Move Database

CONTENTS

    Three display modes
    Navigation through the records
    Finding a move
    Using the filter
    Use of animations to communicate jive moves
    Keeping a list of favourite moves
    Safety
    Moves for men without the use of one hand

The Move Database

This window allows you to see only those records that satisfy the filter.  If you came in by clicking on "All" under "Select move" then this will include all records.

The four display modes

The screen is split into two.  The upper portion gives you control and the lower one shows the information in one of four ways.  Click the corresponding buttons (if active) to select a mode.

• Text Mode reveals the unique identifier, summary, starting hands, how the move starts, safety advice, a full description, moves with similar features and any related helpful tips.
• Animation allows you to single step or run through the move with textual descriptions to the side. Note that the animations will appear slow if you have your "temporary internet files" set to check on every page.  It is best to leave this on automatic or once per browser start-up or off. Other than a few samples, gold membership is required to view these.
• The Gallery shows a gallery of illustrations of the position of the couple on each count with descriptions underneath.  Other than a few samples, gold membership is required to view these.
• Videos allow you to see - surprisingly - a video! You may first have to choose a format that is compatible with your system.  The wizard may well find the best or you can try by trial and error.  Broad band users can double the picture size if they wish. You can download videos to your computer to run off-line.

Navigation through the records

In any mode you can see which record of how many you are viewing.  You may decrement or increment the record by using the buttons to the left and right, however you will always be put back into the text mode (for speed).  You may select a random record (that satisfies your filter) by clicking on the Random button.

Alternatively, Gold members may use the Quick-select pull down menu.  This gives an alphabetical list of the summaries for each move and you can select any one you wish.  An asterisk means that the move is animated, two means there is also a video.

If you know the exact Unique Identity (ID) of the move, you may type it in the appropriate box and click "Get ID".  Note that this works across all records, even the ones not selected.

Do NOT use the browser's "back button".  It may seem to work in some circumstances, but as with all databases, confusion will soon arise.  For your convenience (!) this has been disabled.

Descriptions

The descriptions are split up into an introductory section, descriptions of the state on the count (the count number in parenthesis) including how to get to that state (ie including action before the count), and notes at the end. A long list of instructions can get tedious to read, especially if you just want to determine if you know the move.  Check the "jive constituents" box to break up the counts into sections which are given a title (constituent name) for easy memory.  This also structures the gallery into sections by colour and constituent.

If you wish to be reminded about the "Starting move" move then click on this hyperlink (Text mode only).  Similarly, a row may appear after the description headed "Similar moves" (gold members only).  Clicking wither of these will bring up a second window letting you see this move or moves.  Finally, some moves have links to "learning tips".

Amending the filter

You may click on Amend Filter (Gold members only) at any time to specify what records are included..  If you wish to revert to include all records again, after using the filter, a quicker way than setting it back to where it was is to click "All" under "moves".  The filter is inoperative after any special selection is made such as the weekly special or a single core move. You can go directly to the filter from under "moves" at any time.

Display Constituents

If you check this box, it will alter the way the text and galleries are displayed.  The text will show an field displaying a list of all the constituents.  Each is a hyperlink to further detail.  Additionally, an extra column is displayed showing which jive count descriptions are related to each constituent.  The galleries also can show which jive counts start each constituent and uses colour to indicate how many illustrations are involved.

Favourites

In the lower pane, the "included in favourites list" checkbox will be checked when this is the case.  You can check or uncheck this box at any time.  To view just your favourites, click "Filter" and select to restrict to "ones in favourites list" only.

Printing

Using the print button is easiest to ensure that the correct frame gets printed!

Nomenclature

• RHS = right hand side
• LHS = left hand side
• CW = clockwise
• ACW = anticlockwise
• D = double hand hold
• L-R = man's left to lady's right hand hold
• R-R (hip) = man's right to lady's right hand hold with man's left hand touching his right hip across his front
• L-R (nel) = man's left to lady's right with man's right hand in a half nelson position behind his back so the lady can see it appearing from his left hand side
• Sway (central) is like a sway but the lady is pulled in front of the man rather than to the right hand side
• A turn is always under connected hands, a spin means release of hands.

