[liliananolan]

Hey everyone!! I'm trying to get certified for Body Step and got a question: when doing the DVD's do you have to mirror the presenters (say, they start with their left leg, so you start with your left leg too?) And when teaching, do you have to teach facing the class and using your other leg/side so that your participants will use the correct leg? (E.g.:if a movement starts with the left side, so I have to do it with the right side so that the participants will do it with the left side?)

When participating in classes, as my instructor faced us he did the moves with HIS right side so we did them with OUR left side, got it? Hope someone can help, thanks!!

[Mel]

You always face the participant and do the opposite to the leg they are doing, so you would queue with the instruction "right leg" for your participants and then do the left yourself.

I once launched a bodybalance class who not only queued her own leg, but also started on the wrong leg......it was horrible to try and follow her!

Also, the DVD's are reversed (you'll see a notice that says this at the start of the dvd). This is to assist learning, so you would still mirror the DVD aswell.

Hope that helps?

[liliananolan]

Mel, on 08 January 2012 - 07:03 AM, said:

You always face the participant and do the opposite to the leg they are doing, so you would queue with the instruction "right leg" for your participants and then do the left yourself.

I once launched a bodybalance class who not only queued her own leg, but also started on the wrong leg......it was horrible to try and follow her!

Also, the DVD's are reversed (you'll see a notice that says this at the start of the dvd). This is to assist learning, so you would still mirror the DVD aswell.

Hope that helps?

Thanks a lot it really does!!! Now I get it! So, what I have to do is tell my participants to do the move with their right leg but do the step myself with my left leg....And when practicing with the DVDS I have to do the move mirroring the presenters, right?

One thing does make me wonder, though is the following: I was practicing from an old release, 65, and I noticed that the presenters went to the left side of their step (which would be OUR right side) and instructed to go to the left side of the step....and when Mr. Mark is doing the walking push-ups, he moves his right arm first, for example, and instructs the participants to do the same, when he should be directing to open the left arm first.... that gets me a little confused....

[Mel]

hmmm, I don't do step, so I can't check the video, but are you sure the camera wasn't panning from behind? That totally messes up the left and right thing. You have to wait for a front "mirror" view.

[gepl]

liliananolan, on 08 January 2012 - 03:54 PM, said:

And when practicing with the DVDS I have to do the move mirroring the presenters, right?

Yes.

liliananolan, on 08 January 2012 - 03:54 PM, said:

One thing does make me wonder, though is the following: I was practicing from an old release, 65, and I noticed that the presenters went to the left side of their step (which would be OUR right side) and instructed to go to the left side of the step....and when Mr. Mark is doing the walking push-ups, he moves his right arm first, for example, and instructs the participants to do the same, when he should be directing to open the left arm first.... that gets me a little confused....

You always mirror the DVD unless the choreo notes say differently (i.e. choreo error on DVD, follow the notes). Sometimes the track is choreographed differently and you start on the right side of the step (participant's left side)...

This post has been edited by gepl: 11 January 2012 - 01:58 PM

[liliananolan]

gepl, on 11 January 2012 - 01:52 PM, said:

Yes.


You always mirror the DVD unless the choreo notes say differently (i.e. choreo error on DVD, follow the notes). Sometimes the track is choreographed differently and you start on the right side of the step (participant's left side)...

Thanks!! Well, I guess I'll just do this: do the DVD mirroring the presenters and when instructing, do everything with the opposite leg from the participants. BUT if the choreo notes say that I have to do one move (say a 3-knee repeater) with the left leg so that means the participants should do it with the leg left and I (when teaching) should do it with the right leg, right?

[gepl]

liliananolan, on 15 January 2012 - 06:30 PM, said:

BUT if the choreo notes say that I have to do one move (say a 3-knee repeater) with the left leg so that means the participants should do it with the leg left and I (when teaching) should do it with the right leg, right?

Wrong! If the notes say left leg, it means your left leg (participant's right). When unsure, go with the video...

[Mel]

NO! liliananolan is correct! The notes say which leg the instructor should be doing.

Personally I always thought this was illogical and the notes should state what we should be "cueing" NOT "doing". I even sent feedback to the powers that be on this, but was told that such a major change like that would affect so many people that it would have to be investigated, researched, blah blah.

The way I teach, I don't ever "think" about what leg I'm doing, I think about what I should be cueing, so when I read the notes it really annoys me that I have to reverse it in my head. That's not so bad for programs like pump, attack or combat, but balance can sometimes really mess with you:

"put your left leg across the right leg, right hand to left shoulder, rotate left slightly and look at your left foot"

.......sooooooo, would that be to my left or right? or their right? oh screw it....

[gepl]

Mel, on 18 January 2012 - 11:23 AM, said:

NO! liliananolan is correct! The notes say which leg the instructor should be doing.

Hmm, actually I said that.

[Mel]

oh dear {shakes head} ........sorry! yeah gepl had it the right way around.

[liliananolan]

Oh well now I know how to cue... I think it's actually pretty neat that they should do it that way... I remember when I was practicing to get my liscense as an instructor. I learned the steps like a student so it was pretty hard when I actually had to teach... It was like having to learn the steps all over again and I always had to keep in mind not to start with my right leg... So I could coach correctly! The way they do with Body Step is better in a way. You already learn the steps the way you are going to teach and it's harder to mess up.

Anyway as the programs are perfectly symetric that is to say everything you do with one leg you must do with the other, all in all it's not such a big deal...you always end up doing the same thing right and left and that is the most important thing to keep the program safe and effective