MPI Dancing Course 2007 by Fabian M. Suchanek http://www.suchanek.name -> Summaries -> MPI Dancing course This is the schedule of the Beginners' Dancing Course that I gave at the Max-Planck-Institute for Computer Science in Saarbruecken in Spring 2007. For a (German) summary of the dancing steps, see http://www.suchanek.name -> Summaries -> Dancing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-02-21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Couples: 10 * Introduction Presented my dancing partner, clarifyed that everybody takes this course on his/her own risk * What is a step? * difference between the foot with weight and the "free foot" * when dancing, you always stand exactly on one foot (preferably your own), and the other foot is free * a step is a movement forward or backward, where the foot you're standing on becomes the free foot * Discofox basic step * Explained the posture for the dance. * The basic step is "one, two, tepp", where the "tepp" means briefly touching the ground with the toes without putting weight on that foot. * Guys start left forward, girls right backward ("Girls are always right"). * Learned to turn that step. * Taking the lead * The basic discofox step can be danced multiple times in the same direction, with the guy going forward and the girl going backward. * The guy has to decide when to start dancing and also what to dance (=: Taking the lead). * For this purpose, the girl has to "listen" to the subtle non-verbal instructions of the guy. * This works only if the couple holds its posture stable like a frame. We practiced this by having the guy lead the girl with her eyes closed. * Butterfly * To separate the couple, the guy dances his step on the same spot, while the girl dances her step away from him ("red traffic light"). Practiced switching from "red trafficlight" to "green traffic light" (standard basic step). * Learned the "cradle" step an learned how to turn it. * Assembled these two steps to the butterfly. // Should first have the couples turn in the butterfly without // combining it to the basic step ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-03-02 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Couples: 10 * Repetition of the last session * Discofox basic step * Taking the lead * Learn to hold the "frame" while walking on your own (roboter exercise) * Learn to make her follow steps forward and beckwards while she has her eyes closed * Discofox butterfly * First try the butterfly as such, then combine it with basic step * Take care not to bend the knee in the cradle step * Foxtrott introduction * Explain that Foxtrott was the original version of Discofox * Show how this dance moves in the room * Listen to the music, find out that Foxtrott music has an alternating beat pattern, whereas Discofox has a homogeneous one. * Introduce the flutsch-flutsch, emphasize that it takes place on one beat * Assemble these things to the Foxtrott basic step * Practice the step in a circle with the guys looking outwards * Posture * Try dancing close to your partner, without looking at your feet * Introduce the standard posture: * shoulder blades touch * head is high * hip is straight * Introduce posture in the couple * Foxtrott turn * Explain the step ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-03-12 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Couples: 5 * Repetition of Discofox * Explain that the guy has to pull both her hands to show her that the Butterfly is over * Taking the lead * Inverse variant: Make steps forward and backward while HE has his eyes closed and she leads * Then the usual variant * Repetition of Foxtrott * The Foxtrott step can be seen as trying different parking lots with your car. Explain that the turn takes place when the car is parked in * Try to dance close to your partner so that the turn becomes easier * Configure the turn so that you need 4 cradles to do a 360 degree turn. Then practice the sequence "Two basic steps, one turn" all together. * Speeding up the Foxtrott * Show with Maria how it shall look afterwards * Teach how to dance the basic step in a Zig-Zag. You have to turn 90 degrees during the flutsch-flutsch. * Explain that it's much easier to do if the couple is close * Practice this so that all couples start from one side of the room * Practice to make large steps, except for the flutsch-flutsch * Put everything together and have them dance on their own * Maria and I go to each couple and dance with the partners individually // Most do really well * Walz * Show with Maria how it shall look afterwards * Explain the music, contrast it to Discofox music * Explain the basic step * Have them dance // Works very well ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-03-27 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Couples: 7 * Repetition of Discofox * basic step, red traffic light and butterfly * have them dance to music that is a little bit faster (95% of usual speed) * Repetition of Foxtrott * basic step (in a circle), turn * learn to turn in 4 cradles, then have them all dance the same sequence of 1 basic step and 4 cradles * speedup by dancing Zig-Zag and large steps, show with Maria how it shall look * explain why it's better to stand close, have them dance * Waltz * basic step, learn also to turn the step * explain the posture: * shoulders back s.t. the should blades meet, then down as if you were carrying buckets of water * switch the hip back * head up, spine prolonged (like the child that puts his chin on the table) * arms in a line parallel to the floor * get into the posture with the partner together, then dance // looks very good * explain the "up and down" of waltz, arrange them in a circle and practice this together, with the arms supporting the up-and-down-movement * Show the spinning top (Kreisel) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-04-02 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 Couples * Discofox * repeat the cradle, show how to make small steps * dance with real speed music * Foxtrott repetition * Waltz repetition * show how to make the spinning to turn faster * Rumba * show the dance, show that the partners stand apart, are perceived on their own * make them listen to Rumba music * show the basic step, make them make clear steps * show the lady's turn * show how to lead the lady's turn, emphasize the frame of the posture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-04-17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 Couples (Easter break) Each couple learns individually what it needs Go into depth, so that the others do not miss anything * Discofox * He-Goes-She-Goes Show the steps, then show how the arms go, then combine both * Pretzel Show that everything is just cradles in different angles * Basket (Koerbchen) First practice in/out, then practice multiple Discofox steps forward/backward, do the Discofox steps in a circle, then combine Show how to lead the start and end * Rumba * Promenade First do both cradles forward, then turn the cradles outward Explain that the 4 arms form a frame * Lasso Practice Rumba walks for the girls Practice Cucarachas for the guys Combine this, together with a lady's turn Dance that with everybody synchronized ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-04-24 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6 Couples * Rumba * Promenade (s.a.) * Hips Explain that the hips move if the weight changes from one foot to the other Make some Rumba walks For the start, restrict hip movement to turning the hip out after the long Rumba step * Salsa * Basic step Just Rumba with a zero-length intermediate step * Lady's turn right Show the steps for the ladies, tell the guys not to forget their step while the lady turns * Lady's turn left Explain the steps, explain how to lead it, practice the arms without steps, then combine all ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2007-05-02 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Couples * Discofox Sliding door, then tunnel Wrap-up of Walz, Rumba, Foxtrott and Salsa.