Thread: Head slide help!

I've just restarted dancing again after a break, and am again struggling with my nemesis...the head slide! I just can't get my darn neck to move sideways on the same plane at all, it just feels like maybe I'm not built to move in that direction! Most people just seem to be able to do it instantly in class so it's not something we focus on. Does anyone have any tips they can pass on? Thanks!

I suck at it. I find I can do it with my arms at shoulder height or higher, though. Practicing like that can help.

It's one of those movements that will come ridiculously easily to some and painfully slowly to others. It's going to depend a lot on both the strength AND the relaxation in your own neck. So, if you have kind of weak side neck muscles and you hold a lot of tension there, it may take a while. Be patient. They took me a long time when I was first learning (think years not weeks...) but they came. So...here's some of the advice I give my students who struggle:

I found it was really important to be sure my neck muscles were both warm *and* relatively relaxed. (So move the neck around--not just stretch--before you practice these.) Part of what that meant, though, is that I was able to do them at home when I wasn't thinking to hard about them long before I was able to do them in class, staring maniacally into the mirror with my instructor looking back at me. ;-) (I was usually more tense from concentration in class than when I just relaxed and tried something in the bathroom while getting ready in the morning, say.) So try throwing a few in each day when you're not explicitly practicing dance/worrying about getting them perfect. Also, try to relax your shoulders and chest muscles a little as well. Lay with a bolster under your shoulder blades to open your chest muscles--this also helps release tension in the back and shoulders, esp if you use a computer/sit at a desk a lot. And if you are a desk-jockey, be sure you stop frequently throughout the day (like, every hour) to do some head turns and tilts and a gentle stretch or two of the neck. Over time, this will help your neck tension as well.

Stabilizing other body parts can help train headslide technique too. As Zum alluded to, some students find arms up helps. Specifically, try putting your hands overhead (in the cheesy palms pressed together "I Dream of Genie" thing you might shy away from in actual performance.:-) It can help stop other stuff from moving so that you can concentrate on the neck muscles. Just try to keep the shoulders fairly relaxed. Another similar method: place your fingertips of both hands lightly on your collar bone out close to the shoulder on each side. This helps stabilize the upper body AND you can kind of feel the little neck muscles working.

Finally, take it slow. Don't worry too much about going "in time" to the music right away. Try making slow, gentle slides at half time to train the muscles. Don't forget to breathe. And remember, as they get faster, the slides get smaller and even more relaxed.

I don't know if any of this helps, but hopefully there's at least some tiny useful nugget in there for you....

One of the things i've noticed is that we tend to want to make this move really big and over exaggerate it! When our brain see's a well executed, clean move, it thinks that it has to go BIG to make it look the same. A clean, well done move will always look better than going big.

To help students get this move going I have them make opposing L's with their hands (like when you're trying to figure out which way is left) and then touch their thumbs together. Then place your "frame" just under your chin (so your thumbs are under your chin and your hands are on the side of your face). Your fingers shouldn't be much farther than about half an inch (or about a centimeter) away from your face. Then really focus on touching your cheekbone to your hand. If you find that you are getting more of your cheek, you are turning your head.

Also, doing your head slides in a mirror can be really helpful where you can actually watch the movement from side to side. You can also really focus on your nose- making sure that it's not going back and forth and instead, is staying in the middle of your head.

Really good advice above.

Also really make sure your jaw is relaxed...tense it, then loosen it to feel the difference. Smile really big and then relax the face into a more relaxed smile, that helps, too. A tense face or jaw will limit your movement and could be uncomfortable.

Some imagery: Imagine you are in a loud cafe or bar and want to hear what someone at the next table is saying without them noticing. Chances are you will push your ear out a bit to do so, but you will also likely 'open up' the region you are trying to move (the side of your head) a bit, too. This will help you get the feel of what muscles are doing the work.

Finally, don't worry about making it too big. Small is better, IMO!

I love head slides.

Well this is so simple I wonder if I should mention it, but I know there was a point where really understanding this made all the difference for me:

The confusingly named "head slide" is in no way a motion of the "head." The muscles in the head, including the back of the head and the jaw, are not involved in this move. All that stuff should just sit there all relaxed on top of the neck and be taken for a ride.

The "head slide" is really a "neck slide" and the move generates mainly from the lower part of the neck.
Rosette

The movement comes mostly from C1/C2 and C2/C3 - that is the top two neck joints. Apart from working out how to get the movement (my image is mental floss with the floss going through each ear) you need to have movement in those joints.

• Warmup - ie get some blood moving about.
• Do your neck mobilization - ie forward/back, tilt side/side, turn look over each shoulder (do not do "head" circles)
• Poke your head forward, and tilt your head to the side - use your hand to get a little more stretch (do both sides and repeat a few times)
• Pull your head back, and tilt your head to the side - use your hand to get a little more stretch (do both sides and repeat a few times)

The last two will give a single joint stretch - which will help with mobility. Then you will just need to train the brain

Do your neck mobilization - ie forward/back, tilt side/side, turn look over each shoulder (do not do "head" circles)

Why is this? is it harmful for your neck? I stretch this way before a workout but I don't want to harm neck it it's bad.

Originally Posted by HOOKEDNOVICE

Do your neck mobilization - ie forward/back, tilt side/side, turn look over each shoulder (do not do "head" circles)

Why is this? is it harmful for your neck? I stretch this way before a workout but I don't want to harm neck it it's bad.

Head circles have been on the no-no list for over a decade. Yes, they are dangerous.

Safer to start going forward and a little back (some people won't do the back either - but a small, slow backward tilt with a relaxed jaw should be okay). Plus ear to shoulder (without twist); both sides. And twist without any other movement ie look over one shoulder then the other.

When my students learn this movement, I have them place their hands flat under their chin (one hand's fingertips stacked over the other) and pretend that there's a cookie on each wrist. They can have the cookies, but they can't separate their hands to pick them up and so they have to inch their chin over to each side so they can get their cookies (or chocolate, or whatever).

Naturally, they never quite reach their wrists because the head slide isn't that big, but the mental image of sliding their head along a table to get treats has helped me avoid a lot of the "tilting" issues that seem so very common.

Wow, thanks so much everyone for the helpful hints! Already things seem to be moving in that area (albeit VERY slowly and with very small movements at present). I'm trying to practice little and often to get this ingrained in muscle memory. I really appeciate everyone taking the time to give me their advice. :)

Originally Posted by anyadance

One of the things i've noticed is that we tend to want to make this move really big and over exaggerate it! When our brain see's a well executed, clean move, it thinks that it has to go BIG to make it look the same. A clean, well done move will always look better than going big.

As a newbie, this is the problem I have. I always seem to think everything has to be big or you can't see it. I have to constantly remind myself that small and clean is better than big and sloopy.

I try to imagine that my head is sliding across a horizontal track thats underneath my chin.
I learned just the other day that doing a neck roll by sliding the neck from side to side first, then rolling it forward and pulling it back into a straight slide across the shoulders is less harsh on the neck, and prevents you from getting that double chin look when doing a neck roll!!!