From: trb@ima.isc.com (Andrew Tannenbaum)
Subject: Re: Subject: "weight" in allemande bwas: NECD(New England Contra Dance)U
Organization: Interactive Systems, Cambridge, MA 02138-5302
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 21:32:14 GMT

In article <204551@unix.cis.pitt.edu> USERHEJF@UMICHUM.BITNET (Eric B. Arnold) writes:
> On 1 Apr 92, prs@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Phil Stephens) writes:

> > Being given more "weight" than my muscles and tendons can handle sometimes
> > is (but that's another subject.  Still, why isn't 5-10 lbs enough?  Why go
> > for 20-30?  Except with those few who also want to do that, of course!)

> At this level, there is no need for a sideways force by the feet.
> Perhaps this explains why many people like at least 20-30 lbs force
> through the arms -- that does make things significantly easier, while
> 5-10 lbs is barely noticeable.

Eric,
Your physics must be askew.  Are you trying to tell me that allemandes
should commonly have a 20-30 lb force?  Have you ever lifted 20-30 lbs
with one hand?  (Like a dumbell curl?)  That's serious work, and if
people had to do it many times while contra dancing, they wouldn't
last very long.  I'm sure many dancers can't lift 20-30 lbs once with
one hand (with bent arm rather than with straight arm and bent leg).
Remember that an allemande goes four beats, or maybe eight, that's a
long time to keep that much weight hanging on your bent arm.  It's
worse if you're one of those people who pumps his arm in and out while
allemanding (yecch).

Realize that two people who are giving each other weight are not dead
weight - they are dancing on moving feet, which makes the couple act
like weight balanced on a pivot point (like the point of a spinning top).
You can have hundreds of pounds balanced on a pivot and it doesn't take
more than ounces to get it to spin, which is what you want when dancing.

I give very light weight when I contra dance.  How much?  Enough, in my
experience.  A telephone book.  Less than five lbs.  Whether my partner
is heavy or not.  I'm way lightweight, and I've danced with women who
outweigh me 2 to 1.  How much weight you give has nothing to do with
how much you weigh.  Let me repeat that.  How much weight you give has
nothing to do with how much you weigh.  Here's a point I'm sure of.
When I dance with experienced woman dancers who are heavy, they are
very careful about carrying their own weight and giving a proper amount
of weight.  I assume this is because they are sensitive about their
weight and they don't want fellow dancers thinking "why the hell do I
have to pull her weight around?"

Have you heard the expression "she's light on her feet?"  That's a
compliment.  It implies quickness and delicacy, and is on the whole
other end of the spectrum from those who give 25 lbs of weight on an
allemande.

Another thing, if you give 25 lbs on an allemande, not only don't I
want to dance as your partner, I don't want to dance anywhere near you,
because the odds are that if you and your partner throw that kind of
weight around, you're not going to control it very well, and if you
bump into me, it's going to hurt.

Note that contra dancing entails interaction with a large group of
people.  When thinking about how to act in a group, you should ask
yourself how your choice affects the group.  It's better for your
dancing to be not invasive.  Tuck your knees and elbows in.  Don't
crush people's hands.  Don't yank on their arms, and so on.  Another
rule to live by - if you have to work really hard (like pulling 25 lbs
with your arm) then you're doing it wrong.

	Andrew Tannenbaum   Interactive   Cambridge, MA   +1 617 661 7474
Newsgroups: rec.folk-dancing