20 Jun
2025
20 Jun
'25
1:17 p.m.
Hi all,
I frequently hear people talking about "Giving Weight" when they want
dancers to make a good connection. Unfortunately, since the term is not
well-defined, a common reaction is for people to interpret it as "Pull" or
"Lean". I really don't want you to pull me or lean away from me or give me
your weight!
Please have a look at this article and see if I can persuade you to talk
about "Connection" instead.
https://contrafusion.co.uk/Connection.html
Thanks.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
20 Jun
20 Jun
1:59 p.m.
Thanks John, I really appreciated this article as I am always looking for ways to describe
this particular art of connecting in dance, without saying "giving weight".
I most recently have been using the term "strong connection" (but I like
"good connection" instead, and will use this going forward!)---
and before practicing the allemande in the intro session, I have people join hands in an
allemande position, and simply try taking turns rocking gently from side to side- aiming
to get to a point where when one person rocks sideways, the other person is moved with
them.
I also get people to rotate around the circle and try this with at least 3 different
people, so if they were unfortunate to be a weakly-connecting person connecting with
another weak-connecting person in the first round, they hopefully get to experience
something different in the next round.
It seems to be producing some success, but not 100 percent success (By which I mean,
I'm always jumping in to demo things with different dancers, and I still occasionally
encounter someone who has been through the intro session but still takes my hand like a
limp noodle).
Would love to hear what other folks do in their intro session, to get people to feel this
"good connection" in their bodies.
Descriptors help some people, but I think most of you will agree that an exercise that
gets people to *feel* it will be most effective!
That said, good descriptors *are* part of the recipe, and I loved and noted down the
following phrases from your article John, that I plan to make use of going forward:
A good connection should allow for:
- a shared centre of gravity
- shared momentum
- moving as a single entity / dancing so that you and your dance-partner(s) move as one
unit
- moving with a shared flow
- hands joined firmly but elastically
- arms behave like springs
- aim for elasticity, not rigity
In summary, always aim to be "well-connected!"
Thanks again!!
Kat K in Halifax
9:57 p.m.
Around Atlanta we've had some discussion that "giving weight" sometimes
just doesn't work that great with new contra dancers.
And some report that new dancers sometimes misunderstand and may hang on
you a bit, (weight?) giving you more work to do.
It's such a key thing to do our best within a beginner lesson. Beginners
that get it are so much fun to dance with, and have more fun from the first
night!
Amanda and I have tried a few things in welcome sessions:
We talk about giving the other dances good connection,
some tension, like
a shock absorber or your arm being like a spring between 2 people
in the
circle.
We sometimes ask them in the circle to lean back
slightly and feel that
connection/ tension, and say that's what we want the
entire dance, in an
allemande, circle, or any dancer connection.
We sometimes demonstrate a very short "limp armed
circle left" and ask
wasn't that pretty unsatisfying? Now lett's
compare to being connected
with arms in a "W" with *"reflexive tension".*
When we teach the contra swing, after discussing arm
position, feet
position, that you can go slow or fast, looking at each other, I
usually
mention that "to feel connected, I as the Gent/ Lark like to feel some
PRESSURE on my hand which is on the Lady's shoulder blade." And then
demonstrate how two people can easily "swing" more like a balanced
"top" if
they have this connection.
Great topic!
Rob
On Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Thanks John, I really appreciated this article as I am
always looking for
ways to describe this particular art of connecting in dance, without saying
"giving weight".
I most recently have been using the term "strong connection" (but I like
"good connection" instead, and will use this going forward!)---
and before practicing the allemande in the intro session, I have people
join hands in an allemande position, and simply try taking turns rocking
gently from side to side- aiming to get to a point where when one person
rocks sideways, the other person is moved with them.
I also get people to rotate around the circle and try this with at least 3
different people, so if they were unfortunate to be a weakly-connecting
person connecting with another weak-connecting person in the first round,
they hopefully get to experience something different in the next round.
It seems to be producing some success, but not 100 percent success (By
which I mean, I'm always jumping in to demo things with different dancers,
and I still occasionally encounter someone who has been through the intro
session but still takes my hand like a limp noodle).
Would love to hear what other folks do in their intro session, to get
people to feel this "good connection" in their bodies.
Descriptors help some people, but I think most of you will agree that an
exercise that gets people to *feel* it will be most effective!
That said, good descriptors *are* part of the recipe, and I loved and
noted down the following phrases from your article John, that I plan to
make use of going forward:
A good connection should allow for:
- a shared centre of gravity
- shared momentum
- moving as a single entity / dancing so that you and your
dance-partner(s) move as one unit
- moving with a shared flow
- hands joined firmly but elastically
- arms behave like springs
- aim for elasticity, not rigity
In summary, always aim to be "well-connected!"
Thanks again!!
Kat K in Halifax
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24 Jun
24 Jun
5:33 p.m.
