| Dance with her? No way! She'd rip the wings off a | | | | are given a chance to do it and they are willing to try. |
| jumbo jet! Is he dancing with that woman or is he | | | | The woman propels herself with her legs instead of |
| trying to beat her up? In Australia in the early seventies | | | | pushing and pulling against the man with her arms. She |
| there was a television comedy show called Aunty | | | | also balances herself with her body instead of relying |
| Jack featuring a rather rough pretend female whose | | | | on a desperate grab of the man's hands in order to |
| favourite saying was " I'll rip yer bloody arms off!" We | | | | stop herself from toppling over.This style may seem a |
| have some Aunty Jacks in the dancing community. | | | | bit extreme but its drawn from experience and its |
| There are women and men who seem to treat Rock | | | | good for instruction purposes. While dancing with a |
| 'n' Roll dancing as an exercise in attempted | | | | number of extremely good female dancers I noticed |
| dismemberment.In energetic dances such as Rock 'n' | | | | that their leg-work is vastly better than that of poorer |
| Roll people can and do get hurt. People wind up with | | | | dancers and their ability to balance themselves with |
| shoulder injuries, arm injuries, wrist, hand and finger | | | | just their legs and bodies while they are in motion is far |
| injuries. I have seen a woman with a wrist broken in | | | | superior. Their arm-work may be a bit stronger than I |
| several places and I have seen a woman bang her | | | | personally like it but its not uncomfortable. I noticed |
| head solidly on the floor after a fall caused by some | | | | while dancing with many less capable women dancers |
| rough dancing on the part of a man. I have seen a | | | | that their arm-work tends to be a lot more powerful |
| heavy-set man with a shoulder injury caused by one | | | | but their leg-work and their ability to balance |
| or more women flinging their weight outwards against | | | | themselves tends to be sadly lacking. I also noticed |
| his arm. I have seen a small woman virtually picked up | | | | that they get fatigued much more easily, many of |
| and flung around to the point where she was crying | | | | them having to sit down after just a few songs.I |
| out for the lead (another woman!) to stop. There's no | | | | deduced that during the learning stages many women |
| need for any of these things. Some people like to put | | | | are developing excessive arm-work at the expense |
| a great deal of energy into their dancing and some | | | | of adequate leg-work, perhaps through dancing with |
| women do like to fling themselves around with strong | | | | men who tend to fling them around a lot. Some of |
| male partners who help them do it. Those women will | | | | them seem to propel themselves almost completely |
| find that only a few men ask them to dance and | | | | by pushing and pulling with their arms. This greatly |
| those men will find themselves getting a great many | | | | increases the risk of injury and since the arms are a |
| refusals.In one of the worst examples, I have seen a | | | | lot less able to sustain activity than the legs are it at |
| beginner male Rock 'n' Roll dancer shape up on the | | | | least partially explains the fatigue problem. I have also |
| dance floor to begin dancing with a stance and facial | | | | noticed that when I deliberately give some of these |
| expression identical to those of someone about to | | | | women almost no help from my hands in spins and |
| knock down a brick wall with a sledge hammer. When | | | | turns many of them quickly learn to propel themselves |
| the music started he careered wildly with his partner | | | | with their legs and bodies and their ability to balance |
| straight into other dancers, was abused for his efforts | | | | themselves improves markedly. The intention here is |
| and left the dance floor in a stink. Such people remind | | | | that as they improve their leg-work their arm-work will |
| me of novice golfers who shape up on the tee and try | | | | increase in power until they reach a satisfactory |
| to hit the ball from here to Kingdom Come. They apply | | | | balance between the two.I don't expect my Light Arm |
| no finesse, just raw, uncontrolled energy and fail | | | | Rock 'n' Roll to cause a worldwide revolution. In fact, I |
| dismally. If they hit the ball at all it just dribbles of the | | | | doubt if many men beside myself will adopt it or that |
| tee. The dancing of some people does much the | | | | many women will go along with it, since they have to |
| same. It goes nowhere fast!Dance is all about mastery | | | | dance with other men who are far more powerful in |
| of movement. Energy is certainly required but it has to | | | | the arms than I am. I was led to it by the fact that I like |
| be properly channeled. The best dancing to watch and | | | | to dance with my arms and shoulders extremely |
| participate in is smooth, free-flowing and gentle, never | | | | relaxed, hence I am liable to injury if a woman tightens |
| aggressive or jerky. The man and woman work with | | | | her arms up too much and/or flings her weight |
| each other, not against each other. 'Wild and woolly' | | | | outwards against my arms. I have been told that my |
| dancing may feel good to some people who practice it | | | | style is pleasing to watch and it feels very enjoyable |
| but it is not visually appealing. There are people who | | | | to perform. That is good enough for me.Of course, its |
| are convinced that they look great when they dance | | | | not necessary to take things to the same degree that I |
| while onlookers classify them as "rough as guts" and | | | | have but quite a few regular Rock 'n' Rollers would do |
| give them unflattering nick-names. Most of us who | | | | very well to lighten their arm-work and be a bit gentler |
| dance a lot know well that if you dance too close to | | | | in their movements.Gareth Eastwood created and |
| some people you're likely to be heavily and repeatedly | | | | manages Going Places With Gareth, a gigantic singles |
| crashed into.My own preferred style, which certainly | | | | social network in Adelaide, South Australia revolving |
| isn't for everybody, is extremely light in the hands and | | | | around a long-established website The network has |
| arms so that my partner and I are just in contact with | | | | been operating since May, 2000.He is also Rock n Roll |
| each other. In fact, I personally like my partner's arms | | | | dance instructor and enthusiast. He maintains a |
| to be almost as loose as those of a rag doll. People | | | | recently created website, in which he repeatedly |
| ask me how a woman can possibly dance like that, | | | | stresses the need for dancers to be gentle with each |
| but I don't believe its that hard for most women if they | | | | other rather than dancing roughly. |