Facing Down the Line

So at my last edge class, no one showed up but me. (The weather was horrible, but that's no excuse for missing the Mass or a lesson.)

The result was, Coach Cruella had me all to herself. She said, "How would you like to do swingrolls?"

Not much.

I've been exposed to Cruella's swingrolls before. She's extremely fussy about body position, edges, depth of knee bend, leg position. While she tells me pretty much the same stuff Dance Coach does, he seems to be a little more easy going.  He takes the long view. "You need to work on X." he'll say, "It will come". He's got issues with my power, and patterns and stuff to move one to. Cruella is more like "We're going to fix your swingrolls now." So, it's working out well for me.  As I've said elsewhere, I like the way my two coaches scope their lessons  differently.

Anyway Cruella wants me to do swingrolls facing down the line. Up to now I've been doing them facing the direction I'm skating. Now, Cruella wants me to face the axis of the swingroll pattern and continue to face in that direction, while the swing rolls rotate around my body.

That doesn't make sense does it?

So, the video below, is NOT NOT NOT the Cruella way:

See how she is always facing the direction she is skating? The Cruella way, the skater would be facing the camera the whole time!

Did I just hear you go, "Eeek,That's hard!" Yes, indeedy, it is.

There's a quick but not jerky switch from one shoulder forward to the other that begins just as I approach the longline of the swingroll pattern. Also, I have to swing the swinging leg to pass next too the skating leg, and cross in front of the skating leg, ending up with the heel pointing inside the circle.

After a half hour I can do the facing down the axis thing fairly well on outside swingrolls. Inside ones? Meh.

Cruella swears this will delight Dance Coach when I show him.

Am I sensing competition in the invisible partnership? Mmmmm, what fun!

Dance Lesson: Tweaks Are Evil

"You have good edges," Dance Coach said, "Why can't you do this?"

The compliment on my edges is first. Let me take a moment to celebrate.

What can I say, it's been a good week for basking

But Dance Coach now wants me to do my inside swingrolls the 'proper' way, by rising up on the swing, then not going back down, while swinging the leg even yet higher. Yes, that last part does feel a bit rushed. Plus he also wants, more curve - aim for the boards.

Sigh. Put hands over face. It's not happening.

Oh, yeah, and I booted out on the cross-and-hold step of the Rhythm Blues.  It was an exciting split second. 

Overall, I feel I've developed more power over the last couple of months, but the rest of my skills aren't keeping up with it. What with all the new proper posture and edging I'm getting from Coach Cruella, I'm in that awkward transition stage. My skills are all over the place, while I struggle to coordinate them. 

Maybe some practice will fix this. Or maybe A LOT OF PRACTICE will fix this. Sigh/Again.

Now let me end the post on a positive note. Here's a warm up exercise I like.

This week my off-ice trainer, Miss Fitt, has me working on my turn out. This hasn't't yet translated  into improved skating skills, but it's nice to have every muscle in my legs aching in the pleasant 'I've had a workout' way.

One of her exercises is my new favorite.

Balance on one foot. Bring the free leg forward and do a rond de jambe attitude , then with the free leg in the back, rather than go en pointe, bend the balance leg deeply.  I've started doing this at the rink before skating to warm up my legs after my very brisk walk. It stretches the hip flexors and the knees in the same exercise. I do it 30 times each side.

Jan 7 Lesson: Canasta Tango Obstacle Course

It was Canasta Tango and Rhythm Blues today, on a midwinter public session. Coach will decide if I test in February, so I'm desperately laying down all the pieces preparatory to doing the dances. He's trailing after me, hurling imprecations about my swing rolls. I got no excuse for those; Apparently, I suffered a brain fart and switched my arms--Unbelievable!

I'm on an inside roll, when I pass near a kid. I don't touch him. I never get closer than two feet away. But apparently, I glared at him with my laser eyes.  If you had a Russian dance coach yelling at you, you'd use laser eyes too. The kid looks at me like a bunny and falls.

My laser eyes

Coach and I kind of glance back at him as we pass. He's up again. Man I wish I had knees like that. At my age, getting up from a fall involves some grunting and a small civil engineering team.

Sad too say, I've turned into one of those scary people on public ice that can pass within inches of other people on public and don't think anything about it.  Since I'm in dance patterns I'm down the sides a lot and not in the center and I pass close to a lot of people. And I look fast to them. I feel good about my skating when I'm on publics.

Unfortunately, on freestyle sessions, it's different. A week ago Dance Coach put me in the middle during a freestyle. "Should I be here in the middle? That girl's in program," I said. "She can skate around you," Dance Coach said. "I can skate around you," the girl said.  "She can skate around you," her coach said.

Great, I'm so slow I get a pity pass from Freestyle etiquette.

Freestyle hand of pity bursting the bubble of my skating ego

Favorite Skaters: Usova and Zhulin

The other day coach complimented me on my swing rolls (both sets of edges!). These seemed really simple when I started, but like other skating elements, as you learn them you discover there are hidden depths. There's the checking with the opposite shoulder, the pointing. of. the. toe, and the knee bend in a flow across the ice. Everything thing has to be timed correctly and you have to maintain a nice edge, good carriage, and power. It's taken me time to put everything together and get to the level of a competent beginner.

In reply to the compliment I said, "I'm channeling Maia Usova."  Pronouncing it the Dick Button way, u-SO-va.
Coach gave me a puzzled look. "Who?"

"Maia Usova, Usova and Zhulin."

Coach Frowny Face said "US-o-va."

What! Dick Button was wrong!

Anyway, these are my favorite skaters to watch for compulsory dances.  Here's my favorite one. Her expression is charming and full of life. His expression is typical Russian male--one of a long line of Frowny Faces. (Hate her dress though, it looks like a negligee'. It looks like it was designed solely with the intent of showing off her tuchus. But if you're a guy, enjoy.)

Those Choctaws and swing rolls and mohawks. Oh, My!

Love their whole presentation, the speed, the carriage and ultimately the ease they show in this dance. Zhulin just does a wonderful job at presenting Usova.

I miss the compulsory dances already. Ice dance is starting to look like adagio dancing with all the ugly extreme holds. The compulsories were what made ice dance a sport. Alas, now it's just judged entertainment.