July 16, 2008
The nightly M11 closure for 2 weeks should stop wreaking havoc soon enough. The difficulties with Ballroom on the other hand may prove intractable for much longer.
The Latin part is in some ways easier although this may be ignoring some fundamental problems. It seems to me that most of the leading technique is similar to Salsa. The connection through the fingers, hands, arms and ultimately the body is used for leading like Salsa. This is true for Rumba, Cha Cha as well as Samba and even my least favorite dance Jive. While I do not feel as in control as in Salsa classes, I think I generally could guide more difficult followers in Rumba and Cha Cha fairly effectively and at least be aware of follower going off doing unexpected backleading, etc and try to come up with solutions – even if the ideas do not turn out particularly useful.
With Modern, I am quite lost. I think more parts of the body gets used for leading – legs, shoulders, torso, you name it. With the social classes at beginner and improver level, I don’t think I have been made sufficiently aware of this. Thus I feel as if I am in no man’s land. I can’t lead poorly trained followers, and I don’t know how to lead more properly trained followers.
I guess it’s like a chicken and egg problem all over again – as it may be the case with all partner dancing. It is difficult to get any good without large amount of practice preferably with people who know what they’re doing, but it’s also difficult to get any kind of practice with people who know what they’re doing. Generally speaking people who know what they are doing have better things to do than to spend time with people who don’t. To get better quickly, taking merely one class a week isn’t going to be any good. One probably wants multiple sessions a week as well as some practice time (perhaps social dancing) on top of it. I on the other hand has never even gone to a general dancing, and it would be difficult for me to do this – at least while I’m still in Cambridge and Vish is still operating CS. Although having gotten pretty good with a different partner dance (Salsa in my case) is of some use (aside from probably needing to unlearn conflicting elements between Salsa and Ballroom dances especially Modern dances), it would take a serious commitment to get even to a reasonable level with Ballroom dances – reasonable by my standards, which I suspect is quite a bit higher than what I might have considered reasonable if I were starting a dance of any time for the very first time.
On more than one occasion Ivan talked about Ballroom people coming over to his Salsa lessons thinking that it would be a piece of cake (how wrong they were!). I never thought Ballroom dances would be a piece of cake, but it is probably fair to say that I never found it more daunting than I do now.
If you are already quite good at something else and know you can and are getting better with more practice, how easy is it to abandon it for something very different and more difficult with your labor not expected to bear much fruit for a comparatively long time? What if the prize for the new challenge is no bigger or even smaller? Reckoning by number of people involved, isn’t Salsa much bigger and popular in Cambridge or London or the UK or the USA?
Knowing what I know or what I think I know, I could think of many reasons to think continuing this class may not be the best use of my time. Maybe I could stick with this level for most of the Latin dances, but I think I probably would be better off with working on more basic fundamentals for Modern dances. Probably the most efficient way is to get a private lesson. Bruce seems quite good. However, I don’t think this is much good unless I were to have plenty of practice outside (GD, etc), and I don’t see where that time would come from. Another option and one that would require less time commitment would be to take something like Dancesport Improvers (or perhaps even Beginners). However, no such courses are offered during the summer. So it’s between a rock and a hard place.
Enough already. Let's see if I can remember the class material. As usual it's no more than a brief outline.
Samba
- Volta to left (x4 syncopated steps) starting with R foot - syncopated steps (R, L&R, L&R, L&R L&R)
- in place basic (L normal position, R back position holding body still?, L syncopated in place then mirror image with R first)
- Bota Fogo with lead and follower exchanging places under L-R (x2)
- exchange places and Volta (x4 syncopated steps)
- exchange palces and Volta (x4 syncopated steps again)
- Whisk to L then Whisk to R as follower is turned around full counterclockwise with R-L connection made and kept low and L-R over and under into wrap position
- unwrap follower (clockwise turn) and side L steps for leader and pseudo-wrap her again (counterclockwise turn) but disengaging connection briefly and establish L-L connection and free R on pseudo-closed hold (leader only does two steps here leaving weight on L so that Government walk is started with R first - same as follower
- Government walk (x4) forward slightly to L
- Bota Fogo (of different kind) leader starts by going to R first (R to R, L cross behind R, R in place syncopated - then the other way around)
- Government walk (x4) forward slightly to R this time
- Bota Fogo again (similar to the last one rather than the simple version) but ending with follower turned around 1/2 clockwise to get back face-to-face ready for another Volta
Tango
Improver level steps later done with syncopated timing and with a lot more detail…
Running out of time... I'll have to finish this later. Right now, I'm not sure if there's going to be a week 4 for me.
Showing posts with label Ballroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ballroom. Show all posts
Ballroom Dancesport A Combined: Week 2
July 9, 2008
Rumba
2,3,4 from open hold into closed hold with left foot slightly to forward left on 4 turning body slightly clockwise
6,7,8 (I think the count might have been referred to still as 2,3,4) hook step on 6 – is this called back spot turn elsewhere?
1,2,3,4 lead follower to turn full clockwise (I think it’s a swivel turn for follower) on 1 [I wonder if the turn needs to start on 8 and finish on 1 – perhaps not considering Rumba is quite slow so there’s enough time for recovery], then lead follower to walk around the leader clockwise with the circle completed in 2 bars
6,7,8 complete the follower to walk around and get into closed hold
2,3,4 right into cuddle – for follower it’s a Cuban back-to-back like footwork but the leader is going side-to-side (here follower is doing R-L-R rock back while leader is stepping to L on 2, in place 3, close together on 4) – mostly R in closed hold to lead with free L with initial signal
6,7,8 another cuddle to the other side (using L arm closed hold)
2,3,4 cuddle to the first side same way
5,6,7,8 this bit and afterwards gets a little odd as the footwork timing gets changed around – lead follower to turn counterclockwise into wrap on 1, then it is to L side walking backwards R-L-R ending in New Yorker like position on count 2 but here on count 8/4 and with weight on R foot rather than L
2,3,4 in place L-R-L
5,6,7,8 R forward toe no weight transfer (I found this quite difficult) on 5/1 or slightly before then back turning half counterclockwise (clockwise for follower) on 6 then complete the turn on 7,8 back into open (or was it closed?) hold
The level of detail Bruce gave was quite tremendous; I was really impressed. In any case, I felt quite comfortable with Rumba (quite possibly because I was overestimating myself although I felt quite at ease throughout aside from the weight transfer issue on the last toe while still thinking I was learning a great deal). The downfall was that I felt much less in control with Waltz by comparison.
Waltz
I don’t think there were any new moves here. However, I struggled with it a great deal. There was the issue of contra movement. I’m not sure but for leaders (or at least to my thinking right now) contra movement may be considered a logical body positioning to help with the lead. Some of the terminologies like “impetus turn” and “weave” confused me a bit as well because I couldn’t remember exactly what they were. I’ve seen the moves before and I believe I’ve heard the terms before as well. Probably more than anything else the thought that I didn’t know what I was supposed to do made me uncertain about what I was supposed to do.
Impetus turn – starts with L back, turn on R and into promenade position with L forw
Weave – starts from promenade position and gets back into closed position
A different useful nugget I picked was a statement about what happens after getting into promenade position. Three main (pretty much only?) options are weave (see above), chassis (which by the way can be continued indefinitely), and wing (I’m not sure if I have seen this move before – I wanted to ask for a brief demonstration but opted to wait for another opportunity).
I suspect my Waltz form is not up to competition standards – not that I’m interested in competitions. I suppose it may merely be that I am finding some interpretation of competition pose a bit too stiff or at least a little awkward to me. In general I suspect I’m making learning Ballroom dance a bigger challenge by not doing any Ballroom dancing outside these classes. Also whatever faults I might find about other students, I think they still seem much better overall compared to most Salsa class or other Ballroom classes I have attended to date – or at least seemingly more serious about getting things right. The number of leaders are quite a bit smaller, and I am not sure if I could trust myself to be considered to be any better than half of them (in fact I wouldn’t mind if someone gave me an assessment that I’m one of the worst ones right now). Perhaps the scariest thing is that we haven’t gotten to my worst dances – Quickstep and Jive.
Like last week I saw a face from Salsa – Hayden this time in a class before mine. It would appear that Hayden has considerably more Ballroom experience than me.
In case anyone missed it, I want to say that I am really impressed with Bruce’s teaching skills. I thought the other CDC Ballroom teachers were all pretty good, but this guy is at another level. I was expecting these Dancesport classes to have more emphasis on window dressings (or how to look formal and stuffy and all that) based upon what I have seen from Cuppers years ago, but instead I was given to hear about quite a good deal on lead-follow technique and other more substantive issues. Perhaps this is Ballroom done well (as opposed to some not-so-good stories I’ve heard elsewhere).
Rumba
2,3,4 from open hold into closed hold with left foot slightly to forward left on 4 turning body slightly clockwise
6,7,8 (I think the count might have been referred to still as 2,3,4) hook step on 6 – is this called back spot turn elsewhere?
1,2,3,4 lead follower to turn full clockwise (I think it’s a swivel turn for follower) on 1 [I wonder if the turn needs to start on 8 and finish on 1 – perhaps not considering Rumba is quite slow so there’s enough time for recovery], then lead follower to walk around the leader clockwise with the circle completed in 2 bars
6,7,8 complete the follower to walk around and get into closed hold
2,3,4 right into cuddle – for follower it’s a Cuban back-to-back like footwork but the leader is going side-to-side (here follower is doing R-L-R rock back while leader is stepping to L on 2, in place 3, close together on 4) – mostly R in closed hold to lead with free L with initial signal
6,7,8 another cuddle to the other side (using L arm closed hold)
2,3,4 cuddle to the first side same way
5,6,7,8 this bit and afterwards gets a little odd as the footwork timing gets changed around – lead follower to turn counterclockwise into wrap on 1, then it is to L side walking backwards R-L-R ending in New Yorker like position on count 2 but here on count 8/4 and with weight on R foot rather than L
2,3,4 in place L-R-L
5,6,7,8 R forward toe no weight transfer (I found this quite difficult) on 5/1 or slightly before then back turning half counterclockwise (clockwise for follower) on 6 then complete the turn on 7,8 back into open (or was it closed?) hold
The level of detail Bruce gave was quite tremendous; I was really impressed. In any case, I felt quite comfortable with Rumba (quite possibly because I was overestimating myself although I felt quite at ease throughout aside from the weight transfer issue on the last toe while still thinking I was learning a great deal). The downfall was that I felt much less in control with Waltz by comparison.
Waltz
I don’t think there were any new moves here. However, I struggled with it a great deal. There was the issue of contra movement. I’m not sure but for leaders (or at least to my thinking right now) contra movement may be considered a logical body positioning to help with the lead. Some of the terminologies like “impetus turn” and “weave” confused me a bit as well because I couldn’t remember exactly what they were. I’ve seen the moves before and I believe I’ve heard the terms before as well. Probably more than anything else the thought that I didn’t know what I was supposed to do made me uncertain about what I was supposed to do.
Impetus turn – starts with L back, turn on R and into promenade position with L forw
Weave – starts from promenade position and gets back into closed position
A different useful nugget I picked was a statement about what happens after getting into promenade position. Three main (pretty much only?) options are weave (see above), chassis (which by the way can be continued indefinitely), and wing (I’m not sure if I have seen this move before – I wanted to ask for a brief demonstration but opted to wait for another opportunity).
