My Honey Jar 
A headroll isn't about bending down — it's about finding the connection.
Melvin Gatica's 'influence headroll' masterclass — why doesn't he bend down into the headroll? The answer isn't shape, it's connection. The bigger you drop, the farther you get from your partner's hand.
Why this video
A lot of dancers bend deep at the chest to make a headroll look bigger. Gatica flips that — the reason he doesn't bend is that he's still searching for the connection with his partner's arm and hand in that very moment. The second you bend down, it's way too easy to slip out of that connection.
Instead of dropping down, contract
- Connection is the focus — keeping the connection with the leader's hand comes before the circle your head traces. - In, not down — more contraction through the upper body, rather than dropping down. - There are exceptions — he does use dropping movements sometimes, but draws his own line: as a rule, he doesn't.
So I'm focusing more on keeping the connection with his hand. That's my focus.
One thing for today
Next time you headroll, even if it means going smaller, try moving only within the range where the hand connection stays unbroken. A headroll where the leader feels you're "still with them" ends up looking bigger anyway.
