DANce StepsNotes from Dan

Download Dan Calloway’s Class Notes – BAM – 20131028

Beginner

Waltz/Quickstep/Tango: Review

Waltz Technique

1. Use the Whisk to turn corners.
2. Maintain eye level and a level jaw line at all times but especially in Promenade Position.
3. Weigh down on partners elbows as an exercise to develop awareness of elbow level.

Quickstep Tech: Each figure should end with Toe-Heel, never Heel-Toe. The only left foot heel

lead the leader has is the prep step.

Tango Character: Give them “the eye!”

Rumba/Cha Cha: New Amalgamation, starting in Open Position with a prep step

1. Alemana
2. Closed Hip Twist
3. Hockey Stick
4. Three Cha Cha Chas (Cha Cha only)

DCDI Rumba/Cha Cha Amalgamation, starting in Open Position with a prep step to the side

1. Three New Yorks
2. Alemana
3. Closed Hip Twist
4. Hockey Stick
5. Three Cha Cha Chas

Start over with Alemana to Closed Hip Twist.

Silver (First night of five week Silver level class)

Foxtrot

1. Feather Step                            SQQ
2. Reverse Turn                          SQQ SQQ
3. Three Step                              SQQ
4. Natural Weave                        SQQ QQQQ
5. 1-4 Reverse Turn into corner  SQQ S
6. Basic Weave (on short side of room)  QQQQQQ

Technique

1. Keep sides of body and neck up at all times: Strong, but flexible
2. Sway on every figure. Sway is either to the left or “less left,” but never to the right.
3. Emphasize side steps in all Standard dances.
4. “Weave the judges to death” for best comp results. Upcoming: Promenade position in foxtrot.

Quickstep

1. Natural Spin Turn                               SQQ SSS
2. 2-8 Overturned V6                              QQS SQQS
3. Quick Open Reverse                           SQQ
4. Four Quick Run                                  SQQQQS
5. Underturned Natural Spin Turn in corner      SQQ SSS

Technique

1. Keep the body angled: Left side is always dominant because your partner is on your right side and having the left side forward aligns the bodies. There are three degrees of this angling for the leader: the left side is increasingly forward as the follower shifts from in line to outside partner or promenade position. Quickstep is about outside partner position to a greater degree than any other dance.
2. Weigh down on partners elbows as an exercise to develop awareness of elbow level.

Samba

1. Keep sides of body and neck up at all times: Strong, but flexible
2. Use a strong push from legs and feet to open legs and pull to close/cross them. It’s the strong muscles of the body, the thighs and pelvis, which do the work in all dances.
3. Keep back toe turned out in voltas. No foot swivel.
4. End Bota Fogos in second position with both toes turned out equally. No foot swivel.
5. Whisks: Work the sides of the body with your partner’s sides at all times. “Back” into all side steps in Latin.
6. The character of Samba requires gravitas/weight combined with flexibility/frivolity.

Jive

1. Chasses start small and end shoulder width.
2. Rotate outward on all back rocks.
3. Keep sides of body and neck up at all times: Strong, but flexible
4. The character of Jive also requires gravitas/weight combined with flexibility/frivolity.

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