Hooked On Slow Turns!
Some days I feel like I could do a Reverse Turn on a dime and other days it’s all I can do to no trip over my own feet. This was true a few years ago, but once I learned the hook and crossover turn technique, I finally feel stable! Well….. about 95% of the time anyways!
There are many factors when it comes to maintaining balance in slow turns including things we cannot control like the surface we are dancing on. But, there are a few things we CAN do to help ensure we don’t stumble around and trip on our pantaloons in an attempt to look like beauty and grace as we dance!
Here are a few things you can do to help you with slow turns
Posture - always check in with your dance posture.
This includes:
Knees slightly bent
Low abdominal muscles engaged just enough to elongate and release the lumbar spine
Elongated spine. I like to use the cue “crown of your head reaching up towards the ceiling”
Middle trapezius (mid-back) muscles engaged to lift the ribcage
Shoulders stacked over hips, relaxed and away from the ears
Inner Thigh (Adductors) Engagement – I don’t mean squeezing them together so much that they touch, just imagine you have a ball or water bottle between your thighs (cause you know…that’s totally normal) and you are trying not to drop it. The thighs pull towards each other, but don’t actually touch. Helpful tip: this also helps engage the core! Look for a future yoga flow for adductor muscles and core strengthening.
Even Weight in the Feet – Whether you are on the balls of your feet, on your heels or have your feet firmly planted on the ground, check in and try to keep your weight even on the parts that are touching the floor. Often we tend to roll out or roll in and this can affect our balance, ankle strength and more. This is one of the biggest challenges for me due to foot issues, but I’ve found more awareness in what my gait and turn habits are have been extremely helpful as I work on foot health. Did you know your foot health affects your entire body’s alignment (including misalignment) which causes a lot of our joint and muscle imbalances and pain? I have a few exercises to help with foot and ankle health in a prior post related to posture.
Related blogs: Check out Yoga For Dance Posture and my blog series on Posture
Hook Turn and Crossover Turn Technique
In FCBD® Style, I used to teach the slow turns in a way that gave students the freedom to get around any way they wanted, as long as they didn’t bounce. This is how I was taught as well and it works great! But, over the years of having exposure to other dance styles, one thing I found that was so very helpful was learning the hook and crossover turn.
Hook Turn
This technique is applicable in the Reverse Turn as well as certain sections of the Sahra Turn. Check out this YouTube on Sahra Turn!
1. Step the ball of the right foot behind the left foot
2. Begin pivoting clockwise by pressing into the ball of the right foot and the heel of the left foot
3. When you are half way through your turn, switch to the ball of the left foot and the heel of the right foot.
Crossover Turn
This technique is similar to the Hook Turn and is used for the Corkscrew, Propeller and also works great for slow pivots like Bodywave!
1. Step the right foot in front of the left foot. Keep the weight of the right foot mostly in the heel.
2. Begin pivoting counter-clockwise by pressing into the heel of the right foot and the ball of the left foot
3. When you are half way through your turn, switch to the ball of the right foot and the heel of the left foot.
A Few Things To Remember
Keep the pivots smooth. There should not be a hard stop to switch the weight in your feet. Make the change gradual.
Using these turning techniques will help you maintain balance and will make it much easier to limit any unwanted bounce or level change.
If these concepts are new to you, try them out, move slow and enjoy the process of trying something new! It took me about a year of consistent practice to feel comfortable with these, but it’s really made a difference in my slow turn balance and confidence!
In a recent online course I taught called Flip It and Reverse It, we worked on the footwork in the Reverse Turn. This topic came up again in our live Q&A session and inspired this blog post as well as these slow motion videos. These students continue to inspire me to share all the knowledge and tools I currently have as well as inspire me to continue to learn more ways to help them grow! Thank you to each and every one of them for filling my life with joy, providing me with an outlet to get creative with my teaching and for the loving, supportive community they are building.
If you have questions or want to learn more, please contact me. I’d love to geek out with you!