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Icing

It's always interesting dropping in on beginners classes because with far more expanded vocabulary, a key understanding of what works and what wasn't and all the sufferings and experiences you've gone through in crafting the final, somewhat balanced you for now, you can see how trying to transmit this to fresh slates reflects on a teachers craft. What better way to test your own understanding then in trying to teach?

A far more technical class than I have ever encountered on the fine art of presenting an intent and where to put your arms. Take all the rules, learn them. Then break them all. As long as it works :).

On the Beat
- Movement is required to arrive to a place, if you want to get to your right leg by the fourth beat, you already have to start the momentum moving BEFORE the fourth beat. If you are still thinking about this concept by the third beat, you're probably too late.

The Compression
- Send the intent forward, followers will have to respond by extension, before the transfer of weight.

The Intent (Shopping Cart)
- The shopping cart is what you're pushing through the supermarket. You do not walk the cart, you walk yourself and as long as you keep a frame, the cart is always the same distance away. So as a lead, send the intent and move YOURSELF. Don't worry about the follower, she is taking care of herself.
- You are keeping an imaginary intent, aided by breathing and swelling of the chest. This is what creates space between you and the follower.

The Embrace
- For followers, the groove below the elbow bone allows a spot for connection which means that hands are not involved and pushing and shoving is not involved. Practice connecting with this point and energy upward rather than downward, do not compress. This groove also determines where the rest of your hands eventually rest, rather than the opposite. You do not put wallpaper by sticking the corners then smoothing to the middle.
- The guy offers the embrace with the left hand at a comfortable height (use common sense when it comes to followers height), angle of hand is that which suits the lead and there is a spot where your hand is comfortable and no muscles are tense and you could technically hold the arm there for hours and it would be fine. Find this sweet spot.
- The right hand finds the follower near the shoulder blade

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