If you feel that your dance is repetitive, try playing some games with yourself when you dance. Develop your own improvisation so that you don’t have to depend on memorizing teachers’ sequences.
These games enable Marks find new improvisational possibilities by doing moves in unfamiliar sequences. You’ll need to explain each game to your partner, as they are cooperative games.
Revels, this is not about perfect marking, so let your Mark concentrate on his ideas and don’t focus on his technique. (Work on yours!)
Sacada marathon
- Do an entire song in which every step is a sacada. Remember you can change feet any time. Look for ways to do sacadas on lines as well as circles!
Change foot for a new path
- For a whole song, after every second step, make a change of foot without changing the Revel’s foot. See where you are now and what is possible.
- For a whole song, after every second step, changes the Revel’s foot without changing your own.
Voleo anywhere
- For a whole song, mark a voleo at least every 3 steps, creating pro- or contra- co-contraction with whatever step is convenient. Don’t worry about predicting whether you get a front or back voleo.
- If your Revel is having trouble, remind her to send her free leg in the direction of your power, not her arc. You may also need to remind her to just do one voleo, and avoid the automatic double voleo.
Cross to gancho
- First consider all the crosses, crossing from front, back and side step, with both feet, out of steps and rebotes.
- Then dance creating lots of crosses, exiting each one to a gancho. (There are 8 easy ganchos from every cross.)
Sweet second projection
- Dance as usual, but see how many different things you can do with the Revel’s second projection.
The Melody!
- For a whole song, step only on notes of the melody.
Musicality in the cross
- Using “the 8 count basic” or any other way of going to the cross, go round and round the room using a different musicality each time you go to the cross. (Add a double time and/or a pause in a different step each time.)
Don’t forget to smile and laugh! These are games!
