by 4leplace (Jo Derry)

An article focused on how to fine-tone your skills to take it to the next level. I have recently enjoyed a phase of my learning that I feel is under mentioned throughout the spinning community:

Refinement.

I'll try to keep this as neat and simple as possible. I will start by defining what I mean by 'refinement'

Refinement is looking back at your moves. Cleaning them up. Looking at fusing them with new footwork and combo ideas.

This stage of learning really works the moves into your subconcious, which brings me nicely onto another definition:

Style.

I would define style as 'the subconscious expression of consciously learned moves'

That is to say, in order to release your style - to fuse it with yourself, your feelings - refinement is vital.

The more 'movement options' you practice over and over until you could do it with your eyes closed and using bags of shopping, the more creative your subconcious can be, and the more stylish you will look.

In order to refine effectively, and give yourself the best improvements, it is worth practicing in a very structured way. You are looking to:

- Give yourself the most 'movement options' possible at any point in a move.
- Massively increase footwork 'liberty' through understanding your moves inside out.
- Improve timing awareness when dancing with your moves.
- 'Tighten up' Planes and timing.
- Move your body more naturally and effectively.

For refining, it it worth starting from the basics - simple wraps, weaves, butterflies, or any move you consider to be a vital 'base' move of yours you feel comfortable with.

Now break those moves down to their smallest elements. Practice those elements over and over. Try to find the way your BODY wants to move to that element. Do it in the mirror one poi at a time, both, backwards, with poi, with glowsticks, same time, split time. Experiment turning your body, try doing little dances, experiment getting to and from that motion in a stylish fassion. Do it until you are bored as hell, then do it more and more...

Then move on to the next element.

And so on.

You are - basically - trying to dance. It will take many months to see the end result, but small benefits will be seen straight away(ish). Don't be afraid to repeat simple movements for the sake of the dance. It can actually look very very cool as a change.

It is super important to listen to your body's oppinion at all times during these processes I feel.

I would say that these thoughts are mainly on 'refinement'

The 'regeneration' part of the process is much simpler:...

Just - Let - Go.

There are NO moves - only limitations.

"the refinement process opens up planar awareness in your body, expands your planar consciousness, which is what opens into the wild space...?

like with the moves you're fashioning a key, and you refine them till the little teeth match the lock and it opens and you realize that you are the lock." --Blueboy (04/03/05 - hop)


When you take dancing lessons, you learn steps and you learn steps and you learn steps. It can go on for a long time. And then one day, you just learn to dance, and it is so different. --Bill Austin

thanks to Stone for digging out this quote

FOOTWORK TIPS:

It is important to be instinctive with all types of simple turns, if you are to liberate body movement to cope with ANY dj. A simple routine like this one helps a lot (did for me anyway):

Sametime low turns (weave)
practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice.

Split-time low turns (weave)
practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice.

Then Butterflies.

Then repeat but with high turns.

Try one side high, one low too.

And any 'longarm' variations

Have a good tune on if you can and especially pay attention to:

WRISTS

FEET

Oh, when you're done. WALLPLANES Very important - great base 'groove' because it allows easy, ahem, entry into many other moves/combos.

A good way to get martial arts style turns is to imagine (or draw!) a big cross on the floor.

no poi
arms by side

now just walk along the lines, trying turns and experimenting with kick turns and whatever you like really.

always keep your feet on the line because that will give you good accurate 90 180 360 turns that are EXTREMELY useful for 'flowing with the go'

In martial arts there are many footwork routines that AVOID the lines (as well as many that adhere to them)

By working on turns around the center of the cross (ie. into the 4 'squares', you open up alot of moves where the poi could just stay kinda central


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DANCE TIP

It is important to vairy the 'rhythm' of your performance. I generally have the following musical timing styles, which I mix as I please to the music:

1: beat for beat.

Advantages: body movement and spinning appearance will inherently be nicely in time. Great for simple 'choppy' looking moves.
Disadvantages: Moves / combos must work within the musical time signature (4/4 usually) to be compatible. Can be too fast for some moves, or artistically restrictive.

2: step for beat

Advantages: great for in-time kick turning, and in-time 'side swapping' of moves. Can rock out well and change the speed of the poi nicely with this timing.
Disadvantages: often the poi are going too fast to execute a full move range, and move selection / move timing needs to be kept in mind.

3: SLOW (slow appearing, not necessarily slow poi)

Advantages: good for multibeat and highly technical moves. Can use either of the above timings (or just the moves) to create nice effects for 'buildups' in tunes. Great for exagerating artistic/dance movement too due to the extra time to think and move.

Disadvantages: Can be difficult to keep looking 'fresh' for a long buildup. Sometimes nice to keep breaking the odd fast step or move in there to keep it interesting.

4. Speeeed changes

Poi speed changes in tune with the spirit of the song. For example mixing between:
1 beat (poi) for 2 beats music
1 beat (poi) for 1 beats music
2 beat (poi) for 1 beats music

Advantages: looks great as a change from 'same speed' spinning. Very 'musical' looking - body movement and spinning appearance will inherently be nicely in time.

Disadvantages: Musical concentration required (can be subconciously though with practice of course). Difficult to execute a full move range - best for easy stuff.

Ur, bit long eh?

Jo.

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