Forums > Beginner Poi Moves > Tips for improving musical movement

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Jomember
517 posts
Location: Sheffield, England


Posted:
Hello,



Just thought I'd share a tip that I found improved my footwork/movement a hell of a lot, and see if anybody else has 'musical movement' tips to share? smile



Very simple. Will work at any level of technicality.



Sametime low turns (weave)

practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice.



Split-time low turns (weave)

practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice.



Then Butterflies.



Then repeat but with high turns.



Have a good tune on ubblove if you can and especially pay attention to:



WRISTS



FEET



biggrin



Oh, when you're done. WALLPLANES wink Very important - great base 'groove' because it allows easy, ahem, entry into many other moves/combos.



Jo. weavesmiley

EDITED_BY: Jo (1109288746)

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


KaelGotRiceGOLD Member
Basu gasu bakuhatsu - because sometimes buses explode
1,584 posts
Location: Angels Landing, USA


Posted:
I admit to walking in circles to the beat while doing poi and listening to music. Try wrapping on the beats of the song also.

It helps, honestly wink

To do: More Firedrums 08 video?

Wildfire/US East coast fire footage

LA/EDC glow/fire footage

Fresno fire


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Thanx Jo smile

But, how do you stop getting dizzy with all that turning?


It seems maybe I missed the mark with my [Old link]

Think I’ll give it a few more days, and see if I can move it to Technical. Then maybe collect all the dance threads under one heading. Any ideas???

weavesmiley

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


Jomember
517 posts
Location: Sheffield, England


Posted:
Stone mate, hope you're ok smile



Alcohol cancels out 'dizzyness' 'New Scientist - Aug 2004';)



sorry I missed that. I'm a bit of a newb round these parts again, but a thread that included 'dance' in the title should of stuck out like a sore thumb - sorry wink



I think the link is ok maybe if we do it both ways. But Mods?



Jo.
EDITED_BY: Jo (1109289048)

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
No problem Jo,



I really think I missed my target. Anyhow, we’ll extract those dance tips one way or another.



Personally, it helps me remember moves if they have a name.



Here are a few simple tips on facings.



Exit Stage Left – Take left leg behind right, and walk left.



Left About face – Pivot on left heel and support with right toe.





Cheers smile



PS: You want wrists?



See the Club Swinging Thread in Other Toys wink


EDITED_BY: Stone (1109293183)

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Hi Jo, I think I’ll slip this in here. wink

Long arm circles are good for turning.

Which, reminds me of this old exercise:

Long arm circles:
Start with outward full-arm circles, turn left and step into shoulder breaker wink take another step left to inward full arm circle (opposite to starting position), another step left for shoulder breaker, then left again for outward full arm circles in the starting position. Or you can just go straight from outward to inward circles. Or even do a 360. Try turning the other way.

Same with hip circles:
Start with outward hip circles (un-crossed outward butterfly) and then start alternating the poi. One poi behind, and one in-front. Now, when you left poi goes behind try turning your trunk to the right (or even better, step to the right). oth poi should be at hip level, a little out from the body going in opposite directions, creating little wheels.

Then take another step to the right, and you go into the alternating hip circles for a few beats. Then right again for the wheels, and then back to where you started. Fairly basic, but there are of variations, and you can do em all day.

smile

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
i like referring to turns using skate/snowboarding terminology cos it makes me look cooler tongue



i think backside turns look nicer than frontside when spinning poi (eg. left leg behind right and turn 180 degrees - that's a backside turn).



they're even better if you pre-empt (sp?) the need to turn - i.e. you turn before you get to the part of the move that forces you to turn - it gives the effect of you leading the poi rather than the other way round (which is imho an overused style).



damn - i think i just described the two most integral components of my spinning style umm



hopefully there's more stuff i do that i don't know about... wink





cole. x



p.s. if you don't feel an inclination to learn poi 'dr klaus style' (where every poi beat coincides with the beat of the music), if you keep your footsteps and turns in time that should be all you really need to look like you know whats going on wink



p.p.s. for jo - i just finished editing my first video to 'brand new funk' - coming soon... biggrin
EDITED_BY: coleman (1109596021)

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


StoutBRONZE Member
Pooh-Bah
1,872 posts
Location: Canada


Posted:
errrrrr,,,,what's a shoulder breaker?? Stone ,,are you describing a giant butterfly then a 90 degree turn into a "butterfly flower"( or a giant one arm going one way, the other arm going the other way, where they meet ,,arms fully extended above your head),, then a further 90 degree turn into a reverse giant butterfly?

