Contrary Body Movement in Ballroom Dancing

Any dancer aiming at a high standard of ballroom dancing must understand the theory and practice of contrary body movement (CBM). CBM is brought about by turning the body slightly, from the hips up, so that the opposite hip and shoulder are turned towards the moving leg. Understanding and applying this cocept on all basic figures will improve the lead and follow and also produce better turning figures (e.g natural spin turn).

The 4 ways that CBM can be used are as follows:

step forward RF, turning L hip and shoulder forward
step forward LF, turning R hip and shoulder forward
step back RF, turning the L hip and shoulder back
step back with LF, turning the R hip and shoulder back

CBM must not be used indiscriminately; it is asomething which should only be used in a natural, effotless manner. Remember that the opposite hip and shoulder should turn as the step is taken, and not afterwards, and, once again, remember that the whole body from the hips up must be turned very slightly. It is a common fault to break at the waist, turning the shoulders only.

You can help teh CBM by allowing the back foot to turn inwards very slightly. Actually it will only be pointing teh way you are facing, but if you think of it as being turned inwards it will help to produce the CBM. There is a natural tendency to turn the back foot out; this must be corrected because it will prevent the hips turning together with the shoulders.

Try to work through some of your figures, thinking about where and when to apply CBM (especially your turning figures...natural, reverse, impetus, telemark, spin turn)

Remember to ask me if you're not sure.

Hope this helps.

John

Improve your Cha Cha and Rumba basic

When dancing your cha cha or rumba one should aim to develop a good neat leg and foot action during your basic movement, working "into" your floor to create the correct hip and leg action. Some beginners struggle to keep their feet in contact with the floor when doing a rumba or cha cha basic, the result being incorrect leg and hip action and often making it difficult to keep proper time. This simple excercise will help you get into the habit of staying "into" your floor, brushing your feet and developing a more controlled basic action in cha cha and rumba.

Some of my private students will be well aware of my sometimes unconventional teaching methods using all sorts of analogies, objects and eccentric behaviour to explain and demonstrate dancing concepts. This time, take two serviettes/tissues or pieces of paper and place them under the balls of each foot (please NOT the expensive napkins that come out only on special occasions!!) . Now try and do a Cha cha and Rumba basic (forward and back) making sure that you don't leave either serviette behind as you move your feet through the floor. This simple excercise will automatically make you brush your feet, straighten and bend your legs at the right time, and make sure that you draw forward and back with the ball, then heel then flat of your foot. You'll probably also find that you will take smaller steps and also get more hip action as you work more "into" your floor.

You can also extend this excercise to your Rumba walks (forward and back), forward walk turns, Alemanas and Spot turns. Try to not look down at your feet when doing this but rather concentrate on working your feet into your floor throughout the movement and keeping a good posture.

Hope this helps.

Yours in dancing,

John

How will you remember your Wedding Dance?

“That first dance together can be very daunting. Let me choreograph a short, effective, and easy to dance routine to your choice of music and impress your guests”

As part of my offering I specialise in Wedding Choreography for couples to prepare them for that special opening dance. From the gentle romantic Waltz, to some passionate Tango and Rumba or maybe a bit of Salsa or Swing to heat the floor up - I work with couples to make their opening wedding dance a reflection of their personalities, song choice, and feelings for each other with personalised tuition. I can also recommend suitable wedding dance songs and choreograph to special requests. Learning to dance is also a skill that can stay with you all your life.

I am very aware how hectic things can get closer to your big day, so I normally recommend that couples start to prepare up to 3 months before hand.

Contact me, jvhamman@gmail.com, to find our more about my wedding dance programs.

Some testimonials from newlyweds:

WE BLEW THEM ALL AWAY!!!!! It was awesome! Everybody was amazed with the routine! No one knew we were going for lessons, so it was a great surprise for everyone and they truly enjoyed it.

I can’t thank you enough John!

