NOTES from CHRIS MARTIN workshops

Held on March 10th & 11th at Cornell University
notes taken by: Josh Estelle



[note: i mostly took these notes for my own benifit, perhaps they will be of help to you, i may have gotten things wrong, so don't quote it word for word. i also filled in some bits from what i could remember.]




[WORKSHOP ONE: Standard - Frame & Connection - Waltz]

- just before first beat of music, before your first movement, your weight should shift from your heels to your toes

[rise and fall]
- technique book says: "rise commences on the one", this means you should get your weight off your heel on the one, not necessarilly that you should rise all that much. gradually rise throughout the 2
- the peak of your rise is on the 3, as your weight changes
- the end of the 3 is also when you've lowered

[reverse turns and natural turns]
- recall what sasha and olga said in boston, linear steps, not rotary
- first step comes through
- then you turn completely 90 degrees before putting any weight onto the next foot
- you should feel your body swing across, but controlled, your weight remaining on the foot you stepped with
- now that you've turned, and you're balanced on that foot step side into the two
- EXERCISE: just practice stepping 1, and rotating, but not stepping onto 2

[frame and connection]
- bring left side forward towards partner (for both leaders and followers)
- bend knees (this helps allow for above)
- feet should be in line
- hips under shoulders, leaders don't plunge hips forward, keep them under your shoulders, solid block from hips to shoulders, bending knees this whole portion of your body goes forward to create a body connection
- offer left side (like above)
- keep back and arms in line with each other
- don't warp right arm too far around follower
- very agressive forward posture is good.
- want to touch follower with lower rib
- body contact allows for more communication, but not required at a beginner level
- beginners should remain in an open position until they are 100% comfortable with a close position
- EXERCISE: establish quick frame and connection, do prep step to natural turn, to spin turn.





[WORKSHOP TWO: Standard - Movement & Flight - Quickstep]

- chasse: toe, toe, toe-heel (VERY IMPORTANT)
- the 3rd step of the chasse, people are lowering and collapsing their frame
- trick is bring left foot into the rf as the rf lowers
- don't rush music (i was doing this)
- we did quarter turns with the forward part outside partner
- to get out side partner we need a shoulder lead
- feet turn, body turns less
- don't lower heel until gathered feet
- toes should be in direction going
- partners are easy, dancing is hard
- summary:
- agressively forward in posture
- gathering and lowering at same time
- outisde partner, shoulder lead, turn body less than feet
- EXERCISE: quarter turns, chasses, and outside partner bit, up and down floor





[WORKSHOP THREE: Latin - Legs & Feet - Cha Cha]

- we have a tremendous lack of presentation
- need confidence
- look like you want to be watched, like you love to be watched
- very strong, very agressive

[forward & finish back]
- we did this from hand to hand
- rock back, replace forward, 2,3
- fwd locks, 4+1
- on and of 1, rotate 180 degrees. squeezing thighs together to not over rotate.

[alt. basics for fan]
- LF back check thing: a push back, not a complete back rock, occurs on the 4+1 after the fwd half of basic
- RF across, LF together, RF side: occurs after the back half of basic, this one would actually be used first if using both of these in fan.

- monkey feet: feet should grip the ground like a monkey
- remember foot pressure, 5lb notes...
- foot pressure should be powerful, need floor connection

- international latin: present picture of 2 straight legs

- do basic stopping on each line in basic
- extend heel towards ground without putting weight on it

- chasses: most difficult, maybe most correct, not sure, is
- ball-flat, ball-flat, ball-flat.
- some do ball, ball, ball-flat. this can lose connection to the floor
- chris recommends, ball, ball-flat, ball-flat

- NY's: don't arch back when forward on 2, bring stomach in, shoulders fwd.

- followers fan: push knees far away from each other
- right knee forward 2, left knee forward and, step forward on right on 3.
- don't bring knee across body, should be able to see big space between two knees

- walks: fall foward onto bent leg, bring other foot in, settling on stepping foot while straightening the leg (not sure about this part)
- then do w/o falling on the bent leg, as regular walks, fwd and back

- basic: settle 2, settle 3, settle 4+1
- don't settle to early, not about hips, about knees and settling

Summary:
- ladies fan
- fwd to finish back
- alt. basics
- leg technique
- 2 straight legs, pictures
- lengthen back fo leg, don't shorten front




[WORKSHOP FOUR: Latin - Styling a.k.a. "how do i make judges notice me!"]

- shape floor, travel to judges, practice this
- rib cage isolations
- new yorkers: stretch them forward, good posture, suck in stomach, project chest forward, should never see 90 degree bends in arms at any point while moving the arm up or down

- BE A DANCER
- energy between partners
- 2 hand connection walking
- 1 hand connection walking
- always a pressure, even when leaders are going back, you shouldn't be pulling your follower forward, there should be pressure towards each other

- springy goodness connection with cha-cha, doing 3 cha-chas
- mostly pressure type connection, switches to leverage connection very briefly on 2
- close connection, say close while doing locks, especially just before the springy rocking back part for the followers

- in leading, when you move your hand forward, she moves that direction,
- when you come in towards your hands, she'll come in
- instead of leading her close and away, move yourself close and away, this will in turn lead her more effectively






[NOTES from JOSH'S prviate with CHRIS]

- chris and I worked on latin

[samba]
- accentuate the a's before the 1
- heels come up on that beat, a1,a2
- boto fogos: hip should extend, on the 2 and 4, of a1a2a3a4, part weight? disco fever

[rumba]
- differences in fan: fan can be lead from basic, does not need cross body lead, if leadign with cross body follower needs to do a forward and finish back like we did in cha-cha. do not lead her to step into you but allow her to continue stepping forward (see rumba technique book, difference between fan and fan development)
- natural opening out: don't step forward into this "press line" thing or whatever it was. step to the same place, only turn towards your right so you're really stepping side. you're in right side position (RSP) which means both lead and follow facing same direction (more or less) and the lady is to the leaders right.
- stretching through with new yorkers
- my side step is too american. you want to step onto a straight leg, presenting two straight legs, the bend should come on the settle before the next step.

[cha-cha]
- a little softer, trying to hard,
- smaller steps!!!!
- hockey stick: if doing side break add more shaping, otherwise use back rock instead
- uat: leading it a bit early, prep it on the one, don't really lead it until the two

[jive]
- ick. learn more :)