IBM: Rolling the Feet

Another glorious day of GROUNDING! We return to learning how to dance West Coast Swing as we work on the Individual Body Mechanic’s. This time highlighting the new skill of Rolling the Feet.

Developing this technique helps dancers develop a smooth, gliding movement. One exercise we use, out of the many possible, practices this Rolling Action by

1. Bending one knee with a lifted ankle
2. Pressing the ball of the foot to the floor
3. Pushing weight down through the heel
4. Straightening the knee to finish

Repeating this exercise develops the body’s muscular coordination to quickly and efficiently complete all the steps at once. It is highly recommended to start this process slowly, focusing on accuracy, and then develop speed over time.

While you practice, here are some more nuggets of knowledge on Rolling Your Feet to develop GROUNDING

Remember: Grounding is your personal responsibility, something you are in control of at all times
Rolling Your Feet starts at the ball of the foot vis dorsiflexion “creasing” your toes as you arch “ lift” your ankle
Rolling Your Feet DOES NOT start at the tip of the toes... just because you can, doesn’t mean you should 😏
Rolling Your Feet with an inward squeeze of the leg muscles promotes healthy joint alignment and increased balance and stability
Rolling is a vocabulary term that is applied to multiple techniques inside the dance (darn those drunken bar dancers who helped coin the terminology) so use context and questions to confirm your understanding in class and lesson environments

I hope you enjoy your practice today. With just a few minutes, truly even one song, on a consistent, daily basis can help set baseline habits to build your confidence and control over your Body Language. I am hella proud of you for putting in the work to develop your dancing. Keep practicing and make sure to stay connected with your local community for when we can all meet back on the social floor.

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