~ Jack and Marida Strauss

"John spent a lot of time with us helping us to choose a song that suited our level of experience (none!) and our personalities. He then choreographed a dance for us and it ended up looking really good on the night! We had 8 lessons and each one brought more laughs and fun than the previous one. I would really recommend the lessons - not only does it give you confidence for the dance, but it was a really great experience for the two of us which we enjoyed immensely!"

~ Bern and Michelle

Rise and Fall in Waltz... a practical tip

It is important when dancing the Waltz to feel the music through its lilting rise-and-fall, moving as one unit with your partner. However, before you can move as one unit with your partner, you must master the rise-and-fall by yourself. Let’s try a practice exercise.

Begin standing upright with your feet together, toes pointing forward. Imagine that you are standing in front of a clothesline. The goal is to go underneath it without ducking or bending at the waist. As you step forward with your left foot “one,” you must bend at the knees to clear the clothesline. You are now beyond it, so you can straighten your knees and step with your right foot to the side “two” and draw your feet together “3.”Repeat this in a succession “1-2-3, down-up-up” to grow more comfortable with the “rise and fall” of the Waltz.

Hope this helps,

John

Bridal Fair at Kelvin Grove

The John Hamman School of Ballroom dancing partook in the recent bridal fair at Kelvin Grove. My lovely partner Annaelle and I took a few complete beginner volunteers onto the floor and had them dancing the basics to the cha cha and foxtrot within minutes. I'd also like add that its was a wonderfully organised affair and many thanks to Kelvin Grove for giving us the time and space to strut our stuff. This is what an innocent onlooking exhibitor had to say...

"DANCE BABY, DANCE! If you're like me, you can't string 3 steps together (which is why I take photographs and leave the dancing to the pros). But if you'd like to look pretty close to a pro (guys, you'll impress mom-in-law 10-0), then give John Hamman a call. He took a mate of mine (whose a worse dancer by the way) and made him look fairly good inside just one song! John will teach you ballroom favourites like the Waltz, Quickstep, Slow Foxtrot and Tango brilliantly. Oh, did I mention the Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Salsa and Jive? Oh yes please! I liked the part about him offering Absolute Beginner classes! Niiiice! Of course, if you're an advanced dancer, he'll coach you too. Want him (and believe me, you do) then contact him here: jvhamman@gmail.com One last thing, word has it that some of his lessons are at Kelvin Grove. Last thought – if you want me to take some of photographs of your dance lessons and include them in your wedding album, take it as a given."

by Warren Buffet - wedding and portrait photographer

Hold each other like you mean it!

To improve ones ballroom dancing students should focus on fundamentals. All great golfers are aware of the importance of the setup as it writes the script for the swing. Jack Nicklaus (a very successful golfing legend) said, "If you setup correctly, there’s a good chance you’ll hit a reasonable shot, even if you make a mediocre swing. If you setup to the ball poorly, you’ll hit a lousy shot even if you make the greatest swing in the world."

Similarly, good ballroom (standard) dancers spend time polishing their posture, poise and hold before even taking a step. Good footwork with a poor hold and starting setup will not produce aesthetically pleasing dancing and will in turn limit your ability to do the steps properly.

If you cannot hold your partner properly, you cannot dance properly. The hold must be seen as firm and purposeful, leading and guiding the lady as she is being presented to the audience.
Let’s start with poise. Both man and lady dancer must stand in a natural upright position with knees slightly flexed. The man will have his body inclined forward from the feet braced at the waist with shoulders relaxed. His body weight will be over the balls of his feet with feet flat. The only difference in poise between the man and lady is that the lady must be poised backwards from the waist (but don’t over exaggerate this). Remember to be faced diagonally to each other at address (man’s right toe in line with lady’s right toe).

