I hear people frequently asking questions such as "what move should I learn next" or "how do you do _______(move)." Now I would just like to tell you all: It's not what moves you know, it's how you use what you know. Yes, it's all fine and dandy to know hundreds of moves, but if you don't know how to put it all together into a good show that looks entertaining to an audience, what have you really accomplished? There are three main ways to improve your performances: body movement, planes and speed.
Here's the honest truth....most people (especially non-stringers) would rather see a technically basic (beginner moves) show where the performer really gets into it than to watch a really technical performance with the stringer standing more or less still. Stringing/poi are all about dancing so rock that shit out! Don't be afraid to turn, move back/forth/front/back, spin, bend down, lean back and jump. Once you learn a move, try to find ways to move around while doing it and to move your body around the strings so that it doesn't inhibit the spin, but augments the performance. Be sure to get your lower body in on the fun (cause otherwise it gets jealous of your torso/arms that get all the attention!). Jump up, kick your legs out, bend em or move around.
Planes are one of the most important part of performance technique. (For those of you who don't know any geometry, I'm not referring to those things that fly in the air. A plane is an imaginary flat surface that contains points in space...the surface travels outward in all directions without limit) Basically, you will want to choose one direction in front of you to be considered 'the audience' even if there are people in all directions. When doing a vid, this is easy, cause the camera determines it for you. Once you have this direction decided, make sure to spin all of your moves/wraps (with corkscrews as the only exceptions) so that the imaginary walls you are spinning in are perpendicular to the 'audience.' This enables the viewer to see entire circles of light rather than rising/falling lights as would be viewed if you were to face them directly when doing, say, a weave. To keep the planes correct, you will need to practice your hand motions to gain control (especially for BTB moves) in various positions. Utilize mirrors. They are the greatest tool to learning plane control. Also, realize that to keep your planes in the correct orientation, you may not be facing the audience for certain moves (unless you turn your body to put them in wallplanes). For example, the weaves will be done facing 90 degrees away from the audience, but butterflies or windmills you will be fully facing the viewer. Although these imaginary walls you spin in should be very rigid and stationary (they can move with you toward/away from the audience keeping the same orientation, but should never turn), you still need to incorporate the body movements suggested above...DON'T BE A STATUE! I realize the places many of you (and myself) practice/film in are somewhat limiting in terms of height and space around you. I always found spinning in confined spaces was beneficial in helping me learn control of my planes and arm reaches. Use this to your advantage, but when you are in another location without limitations, really take advantage of it!
Now to discuss speed. I'm not referring to overall speed (although choosing the correct speed for your style and the music you are spinning to is important), but rather, the dynamics/variations in speed. Consistency is important, but to make your spinning look more interesting, alter your speed. Go hard and fast for a few cycles, then slow way down. Work with the music and change speeds/style for certain melodies/chorus. There are two timings for spinning: regular timing and split-timing. Use both of them...pretty much every move can be done with both, so learn both timings for moves and try to toss some variations in timing into your performance. Example: do a few cycles of a butterfly with regular timing, then switch to split-time. Moreover, you can try some poly-timing. This refers to having one hand do extra rotations compared to the other hand. This may not work well for every move, but there are many occasions this can be utilized. I especially like to mess with this one when my arms are spinning at my sides (for doing flowers or something like that). I'll have one arm spin twice for one larger rotation of the other arm. Altering your timing will help add contrast and a dynamic nature to your spinning, making it much more interesting to watch.
All in all, use these three methods to take your spinning to the next level. Maybe even put off learning new moves for a day or two and just work on these things if you don't very often. Then, when you learn new moves, really crack down on things like planes and body motions till you can get them worked out. I don't consider any move 'learned' in my eyes until I have it down all the time with good planes. If you take note of these three simple things, you can really revolutionize your routines and improve your performances.
PS...sorry for the novel...hope it helps someone
Performance Techniques -
04-28-08, 01:33 AM
Linear Mode
