Dancing The Slows

Salsa's basic embodiment rhythm may be interpreted in two ways:

1. three steps and a pause, all for of which are of equal duration, or
2. three steps of which two are 'quick' and one is 'slow' where a 'slow' equals two 'quicks'.

Previously in Solares, participants have been unconsciously using the former. This is a by-product of coming from a count-based convention "1,2,3;5.6.7".

Execution of the 'slow' can be achieved via:

1. increasing the distance the limb needs to travel by 100% while maintaining limb-joint speed, or
2. decreasing the limb-joint speed by 50% while maintaining distance to be travelled.

That Solares participants encountered difficulty in the transition from the Caribbean sway to on-the-spot movement last session indicated that they were reliant on travel distance as their rhythm-governor, and not proficient with control over their joint speed.

Why the slows?
Control of 'joint-speed' or 'rate of flexion/extension' allows for the space in-between beats to be filled with movement according to the conscious will of the dancer. This is could be for partnership comfort and creative aims, for example. The skill facilitates the use of more complex rhythm structures, and effective execution of the 'Human Dance Recorder' practice.

The 'Long Nails' Practice
Participants were asked to pretend that there was a long nail beneath the raised heel, and to imagine driving the nail into the floor by standing on it. The speed of descent could be slowed by imagining that the floor was made out of denser but still yielding material. Targeting the heel in the learning metaphor addresses control the knee, ball of foot and ankle.

Exercise One: Just the 'slows'
Solo, without music, on the spot. Participants were asked to use the 'long nails' practice under each heel in alternation, moving only during the 'slow'. I provided the vocalisation of "quick (beat 1), quick (beat 2), slow (beats 3&4)", and participants were encouraged to vocalise as well.

Exercise Two: Just the 'slows', to music
As Exercise One (above), to music.

Exercise Three: Complete embodiment rhythm, on-the-spot
Solo, to music, Participants were asked to embody the full rhythm, in place, using the vocalisation "quick, quick, slow" with special attention to the long nails on the 'slows'.

Exercise Four: Caribbean sway and on-the-spot embodiment transitions
Solo, to music, on the spot. Lower body moving between the Caribbean sway and keeping rhythm on the spot. This exercise was the 'acid test', to observe whether the participant could produce 'slows' based on increased travel distance and decreased joint-speed respectively.

Observations
All participants made good attempts. Responses to the practice were within the standard range, with no positive nor negative outliers. I will have to make room for this practice in ensuing sessions until proficiency is attained.

What was very welcome was the quality of personal observation-based feedback from the participants:

• One noted how his accustomed posture was inclined too much forward, which compromised his ability to apply smooth pressure on the 'nail', which he consequently remedied with a change to a more upright position.
• One realised that his foot-placement was late, which curtailed the duration of his 'slows'. He'd spent a greater proportion of the exercise time, addressing foot placement (necessarily), instead of 'pressing on nails'.
• One noticed that her pelvis was 'bobbing up' on the vertical plane, as she tried to get more weight on top of the imaginary nail. She observed this bobbing in her reflection in a night-time window, and corrected it by keeping her pelvis at the same vertical distance to the floor throughout the 'long nail' exercise. This 'bobbing up' is a common fault and can be remedied through observation of a reflection or, if one isn't available, a palm-to-palm practice with a stationary partner to provide the kinesthetic feedback.
  For more, see Item 2 under 'Learning Tips' in:
  http://wwww.salsa-merengue.co.uk/VidTutor/merengue/lbaction/det_lba.html

It's a credit to them that they were not only able to observe issues with their movement, but to understand the cause, devise a solution, and implement it independently. Moreover, during our wrap-up discussion, they actively talked about how they saw the skill as being useful to them in their future dance development.

I could not be more pleased.

Loo