Turning & Spotting in Traditional Mexican Dance

Video Transcript

We're talking about Mexican folkorico dance. My name is Aleli Montano. We're specifically talking about turning and spotting which is very, very important. In Mexican folkorico dance you turn a lot, so therefore you need to use your spotting properly. Spotting is very easy, it's very fun too. You can try it. It's basically wherever you are turning, your head need to go back to that. Say you're the audience. We're turning front, so you would want to turn. Keep your eyes in a focus. Choose a spot up front. Whatever a window, whatever you're seeing, and make sure your head stays there as long as possible moving your body and then switching your head back to that spot that you chose. It could be either side, left to right. You really want to keep your head there and go back to the spot. If you're turning to the side it would be the same thing. Turning to the side, to the other, turning to the side. Sometimes in faster dances you would start turning front, but then you would need to turn to the side. Then your spot changes to where you want to end your step or where you're going to start your next step. For instance, say you're going to do 2 turns front. You're turning once, you're turning twice, then you're turning side, and then you're going to step there. Okay. Once again, spotting, very important. That will keep your balance so you don't get dizzy. It will keep the movement in a single, simple, clear line of what you're doing, and you're just going to have fun spotting. Keep your head in the spot and turn your head. That could go as quick as you want it to be. That's spotting. My name is Aleli Montano and we're going to talk a little bit more about the use of your torso with your skirt. We have already talked about spotting, which makes you keep a spot up front. We talked about the basic use of your arms, which would be keeping your elbows up as you forward your skirt, as you forward your arm. It's really important as you continue to practice Mexican folkorico dance that you remember that you have 2 arms at all times. It's very typical for people to start moving one arm and then forgetting about the back arm. You really need to make sure you keep the back arm up. We're using our torso as we said before from side to side or forward or forward that you keep your back arm up. That's going to keep an even line on your performance, on your skirt, on your dancing. We're doing this. You want to keep your torso moving. The more you can lean down into your waist, the prettier it would look. Keep your arms up. If you are using a spotting, don't forget your arms and to really lean into your torso. Okay, thank you.

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