Ballroom Beginner Fast track week 7 - Beginners practice - Beginners social

November 19, 2005

Tango
slow L foot forward
slow R foot forward
quick L foot forward
quick R foot at level with L foot but set a little apart with body and/or head turned to left (partner faces the same direction)

quick L foot to left
quick R foot to left across L foot via in front of L foot
slow L foot to left and set apart again – now looking forward

slow L foot forward
slow R foot forward
quick L foot forward
quick R foot forward and quickly followed by L foot cross over in front of R foot via behind R foot
slow? turn as a unit about half counterclockwise as R foot backward
speed? L foot back
speed? R foot together (or at least level)

I went into Ballroom Tango section of the class without much interest because I suspected that Argentine Tango would be a lot more interesting. I can’t say I learned anything here to change my mind. It also seemed very late in the term to start learning a new dance.

Samba
Volta something
from end of Whisk
I think this was not syncopated
L foot cross over in front of R foot and the body turns 1/4 counterclockwise while L-R is lifted for leading follower into doing a mirror image
R foot move behind L foot and to left front with another body turn of 1/4 counterclockwise is followed quickly by L foot crossing over in front of R foot
R foot to R is followed quickly by L foot crossing over in front of R foot
R foot to R is followed quickly by L foot crossing over in front of R foot
R foot move behind L foot and forward as the body turns 1/4 clockwise with L-R raised again for leading follower into doing a mirror image
L foot move behind R foot and to right front with another body turn of 1/4 clockwise followed quickly by R foot crossing over in front of L foot
L foot to L is followed quickly by R foot crossing over in front of L foot
L foot to L is followed quickly by R foot crossing over in front of L foot

this is followed by
L foot start for Whisk

Waltz
some turn (name?)
1 R foot forward
2 L foot to L forward as the couple turn clockwise as a unit
3 R foot together
1 L foot back and turn as a unit up to half turn clockwise
2 R foot forward
3 L foot to left (not together!)

next step should be
1 R foot back

I don't think I have made this move comfortable by the end of the day.

Jive
New York turn was apparently new for this class while the enchufe doble like maneuver hasn’t been taught yet. I taught the move to a couple I chatted wtih during the Beginners practice.

In Beginners practice, it became apparent that the Quickstep turn involving lockstep was not taught for the Dancesport Beginners (and possibly Saturday Beginners fast track as well). Apparently they learned a turn move similar to the one done in Waltz today.

I’m not sure which I dislike more – somewhat sloppy steps by some in the fast track social class or some of the too-rigid and inflexible Dancesport students.

Beginner’s social was okay but not great. About 30 people were there, of which one third were CDC committee members. I felt that the Beginners social was no better than Beginners practice both as a dance event and as a social event. I would have been better off trying to make it to a Barn Dance I had been invited to but couldn't go because of combination of many factors that made it difficult for me to commit to it in the first place. Oh well.

Foxtrot made a single comeback during the social. One of my partner obviously missed the first class of the term in which steps for Foxtrot was taught for about 15 min, so I ended up coaching her through the song. Even with a quick perfunctory demonstration, I was pleasantly surprised that I still remembered the steps well enough to make it work after not having done Foxtrot for well over a month. I had rather liked Foxtrot, and I am a little sorry that they did not do more of it this term.

This is the last Ballroom class, etc for the Michaelmas term for me as I’m going away next week. I’m not sure whether I want to continue with Ballroom next term after more than two months of break.