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fandomhigh2019-02-13 04:23 am
arboreal_priestess) wrote in fandomhigh2019-02-13 04:23 am
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Intro to Dance, Wednesday Period 1
Verity wasn't alone in the classroom today; Liam was standing next to her in front of the wall of mirrors when the class walked in. "Hey class, come in. Since it's the day before Valentine's Day and there's a dance coming up at the end of the week, I thought we'd deviate from coursework a little and teach you how to slow dance. There's more to it than awkwardly swaying to the music. To help me demonstrate what to do, today we're joined by Liam, who's agreed to be my co-teacher today."
“A recent promotion,” Liam said with a grin. “Up until yesterday I was still just a student myself.”
"You'll be fine, babe," Verity assured him. "So let's stretch and warm up, huh?"
Since they'd be slow dancing for the rest of the class, Verity had picked out a bunch of fast-paced Latin dances to stretch to, just for contrast. When that was over, her slow dance playlist queued up. "Okay," she said, standing up and tugging Liam with her. "The first thing you need to do is stand up with your partner at a distance that's comfortable for you both. That may be almost a foot apart if you're nervous or don't know people well, or it might be much closer if you're comfortable." She pressed against Liam's chest, barely coming up to his chin, even in her heels. "In the end, you'll probably be most comfortable a few inches apart." She backed up, until there was maybe about a handspan of distance between them. "Whoever is leading, their left hand will go either on the follower's lower back, or right behind their shoulderblade. Followers, your right hand will rest on their shoulder." She and Liam demonstrated, with Liam taking the follower position.
Gender roles be damned, she was the professional dancer of this partnership. "Your other hands clasp to the sides. If we're being formal, they go up to your shoulders, if you're more casual, they stay low, around your hips." They found a comfortable location, going lower because they were demonstrating a casual dance. "Now, leaders, your hands are how you communicate what you want to do. If you want to move across the floor, you tug in that direction with your clasped hands. You want to move in a circle, you push with your clasped hand and lessen then pressure with your hand on their back. That tells the follower to move backwards. Followers, your job is to pay attention to what the leader is trying to tell you to do." Without speaking, Verity and Liam walked up and down in a row, then left towards the mirrors and back, Verity using her hands to gently signal which direction she wanted him to pivot in.
"The steps are actually really easy to slowdance," she explained, once they'd finished demonstrating how to communicate without words. "It's two steps - one out to the side, and then you bring your other foot next to it. Then you do it again in the opposite direction. Once you get this basic step down, we can move to the big finishers: dips and spins."
“A recent promotion,” Liam said with a grin. “Up until yesterday I was still just a student myself.”
"You'll be fine, babe," Verity assured him. "So let's stretch and warm up, huh?"
Since they'd be slow dancing for the rest of the class, Verity had picked out a bunch of fast-paced Latin dances to stretch to, just for contrast. When that was over, her slow dance playlist queued up. "Okay," she said, standing up and tugging Liam with her. "The first thing you need to do is stand up with your partner at a distance that's comfortable for you both. That may be almost a foot apart if you're nervous or don't know people well, or it might be much closer if you're comfortable." She pressed against Liam's chest, barely coming up to his chin, even in her heels. "In the end, you'll probably be most comfortable a few inches apart." She backed up, until there was maybe about a handspan of distance between them. "Whoever is leading, their left hand will go either on the follower's lower back, or right behind their shoulderblade. Followers, your right hand will rest on their shoulder." She and Liam demonstrated, with Liam taking the follower position.
Gender roles be damned, she was the professional dancer of this partnership. "Your other hands clasp to the sides. If we're being formal, they go up to your shoulders, if you're more casual, they stay low, around your hips." They found a comfortable location, going lower because they were demonstrating a casual dance. "Now, leaders, your hands are how you communicate what you want to do. If you want to move across the floor, you tug in that direction with your clasped hands. You want to move in a circle, you push with your clasped hand and lessen then pressure with your hand on their back. That tells the follower to move backwards. Followers, your job is to pay attention to what the leader is trying to tell you to do." Without speaking, Verity and Liam walked up and down in a row, then left towards the mirrors and back, Verity using her hands to gently signal which direction she wanted him to pivot in.
"The steps are actually really easy to slowdance," she explained, once they'd finished demonstrating how to communicate without words. "It's two steps - one out to the side, and then you bring your other foot next to it. Then you do it again in the opposite direction. Once you get this basic step down, we can move to the big finishers: dips and spins."
Re: Learn to Slow Dance