Modern Jive

A Dancer's Guide

By Neil Matthews.

Version 0.16 produced on 2006-11-24.

Work like you don't need the money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance as though nobody's watching.

Table Of Contents
Summary
Licence
Notices
Disclaimer
Warranty
Trademarks
Preface
Organising This Document
What Is Modern Jive?
How Modern Is Modern Jive
How Old Is Modern Jive
New And Improved
Modern Jive History
Modern Jive Companies
Dancing With Confidence
Advice Before Dancing
Why Dance?
Modern Jive As Exercise
Injury Prevention
Injuries
Leg And Back Pains
First Aid For Feet
Fitness References
Dancing When Pregnant
Eating And Drinking
Dietary Supplements And Complementary Medicines
Personal Hygiene
Cover Before You Cool, Strip Before You Sweat
Illnesses
Perfume And Makeup
Hair
Clothing
Types Of Events
Jewellery
Glasses
Shoes
Buying Shoes
Trainers
Dance Trainers
Ballroom Shoes
Shoe Bag
Dance Floor
Modern Jive Classes
Modern Jive Class Levels
Modern Jive Venues
Locating Venues
Events
Venue Bars
Smoke Free Venues
Pairing Up
Rotating
Taxi Dancers
Learning To Learn
A Learning Perspective
Leading And Following In Class
Style In Class
Class Feedback
Class Freestyles
Performance (And Freestyle) Anxiety
Declining A Dance
Being Declined A Dance
Asking For A Dance In Modern Jive
Non-Traditional Leader And Follower Roles
Getting Asked To Dance
Potentially Dangerous Moves
Asking For A Dance In Other Dance Styles
How Many Dances?
Entering The Dance Floor
Advice For Dancing
Mistakes
Collisions
Teaching During Class
Teaching During Freestyle
“Constructive” Criticism
Advice After Dancing
Thank Your Partner
Leaving The Dance Floor
Thanking Bands
Thank The DJ
Cautionary Advice
Respect Your Partner And Demand Their Respect
Avoiding Inappropriate Physical Contact
Avoiding Unwelcome Behaviour
Be Careful Out There
Get Home Safely
General Tips
Breathe
De-stress Your Body
Shoulders And Arms
De-stress Your Mind
Look Relaxed
Posture
Look Where You Are Moving
Energy For Movement
Balance In All Things
Balance In Leading And Following
Circling About A Shared Axis
Let Your Feet Take Care Of Themselves
Feet
“Toes”
Hands
Follower's Handhold
Arms
Shoulder Line
Use Your Free Hands And Arms
Body Positioning And Flashlighting
Are You Dancing?
Are You Dancing To The Music?
Are You Dancing With Your Partner?
Watch Your Partner — Don't Look At The Floor
Eye Contact
Keep Dancing
When Things Go Wrong
Losing The Beat
Floor Craft
Protecting Your Partner
Catching Spins
Keeping The Dance Flowing
Stepping Backwards Carefully
Styling Hands Carefully
Avoiding Dancers
Fending Off
Avoiding Obstacles
Dancing On Empty Dance Floors
Dancing On Crowded Dance Floors
Entering And Leaving Crowded Dance Floors
Dealing With Other Dance Styles
Dealing With Progressive Dance Styles
Dealing With Slotted Dance Styles
Other Issues
Floor Craft For Progressive Dances
Milonga Etiquette
The Lead And Follow Connection
Assumptions
Signalling Is Not Leading
“Official” Moves
Set Leads
Asymmetries In Moves
What Is Leading?
Improvising
Follower Improvisation
What Is Following?
A Hypothetical Lead And Follow Dialogue
Anticipating
Leading
Learning To Lead
Information Overload
Think About Following
Leading And Following Exercises
Elbow And Connection
Compression
Tension
Learning Compression, Tension And Connection
Compression And Connection
Tension And Connection
Practising Following By Compression
Practising Following By Keeping Connection
Wax On, Wax Off
Leading On The Spot
Where Does The Lead Originate?
A Robust Dance Frame
Lead Safely
Lead Early
Action And Reaction
