to turn 90 running your right hand across the lady's waist, ending up changing places

[7] Step back under tension.

[Note] Sometimes the Octopus is taught starting with part 2 (man turning) then part 1 then part2.

www.jiveoholic.org.uk

Re: Yoinked from www.jiveoholic.org.uk

[reverancepavane.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. Yes that would be rather difficult with couples of disparate sizes, just purely from a dynamics viewpoint. Plus the sweep across the waist could get embarrassing unless you know the lady well if the gentleman is too tall. <grin>

Re: Yoinked from www.jiveoholic.org.uk

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

Most of it gets kind of embarrassing unless you're both acting like very carefully platonic people or you know the other person well enough to relax and not care about what could be described as trailing hands.

Re: Yoinked from www.jiveoholic.org.uk

[mabraham.livejournal.com]

It is a sweep across posterior waist, not anterior :-) We do try to avoid the boob swipe!

But seriously, despite appearances the whole exercise is extremely platonic. That's often hard for non-danceurs to appreciate. One lady at a pub in town last Monday saw a friend of mine dancing quite provocatively with two different guys and leaving with a third and asked about all three as a couple... erm, no, nothing there. At least around Ceroc in Canberra, only guys have ever been the subject of stories of people who don't get the seperation between what you do on the floor and what you do off the floor - and they get the boot rapidly applied by everyone.

Re: Yoinked from www.jiveoholic.org.uk

[mabraham.livejournal.com]

The Octopus is fine... beginner guys can normally lead it adequately in their first lesson and since it's almost totally passive, even ladies who've never seen it don't have any problems with it. The only real geometric constraint is that both have to be able to reach with one arm to above the other's head at different times. If that's a problem, then stepping close to the man's back to reduce the angle at the apex is the way to ease it. Now you just have to not be a DD cup.

Re: Yoinked from www.jiveoholic.org.uk

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

Now you just have to not be a DD cup

I'm pretty sure that's never going to be a problem...

ceroc

[mabraham.livejournal.com]

The footwork is important where it helps you be in the right position, or where it ensures safety, or reinforces the timing. Otherwise you can make it up. In the UK they take that to extremes and don't teach you any footwork until you graduate to Intermediate. I disagree with that strongly, but I can't say I have seen how it works :-)

I haven't heard any tips given by instructors for dealing with height mismatches.

Ceroc spins done properly are almost height-immaterial - a textbook spin has the follow hold their arm rigid with palm in front and a bit higher than forehead while the leader inscribes a halo in a *horizontal* plane around their head. It breaks down as soon as the follow succumbs to the temptation to jam their hand straight up in the air, or the lead doesn't know where horizontal is. I dance regularly with a few ladies who are 6 foot ( > me ) with no apparent problem.

Drops in Ceroc are even more neutral. The big secret is that the lady is actually working quite hard - normally with her right quads - to control herself going down and bringing herself back up. The guy is there for providing frame and balance, and usually the initial impetus to get the lady moving back up. Much of the work is done by the lady. Anybody who thinks a random bloke can lift a random lady from a full-arm-extension drop without her doing a bunch of work needs to stop and think about the fact that her quads are bigger than any muscles in his arms and the reason for that is that they normally have to shift her weight around :-) I have also done a one-arm dip on one of the instructor guys who looks like a gridiron defensive tackle. He'd have a good 20kg on me but with the right technique... no problem.

That said, the larger the size differential, the less important safety-footwork and handholds become when the guy is heavier. I was able to do dips on Freya without her footwork being anything to write home about - after all I hadn't taught it to her thoroughly. Conversely, I've done some aerials with a lady I'd guess is a touch over my weight. The technique is critical now... once she slid off my leg head-first in a dress rehearsal. Maybe she's just crazy though - still went ahead with the performance 5 minutes later!