I have started using allemandes as a way to explain "giving weight", when I lead
a beginner workshop.
The instruction I use is "Pull yourself around the other person", followed by
doing it with noodle-arms for contrast. I also use the words "unsatisfying", and
"zesty".
Then we go back to the circle and use that same level of tension to hold the circle
together while I ask a band member to play one AABB of a highly punctuated melody, such as
La Bastringue. I lead/announce the first two direction switches and tell the group to
listen to the music, count the beats to 8, and initiate the change in direction
themselves. I also ask them to maintain the tension even during the direction change. I
point out that the connection in our arms help us know when other people think it's
time to switch direction. Then I say that all the moves where we are contacting other
dances have approximately that same tension as connection.
Bob FabinskiRochester NY
bobfab(a)aol.com
On Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM, Robert Setili via Contra
Callers<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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6:15 p.m.
Hi Bob,
You said, “Pull yourself around the other person” in an Allemande.
I would never tell anyone to pull anyone else. If someone pulls me in an
Allemande I either let go or go completely slack. I do NOT want to get into an
arm-wrestling match with them. That doesn’t help us to get around and can hurt.
When you start an Allemande your only muscle tone should be that which is
necessary to hold you own arm up in position. Then only increase as necessary to make the
joined hands stay in the centre as you speed up. You should be focussing on your feet not
your hands. Your feet are what get you around.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
9:07 p.m.
I like talking about this as I teach promenade position. I say how it is a
cool way to connect with someone, because you both can sort of drive the
couple around with how your hands are connected. Then we practice that for
a bit.
Also, just so y'all know, according to my high school students, "zesty" is
now part of teen slang and is a hurtful way to describe a male who is seen
as effeminate. Not that you shouldn't use the word (you really can't avoid
all the things they have decided to take over and change), but if it causes
snickers in a young crowd, that might be why.
Ellen Hodgkin
www.rememberlewiston.com
*she/her/hers*
On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 1:34 PM ROBERT FABINSKI via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I have started using allemandes as a way to explain
"giving weight", when
I lead a beginner workshop.
The instruction I use is "Pull yourself around the other person", followed
by doing it with noodle-arms for contrast. I also use the words
"unsatisfying", and "zesty".
Then we go back to the circle and use that same level of tension to hold
the circle together while I ask a band member to play one AABB of a highly
punctuated melody, such as La Bastringue. I lead/announce the first two
direction switches and tell the group to listen to the music, count the
beats to 8, and initiate the change in direction themselves. I also ask
them to maintain the tension even during the direction change. I point out
that the connection in our arms help us know when other people think it's
time to switch direction. Then I say that all the moves where we are
contacting other dances have approximately that same tension as connection.
Bob Fabinski
Rochester NY
bobfab(a)aol.com
On Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM, Robert Setili via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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27 Jun
27 Jun
6:25 p.m.
Giving weight in an allemande requires dancers keeping their elbows firm
and flexible, but not stiff adjusting the tension in their elbows so the
joined allenanding hands retain approximately the same position between the
dancers. Mastering this takes 5-10 min of practice Many new dancers
have a tendency to stiffen their elbows.
On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 4:09 PM Ellen Hodgkin via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I like talking about this as I teach promenade
position. I say how it is a
cool way to connect with someone, because you both can sort of drive the
couple around with how your hands are connected. Then we practice that for
a bit.
Also, just so y'all know, according to my high school students, "zesty" is
now part of teen slang and is a hurtful way to describe a male who is seen
as effeminate. Not that you shouldn't use the word (you really can't avoid
all the things they have decided to take over and change), but if it causes
snickers in a young crowd, that might be why.
Ellen Hodgkin
www.rememberlewiston.com
*she/her/hers*
On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 1:34 PM ROBERT FABINSKI via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I have started using allemandes as a way to
explain "giving weight", when
I lead a beginner workshop.
The instruction I use is "Pull yourself around the other person",
followed by doing it with noodle-arms for contrast. I also use the words
"unsatisfying", and "zesty".
Then we go back to the circle and use that same level of tension to hold
the circle together while I ask a band member to play one AABB of a highly
punctuated melody, such as La Bastringue. I lead/announce the first two
direction switches and tell the group to listen to the music, count the
beats to 8, and initiate the change in direction themselves. I also ask
them to maintain the tension even during the direction change. I point out
that the connection in our arms help us know when other people think it's
time to switch direction. Then I say that all the moves where we are
contacting other dances have approximately that same tension as connection.
Bob Fabinski
Rochester NY
bobfab(a)aol.com
On Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM, Robert Setili via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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7 comments
7 participants
participants (7)
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Ellen Hodgkin -
John Sweeney -
Katherine Kitching -
ROBERT FABINSKI -
Robert Setili -
sjapartments＠gmail.com -
Tncontracaller