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For Turns-Position Exercise

This exercise will help in the turns and spins in the dance.

Stand backing about six inches from a wall. Keeping the feet flat fall back against the wall. Next is keeping the body straight, thus the buttocks and the either sides of the back-of-the-shoulders is in contact with the wall. The knees should be slightly bent and relaxed. Now the position is as such that if the wall is removed you will fall. Get the feel of this position.

Next is to transfer weight from foot to foot, in such a way that the body slides bare minimum against the wall. Ideally it should not slide at all. A small gap is maintained between the feet for comfort.

The next part of the exercise is to practice with a partner, the distance between your toes and that of the partner's should be about six inches. Hold each other on the shoulder and balance against each other. The feel should be just as it felt when leaning against the wall. This position is maintained due to each other's efforts and NOT because of an individual effort. With the "feel" remaining the same, next is to try to find a posture by bending the joints in the legs such that it becomes more comfortable.

Next part is to transfer weight from foot to foot. The man makes the moves with a rhythm that he decides on and the lady follows getting the leads from the subtle body movements. This is only possible so long as both the partners maintain the body positions and the feel of the postures very strictly.

Next is the visualization part. This is very similar to what happens on a merry-go-round. When turning the centrifugal force pull one away from the centre. Thus one balances by maintaining a pull-force from the hands and the feet remain forward towards the centre of the turning axis of the merry-go-round. Similar feel is got when an elder holds a child and spins around ones self.

Please remember that all the movements in these exercises and the dance are part of our natural movements, and we keep doing it on and off subconsciously.