I like to raise my left hand first to hold the lady's right hand as she walks towards me at the beginning of the dance. This left hand connection with the lady is vitally important in dancing. This important connection enables the man to draw the lady towards him to create a proper dance hold. It is a dynamic connection. It is not static and it is never a rigid connection. The man’s left hand will hold the lady’s right hand between the thumb and first finger, the other fingers closed over the right side of her hand. The left wrist must not bend; there should be a straight unbroken line between the elbow and the hand. The palm of the hand facing diagonally to the floor, the upper part of the left arm should slope downwards slightly, the arm bent sharply at the elbow with the forearm slanting upwards from the elbow to the hand. The hand being held just above the height of his left ear, the forearm inclined very slightly outwards from the body.

After the lady is gently drawn and guided towards the man, she must be in balance as she stands in front of him. At this stage the lady must be very slightly to the man’s right side. The next vital connection is the man's right hand on the lady's back. The man’s right hand is placed just below her left shoulder blade with the fingers neatly grouped together. The upper part of the right arm should slope down downwards from the shoulder to the elbow then downwards from the elbow to the hand in a straight line.

The Lady will place her left arm lightly on the man’s right arm, the fingers grouped neatly in the centre of the arm just below the right shoulder. The right arm will slope very slightly downwards from the shoulder to the elbow, then upwards from the elbow slanting forward towards the man’s left hand. The fingers will fold lightly over the man’s left hand between his thumb and first finger.

And now you’re ready to take your first step! It sounds like a lot to remember, but it’s vitally important and relevant in all the standard dances (Waltz, Quickstep, Slow foxtrot and Viennese Waltz) excepting the Tango, and will lead to better dancing all round.

Happy dancing,

John

John Hamman writes...

“If you can walk, you can dance”


How many of you have been watching the cult TV show, “Strictly Come Dancing” every week, and saying to yourself, “I’d really like to do that sometime…” Well now’s the time, and you can do right it here at Kelvin Grove!

It’s a fine thing to be able to dance well – to move comfortably and rhythmically with a partner to music you both enjoy. There is nothing nicer than to look forward to an evening of dance with confidence. What a terrifying prospect to be asked to a dance not knowing how to stand and hold a partner or do the steps. Think of all the opportunities missed?

Dancing is as natural as walking. Done properly you can dance all evening without being exhausted. What a wonderful and social way to exercise. Indirectly through dance, we acquire charm, poise and yes –even discipline. Above all, the emphasis is on a fun way of acquiring this social skill, which plays such an important part of our lives. Which other sport would stay with us throughout our lives to be used as an international language? There is no age limit.

The social, mental, physical and emotional benefits of ballroom dancing are well documented. Ballroom and Latin dancing can raise the heart rate anywhere from 80 – 120 BPM (more for some of us). Sustained in 2 minute bursts over a 45-minute period, it will build not only your heart’s strength, but its endurance too. Dancing uses the perfect blend of isometric and isotonic resistance (the 2 ingredients to muscle toning). This is perfect for building beautiful tone in the muscles without building heavy muscle mass (a big concern for women). According to the American Journal of Medicine, the best way to avoid arthritis and remedy current joint discomfort is to continue to use the joints in a controlled manner. The beautiful rise and fall of the waltz demonstrates this beautifully. What better way to do this than ballroom dancing. Dancing also improves your posture, which gives you a more confident appearance and a better sense of balance.

No matter what you do in life, you’ve got to take a break sometime. B&L dancing provides a temporary escape from the cares of the world and their pressures. A few hours a week of dancing gives you freedom, enjoyment and in turn leads to improved performance in other areas of life such as work or studies.

So, with that in mind, it’s time to take your first step. Come along to one of my FREE introductory classes at the club (call to find out when the next one is). My promise to you - I’ll have you dancing the basics to 8 dances within 12 classes! I teach all the ballroom favourites like the waltz, quickstep, foxtrot and tango as well as the sultry latin dances including the cha cha, rumba, salsa, jive and more. I also offer private tuition, ladies latin fitness classes, kiddie’s classes and more.

Yours in dancing,

John Hamman