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PREVIOUSLY: WTF is Glowsticking?)
HOW TO
This is a quick how to on how to hold a glowstick in order to glowstick. ( yes, one is a noun, the other is a noun-verb). If you're confident that you already know all there is to know, go here. If you want to skip to the more complex stuff, go here for glowsticking techniques.
Anyone can glowstick. Just as any other kind of dance, its all about having fun, and moving to the rhythm. Enough indoctrination...
So, you need to find a way to grasp the glowstick. There are many methods to accomplish this:
- Basic:
Try holding the stick between your index finger and thumb. Try this method first! It helps you practice the manual dexterity needed to do the more complex patterns. This method of holding is the most basic but its handy for some front body chasing, tracing, and some lightshow maneuvers.
- Textured:
After you feel confident holding the stick in the first fashion, try these approaches.
Fingers are used to shield part of the light from escaping the glowstick. The light that does escape is now broken into segments, thus texture is formed.
- Texture #1: Hold your hand palm down and rest the stick on your middle and ring fingers. Take your index and pinky fingers, and rest them on the topside of the stick. You should now have two fingers on top, and two on the bottom. You can either glowstick like this, or you can keep your fingers in this configuration and clasp your hand into a fist. This method is good for chasing, "tabletop", and lightshows. This method makes tracing more difficult, (at least for me.)
- Texture #2: The two tone texture. Similar to #1, but with two slight differences. Rest the stick on top of your middle finger only. Then place your index and ring fingers on top of the stick. This method is more difficult to hold for long periods of time, but it produces an interesting effect. When the hand is palm down the stick is broken into three segments. When the hand is palm up its broken into two. This isn't as pronounced as palming style, but its noticeable. This method is good for chasing, "tabletop", and lightshows. This method makes tracing more difficult, (at least for me.)
- Texture #3: Fisting. Hold your hand palm up. Lay the stick across your fingers. Clasp your hand into a fist. This produces two small beads of light on either side of your fist (or perhaps medium sized, if you have small hands). This is one only seems to be good for lightshows and other close-up activities.
- Palming:
This is a cute little style that I dreamt up. I haven't seen anyone else use it, videos or in person.
To start: hold your hand out, palm up. Place the stick along the length of your middle finger. Hold the stick in place by raising your ring and index fingers slightly and applying side pressure on the stick. OR Hold the stick in place between your pinky and your thumb.
This holding style is by far the most difficult of them all. But, it too begets some interesting artistic possibilties. Try flipping your hand palm down. Now, if the lights were out and that stick was glowing bright, it would go from light to dark on command. Pretty slick if you could combine chases with flipping sticks on and off to the beat.
(PREVIOUSLY: WTF is Glowsticking?)
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