I suspect my Waltz form is not up to competition standards – not that I’m interested in competitions. I suppose it may merely be that I am finding some interpretation of competition pose a bit too stiff or at least a little awkward to me. In general I suspect I’m making learning Ballroom dance a bigger challenge by not doing any Ballroom dancing outside these classes. Also whatever faults I might find about other students, I think they still seem much better overall compared to most Salsa class or other Ballroom classes I have attended to date – or at least seemingly more serious about getting things right. The number of leaders are quite a bit smaller, and I am not sure if I could trust myself to be considered to be any better than half of them (in fact I wouldn’t mind if someone gave me an assessment that I’m one of the worst ones right now). Perhaps the scariest thing is that we haven’t gotten to my worst dances – Quickstep and Jive.
Like last week I saw a face from Salsa – Hayden this time in a class before mine. It would appear that Hayden has considerably more Ballroom experience than me.
In case anyone missed it, I want to say that I am really impressed with Bruce’s teaching skills. I thought the other CDC Ballroom teachers were all pretty good, but this guy is at another level. I was expecting these Dancesport classes to have more emphasis on window dressings (or how to look formal and stuffy and all that) based upon what I have seen from Cuppers years ago, but instead I was given to hear about quite a good deal on lead-follow technique and other more substantive issues. Perhaps this is Ballroom done well (as opposed to some not-so-good stories I’ve heard elsewhere).
Ballroom Dancesport A Combined: Week 1
July 2, 2008
Those On2 classes at Slug and Lettuce stopped me from continuing with Ballroom classes. I thought it might be a good time to get back although I wondered if Dancesport combined A will be teaching Foxtrot, which is the dance that I am most interested in.
I avoided most of the warm-up dances, which included a Waltz (expected and skipped as I wanted to ease my way back), Quickstep (unexpected and skipped my least favorite Ballroom dance), Cha Cha (three?! at least I could do this without getting stressed out), and Jive (ugh… is it going to be all tests? I started but gave up quickly).
Waltz
1,2,3 R forw, L forw turning clockwise as unit, R together
1,2,3 L back, R together as turning sharp clockwise (about 1/2) as unit and getting into promenade position, L forw promenade
1,2,3 R forw promenade, L forw promenade and start to bring follower in front turning counterclockwise, R forw continuing to turn counterclockwise (overall turn is about 3/4)
1,2,3 L back, R back hold position and bringing follower’s R shoulder slightly towards leader’s left side (?) – I guess this allows switching feet next
1,2,3 L back bringing follower around turning clockwise sharp (about 3/4 rather than 1/2) but keeping follower in front this time as opposed to promenade and R together, L side left
1,2,3 R side L, L side L, R together (I suppose smaller steps on 2 and 3?)
1,2,3 into whisk L side R (back towards direction came from in previous bar), R side R same direction, L cross behind R same direction with full weight transfer
1,2,3 chassis R to L then chassis to L
1,2,3 (I think with feet apart, start with R foot)
Not too bad. I had reviewed most of my notes earlier, which was definitely helpful. Everything should be leadable.
Cha Cha
2,3,4,6,7,8 New Yorker both ways
2,3,4,1 L cross over and back and cross over and back
2,3,4,6,7,8 New Yorker (with what I would consider optional different kind of chassis with L making a half circle to cross behind R on 3 and moving R ahead of L and finish chassis to side) followed by leading follower to walking clockwise turn on 6,7,8 and bringing her to chassis forward at the end (with leader getting out of the way and turning 1/4 clockwise)
2,3,4,6,7,8 essentially cross body lead but starting with turning follower half clockwise first on 2 and finish breaking apart at the end of cross body [this for me is somewhat new]
2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1 forw stepping into follower’s line on 2, in place 3, back together on 4 and lead follower to free clockwise turn (keeping L-R low throughout before leading the free turn)… next is what I consider choreography -- L cross over forw and back cross over forw and back [follower is doing the same steps for next couple of bars]
2,3,4,1 R cross over forw and back cross over forw and back
2,3,4,6,7,8 half clockwise turn then chassis, then half counterclockwise turn then chassis (follower finishes without chassis to get back to her timing – I told you this is choreography)
Whew! I get to ease back into Ballroom classes. Quickstep and Jive together would have been the worst-case scenario for me. Thanks to the choice of dances tonight, it was a nice relaxing session for me and only mildly challenging. I must say that the class did not seem any more technical than the regular Ballroom classes as I was led to expect by Paul.
Apparently Foxtrot is firmly in the plans for this course. In fact I might have talked the instructor Bruce into teaching it next week.
It wasn't a huge class - probably enough to break even, however. I'm guessing it might be down to diehards as I recognized surprisingly large number of people even after having been out of the scene for two terms. After all school's not in session during summer.
Those On2 classes at Slug and Lettuce stopped me from continuing with Ballroom classes. I thought it might be a good time to get back although I wondered if Dancesport combined A will be teaching Foxtrot, which is the dance that I am most interested in.
I avoided most of the warm-up dances, which included a Waltz (expected and skipped as I wanted to ease my way back), Quickstep (unexpected and skipped my least favorite Ballroom dance), Cha Cha (three?! at least I could do this without getting stressed out), and Jive (ugh… is it going to be all tests? I started but gave up quickly).
Waltz
1,2,3 R forw, L forw turning clockwise as unit, R together
1,2,3 L back, R together as turning sharp clockwise (about 1/2) as unit and getting into promenade position, L forw promenade
1,2,3 R forw promenade, L forw promenade and start to bring follower in front turning counterclockwise, R forw continuing to turn counterclockwise (overall turn is about 3/4)
1,2,3 L back, R back hold position and bringing follower’s R shoulder slightly towards leader’s left side (?) – I guess this allows switching feet next
1,2,3 L back bringing follower around turning clockwise sharp (about 3/4 rather than 1/2) but keeping follower in front this time as opposed to promenade and R together, L side left
1,2,3 R side L, L side L, R together (I suppose smaller steps on 2 and 3?)
1,2,3 into whisk L side R (back towards direction came from in previous bar), R side R same direction, L cross behind R same direction with full weight transfer
1,2,3 chassis R to L then chassis to L
1,2,3 (I think with feet apart, start with R foot)
Not too bad. I had reviewed most of my notes earlier, which was definitely helpful. Everything should be leadable.
Cha Cha
2,3,4,6,7,8 New Yorker both ways
2,3,4,1 L cross over and back and cross over and back
2,3,4,6,7,8 New Yorker (with what I would consider optional different kind of chassis with L making a half circle to cross behind R on 3 and moving R ahead of L and finish chassis to side) followed by leading follower to walking clockwise turn on 6,7,8 and bringing her to chassis forward at the end (with leader getting out of the way and turning 1/4 clockwise)
2,3,4,6,7,8 essentially cross body lead but starting with turning follower half clockwise first on 2 and finish breaking apart at the end of cross body [this for me is somewhat new]
2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1 forw stepping into follower’s line on 2, in place 3, back together on 4 and lead follower to free clockwise turn (keeping L-R low throughout before leading the free turn)… next is what I consider choreography -- L cross over forw and back cross over forw and back [follower is doing the same steps for next couple of bars]
2,3,4,1 R cross over forw and back cross over forw and back
2,3,4,6,7,8 half clockwise turn then chassis, then half counterclockwise turn then chassis (follower finishes without chassis to get back to her timing – I told you this is choreography)
Whew! I get to ease back into Ballroom classes. Quickstep and Jive together would have been the worst-case scenario for me. Thanks to the choice of dances tonight, it was a nice relaxing session for me and only mildly challenging. I must say that the class did not seem any more technical than the regular Ballroom classes as I was led to expect by Paul.
Apparently Foxtrot is firmly in the plans for this course. In fact I might have talked the instructor Bruce into teaching it next week.
It wasn't a huge class - probably enough to break even, however. I'm guessing it might be down to diehards as I recognized surprisingly large number of people even after having been out of the scene for two terms. After all school's not in session during summer.
Ballroom Improver 8
November 28, 2007
I was about fifteen minutes late. I might as well have been fifty minutes late to save myself some torture.
Rumba
Start with that same old stupid sequence of moves. Then basic followed by back spot turn (clockwise together) and continue into next 1/2 measure (continuing clockwise) followed by leading follower to 12 o’clock or 3 o’clock turn.
It’s a slow dance with heavy emphasis on sound technique. It works best if both partners have a vague idea about what is meant by competence.
Jive
I’m not competent enough with Jive to compensate for really bad partners. Heck, I would struggle even with half decent partners. Don’t get me started on people who don’t know the definition of the word following – it does not mean being able to replicate choreography and it does not mean backleading. I’m not even going to bother with the description of the long new routine. It won’t have enough description to properly practice it later, and I really don’t have any desire to dance Jive.
Samba
Whisk. Walk. Bota Fogos. Volta. Whatever. I don’t feel there’s a big need to add to previous descriptions.
Cha Cha
Nothing new here either. Same old sequence. I might be able to improve it if I were to get a private lesson and/or have tons of practice.
Some party dance
The only reason to be interested in this is if I were to go to a Ballroom party and one particular song is being played. I’m not going.
Waltz
Same old again. At least I got my favorite Waltz partner in the class for it - She understands the concept of following. I don’t need perfection – knowing what it means to try to follow is rare enough.
One new material I gathered happened because of a private question. It was about the Whisk. At the end of Whisk, if the feet ends apart, lead would start with R foot to the outside of follower (to left). If feet ends close together, lead would start with L foot inside.
So there was no Foxtrot after all. I learned that CDC or at least Paul does not teach much Foxtrot in the beginner or improver classes. Good to know. It means there’s zero chance I’ll repeat this class – not that there was any chance of that to begin with. Looking at future Ballroom options, I realize that I have little interest in most of the Latin dances. I don’t care about Ballroom Cha Cha or Rumba. I dislike Jive. I’m only mildly interested in Samba. If I want some real exposure to Foxtrot, the way to go might be Dancesport Intermediate A for Modern dances only. It would seem Foxtrot would be a new dance for everyone in that class anyway. I like Waltz. I could deal with Tango not being Argentine for the moment. I’m not a big fan of Quickstep, but it’s better than Jive and I thought I disliked it less at the end of the term compared to the start of the term (I also think it might have been that I disliked dancing Quickstep with any of the people in the class). Or I could simply abandon the whole thing again – give it a rest for another couple of years. Who knows?
I was about fifteen minutes late. I might as well have been fifty minutes late to save myself some torture.
Rumba
Start with that same old stupid sequence of moves. Then basic followed by back spot turn (clockwise together) and continue into next 1/2 measure (continuing clockwise) followed by leading follower to 12 o’clock or 3 o’clock turn.
It’s a slow dance with heavy emphasis on sound technique. It works best if both partners have a vague idea about what is meant by competence.
Jive
I’m not competent enough with Jive to compensate for really bad partners. Heck, I would struggle even with half decent partners. Don’t get me started on people who don’t know the definition of the word following – it does not mean being able to replicate choreography and it does not mean backleading. I’m not even going to bother with the description of the long new routine. It won’t have enough description to properly practice it later, and I really don’t have any desire to dance Jive.
Samba
Whisk. Walk. Bota Fogos. Volta. Whatever. I don’t feel there’s a big need to add to previous descriptions.
