Most dancers who are not trained professionals end up in positions that don’t look intentional. Great dancers are different. When they hit a position, every part of their body feels like it snaps into place. If you want to add that sense of purpose to your legs, this drill is for you!
The Drill: Get into a pose that has a leg line. For this drill, I’ll assume that you are tapping to the side in order to accent a minor hit, but you can extend this drill into anything that has a leg line: sinking into a lunge for a break, doing a ronde, or even flaring your leg out of a trick.
When you have your free foot out in a tap, think of sending energy through the free leg into the floor. Your goal is to have some tone in the leg. To help you, have your partner try to push your free leg with their leg. While your partner is trying to move your leg, you should be engaging your thigh muscles and pressing into the floor in order to keep your leg from moving.
After you’ve held the position for 5-10 seconds, shake out your leg and try again. By training yourself to keep energy in your leg, you are making yourself feel and look more solid. This solidity gives definition and purpose to your leg lines.
If you’re not convinced, have your partner take pictures of you in this pose. In one photo, just put your leg in position. In the other, really think about maintaining the energy all the way from the hip to the floor. Look at the photos and see how much of a difference it makes when you are intentional about keeping the free leg in its position.
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by Brian B at west coast swing online
