Friday Flourish: Flourishes for Dancing in Small Spaces

10/21/2011

It appears that we're all about improvisation this week around here. This particular Friday Flourish video was inspired by several dance weekends we've been to where the floor has been seriously packed. Clearly, really expansive dips and other expansive flourishes are right out, as there is not room. So what do you do if you want to add some variety to the dance while you're packed in like a sardine? This week, we give a couple of ideas.

(Speaking of improvising, we should be in our regular spot next week; it was unavailable when we went to go film this time out.)

If anyone else has others they can use when the room is packed, please comment or send them my way.

Happy Friday!

P.S. Steve and I are planning to get up to Technoberfest this weekend in Willow Grove, PA. Melissa Taggart and Donna Hunt will be calling to the sounds of Double Apex. Hope to see some of you there!

Perry

10/20/2011 11:38:49 pm

I think learning - and accepting to - "dance small", when the situation requires it, is one of the understated things about contra dancing. Most of the time there is plenty of room to dance and do your flourishes. And in halls that packed, usually the reason it is packed is because the band/caller combination is hot, and it's usually an away weekend that packs a gym (for the record, I cannot stand the floor at the Flurry, and the crowd size has NOTHING to do with that). But it was there at the Flurry where I learned the importance of "dancing small". Unfortunately, it seems that some dancers don't care - or maybe don't know how - to dance small. They'll do their dips and their flourishes, because, well, that's what they do. As a result I got bumped several times during some moves - even some pleasant swings that I was enjoying, and getting bumped mid-swing isn't pleasant. So I'm glad that you're realizing this and giving tips to your followers out there.

dest/jess(ie)/etc.

10/21/2011 12:15:33 am

Hooray for dancing small! I'm all for it. I admit i occasionally get a little frustrated when i dance with leads who consistently lead flourishes without paying attention to space, so i end up grazing the wall, the next couple up, the next line over...after one or two such disasters, i start refusing flourish leads from that dancer, because i can't be sure of keeping everyone safe.
For those folks who feel comfortable doing so (and i recognize that some do not), the "blues swing" or "sleaze swing" (slow, close, and a tiny bit scandalous) can be an easy way to have fun while dancing very small indeed. Also, in packed halls, i have found it can work well (if i'm not leading a lot of flourishes) to either swing one-handed (skip the handclasp, just use a hand on each other's backs), use a barrel swing (both hands on your partner's back), or swing with the handclasp all the way down at hip/thigh level.

Vince

10/25/2011 07:35:57 am

well... Back in the day... we had a practice developed at NEFFA where we would swing counter clockwise. (Not dancing the other gender roll by changing hand position, but swinging with the left foot in.) This is a little awkward until you get used to it, but the benefit is that if you are swinging while crammed in with other swinging couples, you just roll off them instead of smashing into them. Even if you do make contact, as long as your speed of rotation isn't too far off, you kind of mesh. It's very cool.
Another thing we would do back in the days when dances didn't always have the #2 couple moving the whole time, and they would stand out and watch the ones swing, was for the twos to turn their backs on their partner, and swing with someone from the adjacent set. This orientation means that everyone has room to swing (Not so if the jealous twos decide to grab a swing in the center of the set with the ones just because they're bored.)

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Friday Flourish: Flourishes for Dancing in Small Spaces

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