Thread: teaching smooth traveling steps

Specifically oriental style "step ball changes", or shuffle steps, or step together steps, or whatever you call them (stepping one and two, three and four)

I can DO 'em, but I seem fairly lousy at teaching them.

Anyone have any great tips on how to get students to glide/float rather than skip/gallop?

Points I've tried to make:

lightly engage lower abs, pelvic floor and thighs to help absorb movement and assist with keeping a smooth forward momentum.
upper body leads; keep upper body lifted
feet muscles are used to keep momentum forward rather than stopping (or worse, moving back a bit)
take small steps and place trailing foot fairly close to leading foot
soft knees to absorb bouncing

any others?

I actually practice and teach this with a slight plie coming into the first step (the plie happens on the AND count before the first step), this way you come from low, pushing from the earth and come up. It keeps the step grounded and prevents hoppiness, and creates a gliding step. I often do this leading with my hips to get a very hippy, slinky walk that really travels.

(Towards the mirror, in demi-plie) Find a place on the wall behind you that is just above your head. Keep your head in the same spot.

Thanks for the tips.

Absorbing vertial level changes and bouncing is only one of two problems The other is getting rid of the stop that happens when the "together" of the "step together step" happens. Or rather not getting rid of the stop but creating the illusion that you're not stopping.

start bringing a whip to class...

or goodies?

seriously though, it sounds like you are teaching all the right things technically already. I'd start reverting to visualization techniques "Imagine you are a swan gliding across a crystal clear water" "Imagine you are on a segway rolling down a Saudi highway (the land of sand and oil, they've got smooth roads there)"...

Originally Posted by shems

start bringing a whip to class...

Originally Posted by shems

or goodies?

Both might get good results.........

One thing I remember (And actually not from dance, but from learning long, gliding steps in marching band...)

If they have a hard time visualising how their body ought to feel with the tightened core, but not tight glutes (because at least for me, if the glutes are tight, the steps are jerky) - have them imagine a nice juicy sultana grape stuck between their bum cheeks (yeah, weird image, I know!) - they need to keep the lower abs engaged, so they don't drop the grape, but they can't clench the booty along with it, or else the smash the grape.

I remember that, and I learned it 14 years ago, so it's definately a memorable way to explain how to keep the muscles engaged correctly for a nice, gliding step.

I also think exercises to help strengthen the feet and ankles are important, especially if using this step in releve. Dancers with loose ankles can't support this step smoothly in releve.
I also teach this step and suggest variations to help dancers feel/see the difference between:
a quick triplet step (like a chaissez),
a step ball change (with the hips accenting r-l-r, l-r-l--moving both large and small/tight),
a slow rhumba (r-l-rrrrr, l-r-llll--step, step, suspend/arabesque/drag...)
Are these variations making sense?

I remember very well my struggles to learn other belly dance movements, so as a teacher I have some insight into understanding others' struggles.

What baffles me is I don't understand what is difficult about this. But obviously it is, and I can't relate to it, therefore I feel very limited as a teacher.

The main issue I see is what I perceive as a lack of effort to lightly engage the entire body in the movement. But I'm not sure I trust my perceptions in this case either.

That whip is sounding tempting, Shems....

Originally Posted by shems

start bringing a whip to class...

..l;,

One of the things I try to emphasize is the feeling of lifting up with the upper body, as if there's a string at the top of your head pulling you up towards the ceiling. It's similar to what I do during a choo-choo shimmy to keep it from being light rather than thumpy. A lot of my students initially seem to want to really stomp the steps into the floor, whereas I tell them the feet should just be lightly catching and supporting them.

If there's a real skippy quality to a student's chasse/step-ball-change, I try to get them to make sure at no point are both of their feet off the ground. Once the get that one foot should always be one foot in contact with the floor, there's a lot less of a skip or gallop quality to the step.

Have your students practice slowly and imagine that they have a backpack with school books on their back... remind them that they can drag their feet in the beginning to get comfortable with the steps.