Cha Cha
Nothing new here either. Same old sequence. I might be able to improve it if I were to get a private lesson and/or have tons of practice.
Some party dance
The only reason to be interested in this is if I were to go to a Ballroom party and one particular song is being played. I’m not going.
Waltz
Same old again. At least I got my favorite Waltz partner in the class for it - She understands the concept of following. I don’t need perfection – knowing what it means to try to follow is rare enough.
One new material I gathered happened because of a private question. It was about the Whisk. At the end of Whisk, if the feet ends apart, lead would start with R foot to the outside of follower (to left). If feet ends close together, lead would start with L foot inside.
So there was no Foxtrot after all. I learned that CDC or at least Paul does not teach much Foxtrot in the beginner or improver classes. Good to know. It means there’s zero chance I’ll repeat this class – not that there was any chance of that to begin with. Looking at future Ballroom options, I realize that I have little interest in most of the Latin dances. I don’t care about Ballroom Cha Cha or Rumba. I dislike Jive. I’m only mildly interested in Samba. If I want some real exposure to Foxtrot, the way to go might be Dancesport Intermediate A for Modern dances only. It would seem Foxtrot would be a new dance for everyone in that class anyway. I like Waltz. I could deal with Tango not being Argentine for the moment. I’m not a big fan of Quickstep, but it’s better than Jive and I thought I disliked it less at the end of the term compared to the start of the term (I also think it might have been that I disliked dancing Quickstep with any of the people in the class). Or I could simply abandon the whole thing again – give it a rest for another couple of years. Who knows?
Ballroom Improver 7
November 21, 2007
No Paul once again. The substitute announced himself as Paul’s substitute. I decided to poke around – I think his name is Ben. He has taught the class 3 out of 7 times to date. I’m guessing he did not have complete control of the material being taught. Teaching was fine – I just didn’t like the material. Quickstep… again! Jive… again! Samba… fine. But where is Foxtrot? I’ve been waiting ever since week 1 of Ballroom Beginner over 2 years ago. Considering that next week is the last one, even if they finally turn to Foxtrot it will be perfunctory (and there won't be an opportunity to review it the week after). Foxtrot was among the top 3 dances I was interested in 2 years ago and since has become top 2 after realizing differences between Ballroom Cha Cha and street Cha Cha so this is highly frustrating. Instead, we got my bottom 2 – Quickstep and Jive. It could have been worse – it could have been Tango instead of Samba.
Quickstep
Another thing. We did two fairly similar long moves with Quickstep. It took me a while to get the first one, and I cannot remember how it ended after the second one. I don’t understand the ending for the second one either. I’m sure my negative attitude did not help with remembering the steps.
In both cases, it started with
R forw and turn clockwise and chassis to side for 2 quick and last slow chassis backwards with L – or at least I think this is how the timing compares to Quickstep basic and I think the turn is about 1/3
R back and turn clockwise about 2/3 (or 1/2?) to end facing the same way and chassis?
R back? and turn 1/4 (or 1/3?) counterclockwise and chassis??
The other one was something like…
R forw and turn clockwise and chassis to side for 2 quick and last slow chassis backwards with L
R back and chassis backwards lockstep (L inside-R-L inside or maybe L inside-R-L outside)
R back and chassis backwards L outside turn clockwise ? and finish chassis?
or perhaps it was chassis(lockstep)-chassis(normal)-and-turn-and-chassis
Samba
Better. What were the moves? Volta and Bota Fogos. Also Volta with a turn.
Either of these could be started after Whisk or after Government Walk (after R in front of L)
Bota Fogos
L across, turn and R syncopated quick back step followed by L in place (from Whisk turned 1/2 counterclockwise and from Walk turned 1/4 counterclockwise – while follower turns clockwise – lead behind follower)
R across, turn and L syncopated quick back step followed by R in place (1/2 turn clockwise for lead and 1/2 turn counterclockwise for follower with lead behind follower – involves exchange of places)
repeat
With Volta, simplest seems to be to do 4 syncopated steps (L in front of R and moving to R) first moving counterclockwise for lead followed by 4 syncopated steps moving clockwise for lead – overall movement (displacement from beginning) is somewhat like Government walk. It seemed to make timing work better than last week.
To add a turn to it, lead follower to turn 1 1/2 counterclockwise during the final 4 syncopated steps after the second exchange. It's a walking turn not a spin.
Jive
I think it involved a move called Chicken Walk...
L step behind R, chassis to L while leading follower further forward/side than usual, turn hand to lead follower counterclockwise and chassis forward following follower (chassis done here with R in front of L) - this part I get...
turn hand to lead follower to face you again (she turns clockwise) while stepping back with R, then L - followed by chicken walk I think (going backwards R,L,R,L) - timing is somewhat mysterious to me here
chassis to L ?? while leading follower further forward/side than usual, turn hand to lead follower counterclockwise and chassis forward following follower (chassis done here with R in front of L)
then back to basic... This obviously is very unsatisfying description to me. Oh well.
No Paul once again. The substitute announced himself as Paul’s substitute. I decided to poke around – I think his name is Ben. He has taught the class 3 out of 7 times to date. I’m guessing he did not have complete control of the material being taught. Teaching was fine – I just didn’t like the material. Quickstep… again! Jive… again! Samba… fine. But where is Foxtrot? I’ve been waiting ever since week 1 of Ballroom Beginner over 2 years ago. Considering that next week is the last one, even if they finally turn to Foxtrot it will be perfunctory (and there won't be an opportunity to review it the week after). Foxtrot was among the top 3 dances I was interested in 2 years ago and since has become top 2 after realizing differences between Ballroom Cha Cha and street Cha Cha so this is highly frustrating. Instead, we got my bottom 2 – Quickstep and Jive. It could have been worse – it could have been Tango instead of Samba.
Quickstep
Another thing. We did two fairly similar long moves with Quickstep. It took me a while to get the first one, and I cannot remember how it ended after the second one. I don’t understand the ending for the second one either. I’m sure my negative attitude did not help with remembering the steps.
In both cases, it started with
R forw and turn clockwise and chassis to side for 2 quick and last slow chassis backwards with L – or at least I think this is how the timing compares to Quickstep basic and I think the turn is about 1/3
R back and turn clockwise about 2/3 (or 1/2?) to end facing the same way and chassis?
R back? and turn 1/4 (or 1/3?) counterclockwise and chassis??
The other one was something like…
R forw and turn clockwise and chassis to side for 2 quick and last slow chassis backwards with L
R back and chassis backwards lockstep (L inside-R-L inside or maybe L inside-R-L outside)
R back and chassis backwards L outside turn clockwise ? and finish chassis?
or perhaps it was chassis(lockstep)-chassis(normal)-and-turn-and-chassis
Samba
Better. What were the moves? Volta and Bota Fogos. Also Volta with a turn.
Either of these could be started after Whisk or after Government Walk (after R in front of L)
Bota Fogos
L across, turn and R syncopated quick back step followed by L in place (from Whisk turned 1/2 counterclockwise and from Walk turned 1/4 counterclockwise – while follower turns clockwise – lead behind follower)
R across, turn and L syncopated quick back step followed by R in place (1/2 turn clockwise for lead and 1/2 turn counterclockwise for follower with lead behind follower – involves exchange of places)
repeat
With Volta, simplest seems to be to do 4 syncopated steps (L in front of R and moving to R) first moving counterclockwise for lead followed by 4 syncopated steps moving clockwise for lead – overall movement (displacement from beginning) is somewhat like Government walk. It seemed to make timing work better than last week.
To add a turn to it, lead follower to turn 1 1/2 counterclockwise during the final 4 syncopated steps after the second exchange. It's a walking turn not a spin.
Jive
I think it involved a move called Chicken Walk...
L step behind R, chassis to L while leading follower further forward/side than usual, turn hand to lead follower counterclockwise and chassis forward following follower (chassis done here with R in front of L) - this part I get...
turn hand to lead follower to face you again (she turns clockwise) while stepping back with R, then L - followed by chicken walk I think (going backwards R,L,R,L) - timing is somewhat mysterious to me here
chassis to L ?? while leading follower further forward/side than usual, turn hand to lead follower counterclockwise and chassis forward following follower (chassis done here with R in front of L)
then back to basic... This obviously is very unsatisfying description to me. Oh well.
Ballroom Improver 6
November 14, 2007
Big class – bigger than ever for reasons unknown to me. I quite enjoyed it or at least had the dances I enjoyed the most this term.
Cha Cha
The only new thing was a faster paced New Yorker.
2 L feet to R New York keep weight off it
3 L back to normal
4 R feet to L New York keep weight off it
5 R back to normal
6 L feet to R New York keep weight off it
7 L back to normal and lead follower to a stationary clockwise turn
Although I suppose a true Cross Body Lead could be considered new-ish too.
Samba
Whisk and Government Walk was revisited. A modification was that the timing for Government walk is not quite syncopated as Whisk is.
New move was something called Volta.
From the end of Whisk (L crossed behind R)
L forward and exchange places with follower (follower turns 1/2 clockwise while leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise – leader is behind follower during this exchange) and chassis twice with R behind L
R forward and exchange places with follower (follower turns 1/2 counterclockwise while leader turns 1/2 clockwise – leader is behind follower during this exchange) and chassis three times with L behind R
followed by another Whisk
Waltz
The same old move from last few weeks was covered again before something new was added.
R forw, L forw and turn clockwise, R together
L back, R together and turn, L forw (but lift the follower – not quite sure what is meant by lift)
…
the same old move would be promenade with R forw across L
the new move involves R crossed behind L, L to side, then R together – I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to get follower to do here…
Possibly what needs to be done is that instead of going into promenade position with L forw (second line), end face-to-face?
No wonder why I liked this class. No Quickstep. No Jive. No Ballroom Tango.
Big class – bigger than ever for reasons unknown to me. I quite enjoyed it or at least had the dances I enjoyed the most this term.
Cha Cha
The only new thing was a faster paced New Yorker.
2 L feet to R New York keep weight off it
3 L back to normal
4 R feet to L New York keep weight off it
5 R back to normal
6 L feet to R New York keep weight off it
7 L back to normal and lead follower to a stationary clockwise turn
Although I suppose a true Cross Body Lead could be considered new-ish too.
Samba
Whisk and Government Walk was revisited. A modification was that the timing for Government walk is not quite syncopated as Whisk is.
New move was something called Volta.
From the end of Whisk (L crossed behind R)
L forward and exchange places with follower (follower turns 1/2 clockwise while leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise – leader is behind follower during this exchange) and chassis twice with R behind L
R forward and exchange places with follower (follower turns 1/2 counterclockwise while leader turns 1/2 clockwise – leader is behind follower during this exchange) and chassis three times with L behind R
followed by another Whisk
Waltz
The same old move from last few weeks was covered again before something new was added.
R forw, L forw and turn clockwise, R together
L back, R together and turn, L forw (but lift the follower – not quite sure what is meant by lift)
…
the same old move would be promenade with R forw across L
the new move involves R crossed behind L, L to side, then R together – I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to get follower to do here…
Possibly what needs to be done is that instead of going into promenade position with L forw (second line), end face-to-face?
No wonder why I liked this class. No Quickstep. No Jive. No Ballroom Tango.
