Science - Physics & Biology

Below, I'm dancing Lindy Hop... the mother of Dance Science.... full use of physics and biology in high end Lindy Hop, every beat of the music.

It is all about spin and momentum and acceleration….

You know, like physics.

It is all about bones and muscles and tendons and balance….

You know, like biology.

When you move or walk or bike or throw a ball.... your body functions as a unit. Your mind "leads", but then your muscles and tendons and bones create a symphony of movement executing the "lead".

The Lead has important work to do:

* Determine the direction and amount of momentum

* Add some angular momentum on top of it

* Create the Action (so that the Follow can provide the Reaction)

* Set the Pivot Point

* Adjust the weight of the Follow into the correct balance between feet, in preparation for all the above.

Oh! Don’t forget to avoid running into her, or the people next door, or dropping her down the stairwell!

I want to give special kudos to:

* Tendons - the difference between "good" and "great" Connection.

Really, the body’s rubber bands, and how they Act and React with your partner’s tendons. Oh, heck, simply magic!

Pay attention to your tendons. Use ‘em!

* Any new activity takes lots of brain power, to "think" about what needs to happen. Then is takes lots of practice and repetition to sink the movement into "muscle memory".... but that is really muscle and tendon and bone and cardio memory.

* Once it smooths out.... you have to shut off the conscious brain, and let it FLOW. Your conscious brain is way too SLOW to instruct your body to do what it already knows how to do. You have to get out of the way and let your body just do it.

Doing side-by-side Charleston with a Follow new to it is always fascinating:

* Step 1: She watches my feet to try to figure out what to do, which immediately creates dance disaster. The conscious brain is simply wired too slow to watch somebody else’s feet, transmit the information to your own feet, and tell them to do it….. you will ALWAYS be off the beat and feeling miserable.

* Sep 2: I suggest she quit watching my feet, and instead focus on what my shoulders are doing. The reaction always is: "That will never work."

* Step 3: It works. Her shoulders start following my shoulders, and her feet follow her shoulders (as they always do). And we are dancing Charleston and having fun.

Here is an experiment: consciously try to manage walking the next time you want your body to go somewhere.... you will be a herky-jerky mess.

I believe we were born knowing how to dance. Every toddler does it, even before walking. We "grow up" and become self-conscious, and our conscious brain gets in the way and we forget how.

How to demonstrate Dance Physics? Just about every dance link in this blog does that. I am going to pick this one, both because it is non-stop momentum and tendons in action, but also as a tribute to the two people who taught me SO much about dancing, Dan Newsome & Tiffiny* Wine.