I find the simple combinations of high/low turns is the pattern people most want me to teach them seconded only by things like the four beat corkscrew.

I find the low turn a great move to go into from the five beat weave. I'll usually do a couple of same time high low turns, turning 180 degrees with each turn , maybe interrupt the pattern with a high turn to same time between the legs stall then either/or continue with the same high/low turns in split time, or turn 90 degrees and keep them up but doing them to either side of my body.

high/low turns in split time,,,stop after a high turn,, alternate one poi in front of your body the other behind for a few beats before lifting the whole pattern straight up into the windmill,,,,drop it back down to hip level,,,continue with split time high low turns.

I've never heard the term "backside turn" before, but I do turn like that quite often, one thing I found by slowing down my spinning was that I wasn't stepping enough to the side when I put one leg behind the other, I was tending to end up with my feet in a straight line after the turn which led to balance issues. One thing I like about this turn is you pivot on both feet, as opposed to a regular turn where you only pivot on one foot, but I'm going to keep my options open.

I find playing with the speed of the poi can affect turns too. Same high/low turn combos, but mix up the way you turn, sometimes "pre empt" the turn sometimes turn following the poi.

I find extending my arms after one of these turns is fun too say ,,,a high turn then fully extend my arms ,,, bringing both poi down in front of my body,, stepping out to the side with the leg opposite the side that the poi are comming from,,,and stretching out into a same time stall wayyy out to the side.

Now this all made sense to me as I was writing it, I'll be interesting when I come back in a few hours to see if it still makes sense..

NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
Cole, can you reexplain a backside turn? Which way are you actually turning 180 degrees?

This would totally help my SSX 3 tricks as well... wink

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
if the front of your body faces the direction you are turning in, thats a frontside turn.

or

looking from above:

frontside: plant your right foot and rotate clockwise about it
backside: plant your left foot and rotate clockwise about it

or

if you can see which way you're turning towards as you turn, its most likely frontside.
if it feels like you're turning 'backwards', its probably backside.


cole. x

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


mcpPLATINUM Member
Flying Water Muppet
5,276 posts
Location: Edin-borrow., United Kingdom


Posted:
Wow, I'd never thought about it like that. Thanks cole!

Technically now I should go and reengineer all the descriptions in my staff uber master work. Gosh darn it.

"the now legendary" - Kaskade
"the still legendary" - Kaskade

I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.


Jomember
517 posts
Location: Sheffield, England


Posted:
Coleman - Brand New Funk?

You're a bad, bad man. smile

Jo.

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Stout, yes giant one arm going one way, the other arm going. Which reminds me I haven’t done low/high turns for ages. Lately I’ve been doing parallel shoulder and hip circles, then going one up (shoulder high) one down (hip level) and practicing turns. Me hopes this will get me ready for flowers.

Thanks cole, Inspirational as ever smile

Look forward to the Video to Brand New Funk video

U ta man

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Stout, yes giant one arm going one way, the other arm going. Which reminds me I haven’t done low/high turns for ages. Lately I’ve been doing parallel shoulder and hip circles, then going one up (shoulder high) one down (hip level) and practicing turns. Me hopes this will get me ready for flowers.

Thanks cole, Inspirational as ever smile

Look forward to the Video to Brand New Funk video

u ta man cool

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


MikeIconGOLD Member
Pooh-Bah
2,109 posts
Location: Philadelphia, PA - USA


Posted:
I dont really pay attention to the timing/beats of music when spinning. I find that slight changes in your spinning along with changes in the music makes a bigger impact. For instance, if you go from split time to parallel when a beat is dropped from the music.

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me


StoutBRONZE Member
Pooh-Bah
1,872 posts
Location: Canada


Posted:
Shoulder breaker,,,gotcha,,apropos name.

I found that practicing flowers with one poi really helped, especially when it came to working on that "weak spot" behind you. try forwards and backwards, regular and antispin. The one poi method helps with plane control too which is crucial when you go to turn these things. I still have footwork issues when turning flowers, so I currently walk forward a little while doing it.