Ballroom Improver 5
November 7, 2007
No Paul. Substitute was the guy from 2 weeks ago. There were two excess leads.
Tango
It was review of the three moves tried all term long. Tango is considered Modern rather than Latin.
L forw, R forw, L forw, R side R into promenade
L forw promenade, R forw promenade, L forw and turn face to face, R together
L forw, R forw, L forw, R forw and turn as unit 1/4 counterclockwise
L cross behind R, R slight back and turn 1/2 counterclockwise, L to L, R together
(moving same direction throughout)
L forw, R forw, L forw, R side R into promenade
L forw promenade, R forw promenade, L overtake follower turning 1/4 clockwise, weight on R
rock back on L, rock forw on R, rock back on L
R back, L side L, R together
Waltz
Repeat of last week once again.
R forw, L forw and turn clockwise as unit, R together
L back, R together and turn as unit 1/2 clockwise, L forw in promenade
R forw, L forw, R forw and turning 1/4 counterclockwise
L back, R cross behind L turning 1/2 counterclockwise as unit, L together
R forw, L forw and turn clockwise as unit, R together
Whisk was not a part of the class. I tried practicing it by myself.
Jive
Same thing as last week except I understand it better now.
Basic footwork = L cross behind R, chassis to L, chassis to R (and repeat)
Lead for follower to go under happens at the end of the first part of the chassis
L cross behind R, chassis to L and start to lead follower under L-R and chassis to R
For stop-and-go
L cross behind R, start to bring follower back under L-R as chassis to L, stop follower with R on follower’s back (possibly all the way to her side) while stepping across with R foot, chassis to R as follower goes back
American turn (better with R-R)
L cross behind, chassis to L with R-R turned around (both fingers pointing upwards), turn (optional for lead) is follower immediately by chassis to R
Samba
basic
L forw, syncopated R together and L in place
R back, syncopated L together and R in place
whisk
L side L, syncopated R cross behind L and L in place
R side L, syncopated L cross behind R and R in place
promenade (Government walk?)
L forw in promenade, syncopated R with slight backwards movement (but overall forw from the start) and L in place
R forw in promenade, syncopated L with slight backwards movement (as above) and R in place
One thing I noticed is that these CDC classes seem to be considerably less popular than they were two years ago, which apparently was an unusually popular year for CDC. Tonight’s beginner class before my improver class was smaller than my class – I think the lack of popularity was mainly due to lack of interest from the new crop of students. Not sure if this is a general trend for all CDC classes.
No Paul. Substitute was the guy from 2 weeks ago. There were two excess leads.
Tango
It was review of the three moves tried all term long. Tango is considered Modern rather than Latin.
L forw, R forw, L forw, R side R into promenade
L forw promenade, R forw promenade, L forw and turn face to face, R together
L forw, R forw, L forw, R forw and turn as unit 1/4 counterclockwise
L cross behind R, R slight back and turn 1/2 counterclockwise, L to L, R together
(moving same direction throughout)
L forw, R forw, L forw, R side R into promenade
L forw promenade, R forw promenade, L overtake follower turning 1/4 clockwise, weight on R
rock back on L, rock forw on R, rock back on L
R back, L side L, R together
Waltz
Repeat of last week once again.
R forw, L forw and turn clockwise as unit, R together
L back, R together and turn as unit 1/2 clockwise, L forw in promenade
R forw, L forw, R forw and turning 1/4 counterclockwise
L back, R cross behind L turning 1/2 counterclockwise as unit, L together
R forw, L forw and turn clockwise as unit, R together
Whisk was not a part of the class. I tried practicing it by myself.
Jive
Same thing as last week except I understand it better now.
Basic footwork = L cross behind R, chassis to L, chassis to R (and repeat)
Lead for follower to go under happens at the end of the first part of the chassis
L cross behind R, chassis to L and start to lead follower under L-R and chassis to R
For stop-and-go
L cross behind R, start to bring follower back under L-R as chassis to L, stop follower with R on follower’s back (possibly all the way to her side) while stepping across with R foot, chassis to R as follower goes back
American turn (better with R-R)
L cross behind, chassis to L with R-R turned around (both fingers pointing upwards), turn (optional for lead) is follower immediately by chassis to R
Samba
basic
L forw, syncopated R together and L in place
R back, syncopated L together and R in place
whisk
L side L, syncopated R cross behind L and L in place
R side L, syncopated L cross behind R and R in place
promenade (Government walk?)
L forw in promenade, syncopated R with slight backwards movement (but overall forw from the start) and L in place
R forw in promenade, syncopated L with slight backwards movement (as above) and R in place
One thing I noticed is that these CDC classes seem to be considerably less popular than they were two years ago, which apparently was an unusually popular year for CDC. Tonight’s beginner class before my improver class was smaller than my class – I think the lack of popularity was mainly due to lack of interest from the new crop of students. Not sure if this is a general trend for all CDC classes.
Ballroom Improver 4
October 31, 2007
The warm-up was Quickstep, which I decided not to partake in. The lessons started instead with my third least favorite dance.
Tango
measure 1 – L forward, R forward, L forward, R to side and into promenade position (s,s,s,q and pause)
measure 2 – L lean forward in promenade, R forward, L forward, R together and face follower (s,s,s,q and pause)
All these have some technical terms, but I didn’t catch most of the terms
measure 1 – L forward, R forward, L forward, R forward while turning 1/4 counterclockwise (s,s,s,s)
measure 2 – L cross behind R wide while keeping same orientation, R short back while turning counterclockwise again (about 1/4 here), L short L while continuing to turn 1/4 counterclockwise, R together (s,s,s,q and pause)
Movement is linear, same direction throughout. In the end, orientation has changed 1/4 clockwise (by going 3/4 counterclockwise). All the turns are done as unit.
measure 1 – L forward, R forward, L forward, R to side and into promenade position (s,s,s,q and pause)
measure 2 – L lean forward in promenade, R forward, L forward while turning 1/2 clockwise, R in place but rock forward (s,s,s,s)
measure 3 – rock back to L with weight transfer and turn clockwise, rock forward to R weight transfer and turn clockwise, rock back to L with weight transfer and turn clockwise (total turn of 1/2 should be very doable) (s,s,s and pause??)
measure 4 – R back, L to side, R together (s,s,s and pause??)
Moving on to one of the dances I like more.
Waltz
1,2,3 R forw, L forw and start to turn clockwise (keep the directions the same), R together
1,2,3 L back, R together and turn 1/2, L forw into promenade position (hmm – so this would require leading follower to a bigger turn than I originally thought)
1,2,3 R forw in promenade, L forw in promenade, R forw while getting follower in front
1,2,3 L forw turning 1/4 counterclockwise resulting in stepping crossed behind R, R slightly back starting to turn counterclockwise, L together finishing with about 1/2 turn counterclockwise from 1
1,2,3 R forw, L forw and start to turn clockwise, R together
Moving on to second least favorite.
Jive
Turn and back
American turn
My footwork for Jive is a complete mess right now. Timing is all off too probably in large part because of it.
Rumba
Comparatively speaking, Rumba and Cha Cha are cakewalk.
The new-ish stuff might be called back spot turn (not sure)
2,3,4 basic 6,7,8 rock back crossed behind, rock forward turning clockwise, rock back turning
2,3,4 rock forw, rock back, rock forw all while turning 6,7,8 lead follower to stationary turn
2,3,4,6,7,8 New Yorker
The dance I am most interested in among Ballroom dances is Foxtrot. Unfortunately, I have not seen any Foxtrot since the first week for Ballroom beginner class over 2 years ago.
I had an invitation to for a Halloween outing involving Salsa, but I decided against taking part in it because I felt like I would be overloading myself. I hope it was fun for everyone who was there.
The warm-up was Quickstep, which I decided not to partake in. The lessons started instead with my third least favorite dance.
Tango
measure 1 – L forward, R forward, L forward, R to side and into promenade position (s,s,s,q and pause)
measure 2 – L lean forward in promenade, R forward, L forward, R together and face follower (s,s,s,q and pause)
All these have some technical terms, but I didn’t catch most of the terms
measure 1 – L forward, R forward, L forward, R forward while turning 1/4 counterclockwise (s,s,s,s)
measure 2 – L cross behind R wide while keeping same orientation, R short back while turning counterclockwise again (about 1/4 here), L short L while continuing to turn 1/4 counterclockwise, R together (s,s,s,q and pause)
Movement is linear, same direction throughout. In the end, orientation has changed 1/4 clockwise (by going 3/4 counterclockwise). All the turns are done as unit.
measure 1 – L forward, R forward, L forward, R to side and into promenade position (s,s,s,q and pause)
measure 2 – L lean forward in promenade, R forward, L forward while turning 1/2 clockwise, R in place but rock forward (s,s,s,s)
measure 3 – rock back to L with weight transfer and turn clockwise, rock forward to R weight transfer and turn clockwise, rock back to L with weight transfer and turn clockwise (total turn of 1/2 should be very doable) (s,s,s and pause??)
measure 4 – R back, L to side, R together (s,s,s and pause??)
Moving on to one of the dances I like more.
Waltz
1,2,3 R forw, L forw and start to turn clockwise (keep the directions the same), R together
1,2,3 L back, R together and turn 1/2, L forw into promenade position (hmm – so this would require leading follower to a bigger turn than I originally thought)
1,2,3 R forw in promenade, L forw in promenade, R forw while getting follower in front
1,2,3 L forw turning 1/4 counterclockwise resulting in stepping crossed behind R, R slightly back starting to turn counterclockwise, L together finishing with about 1/2 turn counterclockwise from 1
1,2,3 R forw, L forw and start to turn clockwise, R together
Moving on to second least favorite.
Jive
Turn and back
American turn
My footwork for Jive is a complete mess right now. Timing is all off too probably in large part because of it.
Rumba
Comparatively speaking, Rumba and Cha Cha are cakewalk.
The new-ish stuff might be called back spot turn (not sure)
2,3,4 basic 6,7,8 rock back crossed behind, rock forward turning clockwise, rock back turning
2,3,4 rock forw, rock back, rock forw all while turning 6,7,8 lead follower to stationary turn
2,3,4,6,7,8 New Yorker
The dance I am most interested in among Ballroom dances is Foxtrot. Unfortunately, I have not seen any Foxtrot since the first week for Ballroom beginner class over 2 years ago.
I had an invitation to for a Halloween outing involving Salsa, but I decided against taking part in it because I felt like I would be overloading myself. I hope it was fun for everyone who was there.
Ballroom, Mauro and Eva
October 26, 2007
I arrived at Club Salsa around 10:40. This time it was because I decided to go to another Ballroom class at St. Columba’s Hall for an extra reinforcement. It was a smaller class compared to Wednesday’s (about 8 couples) but with better rotation. The quality of followers was in my opinion no different than in the Wednesday fast track class.
Waltz
Nothing new. Whisk was introduced to the class.
Rumba
Same as Wednesday except after the second turn, the couples did a three set of backwards (for the lead) step before leading a spot turn (or 12 o’clock or 2 o’clock turn) for follower
Cha Cha
Same as Rumba except the backwards steps were replaced with three chassis. The instructor suggested that I make my chassis bigger.
