有效又省力的藝術:每一吋肌肉的使用




這篇針對所有社交類型舞蹈文章,談到動作細膩與精緻的議題;
作者表示,她以前總覺得動作要作很大,走步要特明顯,要出很多汗,才叫作真的在跳舞。她現在回想起來,只覺得以前的自己很拙,不平衡,沒有控制好自己的身體。
好的社交舞者,不論是lead or follow,不會把自己累死;他們會管理能量,以有效且細緻的方式作出同樣的效果。
當然,不是每個人都有動作太大的問題;有些人的問題,反而在於動作太過小;這篇文章僅針對那些動作過大的人。
動作過大的人,當有一天你突然了解 "有效又省力"的方式時,一開始可能會不習慣,覺得這不叫跳舞。
但作者表示,請耐心再走下去,你將會體驗到,這樣的精省,反而可以讓你專注在每個當下,每一吋肌肉使用的方式;
而當你可能控制自己每個當下的肢體運作,你將開始感受到這-才-叫-舞-蹈;
它能讓你與舞伴更為連結,增進你的音樂性與stamina,你也更能跟上快速度的音樂。
跳舞講求的不在動作的量,而在它的質。
跳舞,應該是自然而有效能的表達自己。



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When I started dancing, I really wanted to move my body. I saw advanced dancers moving effortlessly around the floor, and I emulated them.
So, when I went to class, I moved my body. A lot.
I took giant steps. I flung my hair around as much as I could. I stuck my arms out all the time. I tried really hard to make my hips move on every step.  In general, I was over-dancing.
Nowadays, I look back on those days and cringe. When I try to replicate the things I considered to be ‘good dancing’, they now feel ridiculously inefficient. They feel awkward, unbalanced, and uncontrolled.
What is different between then-me, and now-me?

Size and Movement as ‘Dancing’

In the beginning, I felt like I needed large, super-expressive movements in order to ‘dance’. Unless I was doing all of that extra movement, it felt like I was doing nothing.
In my head, I had this idea that dancing had to make me sweat. It had to be difficult. It had to be me pushing my body to the absolute maximum exertion for full effect. I hadn’t yet learned that social dancing should be efficient and controlled; that the best dancers weren’t exhausting themselves; they were using their energy and movements in a very nuanced, efficient, and controlled way.
This doesn’t only happen to follows. You can also see this in leads who move their body all over the place, even though their leading hand isn’t doing anything. You can also see this when you have a lead that hauls a follow into GIANT or super-complex movements without understanding.
To be clear, not every dancer has problems with being too large in their movements. Some have the opposite problem: going too small with their movements. I’m specifically talking about those who move too much as a result of inefficiency – not too little.

Size and Movement vs. Efficiency and Control

Over time, many  dancers experience an epiphany. Sometimes, it’s localized to a particular movement. For others, it’s a complete re-evaluation of how they’re dancing.
Sometimes, a dancer will realize that the most effective way is not necessarily the largest movement. They will suddenly understand that a very subtle hand placement, weight shift, or movement can have very drastic positive results to the quality of a movement.
Sometimes, you’ll hear the dancer say “Really? That’s all?” or “But that feels so easy!”
This is the epiphany, when a dancer starts to realize that dancing doesn’t have to be ‘hard’ if you’re using your movement efficiently. It can, however, come with mixed feelings.

Mixed Feelings: “I don’t feel like I’m dancing”

When a dancer starts to realize that there are more efficient, less-intense ways of accomplishing the same result, they aren’t always happy. Sometimes, they feel as if this new way of executing a movement doesn’t feel like dancing. Instead, they feel as if they’re just standing there doing nothing.
The best advice I can give to those people is that this is not a permanent feeling. As you become more aware of the efficiency, you also gain a deeper appreciation for subtlety. You learn how to feel every millimeter of the movement from start to finish. You become aware of your whole body moving constantly in a small way, rather than just rushing from point A to point B.
This is where you will start to feel like you’re dancing, even if the movements aren’t as big. When you learn how to control every moment in your dance, you don’t need big movements to feel like you’re dancing. Even a weight shift from one foot to the other can feel like moving. It will also improve your connection, musicality, stamina, and ability to dance to faster music.
Think of it like a university essay: many students write huge, 20 page essays, feeling that it will best showcase all the stuff they know. They are valuing the quantity of words as a demonstration of their knowledge. However, the experienced writer will say the same thing in 2 pages – knowing that this is all the room they need to properly express their thoughts. It doesn’t make them less of a writer – it makes them a greater wordsmith.
Dancing isn’t about quantity of movement – it’s about quality of movement. It’s about learning how to work each small, individual muscle on its own. It’s learning how to be efficient in your expression. Dancing is meant to be natural. It is meant to be efficient.
When you find and become comfortable with that place of efficiency, you will find it astonishingly simpler to express yourself through dance.

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