Dancers often lock their hips into their thighs when they do these steps and therefore get a reverb though the body causing a level change. Remind them to keep the hip/thigh incision point flexible and allow it to move.

I find it valuable to maintain a low center and stay grounded when teaching these movements to avoid jumpiness and disconnect with posture. This also allows for other movements to "fit" better without producing a frantic effort.

Once the relationships in the body have been built you can bring it "up" to oriental or "down" to folk dance...It's just important to realize that it is the relationships and awareness of them that creates a good, strong and steady result :)

How fun that they get to work on this material! Can I come drop in on your class - refining never hurts :)

I practiced steps and combos while balancing a book on my head to achieve the gliding/ floating effect

Originally Posted by shems

start bringing a whip to class...

Originally Posted by shaabichic

..l;,

Mine uses a dancing stick and hits it on the floor. Or, when counting 5-6-7-8 she gets louder and louder.

I think you're doing really well with the instructions, but here are some ideas:

"There is no bouncing in belly dancing" (well, there is, but there should be no bounce in this traveling step)

"There is no skipping in belly dancing."*

"Think ice skating."

"It's all in the knees . . . and the hips"

You might want to start with a bit of an actual bend to the knees, rather than the idea of "soft" knees at the beginning, as the knees tend to straighten up on most of us; I also feel it's necessary to tell students that it's okay to allow the hips to swing naturally. As I demonstrate this move, I tell students that the knees remain bent at the same angle all the time, which prevents the bounce. I also have students find a horizontal line at or slightly above their lines of sight and, while standing still, bend and straighten their knees; this, I tell them, is what it looks like to them when they bounce. I then have them travel while keeping this sight line involved. You can also have them just plain ol' walk with the bended knees so they get the idea without the stress of remembering step-together-step, step-together-step . . .

And that "pause without stopping" thing? I find that only happens when a student has a very well-developed "second-nature" feel for the movement. I watched my mom's students over the years, as well as the few that I've had for years and marvelled at how not one of them made/makes this look effortless. Not one. It is not rocket science, but so few beginner students (and so few intermediate ones) pull this off very well -- and it doesn't seem to matter who the teacher is.

I think you're doing great. I feel your frustration and heartily wish that the tried-and-true whip method actually worked -- it'd make me feel better, anyway . . .

Deborah

* Gah! Where's that pet peeve thread -- skipping across the floor is one of the all-time worst things anybody can do! ARRRRGGGHHHHH! You cannot skip if you execute the movement correctly.

I like the book on head thing.

You aren't the only one, when I get my students doing this step, I find myself shouting "GLIDE! GLIDE!" a lot. Maybe a stern lecture telling them the most vital thing is for them to glide and tell them whatever they have to do to make that gliding happen...perhaps a little more bend in the knees as mentioned above will help, also reminding people to breathe could contribute positively.

Plenty of great advice to draw from here!

I start them off doing it in place, shifting the weight from one leg to the other and a release of the hips.

Then we do the move traveling backwards en releve with a slight plie. Traveling backwards always seems to come easier to them than moving forwards at first.

Another thing I tried and they had a blast with, was putting on waltz music and have them do the move by themselves and/or in pairs. They got the glide part of it instantaneously! Not sure if it helps or hurts their ears, but I often tend to sing things out to emphasize what I'm looking for. "and smoooooth, two threeeee...." or "smooooth, don't bouuuunce..." something like that. ..g.:

Then, I try to get them leading with the hip when we progress to the moving forward, and add partial figure 8s and turns/half turns, upper body counter balancing, varied arms, etc.

We move slow though. Better off to have them get it right, than introduce too much at once.

I like the waltz music idea!

I am sure not a beginner anymore, but this idea of gliding (quite fast and in huge steps, at least for my body/brain) across the room in small groups still continues to be a horror, and boy, I still bop badly during these exercises - I need to relax and start dancing to get rid of stiffness. That's probably part of why Adi's waltz works?

From my experience, exercises that help my body (and the brain) relax could make a big difference for some students. And, exercises that go slow and with small steps (in the literal sense) may be useful, as well.