Please note that the "unique identifier" will always stay the same but the record number will usually change.

Finding a move

Nearly all the moves are named using a generic convention which starts off with the beginner's move it starts with, eg "First move jump".  If it then proceeds to turn into another move, then this is added, eg "arm jive basket".  If you select "All" under "moves" and then click the square to switch on the "quick select" pull down menu, you will get a list that you can scroll down to the section starting with the name you are looking for. Starred items are animated.

If you feel that you are looking for a beginner move, you can click "core" under "moves" to be taken to a hand list of hyperlinks the include these.  Additionally there are some core intermediate move names that may jog your memory.

If you still cannot find the move, I suggest you use the filter by clicking "filter" under "moves".  You can unselect and select various characteristics, and click "apply filter" to get a rather smaller selection.  Switch on the quick select, if necessary, and see if you recognise anything on the list.

It is possible to put key words in the filter, if you feel that one may uniquely narrow down on a move, eg the word "neck" etc.  If you wish to use wild-card characters use a _ to represent exactly one character or % for one or more.  For example one should search for the term neck_break or even neck_br% if you wonder if it has been spelt neckbrake.

You may find the move you wish on the move map (under moves). This is split into regions depending on the hand-hold, whether there is footwork, sensuousness or hand-changing. Each word does not so much represent a move as a "movelet", ie a feature that can exist in many moves, ususally starting from a different move or ending differently.  If you are not sure what the words quite represent, just hover you mouse over them.  Clicking pulls up an example move.

Another way is to use Move-Maker in the Move-Trace mode.  Here you narrow the moves list down each time you choose another illustrated frame.  For further information see under specific help for Move-Maker.

Finally, many moves suggest other moves you should "see also".  This is shown after the description in the text mode.  If you can find a move with the feature you desire, this may indicate other moves with the same feature.

Using the filter

The "filter" is one way of finding a move.  It allows you to restrict the number of moves you see according to your requirements.

You may have unwittingly already set the filter.  If you arrived at the move list from "All" under "Select move", then the filter will have been preset to include all moves (with one lady).  If you clicked on the ready-filtered selected such as (animated or beginner) then the filter will have been preset - but can be altered.  However if you came in via the weekly specials then filtering is not possible as a special filter has been used

If you are looking for a particular move...

1. "Move type" First decide if the move is with just one lady (quite normal!) or two (greedy).
2. "Start with" Decide if you remember it starting with a particular move.  It is best to use this rather than searching for the name under "containing the phrase" further down as variations in spellings are catered for.  However if you know a move starts with a wurlitzer but then has a side to side in it, you might consider starting with a 'wurlitzer' and containing the phrase 'side'.  If you are not sure about the starting move, then the end of this list also lets you set the starts hand combinations eg Hands: L-R or Hands: L-R (Nel).
3. "Include" Decide whether to include any or all difficulty, intimacy or safety levels. If these boxes are not checked then that particular type of move will NOT be included, ie you will get fewer moves.  Best to keep many checked.
4. "Restrict" Decide if you wish to restrict to moves that MUST include certain features.  If too many of these boxes are checked then you may get few or no moves.  Best to only check one or two.
   • "features" needs little further explanation.
   • "possible by" restricts to moves possible by dancers with limited use in a hand
   •  "containing the phrase" restricts to moves with a particular word or phrase in the move description or title (eg hip or shoulder). Note that multiple words are considered one exact phrase.  If you wish to use wild-card characters use a _ to represent exactly one character or % for one or more.  For example one should search for the term neck_break or even neck_br% if you wonder if it has been spelt neckbrake.
   • "reviewed" restricts to moves that have been reviewed (ie more likely to make sense!).
   • "animated" restricts to moves that contain an animation.
   • "videoed" restricts to moves that contain a video.
   • "favourites" restricts to moves that you have added to your favourites list.  In this case, it is best to remember to set the others to their default condition (ie checked in the green area and unchecked in the pink) unless you have so many favourites and wish to filter down further.  An alternative way to restrict to your favourites is to click the "Favourites" link under the "Personalised" column on the home page.

