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Telemark Talk
By Brent & Judy Moore
Let’s talk telemarks. In our manual,
there are a dozen or more described telemark figures (three do not
use the “tele” prefix but are part of the family) and as we know,
there are several others lurking about in choreography that are not
described directly and probably some that none of us have heard about
as yet. Even though we will not be able to examine all the telemarks
in this article, we will consider the fundamental concepts that this
family of figures share and some of the nuances in technique that
make them different. We will also look at things to look for in how
well we perform these actions and offer some tips on how to improve
your telemark family of figures.
We can group telemarks into two types .
. . those that turn left (most) and those that turn right (a few).
Fundamental telemarks can be danced from closed or sidecar positions
for left turning telemarks and closed and banjo positions for right
turning telemarks. They share common actions and some differences as
well. Below are some of the figures that we place in the telemark
family.
Left turning telemarks: open
telemark (Phase IV), closed telemark (Phase IV), telespin to closed
(Phase VI), telepspin to semi (Phase VI), telepspin to banjo (Phase
VI),double telemark (Phase VI), mini-telespin (Phase V), teleronde
(Phase VI), telefeather (Phase VI), quick telemark (unphased),
triple telemark (unphased), telespin ending (unphased).
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Right turning telemarks: natural
telemark (Phase V), natural hover cross (Phase V), continuous hover
cross (Phase VI), traveling hover cross (Phase VI), double natural
telemark (unphased).
First, the fundamental concept behind
any and all telemark figures is that they are heel turns for the lady
and as such are, no matter the rhythm, technically foxtrot figures .
. . that is, they are danced with early rise for the man. This action
in theory blocks the lady’s rise and forces her to turn on the heel
of the back stepping foot. As the man swings by the lady, he clears
the block and allows her to rise. This late rise is characteristic of
the one on the inside of any heel turn.
Another concept with telemarks (and all
turning figures for that matter) is maintaining the counterbalance
that is needed to facilitate smooth and unified movement. This is an
issue for some dancers and is usually related to where the head
weight is carried. Men tend to look at the partner in turns and this
action destroys counterbalance. Men must keep their heads well to the
left in all these turns. Ladies too can upset the counterbalance by
allowing their heads to center over the body in the turn and to let
it come forward when in semi-closed positions.
Part of maintaining counterbalance in
turns includes sway. The manual describes it as a stretching of the
side opposite the turn. We find this concept to be much misunderstood
and mis-danced. The classical definition of sway is the inclination
of the body from the ankle upward away from the moving foot. In
reality, sides are never stretched . . . they maintain the same
length and tone all the time. A better approach is to examine the
elevation of the hips relative to each other. If you think of
swinging the hip opposite the turn upward, you achieve sway and it
helps maintain counterbalance. Side stretching leads to distortion of
the body line and loss of connection with the partner.
Rotational speed and constancy are also
areas that need to be examined. A general guide is that you rotate at
a speed that the partner can follow and, once you start the turning
action, you maintain the same rate across the turn. This is
especially important in the telespin group where you have a good bit
of rotation to achieve. Many times there is a tendency to turn fast,
pause and turn fast again in this group of figures. Try thinking of
the tips of the elbows turning at the same rate until all the turning
is complete.
Exiting rotation is the next area in
which problems occur. The tendency is to fall out of the turn, and
the greatest problems happen when the exit is to semi-closed
position. When exiting a telemark family in semi, two things should
happen: the upper body should stop rotation early and the lower body
(hips) continues the turn a little bit more so that the bodies retain
their connection and counterbalance and the feet are placed to
facilitate the next step. An additional concept is to think of the
hips and head being connected . . . it really assists the
counterbalance. Care should also be taken in head positions for both
man and lady. The tendency is to allow the spine to tilt forward
which brings the heads forward. When landing in semi on the man’s
left (lady’s right) think proud left side to keep the spine
vertical which keeps the head back.
Let’s take a quick look at turning
action itself that applies to all turns. All turns start with a
commencement of turn in the body while on the standing foot. On left
turns the first step is taken forward in the direction of the
supporting foot which momentarily creates a slight contra position
between the body & foot. On right turns, the first step is taken
at an angle to the supporting foot in alignment with the body. If you
measure turn by the change in foot alignment, that makes the left
turns late (turn happens after weight is on the foot) and right turns
early (turn is made before weight is on the foot).
Now for a brief look at some figures
and the little things that happen in each --
The above actions describe the basic
actions needed for the open and closed telemark. Make sure that foot
turn is not occurring on step one. If more turn is needed, think of
stepping a little wider (to the partner’s elbow) but not allowing
the foot to turn. Ensure that the man is swinging past rather than
around the lady and check your finishing positions, including spine,
head, and hip alignments. On telespins, look to make sure there is
constant rotation throughout the turn and make sure the man has
placed the foot side and back to open the door for the lady. There is
a definite tendency for men to stop rotation when they point the left
foot back, which forces too quick a turn as they restart the turning
action. Be careful too not to look at the lady as you point the left
foot; this stops the turning as well and causes loss of
counterbalance.
The standard natural telemark has 3/4
turn and lowering at the end of the third weight change; however,
when using that action in a hover cross or continuous hover cross,
the turn is greater (almost one full turn), and there is no lowering
on step three. On a double natural telemark, even though there is the
overturn of the natural telemark, there will be lowering on step
three. Another trap for dancers on the double natural telemark and
continuous hover telemark is step four; the man keeps his body
rotating but slightly delays his fourth step to allow the lady to
move in front of him. Stepping too early blocks the lady and
momentarily stops the turn.
The double telemark is probably one of
the most difficult in this series because of the difficulty in
getting the over turn of the telemark (7/8 rather than 3/4) and being
in a good semi-closed for the pickup on the thru step. Head weight
here is critical; also there is a strong tendency to not lower well
at the end of the first telemark. Another issue is trying to pick the
lady up too quickly. Remember the rate of turn starts after the thru
step is taken and is steady. A source of this problem goes back to
our old way of counting the step timing (123;&123). Not only is
this musically incorrect, it leads to snatching the pickup action.
The revised timing now in the manual encourages a better thru step
(123;1&23). An acceptable alternate timing does this as well
(123;12&3).
These tips address the most common
telemarks that we encounter. Hopefully they can provide a guide for
your dancing of this family of figures. A summery of the key points:
realize they are heel turns (early rise for man); swing the hip
upward to create swing, thus sway; dance past, not around, the lady;
watch your head positions; maintain continuous rotation once it
starts; be aware of those figures where you lower in the middle of
the action and those figures where you don’t; and strive to
maintain counterbalance and connection
This
article is based on clinic notes published for the Roundalab annual
convention, 2007; published in the Dixie Round Dance Council (DRDC) Newsletter, April 2012.
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