COORDINATION:  REALITY CHECK
                         Ten Steps Toward Better Coordination
                                                   © Skippy Blair 7-07,  rev.10-07,  4-08

Another Skippy Blair Discovery of the Century!
(Now a permanent part of GSDTA Certified Training)

When I was teaching Motion Study Classes every Wednesday night (at Syncopations Studio in Bellflower, I was fascinated by the fact that a Dance Competitor who enrolled in Motion Study Classes, would, within two or three months, have moved up a level of dance and even started placing in competition.  My concern was for the handful of people that were NOT progressing.  I started experimenting to find the specific body mechanics that they were missing. 

It turned out, that they were all missing the same elements.  Body Flight is an essential element and cannot be achieved if certain body mechanics are missing. By concentrating on those missing elements, the next few months rescued three of the five who were not up to scratch. 

What developed from there was a series of Coordination Drills that, when accomplished, added an amazing increase in the level of individual dance expertise. 

It turned out that some of the same Coordination Skills that are tested in early childhood development, are the same "missing elements" in adult dance training.  When corrected, children at risk actually advance their academic ability.  When corrected in adult dance training, the same progress exists.

Any dancer working toward a higher skill level, can continually raise their level of performance, by drilling the skill techniques listed below.

 1.  Soft Shoe  -  “Flat & Toe Flat”  (Side to Side)  Movement Unit:  &a Down, &a Down  (Lilt)

2.  Truckin’  -   “Flat & Toe Fan Out”   (Single Tracking)   Movement Unit: &a Down, &a Down

3.  Contra-Body:  “&a Fwd  - & a Fwd”   (No Movement Unit)
            Foot:           &a Right  & a Left      
   Hip & Shldr Back: &a  Right  & a Left

4.  Lilt of the Samba - “Forward & Side Together- &a - Back & Side Together”  (Movement Unit: Dn-Dn)

5.  Rolling Triples -  “Flat & Toe Flat”  &a “Flat & Toe Flat”  (Down-Down Lilt)

6.  Camel Hip - ( Boogie Hip) - used in a "Shorty George"  - Weight Change takes place
      with the CPB directly over the Power Point of the weighted Foot (& Same Hip projected Out)

7.  Cuban Hip  -  Weight Change takes place with the same Hip and the CPB  directly 
      over the Power Point of the weighted Foot.  (Opposite Hip projected Outward)

8.  Controlled Hip  (Not Cuban, nor Camel) - Keep Hips connected to the CENTER.

9.  Being able to Count Rolling Count, (out loud) accenting the PULSE of the dance in
     question.  (Sound of the voice should flow like a Musical Rhythm Instrument)

10. Skipping   (Scoot of  the Skip is on the “a” count)  You may start skipping from a
       standing position, or start with the scoot, but the actual Skipping Unit is a:
               “Scoot Step & Scoot Step.”  -  The Movement Unit is:  "&a Down, &a Down" Lilt

This may seem like a very short list for such an expected step UP in performance. 
However, the information is based on many years of teaching, testing, critiquing,
and judging performances.  Most dancers, even the really good dancers, lack at least one,
if not two, of fundamental coordination skills.  Most would be hard to detect because
a select few dancers have already acquired so many coordination skills that things they need
to add are very few, and hard to recognize.  They don’t need MORE to be in the Top Twenty.

A Ballet Dancer only stays at the top of their field by doing BASIC DRILLS every single day.
 It is the BASICS that are the easiest to LOSE.  Fundamental moves, Foot Placements and Rhythms will
always need drilling, as long as you expect to stay at the TOP of your game.

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