HOUSE PROGRESSIVE - WEEK FOUR
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RECAP
FIRST SEGMENT - JORDAN
Main Focuses:
2-5/3-7/2-3-5-7 Drill (Change Direction on 2 & 5.. OR switch it up):
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Maintain relaxation, especially through your hands, while progressing through this exercise
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Above all, have the rhythm down before adding in familiar movement. i.e. The Chase, Loose Legs or any other vocabulary
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Once all variations of the pattern set into your body, begin to travel. Not only in the cardinal directions; be unpredictable! Imagine: you're "carving" your phone number or name as your pathway into the floor.
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Use this template to explore: your claps can be snaps, taps, pushes, pulls and so on; turn on different counts; level changes.
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What if: instead of executing a move or dance step, you only groove -- how can you accent these same patterns? Use the foundation to create dynamics within your structure!
Musicality Pattern - Feet Together/Apart:
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The Rhythm: 1-uh-2-and-a-3-and-4 (rest)-and-uh-5-and-6-and-sev-EN
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When practicing your timing, ensure to SAY the rhythms out loud. Not in a flat tone, but emphasize your words as the rhythm sounds.
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Creating more depth within simplicity -- enhancing a basic right/left or left/right weight change with specific rhythms. The entire feeling will change.
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Work on having your feet together, transiting to feet apart. Ensure your body is responding to what your feet are doing, not stiff like a pencil.
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Can you groove to this specific rhythm, having your only body do the accenting (not specific vocabulary)?
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The inverse, can you incorporate any of the vocabulary you know -- the loose legs, farmer, crabwalk, etc - to this same rhythm?
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Employ this pattern onto what you know to create variance in your movement.
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Isolating specific rhythms within the music is essential. Go from one to the next, to the next. Once the individual rhythms are understood, how can you jump between them to creating your OWN rhythms within the music?
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Travel, turn, change levels, slow down, speed up -- all are possible routes to go down.
SECOND SEGMENT - KYLE
Main Focuses:
Progressive Combo:
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Allow your body to flow while using your arms and legs to create fluid movement. Come up off the flow as if you're growing like a flower.
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Be creative by adding turns or giving yourself an animalistic persona as a guide to your creative process as you build up to your standing position.
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As your flowing through the first segment of the song, be sure to already connect to the 2 bass sounds that you will be connecting with by the third 8 to allow a smooth transition.
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During your 2 bass accented portion, feel free to not only use your legs as you accent the sounds, but also your arms, head, chest, hips and shoulders. While you're also here, explore with your levels and directional changes. This is your moment to explore and be extra creative.
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Through the grooving portion, you can now bring more full body movement and footwork into play, let loose and use this moment to really sit into your Jack and grooves.
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Side Walk (Skate Variation): Really sit into your supporting leg during your sweeps as you skate your leg around. This will add more length to your leg sweeping. Remember to keep your toe connected with the floor as your sweeping to maintain control and for smoother transitions.
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During your turn, remember to pull your feet in close for a more controlled spin to then ground yourself by sitting into your next step as you transition to the other side.
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Farmer Step with a spin: Same rule applies to the previous step but instead you are now picking your feet up a bit more as if you're stepping on a hot surface.
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Heel Toe Twist: During your twist after connecting your toe on the second step, use your hips and arms to pull you 180 degrees to the opposite direction. To maintain more control, do this in a slightly seated position with your knees slightly bent. The moment you face your new direction, jump your feet out and sit at the same time. Use this sit and spring up to then repeat the Heel Toe before reversing back to the front.
Spotting:
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A great way to control directional changes and to save you from getting dizzy. Find an object/focal point in the room that is stationary to hold your focus and keep your eyes there as your spinning until your head can't go any further. Whip your head around as you come out of your turn and very quickly find that same object/focal point to pull your focus and maintain control.