Tango
The most puzzling part thus far for me had been timing. There are four beats to a measure. Quick is 1/2 beat. Slow is full beat. The moves are interrelated between measures but are not obvious 1,2,3,5,6,7 or 2,3,4,6,7,8 as in Rumba/Cha/Mambo/Salsa.
I’ll try to reconstruct the routine another time. This session helped to get me more comfortable with Ballroom dances after a long absence and still struggling a little to get back into thick of it.
Back to Salsa...
The show by Aiste and Mauro must have started around 11. Surprisingly Cyrille who indicated little interest in seeing the show was there – as was Sergio and Nat – whereas Zern who supposedly was keen to catch the performance was nowhere to be seen. Also present were many ex-team members like Haihan, Rajiv, Mark, Jane, Sam, Zhenzhi.
I quite enjoyed the dancing this evening. As well as dancing with the usual suspects, I danced quite a bit with a relative newcomer (new to the Cambridge scene but far from a beginner) as well as an old familiar who had been absent for few weeks. I also had a dance with Aiste, which was pretty good but far from being the highlight of the evening. The London folks stayed til about midnight.
The music was plenty enjoyable – at this point I don’t think I have a favorite DJ for Cambridge because advantages and disadvantages more or less balance out. This was not true say 10 months ago. Because I’m writing this a few days after (because of Salsa Del Este), I don’t remember the song selections as much, but here are some highlights. Swing La Moderna (Ray Barretto – actually, this was my selection rather than Vishal’s. Right after Aiste and Mauro’s performance, Vishal opted to do a farewell dance for Draco – first a Merengue than a Salsa, which I chose as the slow-medium after performance pick. He then said choose anything I could find. I flipped through his selections and was pleasantly surprised to find this song. It’s a great song. I don’t have it. I had to play it.), La Palomilla (Joe Cuba), Alabanciosa (Manny Oquendo), La Salsa Nunca Se Acaba (Susie Hansen), Pancho Cristal (Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz - Vish plays this practically every night, but this is a rare song, which I don’t mind hearing so often. I could enjoy it while dancing or while standing around listening.), Aguanile (Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe - Vish being a bit silly again). After 1 AM (close to 1:30 AM), Vishal went into a rare Reggaeton mode. It was like the old times. I ended up staying until around 2:40 along with Cyrille. Some others supposedly lasted til 3 AM. I think Vishal was determined to make people feel that he had the best party of the evening tonight.
Topic of the day - Operation Northwoods.
I arrived at Club Salsa around 10:40. This time it was because I decided to go to another Ballroom class at St. Columba’s Hall for an extra reinforcement. It was a smaller class compared to Wednesday’s (about 8 couples) but with better rotation. The quality of followers was in my opinion no different than in the Wednesday fast track class.
Waltz
Nothing new. Whisk was introduced to the class.
Rumba
Same as Wednesday except after the second turn, the couples did a three set of backwards (for the lead) step before leading a spot turn (or 12 o’clock or 2 o’clock turn) for follower
Cha Cha
Same as Rumba except the backwards steps were replaced with three chassis. The instructor suggested that I make my chassis bigger.
Tango
The most puzzling part thus far for me had been timing. There are four beats to a measure. Quick is 1/2 beat. Slow is full beat. The moves are interrelated between measures but are not obvious 1,2,3,5,6,7 or 2,3,4,6,7,8 as in Rumba/Cha/Mambo/Salsa.
I’ll try to reconstruct the routine another time. This session helped to get me more comfortable with Ballroom dances after a long absence and still struggling a little to get back into thick of it.
Back to Salsa...
The show by Aiste and Mauro must have started around 11. Surprisingly Cyrille who indicated little interest in seeing the show was there – as was Sergio and Nat – whereas Zern who supposedly was keen to catch the performance was nowhere to be seen. Also present were many ex-team members like Haihan, Rajiv, Mark, Jane, Sam, Zhenzhi.
I quite enjoyed the dancing this evening. As well as dancing with the usual suspects, I danced quite a bit with a relative newcomer (new to the Cambridge scene but far from a beginner) as well as an old familiar who had been absent for few weeks. I also had a dance with Aiste, which was pretty good but far from being the highlight of the evening. The London folks stayed til about midnight.
The music was plenty enjoyable – at this point I don’t think I have a favorite DJ for Cambridge because advantages and disadvantages more or less balance out. This was not true say 10 months ago. Because I’m writing this a few days after (because of Salsa Del Este), I don’t remember the song selections as much, but here are some highlights. Swing La Moderna (Ray Barretto – actually, this was my selection rather than Vishal’s. Right after Aiste and Mauro’s performance, Vishal opted to do a farewell dance for Draco – first a Merengue than a Salsa, which I chose as the slow-medium after performance pick. He then said choose anything I could find. I flipped through his selections and was pleasantly surprised to find this song. It’s a great song. I don’t have it. I had to play it.), La Palomilla (Joe Cuba), Alabanciosa (Manny Oquendo), La Salsa Nunca Se Acaba (Susie Hansen), Pancho Cristal (Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz - Vish plays this practically every night, but this is a rare song, which I don’t mind hearing so often. I could enjoy it while dancing or while standing around listening.), Aguanile (Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe - Vish being a bit silly again). After 1 AM (close to 1:30 AM), Vishal went into a rare Reggaeton mode. It was like the old times. I ended up staying until around 2:40 along with Cyrille. Some others supposedly lasted til 3 AM. I think Vishal was determined to make people feel that he had the best party of the evening tonight.
Topic of the day - Operation Northwoods.
Ballroom Improver 3
October 24, 2007
Quickstep
Same move for the third week in a row. I think I have it now.
R step diag forw-L chassis to L (open-close-open)
R step diag back-L chassis to L
R step outside diag forw-L lock-step chassis
R step turn as unit about quarter clockwise chassis to L [name?]
L step back turn as unit about quarter clockwise chassis to R
R step outside diag forw-L lock-step chassis
[R step turn as unit about quarter clockwise chassis to L – turn as unit about quarter clockwise and chassis R – turn as unit about quarter clockwise and chassis to L --- I think all this happens in about 2 measures perhaps?]
finish with R step diag back-L chassis to L
Tango
s,s,q,q,s,q,q,s
L forw, R forw, L forw and start to turn clockwise as unit, R to side (now fully turned 1/4), start to turn another 1/4 and L behind R, R slightly behind L, L behind R (starting to turn another 1/4), R together
L forw, R forw, L forw, R to R facing L, L slightly forw (towards old L), R forw, L forw, R together
L forw, R to R facing L, L slightly forw (q), R forw across (q), L forw across and turn 1/4 and weight transfer to R (s), rock back on L and turn, rock forw on R and turn, rock back on L and turn (s), R back, L to side, R together
Jive
Getting the basic back was difficult enough. Timing for thing learned in the beginner class almost 2 years ago was very challenging
basic is something like L cross behind R (slow), chassis to L, pause, chassis to R, pause
new move was something like this
starting from R-R hold
slow step, into cuddle-like position and chassis getting around on L (pause) R step back at start of second chassis while unwinding follower
Some people don’t seem to change partners – I think they came with a partner. Thus in three weeks of classes, I have had the same five partners – one of whom was there for the first week only and another one being an instructor’s assistant type.
This is how I would rank the 8 dances thus far. I generally don’t like the fast dances – I either find them challenging and/or tiring.
Waltz, Cha Cha, Rumba, Foxtrot – I like these (with caveat about 2 vs 6 issues about Cha) and feel comfortable with them (with caveat I have done very little Foxtrot to this point)
Samba – neutral (and I haven’t done it this term)
Tango – I had been interested more in Argentine rather than Ballroom so I am a bit biased against it.
Quickstep – This has been my least favorite for a while (although I seemed to be getting better).
Jive – I find this simply tiring. Too energetic.
Generally it seems like everything is more difficult than it seemed 2 years ago. Perhaps it is because my standard of what is okay or acceptable has changed in past 2 years. Thus far I’m not enjoying these classes as much.
By the way, the instructor today was a substitute. I rather liked him for emphasizing better basics. Words, such as weight transfer, were like music to my ears.
Quickstep
Same move for the third week in a row. I think I have it now.
R step diag forw-L chassis to L (open-close-open)
R step diag back-L chassis to L
R step outside diag forw-L lock-step chassis
R step turn as unit about quarter clockwise chassis to L [name?]
L step back turn as unit about quarter clockwise chassis to R
R step outside diag forw-L lock-step chassis
[R step turn as unit about quarter clockwise chassis to L – turn as unit about quarter clockwise and chassis R – turn as unit about quarter clockwise and chassis to L --- I think all this happens in about 2 measures perhaps?]
finish with R step diag back-L chassis to L
Tango
s,s,q,q,s,q,q,s
L forw, R forw, L forw and start to turn clockwise as unit, R to side (now fully turned 1/4), start to turn another 1/4 and L behind R, R slightly behind L, L behind R (starting to turn another 1/4), R together
L forw, R forw, L forw, R to R facing L, L slightly forw (towards old L), R forw, L forw, R together
L forw, R to R facing L, L slightly forw (q), R forw across (q), L forw across and turn 1/4 and weight transfer to R (s), rock back on L and turn, rock forw on R and turn, rock back on L and turn (s), R back, L to side, R together
Jive
Getting the basic back was difficult enough. Timing for thing learned in the beginner class almost 2 years ago was very challenging
basic is something like L cross behind R (slow), chassis to L, pause, chassis to R, pause
new move was something like this
starting from R-R hold
slow step, into cuddle-like position and chassis getting around on L (pause) R step back at start of second chassis while unwinding follower
Some people don’t seem to change partners – I think they came with a partner. Thus in three weeks of classes, I have had the same five partners – one of whom was there for the first week only and another one being an instructor’s assistant type.
This is how I would rank the 8 dances thus far. I generally don’t like the fast dances – I either find them challenging and/or tiring.
Waltz, Cha Cha, Rumba, Foxtrot – I like these (with caveat about 2 vs 6 issues about Cha) and feel comfortable with them (with caveat I have done very little Foxtrot to this point)
Samba – neutral (and I haven’t done it this term)
Tango – I had been interested more in Argentine rather than Ballroom so I am a bit biased against it.
Quickstep – This has been my least favorite for a while (although I seemed to be getting better).
Jive – I find this simply tiring. Too energetic.
Generally it seems like everything is more difficult than it seemed 2 years ago. Perhaps it is because my standard of what is okay or acceptable has changed in past 2 years. Thus far I’m not enjoying these classes as much.
By the way, the instructor today was a substitute. I rather liked him for emphasizing better basics. Words, such as weight transfer, were like music to my ears.
Ballroom Improver 2
October 17, 2007
I'm going to keep this one free of unnecessary clutter.
Quickstep
Repeat of last week and still a bit problematic...
step diagonal, lock step
step diagonal, face partner and chassis (thus having turned 3/8 clockwise
step back with L(!), chassis to R side (!) turning 1/4 clockwise
step across forw with R, chassis to L turning ~1/4 clockwise
pause then chassis to R turning clockwise
pause then chassis to L turning clockwise
step diagonal back with R, then chassis to L
Tango
Is it quick,quick,slow,slow,slow,quick,quick or maybe quick,quick,quick,slow,slow,quick,quick?
q,q,s,s,s,q,q L forw, R forw, L forw as turn as unit 1/4 counterclockwise, R to R side, L cross wide behind R, R back while as turn as unit 1/2 counterclockwise, L together (or is it slightly to L?)
so overall change is 1/4 turn clockwise (going against the crowd!)
q,q,s,s,s,q,q L forw, R forw, L forw, R to R, L to L pointing to L and face L, R forw having changed directions to 1/4 clockwise (past L), R slight to R facing follower again
no change in direction
Cha Cha
Repeat of last week once again... slight change in note taking...
