"Dear Edie..."    Page Forty

Why are the guys no longer multiple-spinning us to the left anymore?  We need some balance guys!!! Give us a BREAK!!! Guys, give us some multiples to the LEFT for a change!!! (pretty please... with sugar on top? ... as she bats her big brown eyelashes...)

"Dear Edie,
I've been dancing for 3 years, one year Cuban and 2 years LA style in Melbourne - Australia - I haven't up till now had a dance partner to practice with and have been doing so for the past 2 months. I have in the past put routines together and have taught basic beginners and Hip Hop funk.

My partner and I just recently I had a private with an international instructor. The private was great - however he taught me the New York prep - which was great but now I'm a little confused - should we still use the New York prep and spin on 3 or 5?? I know you advise this prep may cause pains in your hips as you are winding up like a 'rubber band' - currently I am preparing on 1,2, holding the 3 and being spun on 5 - does this sound correct.  - Confused

Dear Confused,
You can spin on 5, prepping on 4, but normally you will do the prep I discuss in my Spins DVD for "On-One" dancing. You can use the NY prep for multiple spins, but with extreme caution, and prepping on counts 2 or 3, depending on how many spins your partner wants to give you.

Yes Ms. Confused, for multiple right turns, that type of prep will kill your right hip after a few months if you keep your right foot pointed to the right at an angle prior to the spin.  It did mine, but thank God I fixed the problem before it got worse. 

It took a year and a half of study and questions.  Whenever I traveled, where ever I went... I went to the top female dancers in the world, in over 20 countries last year, and interviewed each one them.  Bought them coffee, stopped them in hallways, caught them in the restroom... WHERE EVER.  I didn't care.  I watched their prep... I analyzed it... people thought I was crazy.  They thought I was OBSESSED.  I even did a complete analysis on a bus to an event in Korea.

Let me tell you something.  If this pain was hurting them, ANYTHING like it was hurting me, I was going to find out why, and how to prevent it. 

I consider myself to be an Ambassador of this dance, keeping it alive, thriving, growing, etc, etc... it is my responsibility as an instructor to make sure my students are taught correctly and in a HEALTHY fashion.  It is the responsibility of the instructor to watch out for their students.  I took that on with a vengeance.  I didn't want the girls suffering like I was.

Let me tell you about the pain.  Each night seconds before they fall asleep, and when they finally relax... a surge of pain shoots up their hip and wakes them up in excruciating pain... some of us cried ourselves to sleep at night - AND I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE.  Male partners of these women admitted these stories.  

I thought
I was just getting old. 

Ha! 
Give me a Break.

When I found out a 24-year old was going through the same thing... my mission began.  I was DETERMINED to find a solution as to "why" this was happening to Salsa dancers all over the world. 

If you are using that prep, and are now addicted to it, and can't stop (like me), for multiple right turns, make sure your right foot faces the exact same direction as your hips.

Let me explain.  At the prepping point both feet must turn slightly left prior to a right-multiple-spin.

Why are the guys no longer multiple-spinning us to the left anymore?  We need some balance guys!!!
Give us a BREAK!!!

Remember, there is NOTHING WORSE than an injury in Salsa. Many NY style female dancers are secretly suffering from hip pain because of this type of prep.

"Dear Edie,
One of the hardest things that I am having trouble with is staying in the slot after I spin. Balance is a very hard thing for me to achieve. I've been dancing for about 4 months now and I feel like I will never get the hang of it. What do you recommend for me to do to help me with this problem? Help!!"

Dear "Help!" 
Try dragging both feet around during the spin…. Don’t lift up the non-spinning leg. So, if you’re doing a Cross Body Lead (CBL), the majority of your weight should be on your left leg, so, drag your right toe on the floor during the spin, and when you need to stop, reach your arms out toward your partner, while dragging your feet. The entire time, if you drag both of your feet on the floor, softly, you will find your balance much more stable.

Give that a shot, and let me know how it goes!