What a treat! - SOS

July 17, 2005

open hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead ending with R-R
1,2,3 open break L-L underneath R-R lead follower to in place 1/2 clockwise turn into Titanic
5,6,7 follower should take a step forward on 5 – let go of L-L and with R-R high lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-R ending on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 reconnect L-L in front of follower (in her cross body lead path) and prepare for cross body lead
5,6,7 lead follower to a reverse turn (clockwise) for 1 1/2 turn with L-L high and R-R let go (could try for 2 1/2 but this will be difficult … might even have to settle for 1/2 turn) – on 8, do a clockwise 1/2 turn myself with L-L going over my head and at the end R reaching for follower’s R waist
1,2,3 I think this is another open break with follower overtaking on my back side (meaning I need to clear this space)
5,6,7 lead L-L forward on 5 (along follower’s path so that she gets to the right place) then lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-L kept low (thus ending behind follower’s back R waist)
1,2,3 R hand goes to follower’s R shoulder – forward on 1 (try to overtake for effective twisting) and then get into cross body lead position
5,6,7 lead follower to a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-L starting low to unwrap then ending high – on 7, do a full clockwise(?) turn with L-L low so that it ends behind my R waist
1,2,3 make R-R connection in front and cross body lead start
5,6,7 lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn and turn myself at the same time so that I end up unwrapping myself – hat is given to the follower on next 1 (I think with L-L)

For night that ended wonderfully, the start of it all was quite unpromising. It wasn’t until around 4:30 PM that I was sure of going to SOS. Dinner was taken care of with fish and chips on Tavistock Place. Around 6:50 PM, I found myself in front of a barricade and being informed that Mary Ward House (and the whole area) was closed because of 7/7 bombing that destroyed a bus in Tavistock Square. Only a small hesitation and lingering around allowed me to find that SOS was moved temporarily to a nearby Hotel. The lesson was fairly difficult and the followers were not very good. This problem was exacerbated because the lessons were done on carpet. The first 3-4 dances were quite terrible and I was getting quite discouraged. Then things improved steadily and by the end I was very happy. Especially towards the end, I felt like I was doing an excellent job of connecting with my partners by first acting as if I’m enjoying dancing with them and then go on to really enjoy dancing with them (eye contact and smiling is very useful for this). I also ran into a familiar face from Cambridge, who apparently likes SOS. Even though this was only my fourth visit to SOS (once each in January, May, June and today), the SOS staff members (e.g. cashier and some of the instructors) are beginning to recognize me.