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker followed by back-to-back basic (end with patty-cake chassis - maybe that's the signal? for next part?)
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker but instead of going back to normal position move to right bringing follower with you for guapea-like (with patty-cake) then chassis
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker ending with both turning on spot then lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis essentially cross body lead (forward step for leader on 2&)
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker standard going both ways before another spot turn into next 2,3
Rumba
Repeat of last week and new move (below)
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward basic and then into closed hold, then hook step on 6 turn body ~1/4 clockwise, more or less on spot on 7, turn another 1/4 clockwise on 8
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward (behind follower’s feet?) turning 1/4 clockwise on 2 and another 1/4 turn between 3 and 4 followed by back basic
This is not so bad, but it is plenty problematic. Actually I think this is going to be very difficult to get everything leadable. I'm talking about all of the dances.
I'm going to keep this one free of unnecessary clutter.
Quickstep
Repeat of last week and still a bit problematic...
step diagonal, lock step
step diagonal, face partner and chassis (thus having turned 3/8 clockwise
step back with L(!), chassis to R side (!) turning 1/4 clockwise
step across forw with R, chassis to L turning ~1/4 clockwise
pause then chassis to R turning clockwise
pause then chassis to L turning clockwise
step diagonal back with R, then chassis to L
Tango
Is it quick,quick,slow,slow,slow,quick,quick or maybe quick,quick,quick,slow,slow,quick,quick?
q,q,s,s,s,q,q L forw, R forw, L forw as turn as unit 1/4 counterclockwise, R to R side, L cross wide behind R, R back while as turn as unit 1/2 counterclockwise, L together (or is it slightly to L?)
so overall change is 1/4 turn clockwise (going against the crowd!)
q,q,s,s,s,q,q L forw, R forw, L forw, R to R, L to L pointing to L and face L, R forw having changed directions to 1/4 clockwise (past L), R slight to R facing follower again
no change in direction
Cha Cha
Repeat of last week once again... slight change in note taking...
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker followed by back-to-back basic (end with patty-cake chassis - maybe that's the signal? for next part?)
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker but instead of going back to normal position move to right bringing follower with you for guapea-like (with patty-cake) then chassis
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker ending with both turning on spot then lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis essentially cross body lead (forward step for leader on 2&)
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker standard going both ways before another spot turn into next 2,3
Rumba
Repeat of last week and new move (below)
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward basic and then into closed hold, then hook step on 6 turn body ~1/4 clockwise, more or less on spot on 7, turn another 1/4 clockwise on 8
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward (behind follower’s feet?) turning 1/4 clockwise on 2 and another 1/4 turn between 3 and 4 followed by back basic
This is not so bad, but it is plenty problematic. Actually I think this is going to be very difficult to get everything leadable. I'm talking about all of the dances.
Ballroom Improver 1
October 10, 2007
There must have been 30-40 people. Paul was the instructor.
Cha Cha
It was a turn pattern! My main partner was from the beginner class, but she was pretty good follower.
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker followed by back-to-back basic
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker but instead of going back to normal position move to right bringing follower with you for chassis (patty-cake) then another New Yorker which ends with spot turn for both onto next 2,3
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis another New Yorker and finish turn for both coming out of New Yorker then lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis essentially cross body lead (except there seems to be no forward step for leader on 2)
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker standard going both ways before another spot turn into next 2,3
Rumba
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward basic followed by leading follower to leader’s L side (follower steps to her R with quarter turn clockwise on 6, then turns half counterclockwise on 7,8 on spot)
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward basic followed by leading follower into travelling counterclockwise turn – it seemed like about 5/8 turn for follower (for follower this is essentially CBL the more appropriate term might be side-pass)
I find leading the first part somewhat mysterious. The partner I had did not really follow my lead much so I did not even get a chance to experiment and work out kinks in leading technique.
Quickstep
My partner seemed quite competent, but I sucked at this. She was new to Quickstep also. Too bad. She talked about some of the moves being something like four moves over three measures.
It was all about turns sometimes with chassis and sometimes without. Timing of it was a bit confusing. I might try writing notes for this another time.
Waltz
Whisk
from left forward basic
1,2,3 R forward, L side, R together
1,2,3 L forward, R side, L cross behind R without weight transfer
1,2,3 chassis R to side (in front of L foot), L to L and then R to close in
1,2,3 R forward (!) – interesting… so doing the chassis changed the leading foot – followed by clockwise turn on 2,3 and next 1,2,3 (with L backwards first)
It was pretty useless during the class segment. I went back to my Quickstep partner to work out the kinks. One try and voila.
I took about ~50 minute break before heading off to Wolfson College for their Salsa night. This outing happened for me because of an initiative made by Zhenzhi. Of people invited, Euvian, Rajiv and William showed up meaning it was not all Cuban. I also saw my Quickstep partner there as well and had couple of Salsa dances with her at Wolfson. I also saw Spyros, who is currently in charge of teaching Salsa at Wolfson. The DJ was Shila playing his typical music. My form was not great – things generally seemed more like an uphill struggle rather than free-flowing.
There must have been 30-40 people. Paul was the instructor.
Cha Cha
It was a turn pattern! My main partner was from the beginner class, but she was pretty good follower.
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker followed by back-to-back basic
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker but instead of going back to normal position move to right bringing follower with you for chassis (patty-cake) then another New Yorker which ends with spot turn for both onto next 2,3
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis another New Yorker and finish turn for both coming out of New Yorker then lead follower to clockwise turn
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis essentially cross body lead (except there seems to be no forward step for leader on 2)
2,3,chassis,6,7,chassis New Yorker standard going both ways before another spot turn into next 2,3
Rumba
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward basic followed by leading follower to leader’s L side (follower steps to her R with quarter turn clockwise on 6, then turns half counterclockwise on 7,8 on spot)
2,3,4,6,7,8 forward basic followed by leading follower into travelling counterclockwise turn – it seemed like about 5/8 turn for follower (for follower this is essentially CBL the more appropriate term might be side-pass)
I find leading the first part somewhat mysterious. The partner I had did not really follow my lead much so I did not even get a chance to experiment and work out kinks in leading technique.
Quickstep
My partner seemed quite competent, but I sucked at this. She was new to Quickstep also. Too bad. She talked about some of the moves being something like four moves over three measures.
It was all about turns sometimes with chassis and sometimes without. Timing of it was a bit confusing. I might try writing notes for this another time.
Waltz
Whisk
from left forward basic
1,2,3 R forward, L side, R together
1,2,3 L forward, R side, L cross behind R without weight transfer
1,2,3 chassis R to side (in front of L foot), L to L and then R to close in
1,2,3 R forward (!) – interesting… so doing the chassis changed the leading foot – followed by clockwise turn on 2,3 and next 1,2,3 (with L backwards first)
It was pretty useless during the class segment. I went back to my Quickstep partner to work out the kinks. One try and voila.
I took about ~50 minute break before heading off to Wolfson College for their Salsa night. This outing happened for me because of an initiative made by Zhenzhi. Of people invited, Euvian, Rajiv and William showed up meaning it was not all Cuban. I also saw my Quickstep partner there as well and had couple of Salsa dances with her at Wolfson. I also saw Spyros, who is currently in charge of teaching Salsa at Wolfson. The DJ was Shila playing his typical music. My form was not great – things generally seemed more like an uphill struggle rather than free-flowing.
CDC Michaelmas 2007
September 25, 2007
I'm guessing CDC's plan for Michaelmas term is now more or less complete.
Salsa schedule has heavy emphasis on beginners and improvers. The big Salsa event is Salsa Del Este in conjunction with Sally's company.
As for me, I'm strongly considering taking another Ballroom class (50/50 chance) - maybe the improver class on Wednesdays. My last and only Ballroom class is from Michaelmas 2005, but I suspect it won't be difficult to remember things. Too bad I can't get Mimi involved.
I'm guessing CDC's plan for Michaelmas term is now more or less complete.
Salsa schedule has heavy emphasis on beginners and improvers. The big Salsa event is Salsa Del Este in conjunction with Sally's company.
As for me, I'm strongly considering taking another Ballroom class (50/50 chance) - maybe the improver class on Wednesdays. My last and only Ballroom class is from Michaelmas 2005, but I suspect it won't be difficult to remember things. Too bad I can't get Mimi involved.
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.
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.
Ballroom Beginner Fast track week 6
November 16, 2005
Today, I went back to St Paul's School on Wednesday instead of St. Columba's Hall on Saturday because of lack of Beginners practice last weekend. As I remembered, the floor is nicer at St. Paul's and less densely packed with people. Unfortunately, this advantage was offset by there being about 4-5 excess men and about 20-25% of men having to sit out at a given time. I guess it was bound to happen at some point.
Jive
American turn
coming back from turn change to R-R
and toss R-R to initiate free clockwise turn sometime during the first chasse
name? (done in week 4 and useful for explanation of new move)
leading follower to clockwise turn with L-R connected
lift L-R high (gradually) as chasse is initiated - so during 5-8 and 1-4 after the turn, follower is moving away from the leader to his left
L-R is lifted high again during the chasse on 1-4 segment to get back to basic position
new move (name?)
leading follower to clockwise turn with L-R connected
lift L-R high (gradually) as chasse is initiated - so during 5-8 and 1-4 after the turn, follower is moving away from the leader to his left
don't lift L-R during next 1-4 - instead R foot cross over to forward left as body is turned clockwise to face the partner and R hand placed on follower's back (follower lifts her L hand high) for the last step of chasse - so follower goes back to left on 5-8
This is somewhat like Enchufe doble but not quite.
Jive really messes me up. Just doing the basics is a struggle because of its speed. I haven't figured out how steps corresponds to the beat/measure of the music.
Samba
Whisk (dancing to the syncopated beat)
1 slow L foot to L
3.5 R foot cross behind L foot
4 L foot in place
5 slow R foot to R
6.5 L foot cross behind R foot
7 R foot in place
Government walk (not syncopated)
1 slow L foot to L (and facing L, which is now forward)
3 quick R foot back
4 quick L foot back (staying ahead of R foot)
5 slow R foot forward (in front of L foot)
7 quick L foot back
8 quick R foot back (stayind ahead of L foot)
See Introduction to Brazilian Samba an explanation of the Samba beat. I am not using their counting system here, but I think it still may be useful.
Quickstep
Finally a turn!
1 slow R foot forward L across (like lock step)
3-4 lock step chasse (quick-quick-slow - I'm guessing 3, 3.5, 4)
5 slow R foot forward L across (lock step start again)
7-8 diagonal chasse but turn as a unit counterclockwise before or as chasse is initiated (chasse done at probably 7, 7.5, 8)
1 slow (nothing?)
3-4 standard chasse to R (R foot first) with another turn counterclockwise as a unit before or as chasse is initiated
5 slow (nothing?)
