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Making and Adapting Ballroom Lines
by Brent & Judy Moore
Most dance syllabi describe the moving figures of a rhythm but do not
include ballroom lines. Display Figures (which we also call picture
figures or ballroom lines) and have traditionally been a weak area for
most dancers and for a good reason.
Usually, the creation of line figures comes rather late in standard
dance training; however, round dancers begin encountering them at the
phase III level without the benefit of having been exposed to or having
mastered the skills needed to execute them well. The techniques for
basic moving figures provide most of the fundamentals needed to create
effective and beautiful ballroom lines. Unfortunately, the mental
connection between the fundamentals of movement and display figures is
sometimes not made, and lines are treated as a totally separate
category of actions which leads to difficulties in execution and
appearance.
We'd like to concentrate on the fundamental dance actions as they apply
to creating beautiful display figures. We also want to share some
techniques that are useful in adapting the "ideal pictures" to our
various physical limitations and mis-matches. Eight fundamental ideas
will be discussed:
- have a mental picture of the sway line created with the
unweighted leg and torso (or partner's torso);
- dance the hips;
- lower before you start;
- respect the partner's space;
- keep the center-lines of the bodies connected;
- keep the body weight (hips) over the ball of the standing
foot;
- retain tone in the unweighted leg and ankle;
- have the feet (when weighted) in a standard position
(closed, semi, etc.) relative to the partner.
First, there is the mental picture. Before one creates a line figure, a
mental picture of how the line should look is a must. To form this
picture, we must use the basic elements of the leg/ankle (usually the
unweighted one) and the torso/head in conjunction with those of the
partner. Two concepts are important in creating this image -- the
lady's and man's lines can be congruent (the same) or contrasting
(opposite). Many figures can be done with both approaches and many
employ both concepts as the figure is developed. However, having a
clear idea of the desired line is a must.
A simple example is the right lunge. The figure can be danced by
creating a sway line (an inclined angle to the floor with the lady's
right leg forming a line extended through her torso and head) with the
man matching her line by having his torso aligned with his left leg to
create the same line and angle as the lady. This would be a matching or
congruent line. The man may also create opposition in his line by
keeping his torso more erect and in line with his supporting leg with
the unweighted leg still in line with the lady's (a "broken" sway line)
as the lady creates the first line. Similar examples can be developed
for the same foot lunge, the chair, and many other picture figures.
An essential concept in moving figures is applied to picture figures as
well -- DANCE THE HIPS. This idea cannot be stressed too much. Any
turns in creating the figure or changing the line (opposing or
matching) must be created in the hips. The biggest trap in dancing both
moving and line figures is to think of body turn as being what happens
to the shoulders and torso. As noted above, sway (the angle between the
floor and unweighted leg/torso line) is a major element of ballroom
lines, and the use of the torso is part of this element. The torso
should respond to hip turns, not be the driver of turn action. Think
instead of pulling the torso or one side of the torso up out of the hip
to create a desired shape or line.
The critical action of maintaining body weight over the supporting foot
must also be focused in the hips. This results in keeping the hips
properly positioned and not allowing them to drop or pull away from
their basic relationship to the partner -- a critical component of good
lines.
Another fundamental taken from the moving figures is to lower before
you start. This lowering occurs at the conclusion of the previous
figure. One of the common faults in line figures is lowering after the
initiating step is taken -- this fault happens frequently in moving
figures as well. Line figures are entered flat from the preceding step
and the preferred lead is a little extra lowering at the end of the
preceding step to alert the partner that something other than another
moving figure is going to be danced. But -- don't over-do it!
In all dancing, there has to be an understanding of the relative
positions of the partners' bodies. The partner is always to the right!
Many times in line figures this very basic principle is forgotten and
we encroach on the partner's space. Ladies tend to do this on
semi-closed lines, and men tend to infringe on the lady's space in
lunges and the oversway family of figures. One of the tools that helps
keep us on "our own sides" is concentration on maintaining the basic
axial relationship of the body's center line to the partner. Think
sternum or breast bone as the body center line. Keep in mind that the
two center lines are offset to the right in one plane but are connected
in another.
Many times, as we concentrate on the other elements of creating a
ballroom line, we forget to pay attention to the unweighted leg and
ankle. Since they are not holding us up, our minds tend not to command
them to be in a particular place, hold a definite angle, or have a
specified tone. In our basic definition of a ballroom line, the
unweighted leg forms one of the three key elements. We, therefore, must
devote the required attention to leg/ankle alignment and tone to
generate the desired picture. This is primarily a man's problem because
the majority of line figures places the man's unweighted leg in a
position where relaxation or inattention causes the leg to bend
excessively. In most lines, ladies will find that relaxation of the
unweighted leg will tend to straighten the leg (giving the appearance
of tone), but the lack of tone will appear for them in a poor ankle
alignment. So, everybody needs to learn to keep a little strength in
the unweighted leg and ankle to make and maintain the extended line
with the torso.
A final, but no less important, technique borrowed from the moving
figures is that we must maintain the feet in a standard position
relative to the partner. A standard position is closed, semi-closed,
banjo, sidecar, or reverse semi. As a note, the majority of line
figures are in closed or semi-closed. One of the primary rules of
moving figures is that when the turn is complete and weight is on the
foot you must be in one of these positions or else you will be pulling
away from or pushing over the partner. The same is true of line
figures. If the feet are not properly positioned, there will be a
struggle for balance/position or a loss of connection in the
partnership. Attention to the entry and exit foot placement is a
necessary element to all figures including the picture figures.
When we refer to dance manuals seeking guidance for figure execution, a
central idea must be kept in mind. The descriptions were written for
the ideal, well matched, lithe-bodied couple. Most of us do not fit the
profile and we need to have some skills to compensate for a significant
differential in height, or for the bad knee or hip that one or both of
us have, or for the few extra inches around the middle. The basic
elements described above still apply but we do not have to lower very
deeply at all to make a nice line. We can create more space for the
partner without breaking our back lines if we relax the arm from the
elbow. We do not have to rotate the hips very much to create a pleasing
shape. We may not win the local ballroom championship but, then, that
is not the goal. Our basic goal should be to look as good as we can, to
dance comfortably, and to enjoy the music and physical mastery that we
have achieved.
From clinic
notes for an annual
ICBDA convention,
and
reprinted
in the Dixie Round Dance Council (DRDC)
Newsletter, January 2018.
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