Originally Posted by casbahdance

I think you're doing really well with the instructions, but here are some ideas:

"There is no bouncing in belly dancing" (well, there is, but there should be no bounce in this traveling step)

"There is no skipping in belly dancing."*
* Gah! Where's that pet peeve thread -- skipping across the floor is one of the all-time worst things anybody can do! ARRRRGGGHHHHH! You cannot skip if you execute the movement correctly.

Somewhat OT, but if you are incorporating a little Debke into a Lebanese-style routine, skipping can be a valid move. Some variations of Debke do skip steps.

Originally Posted by steffib

I am sure not a beginner anymore, but this idea of gliding (quite fast and in huge steps, at least for my body/brain) across the room in small groups still continues to be a horror, and boy, I still bop badly during these exercises - I need to relax and start dancing to get rid of stiffness. That's probably part of why Adi's waltz works?

From my experience, exercises that help my body (and the brain) relax could make a big difference for some students. And, exercises that go slow and with small steps (in the literal sense) may be useful, as well.

;O) disengage your hips and only hold your center/core to glide more. When engaging your hip in your step the result is that you sep with your whole body or whole lower body you will get a jumpy effect. Dont think of stepping down - think of stepping forward equal to the floor throughout the transition. Think of the foot going forward along the floor and the weight just shifting horizonally between the feet. Once you get that relationship - you can lift you feet as much as you want but the center/floor relationship will not change (which is what keeps you from bouncing).

Have fun with it, dont stress it :) Speed and fancy schmancy stuff can come later.

Hey Steffib...maybe its all that 9/8 you have been enjoying?? If I dance a good Turkish tune, I cant calm down for hours, it gets my blood up so much!

And thus began my career long love of sword: NOW, said my teacher, let's see you move.

Seriously, the book on head is good; my own strange group uses beanie babies.

Originally Posted by kahaz

And thus began my career long love of sword: NOW, said my teacher, let's see you move.

Seriously, the book on head is good; my own strange group uses beanie babies.

Beanie babies? That is too funny; "please put on your dance shoes, get into posture and dont forget to put your beanie babies on your head" :) I can just see the the expressions on our dancers' faces already lol

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Somewhat OT, but if you are incorporating a little Debke into a Lebanese-style routine, skipping can be a valid move. Some variations of Debke do skip steps.

Absolutely. However, to be totally fair, debke isn't belly dancing aaaand, I also mention to students, as a caveat, that sometimes bouncing is valid in BD, but I don't incorporate it in my beginner level where we're trying to develop control and isolation.

But you're right, of course; if I was teaching a bit of debke or a bit of saidi, then we'd be bouncing/skipping all over the place!

Deborah

Originally Posted by david

;O) disengage your hips and only hold your center/core to glide more. When engaging your hip in your step the result is that you sep with your whole body or whole lower body you will get a jumpy effect. Dont think of stepping down - think of stepping forward equal to the floor throughout the transition. Think of the foot going forward along the floor and the weight just shifting horizonally between the feet. Once you get that relationship - you can lift you feet as much as you want but the center/floor relationship will not change (which is what keeps you from bouncing).

Love this.

Deborah

Originally Posted by kahaz

And thus began my career long love of sword: NOW, said my teacher, let's see you move.

Seriously, the book on head is good; my own strange group uses beanie babies.

I love the beanie babies! we have handy dandy pillows around the studio for decoration anyway, so that's what we use (good for smoothing out floorwork too!)

I also make sure they travel on the diagonal to the mirror- enough to the front so they can easily see what their body is doing, enough to the side so they can see if they are gliding- and I tell them to watch their head to see if it is even rather than the legs.

we also talk about continuous movement- a lot of the bobbing crops up because they do a step, pause, intiate, step, instead of starting the next foot as the first foot accepts the weight- did that make sense?

Originally Posted by casbahdance

Love this.

Deborah

*takes a bow on behalf of his teachers and himself*