3 Leverage

COURSE: texas-shuffle-vol-i

FOCUS: This lesson focuses on creating and using leverage in dance, emphasizing maintaining opposite energy between partners to move together precisely.

TIP & TRICKS:

• Wrap your left hand around your partner's triceps to ensure no gaps and keep your shoulder relaxed and elbow low.
• Aim for your partner's higher back as a leader to avoid soft spots and provide a firmer connection for leverage.
• Roll your shoulders back and down to avoid popping them up, maintaining mobility and preventing tension.
• Engage your upper triceps and thighs by keeping your arm bent to support leverage movements.
• Play a leverage guessing game with your partner to practice feeling and adjusting the amount of leverage used.
• In closed position, focus on feeling the leverage through your partner's back hand and adjust your engagement accordingly.

REMEMBER:

• Leverage is created when two bodies' energies move away from each other, maintaining a slight stretch or opposite energy.
• Use just enough leverage to move together precisely without overdoing it, as too much can look awkward or cause imbalance.
• Avoid letting your shoulders pop up or tense, as this can lead to discomfort and limit mobility during movements.
• The connection should be firm but relaxed, with no empty spaces, to effectively transmit and feel leverage between partners.
• Practice sensing leverage through exercises to improve coordination and timing with your partner for future steps.
• If one partner lets go, the opposite energy should cause the other to step back, illustrating the principle of leverage in action.