Balancing...Tips? Tricks?

[SidraK]

I have foolishly committed to a duo with a friend for our upcoming Halloween Hafla which will involve balancing a beer bottle on my head. I found a 1 litre bottle that has a nice broad base and seems to have a good centre of gravity, but I'd appreciate any tips folks might have. I've been told that having some water in the bottom to give it weight is a good idea, but it strikes me that water might slosh and overbalance to bottle.

On the upside, my "tricky" part is only about 32 counts...

 

[~Diana~]

oh man you picked something that is crazy challenging. Its hard enough using a sword or platter with candles on it, let alone a bottle. All I can say is practice, practice, and practice like your life depends on it.

Balance all depends on the shape of the top of your head, the shape of the bottle (in your case), and the skill you developed and neck muscle strength (aka ability to turn your neck muscles into a shock absorber). There are probably ways to cheat balance though.

Regarding the water, I don't think they are talking about a lot maybe only a cm at most. I don't know the shape or size of the bottle or what movements you will be doing while it is on your head, but knowing the way water works any movement will cause it to shift which will impact the bottle. The more water the more momentum it can create.

 

[Marya]

"Secrets of balancingthinks on your head by Marya"

Use salt or sand in the bottle, not water. If you can, wear a rough fabric scarf (cotton, linen) on your head so that the bottle is not directly on your slippery hair. A wide headband would work too. wax the bottom of the beer bottle with bees wax in a thick rough layer so that the wax will grab the fabric and will keep it from sliding around.

The real trick is to have a flat head or to create one with turbans, hats or other devices.

Marya

 

[Shanazel]

Spray the hell out of the top of your head with the stickiest hairspray you can find (think cheap) and put bees wax on the bottom of the bottle as well.

How much of the beer in that bottle had you drunk when you agreed to this?

 

[maria_harlequin]

Insted of beeswax, try a little strip of sandpaper! A little trick I picked up from Princess Farhana and I never looked back. I used to use beeswax on my sword but then it started to get icky with my hair and grit getting stuck to it so I switched to using silver sandpaper. Works like a charm!

 

[PracticalDancer]

I agree with Maria! You do want whatever you balance to have a *slightly* rough, grippy texture, so it will hold to your hair. Then, to Marya's point, add a little weight that won't slosh around.

Then, practice! A LOT!

And, when you practice and when you perform, use the spotting technique. It is OK to disengage eye contact from your audience, pick something that is fixed (but, not a bright light that will leave you with spots in your eyes) to stare at. Then, if you want to really analyze it, use your lats to keep your shoulders out of your ears, keep your chest lifted, and realize that the secret to balancing is really the same secret of any isolation: using your muscles to "separate" the major sections of your body -- head, chest, hips, calves. This will take you far, dear!

Regards,

Anala

 

[SidraK]

Sadly, a scarf or turban isn't an option with the costume...we're aiming for a punk rock drunk aesthetic. But I will definitely use the hairspray/sandpaper trick. I'm finding that as long as I maintain a pretty low centre (knees more bent than I'm used to), I have a pretty good range of motion. Luckily I'm fairly flatheaded and tend to be an excellent balancer of swords and canes. My partner is a less experienced dancer and we've made our choreo quite challenging, mostly as it's so fast, so she gets to do some simple cane techniques with a pool cue while I'm trying to get the %&@$ thing balanced.

As an aside though... the Ramones make excellent dance music. Lots of shoulder shimmies and beledi hip drops ;-)

 

[BigJim]

Saturday the 23rd at the Exchange??? If so I'll have to make the trip to see how you make out.... Good Luck.... Jim

 

[SidraK]

Aigh! Pressure!

We'd be glad to have you, Jim. Of course, you're welcome to prep a choreo ;-)

 

[BigJim]

SidraK.... amazing job of pulling off the beer bottle on the head variation of balancing skills at the halfa last night... I knew it was coming but the rest of the audience didn't ... You really caught their attention and it was like WHOA>> SHE"S NOT REALLY GOING TO TRY THIS IS SHE... but you pulled it off and didn't spill a drop .... congrats

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

Oh -- is there video of this??? I'd love to see it!!

 

[SidraK]

*blush* Thanks, Jim. Actually, there was no drop to spill...the bottle was full of roofing nails for weight and candle wax to hold the nails in place so I could pretend to drink out of it at appropriate moments

Sadly, no video, but I'll see if I can add a photo from my teacher's facebook page.

BTW, I should also add that this was a first time for me to be performing original choreography...we made it ourselves!

 

[SidraK]

 

[Rania]

Spray the hell out of the top of your head with the stickiest hairspray you can find (think cheap) and put bees wax on the bottom of the bottle as well.

How much of the beer in that bottle had you drunk when you agreed to this?

I like that or velcro jk