I can't turn an anti spin flower, but then I'm not really working on it. One thing I found interesting is...do a regular forward spinning flower, one or two rotations, and when one hand is up high , and the other at hip level,,,,stop rotating your arms for a beat or two, then continue but using antispin.

I can't say I'm all that fussed about keeping up to the beats of a song either, I find it rather restrictive, and if I try to keep up with a fast song, well it works ok in patterns like the windmill,, but if I try turning flowers that fast ,,,yikes

Jomember
517 posts
Location: Sheffield, England


Posted:
Variety is the spice of life..... smile



I really like a lot of the ideas people have had on turns. I really think it's important to vairy things as much as possible.



The same thing applies with timings. I generally have the following musical timing styles, which I mix as I please to the music: (nice one Cole hug )



1: beat for beat.



Advantages: body movement and spinning appearance will inherently be nicely in time. Great for simple 'choppy' looking moves.



Disadvantages: Moves / combos must work within the musical time signature (4/4 usually) to be compatible. Can be too fast for some moves, or artistically restrictive.





2: step for beat



Advantages: great for in-time kick turning, and in-time 'side swapping' of moves. Can rock out well and change the speed of the poi nicely with this timing.



Disadvantages: often the poi are going too fast to execute a full move range, and move selection / move timing needs to be kept in mind.





3: SLOW (slow appearing, not necessarily slow poi)



Advantages: good for multibeat and highly technical moves. Can use either of the above timings (or just the moves) to create nice effects for 'buildups' in tunes. Great for exagerating artistic/dance movement too due to the extra time to think and move.



Disadvantages: Can be difficult to keep looking 'fresh' for a long buildup. Sometimes nice to keep breaking the odd fast step or move in there to keep it interesting.



Any more?



Jo. smile
EDITED_BY: Jo (1109794525)

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
hi stout, someone (brendan?) gave me this footwork tip, I think it’s for flowers; doesn’t matter anyhow.



When walking along a line for example, you have one poi high and one low. As you walk the low poi is at crutch level, keep walking turn 180 degree and bring the high poi down so it’s now at crutch level. Keep turning (180 degrees) bringing the high one down as you turn. Hope that makes sense smile



You can beet a beat. There is pleasure in club swinging, especially when accompanied by good music. Mr Schatz suggests that it is best to have the exercise consist of eight counts smile



PS: Don’t forget the tuck turn and horizontals. Just remembered, sometimes for fun when going from low to high turns, I stick the one poi b/t my legs, and take both poi up for the high turn.



cheers
EDITED_BY: Stone (1109918678)

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


Jomember
517 posts
Location: Sheffield, England


Posted:
Urm, just thought of another nice musical timing:



4. Speeeed changes



Poi speed changes in tune with the spirit of the song. For example mixing between:

1 beat (poi) for 2 beats music

1 beat (poi) for 1 beats music

2 beat (poi) for 1 beats music



Advantages: looks great as a change from 'same speed' spinning. Very 'musical' looking - body movement and spinning appearance will inherently be nicely in time.



Disadvantages: Musical concentration required (can be subconciously though with practice of course). Difficult to execute a full move range - best for easy stuff.



Jo. smile
EDITED_BY: Jo (1109947280)

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


PoiElfBRONZE Member
newbie
19 posts
Location: Leicesthershire, England


Posted:
Hey!
Does anyone know a move called Angel Wings?
I've heard about through a friend, but niether of us can work out how to do it. It has a 'slap down', a crossover and two wrist twists in it. If anyone has any idea about it let meknow please!
Helz

"Mmm... I'm sure I had a tail this moring, now I've got legs!"


PoiElfBRONZE Member
newbie
19 posts
Location: Leicesthershire, England


Posted:
Hey!
I'm a dancers, so most of the poi I do is with music and quite 'dancey'. The tips i would give would just be change moves when teh music changes and you don't have to really fancy moves for it to look impressive, if you can move with the poi and lahave stage presence it will look brill if you just do weave! If anyone interrested, icould e-mail a vidie of dance/poi piece me and my friend made up, we perform it on all kinds of gigs, with glow poi and sonic stars, depending on the time of day.

Helz

"Mmm... I'm sure I had a tail this moring, now I've got legs!"



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