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Undulation Arms... how should they "feel"

topic posted Sat, August 15, 2009 - 7:32 AM by  Leslie 		Share/Save/Bookmark
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I have a question for all you dancers. But more specifically for those doing FCBD ATS.

I recently started re-working on my undulation arms. It's amazing to me how much I struggle with the mechanics of this move. I understand it's not in the shoulders, at all, despite how many of the 'fusion' styles I have seen doing this move with such a definite shoulder 'shrug' movement. But there is *NO* shoulder shrugging movement whatsoever, correct?

Any shoulder movement is really just sympathetic to the compression of the shoulder blade (pushing down?), right? So it's more of LIFT (from the deltoid), and DOWN (in the shoulder blade/trapezius muscle) -- not up, arouind DOWN, right, in a rolling, shrugging motion, right?

But my real question is: how should this move FEEL? Can anyone describe to me how it should feel if you are doing it correctly? I really need some help with this one because I am struggling.

Thanks so much!!
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Leslie
offline Leslie
Buffalo
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  • Sandi
    Sandi
    offline 248

    Re: Undulation Arms... how should they "feel"

    Sat, August 15, 2009 - 7:56 AM
    To me, it feels like I'm doing the backstroke while my hands are in thick honey.

    The shoulders are mobile, but you're right, not shrugging. People can be mistaken a lot by the rotation of the arm in the shoulder socket as movement or lift of the shoulder. And when we say the shoulders don't move, people take that as only the arms moving - basically the elbows to the hands. It is subtle, but its a series of coordinated contractions and releases that make this movement fluid and strong.
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    • Leslie
      Leslie
      offline 333

      Re: Undulation Arms... how should they "feel"

      Sat, August 15, 2009 - 8:03 AM
      "To me, it feels like I'm doing the backstroke while my hands are in thick honey."

      Yes yes yes! There we go! That's the kind of description I'm looking for... this REALLY helps. Thanks so much, Sandi. So, it really is a lift of the elbow, not the shoulder -- can you tell me how this should feel? Should it feel like a direct lift in the deltoid, then the elbow?

      This move seems to be one that a lot of people perceive to be easy, when it's really not. I was watching some of my DVDs last night, just to look at people's costumes and make-up, and I noticed a *LOT* of fusion dancers had a shoulder-shrugging motion going on. In some cases, a very pronounced one.

      I am not trying to stir a debate on fusion here, BTW. I dig that fusion is not ATS, and that people do moves outside of ATS, differently. But I want to get this move down once and for all, and it's been tough. So I am really only looking for feedback on the move, and how to really improve it and NAIL it.
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