7-8 standard chasse to L (L foot first) with another turn counterclockwise as a unit before or as chasse is initiated
(ends up with a 1/4 turn overall counterclockwise)
followed by basic step
1 slow (R foot back)
3-4 standard chasse
etc.
I still feel that there isn't very much freedom with Quickstep although forced awkwardness of turning around in the corners can now be removed with the new turn step. For now, I am stuck doing a few basic on the long runway followed by the turn move learned today, followed by one basic on the short runway followed by the turn move again, then repeat. Maybe I'll discover some variations later but I can't think of anything yet.
Nothing new for Waltz. However with things learned thus far, I am finding quite a bit of flexibility in step choice. I am also leaving most of my partners feeling a little dizzy with a lot more turns than they are used to with most other leaders.
Today, I went back to St Paul's School on Wednesday instead of St. Columba's Hall on Saturday because of lack of Beginners practice last weekend. As I remembered, the floor is nicer at St. Paul's and less densely packed with people. Unfortunately, this advantage was offset by there being about 4-5 excess men and about 20-25% of men having to sit out at a given time. I guess it was bound to happen at some point.
Jive
American turn
coming back from turn change to R-R
and toss R-R to initiate free clockwise turn sometime during the first chasse
name? (done in week 4 and useful for explanation of new move)
leading follower to clockwise turn with L-R connected
lift L-R high (gradually) as chasse is initiated - so during 5-8 and 1-4 after the turn, follower is moving away from the leader to his left
L-R is lifted high again during the chasse on 1-4 segment to get back to basic position
new move (name?)
leading follower to clockwise turn with L-R connected
lift L-R high (gradually) as chasse is initiated - so during 5-8 and 1-4 after the turn, follower is moving away from the leader to his left
don't lift L-R during next 1-4 - instead R foot cross over to forward left as body is turned clockwise to face the partner and R hand placed on follower's back (follower lifts her L hand high) for the last step of chasse - so follower goes back to left on 5-8
This is somewhat like Enchufe doble but not quite.
Jive really messes me up. Just doing the basics is a struggle because of its speed. I haven't figured out how steps corresponds to the beat/measure of the music.
Samba
Whisk (dancing to the syncopated beat)
1 slow L foot to L
3.5 R foot cross behind L foot
4 L foot in place
5 slow R foot to R
6.5 L foot cross behind R foot
7 R foot in place
Government walk (not syncopated)
1 slow L foot to L (and facing L, which is now forward)
3 quick R foot back
4 quick L foot back (staying ahead of R foot)
5 slow R foot forward (in front of L foot)
7 quick L foot back
8 quick R foot back (stayind ahead of L foot)
See Introduction to Brazilian Samba an explanation of the Samba beat. I am not using their counting system here, but I think it still may be useful.
Quickstep
Finally a turn!
1 slow R foot forward L across (like lock step)
3-4 lock step chasse (quick-quick-slow - I'm guessing 3, 3.5, 4)
5 slow R foot forward L across (lock step start again)
7-8 diagonal chasse but turn as a unit counterclockwise before or as chasse is initiated (chasse done at probably 7, 7.5, 8)
1 slow (nothing?)
3-4 standard chasse to R (R foot first) with another turn counterclockwise as a unit before or as chasse is initiated
5 slow (nothing?)
7-8 standard chasse to L (L foot first) with another turn counterclockwise as a unit before or as chasse is initiated
(ends up with a 1/4 turn overall counterclockwise)
followed by basic step
1 slow (R foot back)
3-4 standard chasse
etc.
I still feel that there isn't very much freedom with Quickstep although forced awkwardness of turning around in the corners can now be removed with the new turn step. For now, I am stuck doing a few basic on the long runway followed by the turn move learned today, followed by one basic on the short runway followed by the turn move again, then repeat. Maybe I'll discover some variations later but I can't think of anything yet.
Nothing new for Waltz. However with things learned thus far, I am finding quite a bit of flexibility in step choice. I am also leaving most of my partners feeling a little dizzy with a lot more turns than they are used to with most other leaders.
Ballroom Beginner Fast track week 5 & Beginners Practice
November 5, 2005
Waltz
Left corner turn
1 L foot forward
2 R foot to forward R as the coulple turns counterclockwise about 1/3 as a unit
3 L foot together
1 R foot backward
2 L foot to back L as the couple turns counterclockwise 1/3 as a unit
3 R foot together
THAT WAS IT!!! Everything else was a rehash of last week or so. Only one new thing for 90 minutes! Of course, this does mean we get plenty of chance to refine and improve a very limited set of moves we've learned thus far.
On the bright side, I figured out a way to use Lock-step for Quickstep without getting into a corner.
Start from near the center of the room with plenty of room to your left (using the long part of the hall) when initiating lock-step. At the end of the lock-step, step back with R foot on 1 and do the chasse.
During the PRACTICE session, they introduced a new step for Cha Cha Cha (why???).
Cha Cha Cha
forward and back
2 L foot forward
3 weight on R foot
4,5 L foot cross behind R foot and chasse
6 R foot backward
7 weight on L foot
8,1 R foot cross in front of L foot as chasse
Followers can be lead to make a full pivot clockwise turn on 6,7 (lead starts during chasse).
Taking things from Salsa, leaders can do a pivot clockwise turn on 2,3.
Waltz is or can be a very funny dance. I'm not sure if this is the correct way but some people seemed to dance it almost as if waltz was ... Bachata!
I can't believe they stopped doing any new things for Foxtrot. Maybe they won't be introducing anything new for Waltz and Cha Cha Cha for Beginners.
There's no Beginners practice next week.
Waltz
Left corner turn
1 L foot forward
2 R foot to forward R as the coulple turns counterclockwise about 1/3 as a unit
3 L foot together
1 R foot backward
2 L foot to back L as the couple turns counterclockwise 1/3 as a unit
3 R foot together
THAT WAS IT!!! Everything else was a rehash of last week or so. Only one new thing for 90 minutes! Of course, this does mean we get plenty of chance to refine and improve a very limited set of moves we've learned thus far.
On the bright side, I figured out a way to use Lock-step for Quickstep without getting into a corner.
Start from near the center of the room with plenty of room to your left (using the long part of the hall) when initiating lock-step. At the end of the lock-step, step back with R foot on 1 and do the chasse.
During the PRACTICE session, they introduced a new step for Cha Cha Cha (why???).
Cha Cha Cha
forward and back
2 L foot forward
3 weight on R foot
4,5 L foot cross behind R foot and chasse
6 R foot backward
7 weight on L foot
8,1 R foot cross in front of L foot as chasse
Followers can be lead to make a full pivot clockwise turn on 6,7 (lead starts during chasse).
Taking things from Salsa, leaders can do a pivot clockwise turn on 2,3.
Waltz is or can be a very funny dance. I'm not sure if this is the correct way but some people seemed to dance it almost as if waltz was ... Bachata!
I can't believe they stopped doing any new things for Foxtrot. Maybe they won't be introducing anything new for Waltz and Cha Cha Cha for Beginners.
There's no Beginners practice next week.
Ballroom Beginner Fast track week 4 & Beginners Practice
October 29, 2005
Waltz
Right corner turn (same as last week except additional detail in bold)
1 R foot forward (body but not feet starts turning clockwise)
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new L with L foot
3 R foot together
1 L foot backward (body starts turning clockwise)
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new R with R foot
3 L foot together
Often, I break above turn move into two halves with long basics in between (with leader going backwards). I'm guessing that this is allowed although I'm not completely certain. Also carrying out three right corner turn in a row along a long straight space makes for a nice detour if there is space available.
Quickstep
Steps that inevitably gets you into a corner that you cannot get out of
1 R foot diagonal forward L (slow)
2-4 chasse
- L foot diagonal forward L (quick)
- R foot cross behind L foot (quick)
- L foot diagonal forward L (slow)
5 R foot diagonal forward (slow)
6-8 chasse
- L foot diagonal forward L (quick)
- R foot cross behind L foot (quick)
- L foot diagonal forward L (slow)
Once this diagonal move is initiated, apparently it must be carried through to beat 8 of the music. Sans no turning move, this usually ends in a dead end. Even with smaller number of people, traffic management becomes a bit of nightmare with this new step added. I'll need some sort of turning manuever if I were to enjoy Quickstep.
Cha Cha Cha
New Yorker ending with turn [This should be doable with Rumba as well]
2 let go R-L (possibly as early as 1) and point to L with L foot
3 weight on R foot
4,5 chasse reconnect L-R and let go R-L
6 point to R with R foot
7 weight on L foot
8,1 chasse (if continuing with New Yorker – let go L-R and reconnect R-L)
The way to initiate turn is to let go L-R on 2 and turn clockwise and get back into open position on 3,4,5 followed by back basic on 6 OR to let go R-L on 6 and turn counterclockwise and get back into open position on 7,8,1 [Note: Followers turn opposite direction leaders are turning]
Right now, Cha Cha Cha is my personal favorite among the Ballroom dances – enough familiarity with music, being able to anticipate changes in music and match it with simple changes in the dance, knowing some extra simple moves, and nice moderate speed of the dance probably all contribute to this sentiment. Then again, I was called for being off time once again by the timing police; I think I might have been dancing on-1 instead of on-2. Despite this, dancing Cha Cha Cha today has to rank as the dancing highlight of this week for me.
[Note: Rumba is danced on-2 as well. I'm going to have to go back to my old notes and make corrections when I have time.]
Jive
leading follower to clockwise turn
just lift L-R high (gradually) as chassis is initiated
Jive also is fun but also is very energy consuming. If I dance one Jive, then sometimes I need to take a break for next 2 songs. I also want a better written-out description of relationship between the beat of the music and steps involved in dancing jive.
I found soles of my dance shoe covered with wax, varnish and all sorts of junk when I arrived. It was a good thing that I arrived early enough to clean the soles, but it still was not a good thing to see.
Cambridge is a small town. I’m just going to say that it’s amazing how often I see same people in different unrelated places and how easy it is to meet new people with overlapping set of acquaintances.
Apparently there will be a CDC committee meeting tomorrow. Maybe I’ll hear from them soon.
Waltz
Right corner turn (same as last week except additional detail in bold)
1 R foot forward (body but not feet starts turning clockwise)
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new L with L foot
3 R foot together
1 L foot backward (body starts turning clockwise)
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new R with R foot
3 L foot together
Often, I break above turn move into two halves with long basics in between (with leader going backwards). I'm guessing that this is allowed although I'm not completely certain. Also carrying out three right corner turn in a row along a long straight space makes for a nice detour if there is space available.
Quickstep
Steps that inevitably gets you into a corner that you cannot get out of
1 R foot diagonal forward L (slow)
2-4 chasse
- L foot diagonal forward L (quick)
- R foot cross behind L foot (quick)
- L foot diagonal forward L (slow)
5 R foot diagonal forward (slow)
6-8 chasse
- L foot diagonal forward L (quick)
- R foot cross behind L foot (quick)
- L foot diagonal forward L (slow)
Once this diagonal move is initiated, apparently it must be carried through to beat 8 of the music. Sans no turning move, this usually ends in a dead end. Even with smaller number of people, traffic management becomes a bit of nightmare with this new step added. I'll need some sort of turning manuever if I were to enjoy Quickstep.