Lead Moves Early
Finish The Follower's Lead First
Lead Smoothly
Start Simple
Lead Into Space
Give The Follower Room
Take The Follower's Room Away
Lead Clearly
Be Aware How Your Arms Move, When Leading
Use A Quiet Handhold
Bouncing Hands
Maximise The Lead
Leading The Follower To Move Backwards
Slotted Moves
Learning Slotted Moves
Blocks
Single-Handed Moves
Transitioning From Single-Handed Moves Into Double-Handed Moves
Sneaking A Right-To-Left Handhold
Double-Handed moves
Transitioning From Double-Handed Moves Into Single-Handed Moves
Sways And Baskets — Entry
Sways And Baskets — Exit
Wraps
Walking Moves
Teapot Position
Hammerlock Moves
Gliding Moves
Lead The Follower, Not Their Feet
Lead Often
Fingertip leads
Lead To Avoid Confusion
Lead Followers As Individuals
Other Leading Options
Following With The Eyes
“Shadow” Leading
Talk To Your Partner
Leg Leads
Knee Leads
Foot leads
Varying The Lead
Varying The “Volume”
Varying The “Assertiveness”
Varying The Leading “Style”
Leading Injured Followers
Leading A Follower With An Injured Hand
Following When Leading
Following
Follow Your Centre
Follow Your Hand
Match The Pressure
Maintain The Connection
Follow The Closest Hand
Prepare To Be Led
Give The Leader Your Dance Frame
Follow The Leader
Cruel To Be Kind
Follow The Leader's Timing
Watching The Leader
Moving
Following Hands
Holding
Taking Hands
Offered Hands
Catching
Hammerlocks
Following Arms
Placed Hands
Offering Hands
Dance Frame
Closed Dance Hold
Heart To Heart, Non-Offset (Argentine Tango ) Position
Conventional Slightly Offset (Ballroom Dance) Position
Half Offset Dance Position
“Loose” Dance Hold
Walks
Jockey Position
Holding Your Partner
Support Your Weight
A Robust Closed Dance Frame
Open Dance Hold
Handhold
Keep Hands At Waist Height
Keep Elbows Tucked In
Starting A Move
To Circle…
…Or Not To Circle
Special Leads
Leading Lunges
Swivel Handhold
Basket / Sway Position
Spins, Pirouettes And Turns
Dancing A Turn As A Follower
Practising Turns
Dancing A Turn As A Leader
Cheating A Rotation
Generating Torsion (The Energy For Rotation)
Arms And Torsion
The Point Of Rotation
Stopping The Rotation
Finishing A Spin
The Rotational Axis
Creating A Strong Vertical Rotational Axis
Rotation Arms
Balance And Maintaining A Strong Vertical Rotational Axis
Rotational Power
Moment Of Inertia
Angular Momentum
Conservation Of Angular Momentum
Using Angular Momentum
Generating Energy For Rotations
How Much Energy
Cheating Rotations
Modern Jive Rotation Footwork
Practical Rotation Footwork
Leading Rotations
Leading Travelling Rotations
Leading Spins
Push Spins
Spotting
Leading And Catching Spins
Other Spins
Pirouettes
Hip And Shoulder Spins
Turns
Leading Turns
Leading Double-Handed Turns
Leading Multiple Double-Handed Turns
Leading Fast Turns
Tall Leaders
Following Turns
Leading Travelling Turns
Spinning Notes
“Acrobatic Moves”: (Dips, Drops, Lifts And Jumps)
General Tips For Acrobatic Moves
Learning Acrobatic Moves
Practising Acrobatic Moves
Spotters
Leans
Lean Together
Lean Escapes
Lean Apart
Dips And Drops
Dips
Drops
Styling Dips And Drops
Arm Styling In Dips And Drops
Lifts, Jumps And Aerials
Other “Acrobatic” Moves
Monkey Swing
Layback
Learning Leading And Following
Learning To Lead Moves Behind The Back
Practise
Practise Review
Making A Connection
Dancing With Multiple Partners
Improving Leading And Following
Dancing With Beginners
Dancing With Absolute Beginners
Music And Musical Interpretation
Music
Musical Structure
Duration
Volume
Beat
Finding The Beat
Bars
Time Signature
Not All Beats Are Equal
Finding The First Beat
