| Dance with her? No way! She'd rip the wings | | | | they are given a chance to do it and they are |
| off a jumbo jet! Is he dancing with that | | | | willing to try. The woman propels herself |
| woman or is he trying to beat her up? In | | | | with her legs instead of pushing and pulling |
| Australia in the early seventies there was a | | | | against the man with her arms. She also |
| television comedy show called Aunty Jack | | | | balances herself with her body instead of |
| featuring a rather rough pretend female whose | | | | relying on a desperate grab of the man's |
| favourite saying was " I'll rip yer bloody | | | | hands in order to stop herself from toppling |
| arms off!" We have some Aunty Jacks in the | | | | over.This style may seem a bit extreme but |
| dancing community. There are women and men | | | | its drawn from experience and its good for |
| who seem to treat Rock 'n' Roll dancing as an | | | | instruction purposes. While dancing with a |
| exercise in attempted dismemberment.In | | | | number of extremely good female dancers I |
| energetic dances such as Rock 'n' Roll people | | | | noticed that their leg-work is vastly better |
| can and do get hurt. People wind up with | | | | than that of poorer dancers and their ability |
| shoulder injuries, arm injuries, wrist, hand | | | | to balance themselves with just their legs |
| and finger injuries. I have seen a woman with | | | | and bodies while they are in motion is far |
| a wrist broken in several places and I have | | | | superior. Their arm-work may be a bit |
| seen a woman bang her head solidly on the | | | | stronger than I personally like it but its |
| floor after a fall caused by some rough | | | | not uncomfortable. I noticed while dancing |
| dancing on the part of a man. I have seen a | | | | with many less capable women dancers that |
| heavy-set man with a shoulder injury caused | | | | their arm-work tends to be a lot more |
| by one or more women flinging their weight | | | | powerful but their leg-work and their ability |
| outwards against his arm. I have seen a small | | | | to balance themselves tends to be sadly |
| woman virtually picked up and flung around to | | | | lacking. I also noticed that they get |
| the point where she was crying out for the | | | | fatigued much more easily, many of them |
| lead (another woman!) to stop. There's no | | | | having to sit down after just a few songs.I |
| need for any of these things. Some people | | | | deduced that during the learning stages many |
| like to put a great deal of energy into their | | | | women are developing excessive arm-work at |
| dancing and some women do like to fling | | | | the expense of adequate leg-work, perhaps |
| themselves around with strong male partners | | | | through dancing with men who tend to fling |
| who help them do it. Those women will find | | | | them around a lot. Some of them seem to |
| that only a few men ask them to dance and | | | | propel themselves almost completely by |
| those men will find themselves getting a | | | | pushing and pulling with their arms. This |
| great many refusals.In one of the worst | | | | greatly increases the risk of injury and |
| examples, I have seen a beginner male Rock | | | | since the arms are a lot less able to sustain |
| 'n' Roll dancer shape up on the dance floor | | | | activity than the legs are it at least |
| to begin dancing with a stance and facial | | | | partially explains the fatigue problem. I |
| expression identical to those of someone | | | | have also noticed that when I deliberately |
| about to knock down a brick wall with a | | | | give some of these women almost no help from |
| sledge hammer. When the music started he | | | | my hands in spins and turns many of them |
| careered wildly with his partner straight | | | | quickly learn to propel themselves with their |
| into other dancers, was abused for his | | | | legs and bodies and their ability to balance |
| efforts and left the dance floor in a stink. | | | | themselves improves markedly. The intention |
| Such people remind me of novice golfers who | | | | here is that as they improve their leg-work |
| shape up on the tee and try to hit the ball | | | | their arm-work will increase in power until |
| from here to Kingdom Come. They apply no | | | | they reach a satisfactory balance between the |
| finesse, just raw, uncontrolled energy and | | | | two.I don't expect my Light Arm Rock 'n' Roll |
| fail dismally. If they hit the ball at all it | | | | to cause a worldwide revolution. In fact, I |
| just dribbles of the tee. The dancing of some | | | | doubt if many men beside myself will adopt it |
| people does much the same. It goes nowhere | | | | or that many women will go along with it, |
| fast!Dance is all about mastery of movement. | | | | since they have to dance with other men who |
| Energy is certainly required but it has to be | | | | are far more powerful in the arms than I am. |
| properly channeled. The best dancing to watch | | | | I was led to it by the fact that I like to |
| and participate in is smooth, free-flowing | | | | dance with my arms and shoulders extremely |
| and gentle, never aggressive or jerky. The | | | | relaxed, hence I am liable to injury if a |
| man and woman work with each other, not | | | | woman tightens her arms up too much and/or |
| against each other. 'Wild and woolly' dancing | | | | flings her weight outwards against my arms. I |
| may feel good to some people who practice it | | | | have been told that my style is pleasing to |
| but it is not visually appealing. There are | | | | watch and it feels very enjoyable to perform. |
| people who are convinced that they look great | | | | That is good enough for me.Of course, its not |
| when they dance while onlookers classify them | | | | necessary to take things to the same degree |
| as "rough as guts" and give them unflattering | | | | that I have but quite a few regular Rock 'n' |
| nick-names. Most of us who dance a lot know | | | | Rollers would do very well to lighten their |
| well that if you dance too close to some | | | | arm-work and be a bit gentler in their |
| people you're likely to be heavily and | | | | movements.Gareth Eastwood created and manages |
| repeatedly crashed into.My own preferred | | | | Going Places With Gareth, a gigantic singles |
| style, which certainly isn't for everybody, | | | | social network in Adelaide, South Australia |
| is extremely light in the hands and arms so | | | | revolving around a long-established website |
| that my partner and I are just in contact | | | | The network has been operating since May, |
| with each other. In fact, I personally like | | | | 2000.He is also Rock n Roll dance instructor |
| my partner's arms to be almost as loose as | | | | and enthusiast. He maintains a recently |
| those of a rag doll. People ask me how a | | | | created website, in which he repeatedly |
| woman can possibly dance like that, but I | | | | stresses the need for dancers to be gentle |
| don't believe its that hard for most women if | | | | with each other rather than dancing roughly. |