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My students are finally starting to get comfortable with leading so I can start taking a backseat and be a follower, but I am noticing that all of us are all looking at the leader too much... Any ideas or exercises that you use in class that will help witht this? I have a few things that I try to do with them but I figure some of you would have some really good suggestions..thanks !
Lisa
Lisa
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Florida
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Re: peripheral vision exercises
Sat, October 1, 2005 - 9:18 PMI would suggest you make sure that you're all dancing with your performance angles. In the FC format, everyone should be angled slightly to the left w/upper body and gaze out towards the audience more, so that the followers can see the leader.
Also, the leader is always slightly more forward than the rest of the stagger.
Something that helps in class is to do exercises away from the mirror. Helps with learning to rely on peripheral vision and just basic survival. If turning the head to look is discouraged in the exercise, they'll do what they need to to be able to see.
Hope that helps!
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Re: peripheral vision exercises
Sun, October 2, 2005 - 7:08 AMthanks for your help Sandy!!!
We are already utilizing much of what you suggested and we don't have mirrors anyway...I am just noticing when I step out of formation to watch how they are doing, their eyes are just glued on the leader...
That will be a very hard habit to break if/when they do get on a stage. I have already suggested using the eyes to check for a change of arms, body language every 4 or 8 counts, but trying not to stare at the leader the entire time. I guess we just need to keep reminding ourselves not to turn the head and look as you said... and like everything else, you "get it" after a while! True?
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Re: peripheral vision exercises
Sun, October 2, 2005 - 1:11 PMhi,
we have the same problem and here are the two things we do to correct it...
make your formations deeper, not wider. the leader is in a row by herself. the person "next" to her should keep moving back until she can see the leader in her peripheral vision w/o turning her head. when the dancer next to the leader creeps up to be in the same row we call that "leader hoggin" because then no one else in the row can see.
teach your students how many counts each move is so that they know what on which count a cue or transition can take place. then they only look at the leader on those counts (e.g., the "and" before 1).
cheers,
alisa
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Re: peripheral vision exercises
Sun, November 8, 2009 - 1:39 PMWe do a mirroring exercise early on with students. This helps with peripheral vision as well as getting used to looking at a dance partner which people often find difficult. We get one of the pair to do any movement with their body, arms, legs (not dance steps) the other has to follow exactly, then they swap lead, then they swap parthners too. This also helps the students bond together too. -
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Re: peripheral vision exercises
Sun, November 8, 2009 - 1:46 PMI just made mention of this to my dancers today! too funny! Our class tomorrow I am having them dance to the opposite wall without mirrors. I am having a hard time getting them to look at each other when dancing in a circle. It's like they don't know who to follow so they just don't look at anyone. This is my level one class though, so obviously there is quite a bit for them to learn. Thanks for the tips Sandi!
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Re: peripheral vision exercises
Mon, November 9, 2009 - 12:29 AMi actually did this peripheral vision exercise when i was taking a western martial arts class.
they just called it "the stick drill".... :)
we got into groups of 3 or 4, and each group had 2 wooden dowels maybe about 2 feet long and just wide enough around to comfortably hold.
stand in a circle facing in, the person with the stick (or sticks) can toss them to anyone in any combination or timing.
(you want to gently toss them so they stay vertical, and try to throw them at a comfortable height so the other person can catch it in the center)
you basically just keep tossing the dowels randomly to each other as quick as you can, trying to use your peripherals to see the sticks, because they may be coming from any direction, in any number, at any time.
that's the basic gist of it....there were a couple other points but i dont want to write a novel here :P
