counting steps

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Footprints in the Snow: Art by Snowshoes

footprints in the snow art

Simon Beck takes playing in the snow to an extreme.  “It just seemed like a natural thing to do,” Beck says. “Right outside the building where I live in the winter, there’s a frozen lake about two-thirds the area of a soccer field. So you’ve got this great big area of completely untracked snow, which people don’t usually go on because of warnings about walking on the ice. I just thought, let’s draw something on it.” … With snowshoes.

Though Beck created the first designs in his head, as they got more complex, he started planning them out in detail on paper. He studies crop circles and other geometric patterns as inspiration. Out on the lake, he might count his steps or use string to measure angles, or, if a previous design is still peeking through the snow, he’ll use that as a template. The whole process usually takes about ten hours.

Beck likes to work on Lac Marlou, near his apartment in the French Alps, in part because a nearby mountain gives him a good place to take photos when he’s done. But the mountain also casts shadows on the snow, making it hard to get exactly the shot he wants. His next plan: Buy a drone, so he can fly a camera above a different lake. The local ski resort likes the snow art. “At first they thought I was a bit mad, but now they see it as good promotion.”

Check the link for additional pictures.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3023512/these-giant-snow-painting-are-made-by-one-mans-footprints

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Footwork Patterns in Dance: The Slow Waltz

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The Slow Waltz is famous for its ‘box step’. Dance partners create a square footwork pattern on the floor, counting ‘1,2,3’- ‘1,2,3’ as they move together, one going forward, one going backwards, to form the box. Once mastered, other graceful moves can be added.

Basic box steps for the man:

  1. Step forward with the left foot
  2. Right foot step sideways to the right
  3. Bring your left foot next to your right foot
  4. Step back with the right foot
  5. Step back sideways with the left foot
  6. Bring your right foot next to your left foot

Box steps for the lady:

  1. Step back with the right foot
  2. Left foot step sideways to the left
  3. Bring your right foot next to your left foot
  4. Step forward with the left foot
  5. Step forward sideways with the right foot
  6. Bring your left foot next to your right foot

At each step the dancers rise on their toes. They balance themselves by throwing body weight from one foot and then on the other. Despite the relatively slow tempo, The Slow Waltz is transformed into a dynamic dance by its turns, its step variations and its elegant poses.

Think Fred and Ginger.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_Boston

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz_(International_Standard)

http://www.dancing4beginners.com/dance-steps-for-waltz.htm

Photo Source:

https://www.google.ca/images?hl=en-CA&q=waltz+images&gbv=2&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=uB6bU4jwIsmlyASf6ILwCQ&ved=0CBMQsAQ