If you hover the mouse pointer over some of these check boxes, more information will be displayed.

Click "apply filter" to discover how many moves satisfy your criteria.  You can return and amend the filter at any time.  If you wish to reset the filter, just click "All" under "Move" at any time.

If you know the Unique Identifier, then type it in the box at the bottom and click "GO!"

Use of animations to communicate jive moves

It's not meant to be video!  Indeed beat by beat animation is better as a teaching aid as it informs you clearly what position you should be for which beat and you can move back and forth until you understand it.  Additionally, one can take some liberties with diagrammatic reality to show things that are actually impossible to see normally.  Along with the textual tips, this should really accelerate the process of understanding the moves.

The animation here is based on the fact that some positions are "stationary", ie the couple are not moving, often under some form of tension or compression and others are "moving".  Movements between stationary positions on successive beats are not shown but assumed to be clear to the viewer.  Where movement is occurring on the beat, then this is indicated with the assistance of arrows.  A person who turns at least 360 should be already starting to move on the beat, so such a person is represented as having turned about 180 in the diagrams. Where the man only turns say 180 to face, this is not always indicated with arrows and the starting position is normally provided.

Animation is not being used for pedantic correctness but to speed up the intake of how the move goes. It is therefore for communication not realism.  For instance, the feet may not necessarily depicting the best positions as each diagram is used in many moves to save on work and there is no universally agreed feet positions anyway. Similarly, when showing the lady spinning or turning, she always turns on the right foot and holds the left up remarkably high! Note that although most beat by beat descriptions are provided with the animation, additional text for specific tips is often provided at the end of the textual description. Don't believe the shadows too much - they just help provide some perspective.  After a spin, the animations usually default to a left to right hand hold for a return.  Clearly a right to right is equally acceptable.  Wiggles and shimmies take considerable effort to reproduce and are only sometimes implemented (see core moves for those that are).

You can set the filter to search only animated moves.  If a move is animated the button at the top will be available.

Visitors only get to see 8 example animations.  Gold member see all that are available..

Keeping a list of favourite moves?

Each time you find a move that you like, check the box in the bottom right corner labelled "included in favourites list".  The unique identity of this move is now saved in a "cookie" file on your computer.  Each time you revisit this move, you will find that it is checked - until you click it again to uncheck it.

You can view your favourites list by checking "restrict to ones in favourites list" in the filter, indeed you can add further conditions if you wish.  If you have got any moves in your favourites list, then you can select these directly from the "favourites" link under the "Personalised" column on the home page.

If you wish to delete any move in your favourites list, just view them from the filter and go through them one by one, un-checking each box in turn.

There is a limit of about 100 moves that can be stored.

Remember too, that your favourites are stored on the computer you save them on.  If you change computer, browser or delete your cookie file, then you will not have access to them.

Safety

Why the special interest?....I just hate to feel pain (or see may partner suffer)!

Seriously now, there is nothing worse for a jiver than to be ill and have to miss a night's fix.  All moves are potentially dangerous, indeed I have received a black eye from a lady performing a simple return and a previous partner was trod on by another lady and was out of action for a month!

Some moves, however have a greater safety risk.  The risk depends on many things, such as how packed the dance floor is, how competent you are, whether you have been taught properly by experts, how much margin there is for that particular move to go wrong etc.

For general safety advice, please click here.

Whilst compiling this database of moves, I came up with a rough safety scale.

Safety Levels

Examples of these levels might be:

Please note that these levels are to assist in filtering out potentially dangerous moves.  No numerical system can capture all safety issues and it is essential that you perform your own risk assessment for all moves practiced taking into account the move, your fitness, experience, dance floor etc and whether you really mind getting an occasional injury

Moves for men without the use of one hand

Yes.  It is possible to filter moves that can be performed by a man with only use with his left or right hand.  There are also a few more moves that could be adapted for such used, especially if his partner could compensate slightly.