Cha Cha Cha
New Yorker ending with turn [This should be doable with Rumba as well]
2 let go R-L (possibly as early as 1) and point to L with L foot
3 weight on R foot
4,5 chasse reconnect L-R and let go R-L
6 point to R with R foot
7 weight on L foot
8,1 chasse (if continuing with New Yorker – let go L-R and reconnect R-L)
The way to initiate turn is to let go L-R on 2 and turn clockwise and get back into open position on 3,4,5 followed by back basic on 6 OR to let go R-L on 6 and turn counterclockwise and get back into open position on 7,8,1 [Note: Followers turn opposite direction leaders are turning]
Right now, Cha Cha Cha is my personal favorite among the Ballroom dances – enough familiarity with music, being able to anticipate changes in music and match it with simple changes in the dance, knowing some extra simple moves, and nice moderate speed of the dance probably all contribute to this sentiment. Then again, I was called for being off time once again by the timing police; I think I might have been dancing on-1 instead of on-2. Despite this, dancing Cha Cha Cha today has to rank as the dancing highlight of this week for me.
[Note: Rumba is danced on-2 as well. I'm going to have to go back to my old notes and make corrections when I have time.]
Jive
leading follower to clockwise turn
just lift L-R high (gradually) as chassis is initiated
Jive also is fun but also is very energy consuming. If I dance one Jive, then sometimes I need to take a break for next 2 songs. I also want a better written-out description of relationship between the beat of the music and steps involved in dancing jive.
I found soles of my dance shoe covered with wax, varnish and all sorts of junk when I arrived. It was a good thing that I arrived early enough to clean the soles, but it still was not a good thing to see.
Cambridge is a small town. I’m just going to say that it’s amazing how often I see same people in different unrelated places and how easy it is to meet new people with overlapping set of acquaintances.
Apparently there will be a CDC committee meeting tomorrow. Maybe I’ll hear from them soon.
Ballroom Beginner Fast track week 3 & Beginners Practice
October 22, 2005
Waltz
Right corner turn
1 R foot forward
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new L with L foot
3 R foot together
1 L foot backward
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new R with R foot
3 L foot together
Box step
1 R foot forward
2 L foot to side L
3 R foot together
1 L foot backward
2 R foot to side R
3 L foot together
Quickstep
same basic step as last class
Cha Cha Cha
New Yorker (very similar to New Yorker in Rumba)
2 let go R-L (possibly as early as 1) and point to L with L foot
3 weight on R foot
4,5 chasse reconnect L-R and let go R-L
6 point to R with R foot
7 weight on L foot
8,1 chasse (if continuing with New Yorker – let go L-R and reconnect R-L)
Rumba
same basic step and New Yorker as was done in previous class
Beginners practice
Most participants in the beginners practice were with the Beginner Dancesport team. Apparently, interest level for Ballroom dancing this year is much higher than last year. As for taking part of the practice, I would say that it makes more sense to go to Saturday class followed by beginners practice. This is because of the way classes are scheduled; Thursday to Saturday classes have one extra day’s worth of lessons compared to Sunday to Wednesday classes. I figured out how to start going backwards using the first half of Right corner turn in Waltz; second half of the Right corner turn can be used to go back to walking forwards for the leader. I was feeling quite pleased about figuring all this out myself, at least until some of the hot air was released from my head when it was pointed out that I lost track of the music and was dancing on-2. One of my first dance partners for the Cha Cha Cha taught me a simple turn maneuver; I figured out that the same thing could be used for Rumba as well. I think I’ll wait until they get into the official syllabus before putting them on my notes though.
Waltz
Right corner turn
1 R foot forward
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new L with L foot
3 R foot together
1 L foot backward
2 turn 1/4 clockwise and step to new R with R foot
3 L foot together
Box step
1 R foot forward
2 L foot to side L
3 R foot together
1 L foot backward
2 R foot to side R
3 L foot together
Quickstep
same basic step as last class
Cha Cha Cha
New Yorker (very similar to New Yorker in Rumba)
2 let go R-L (possibly as early as 1) and point to L with L foot
3 weight on R foot
4,5 chasse reconnect L-R and let go R-L
6 point to R with R foot
7 weight on L foot
8,1 chasse (if continuing with New Yorker – let go L-R and reconnect R-L)
Rumba
same basic step and New Yorker as was done in previous class
Beginners practice
Most participants in the beginners practice were with the Beginner Dancesport team. Apparently, interest level for Ballroom dancing this year is much higher than last year. As for taking part of the practice, I would say that it makes more sense to go to Saturday class followed by beginners practice. This is because of the way classes are scheduled; Thursday to Saturday classes have one extra day’s worth of lessons compared to Sunday to Wednesday classes. I figured out how to start going backwards using the first half of Right corner turn in Waltz; second half of the Right corner turn can be used to go back to walking forwards for the leader. I was feeling quite pleased about figuring all this out myself, at least until some of the hot air was released from my head when it was pointed out that I lost track of the music and was dancing on-2. One of my first dance partners for the Cha Cha Cha taught me a simple turn maneuver; I figured out that the same thing could be used for Rumba as well. I think I’ll wait until they get into the official syllabus before putting them on my notes though.
Ballroom Beginner Fast track week 2
October 19, 2005
Quickstep (fast)
1 R foot forward (slow)
2 L foot side to L (quick)
3 R foot together (quick)
4 L foot side to L (slow)
5 R foot backward (slow)
6 L foot side to L (quick)
7 R foot together (quick)
8 L foot side to L (slow)
Jive (faster)
1 L foot cross behind R foot
2 switch weight to R foot
3-5 Chasse (note irregular beat) L foot to side L (slow), R foot together (quick), L foot side L (quick)
6-8 Chasse (note irregular beat) R foot to side R (slow), L foot together (quick), R foot side R (quick)
Rumba (slooow)
New Yorker?
1 pause (release R-L?)
2 L foot to L pointing to L (release R-L and point L-R to L)
3 weight on R foot
4 L foot back to open position & reconnect R-L
5 pause (release L-R?)
6 R foot to R pointing to R (point R-L to R)
7 weight on L foot
8 R foot back to open position & reconnect L-R
Waltz and Foxtrot was repeat of last week's class.
Quickstep (fast)
1 R foot forward (slow)
2 L foot side to L (quick)
3 R foot together (quick)
4 L foot side to L (slow)
5 R foot backward (slow)
6 L foot side to L (quick)
7 R foot together (quick)
8 L foot side to L (slow)
Jive (faster)
1 L foot cross behind R foot
2 switch weight to R foot
3-5 Chasse (note irregular beat) L foot to side L (slow), R foot together (quick), L foot side L (quick)
6-8 Chasse (note irregular beat) R foot to side R (slow), L foot together (quick), R foot side R (quick)
Rumba (slooow)
New Yorker?
1 pause (release R-L?)
2 L foot to L pointing to L (release R-L and point L-R to L)
3 weight on R foot
4 L foot back to open position & reconnect R-L
5 pause (release L-R?)
6 R foot to R pointing to R (point R-L to R)
7 weight on L foot
8 R foot back to open position & reconnect L-R
Waltz and Foxtrot was repeat of last week's class.
Ballroom Beginners (Fast Track) at CDC
October 12, 2005
Waltz
6 beats
basic step (moving forward indefinitely)
1 R foot forward
2 L foot to L (possibly L forward)
3 R foot together
4 L foot forward
5 R foot to R (possibly R forward)
6 L foot together
Foxtrot
8 beats
basic step (moving forward and to left indefinitely)
1 L foot forward (slow)
2 R foot forward (slow)
3 L foot to side (L) (quick)
4 R foot together (quick)
5 L foot backward (slow)
6 R foot backward (slow)
7 L foot to side (L) (quick)
8 R foot together (quick)
Rumba
8 beats
basic step (dance in place)
1 pause
2 L foot forward
3 weight on R foot in place
4 L foot to side (L)
5 pause
6 R foot backward
7 weight on L foot in place
8 R foot to side (R)
Cha Cha Cha
8 beats
basic step (dance in place)
1 R foot to to side (R)
2 L foot forward
3 weight on R foot in place
4,5 L foot to L, R foot together, L foot to L (Cha Cha Cha shuffle = chasse)
6 R foot backward
7 weight on L foot in place
8,1 R foot to R, L foot together, R foot to R (Cha Cha Cha shuffle = chasse)
There are many web sites with information on steps, etc. involved in various ballroom dances, including ballroomdancers.com and dancetv.com. I'm taking notes anyway because it still helps me remember things.
Having gotten decent at learning and dancing Salsa has helped me with quickly picking up the lessons and with confidence tonight – there was light years worth of difference between tonight and the last time I took one or two Ballroom lessons about three or four years ago. I’m guessing I was one of the oldest if not the oldest student there tonight. One of my dance partners asked me whether I was going to try out for the Beginner Ballroom team. Interesting idea, but I think it’ll require more time than I can really spare. Thus far, I find Foxtrot and Cha Cha Cha more fun compared to Waltz and Rumba – despite the fact that I had long wanted to dance Waltz (or Viennese Waltz) to Strauss (any of the three).
Afterwards, it was back to Club Salsa for more mending of bridges (going better than I could have hoped for and probably better than I deserved) and dancing (with lighter heart). There were at least two or three occasions where I felt positively terrified, but it's nearly done - maybe about 80% done.
Waltz
6 beats
basic step (moving forward indefinitely)
1 R foot forward
2 L foot to L (possibly L forward)
3 R foot together
4 L foot forward
5 R foot to R (possibly R forward)
6 L foot together
Foxtrot
8 beats
basic step (moving forward and to left indefinitely)
1 L foot forward (slow)
2 R foot forward (slow)
3 L foot to side (L) (quick)
4 R foot together (quick)
5 L foot backward (slow)
6 R foot backward (slow)
7 L foot to side (L) (quick)
8 R foot together (quick)
Rumba
8 beats
basic step (dance in place)
1 pause
2 L foot forward
3 weight on R foot in place
4 L foot to side (L)
5 pause
6 R foot backward
7 weight on L foot in place
8 R foot to side (R)
Cha Cha Cha
8 beats
basic step (dance in place)
1 R foot to to side (R)
2 L foot forward
3 weight on R foot in place
4,5 L foot to L, R foot together, L foot to L (Cha Cha Cha shuffle = chasse)
6 R foot backward
7 weight on L foot in place
8,1 R foot to R, L foot together, R foot to R (Cha Cha Cha shuffle = chasse)
There are many web sites with information on steps, etc. involved in various ballroom dances, including ballroomdancers.com and dancetv.com. I'm taking notes anyway because it still helps me remember things.
Having gotten decent at learning and dancing Salsa has helped me with quickly picking up the lessons and with confidence tonight – there was light years worth of difference between tonight and the last time I took one or two Ballroom lessons about three or four years ago. I’m guessing I was one of the oldest if not the oldest student there tonight. One of my dance partners asked me whether I was going to try out for the Beginner Ballroom team. Interesting idea, but I think it’ll require more time than I can really spare. Thus far, I find Foxtrot and Cha Cha Cha more fun compared to Waltz and Rumba – despite the fact that I had long wanted to dance Waltz (or Viennese Waltz) to Strauss (any of the three).
Afterwards, it was back to Club Salsa for more mending of bridges (going better than I could have hoped for and probably better than I deserved) and dancing (with lighter heart). There were at least two or three occasions where I felt positively terrified, but it's nearly done - maybe about 80% done.
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