A QUESTION ABOUT AN ICE-DANCE MOVE

FSWer

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Say,this question came to me...AND I WAS wondering about this? The move in Ice-Dance,were the Guy holds the Girl down in a Layback,with one of her Legs down on the Ice,and the other strieght out...Does anyone know if THAT can be done in REVERSE? A Girl holding a GUY down a Layback? Is it possible for a MAN to do it?
 

kwanfan1818

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It could, especially as an ending pose, where the supporting (standing) person doesn't have to worry about balancing while moving. In that position, which is type of layback position, although it may be called something else, the woman is helping the man by using her back and core muscles to hold her body strongly, not just letting her weight fall on him.

You know how when you hold a full bag of sugar, it's compact, and you can get your hands under it to lift it? That's a bit like what a woman is doing with her muscles, to make her body easier to hold. If you dumped that sugar out into a big plastic bag (and closed it tightly), and then tried to hold it from underneath, it would be all gushy, floppy, and hard to hold in one place, and it would feel heavier, too. That's what happens when a women doesn't hold herself with her muscles and just sinks backwards.

So if a man were able to hold his muscles properly, and had enough flexibility in his back to bend backwards, with practice, he could be the one in the layback. Dancers practice moves like that on a floor, like a dance studio, before they try it on the ice.
 

FSWer

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Say,how would an Ice-Dancer even get the grip to lift a Partner like that while gliding,without a delay between Gliding and Lifting?
 

kwanfan1818

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Lots and lots of practice before they start gliding :)

If you look closely, there usually is a small pause while the man sets up for lifts. (Or the woman, like when Faiella and Scali or Anissina and Peizerat did "reverse lifts", which is what they call a lift when a woman lifts a man.) If they are moving, the woman might bend her knees to "jump" into a lift, like she's does in ballet -- it's usually a small jump in ice dance -- and the man usually bends his knees and places his hands properly. Like when you bend your knees to lift a heavy box so that your legs help you, instead of bending over and trying to lift it just with your back and arms.

When the lift is the same or similar to one that people have been doing for a long time, the coach or choreographer can usually tell the couple where to put their hands to make it work, and they usually have enough experience to know what works for them. They might adjust, like place their hands higher or lower, or more forward or more back. If it's a brand new lift, they practice different things off-ice on a dance floor, until they find something that works for them, usually working with a coach or choreographer.
 

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