The following information is published with ROUNDALAB's permission from the ROUNDALAB Reference Manual compiled by Richard & Jo Ann Lawson, 1987.

Tools of the Trade

by Jack and Muriel Raye

CONCENTRATION:

Sometimes in Round Dance class it is hard to concentrate. Then, when you make the effort, you overdo it and tense the muscles. This leads to "Grabbing", "Clutching", "Tensing", "Gripping", "Forcing" and "Locking", which are terms that the round Dance teachers use to identify strain. Make a fist, then clench it — hard! You'll see the cords popping out of your forearm. That's what strain look and feels like. It blocks circulation and energy flow, and it tightens the muscles, making movement difficult. Try bending your wrist when it is held in a tight fist; relax and see how much more easily it flexes.

Dancing entails a different kind of concentration than most people are accustomed to. It takes a relaxed effort with focus. Round dance classes are most fruitful when you are able to clear your mind of everything else and simply concentrate on what is happening inside the classroom. If you daydream, or let your thought drift while a movement is being demonstrated, it requires twice the effort to get started again, or to pick up the combination of your own. As you gain experience, it grows easier. You find that you can be aware of what several parts of your body are doing at once, instead of feeling that one foot is enough of a problem. You can control you arms in space as you accomplish the footwork. From time to time, everyone is plagued by inner voices: "I'm so clumsy", they say, "I'll never be able to do that. What if I make a fool of myself?" But, if you want to progress, you have to concentrate and keep going in spite of your misgivings. It's important to complete the Weave Six you thought would leave you twisted on the floor or do the Diamond Turns one more time before you despair of getting a particular rhythm. It is likely to be that final go at it that sets the new skill firmly in your body. Once you have learned to concentrate like a dancer, you have learned a great deal.

BREATHING:

The ultimate skill that every dancer strives for is to work with concentration and control of your body, but without tension. To achieve this, the breath is instrumental. Breath supplies your bloodstream with oxygen and gives you the energy to continue dancing. Deep, steady breathing makes strenuous movements much easier to do. It is curious that we tend to hold our breath at critical moments, when we need it most. Breathing, moreover, is a great tension breaker. Once you tense up you are fighting yourself because the muscles can't respond freely. Many times I have danced with beginner students and the hand grip some of them put on you would do justice to the wrestling profession. Dancing isn't enjoyable in that condition, and it looks terrible. If you feel you are holding your muscles anywhere, breathe deeply and let the movement of air through your body flush out the tension. How many times have you heard it said that good dancers make dancing look easy? Behind that statement lurks a rather harmful misconception. Effortless dancing is not at all an illusion. Dancing is easy when you are working correctly and are in good shape. Round dancing demands the paradox of trying not to try so hard.

ROUNDALAB Journal, Summer, 1983