The first lesson of Level Three is now over! I was sooo excited to begin - and as soon as it did that old familiar feeling came back. The feeling that I can just barely keep my head above water! We learned the Egyptian Full Turn, Reshamka and Fading. I did them to the best of my ability, but my brain was close to exploding! We had a blast learning and dancing together :)
The Egyptian Full Turn wasn't bad. Easy, clear cue that I'm used to and makes perfect sense. The thing I'll have to work on is turning quickly, with balance, and transitioning smoothly into the next move. The turn happens so fast you have to know exactly what you're going to change to at the front if you're leading. As a follower, you have to watch very carefully to see what the leader will do to match as quickly as possible - which isn't unlike any other move in ATS, it just happens a little faster! Ideally it'll turn into a beautiful, quick, smooth spin... eventually! ;)
I was excited to learn Reshamka, it looked simple but sassy and fun when I saw it in videos online. In class, it is indeed relatively simple, fun and sassy - but the hand movement is trickier than it looks! It's like wringing a cloth, which is easy and comes naturally if that's all you're doing. Add in the zills and raising arms from the hips to above your head and somehow the cloth wringing turns to dog patting or pyschotic waving! I think some slow-mo Reshamka is in the works for my practices! I also kept starting my "1" too high, so that beats 1-4 were way too close together by where the "4" should go, so I'll have to pace myself and really start from the hips. I think that move will be a lot of fun though!
Fading. Enter, the ATS Mindmeld. Honestly, I think it's amazing, but I'm not the *biggest* fan. I like clear, straightforward cues. Tell me exactly what to do and I will do it. This formation depends on watching for a possible cue and then not knowing exactly what will happen. If you are in the 2nd position spot you may decide to follow and move forward to fade, or you may zone out completely and wonder why your leader is moving so far back and getting an increasingly preturbed look on her face - not that I would know anything about that! ;) If you are in the 4th position you have to watch the 2nd to see what they decide to do. The transition of fading is really beautiful, and I'm sure not all that complicated, but last night it was a bit overwhelming! It will require lots of practice in class and lots of forgiveness between the students!
Overall, the night went well. I kept my head above water and didn't lose concentration. We are learning so much so fast, and I think we all had fun. This class going to take a lot more practice and diligence than I've committed to previously, but hey thats what I signed up for! I just really hope I can keep up and make my dance teacher proud! Til next time ;)
*Head Wrap Tutorial is still on it's way I promise!! ;)
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