Counting In
Phrases
Eight Beat Phrases
Thirty-two Beat Phrases
Twelve Bar Blues
Swing Chorus
Rhythm
Cadence
Musical Properties
Start Of The Track
Track Introduction
Tempo
Bass Line
Melody
Instruments
Genre Specific Instruments
Lyrics
The Verse
The Bridge
The Chorus
Silence
End Of The Track
False Endings
Musical Genres
Accenting Beats
Swinging The Beat
Predicting Music
Counting Music
Predicting The Start
Predicting Basic Musical Structures
Mini Breaks
Predicting Advanced Musical Structures
Don't Predict, Cheat!
Predicting The End
What Makes Music Challenging?
Dancing To Music
Musical Interpretation
Basic Musicality
Advanced Musicality
Listen To The Music
Fast Music
Slow Music
Dance To The Tempo
Latin Music
Breaks And Hesitations
Musical Breaks
Dancing To Musical Breaks and Hesitations
Stops
Alternatives To Stops
Accents
Light And Shade
An Academic Approach To Musicality
Styling
Complementary Styling
General Issues
Smooth Styling
Blues Styling
Abrupt Styling
Swing Styling
Hip Hop Styling
Dynamics And Timing
Improving Styling
Progressing
Smooth, Slinky And Sexy
Cross Training
Different Dance Techniques
Non-Dancing Hobbies
Lines
Keep Moving
Looking At Your Partner
Styling Arms
Styling Both Arms
Styling Hands
Lady's Styling
Footwork
Slides
Single Heel Slides
Rock Steps
Fast Footwork
Jump, Jump, Jump Around
Changing Direction
Footwork Variations
Decorations
Ball-change Variations
Kicks
Wiggling
Lunges
Freestyle
Building Confidence
Starting
Start Positions
Starting Together
The Introduction
Keeping In Time
Getting Back In Time
Finishing Together
Swapping Sides
Combining Turns
Regaining Handhold
Double-Handhold
Changing Hands
Combs
Catapults
Catapult Change
Finding New Moves
Choreography
Leading In Freestyle
Linking Moves
Hand Changes
Uncrossing Hands
Attitude
Basic Elements
Replacing Moves
Highs And Lows
Miscellaneous
Competitions
Presentation
Costumes
Cabarets
Showcases
Team Showcases
Team Costumes
Showcase Music
Projecting Your Mood
Competitions
Judges
Critics
Dance Styles
Walking
International Ballroom Dances
Waltz
Quickstep
Tango
Viennese Waltz
Foxtrot
International Latin American Dances
Cha-cha-cha
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Rumba
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Samba
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Jive
History And Origins
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Basic Footwork And Variations
Body Position And Legs
Dance hold
Standardisation And Organisations
Paso Doble
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
American Smooth
American Rhythm
Latin Dances
Merengue
Music
Films
Lambada
Lambada References
Mambo
Salsa
Steps
“Mambo”— basic step
Cucharacha — side step
Back basic
Shines
History And Origins
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Salsa References
Rueda
Salsa Suelta
Bachata
Swing Dances
Fifties Rock'n'Roll
Rock'n'Roll References
Films
Continental Rock'n'Roll
Zydeco Jitterbug
History And Origins
Zydeco References
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Basic Footwork And Variations
Lindy Hop
History And Origins
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Basic Footwork And Variations
Basic Lindy Hop Moves
Body Position And Legs
Dance hold
Standardisation And Organisations
Competitions
Lindy References
Films
Personalities
Jazz Steps
Jitterbug
History And Origins
Films
West Coast Swing (WCS)
Music (Style, Time signature, Tempo)
Basic Footwork And Variations
Body Position And Legs
Dance hold
Standardisation And Organisations
East Coast Swing (ECS)
History And Origins