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Sugar Push |
Side Pass |
Tuck Turns |
Whips |
Dancing Basics |
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Centering: Balance |
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Grounding |
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Connection |
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Isolations |
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Dancing |
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Musical Expression |
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Sugar Push & Pass Variations PERFECTING THE SUGAR PUSH [Back to Top] Starting from open position, both dancers establish a connection through leverage. The leader's pistol grip gives the follower ample room to curl her fingers around snugly in his hand. Neither one should squeeze the other or allow the fingers to open. The contact is maintained through the shape of the hand and the movement of the dancer's centers. The leader starts by sending his center back from his right foot, stepping to his left foot on 1. He begins the lead on the & count before the 1 by crunching his abdominal muscles and pushing off with his left leg. He keeps his shoulders square to the follower and allows his elbow to stretch slightly as he begins to step back. If his arm pulls or is tense, it will feel rough. If he steps back and lets his shoulder (or center) stay forward, she will not feel the lead as well. If he brings his shoulder back too far, she may think he is leading a left side pass. On count 2 he brings his right foot back in line with his left foot and transfers his weight to it. The follower will also contract her ab muscles and allow her arm to stretch before taking a small step forward on 1 with her right foot as she feels the lead, then another step forward on 2. Be sure the heel of the foot strikes first but keep the toe low and roll forward over the inside edge of the foot. Toe out slightly for stability and use the muscles on the outside of the ankle to keep centered over the foot. On 3&4, the leader slows the movement of her center and reverses it without a sudden stop. His left foot touches behind on 3 but the weight stays primarily over the right foot. He rolls forward over the right foot without picking it up on the & count, then sends the follower back by stepping forward on 4 with the left foot and giving a SMALL nudge with his hand. He needs to keep his hand low so she can compress straight in on 3&. Keep the wrist straight and do not allow the elbow to collapse behind. If his arm is noodle-like, she will get too close. If he allows his center to go back too far on 3, she will take too large a step. He has to provide a wall so she can compress into it. The follower steps together on 3, not ahead of her left. She keeps her wrist straight and compresses her knuckles into the heel of his palm. On the & count she shifts her weight to her left foot and maintains compression, letting her center drift slightly forward over her toes (not beyond) as he begins to send her back. She keeps tone in her elbow so her center moves back slightly behind the lead, stepping back to her right foot on 4, maintaining compression On 5 & 6 the leader anchors in place, hooking his right foot behind the left on 5, replacing his weight and rolling over the left on &, then placing his right foot down next to the left on 6 to free up his left foot for the next pattern to be led. The follower triples backward left-right-left on 5 & 6 making sure the left foot stays behind the right. Her toes hit first as she backs up and she rolls over her feet smoothly without bouncing. As her left heel comes down on the 6& count she settles into the leverage and crunches her abs for the next lead. Both partners should maintain a degree of tone in their ab muscles throughout the pattern with a stronger contraction on the 6&. Keep breathing! Once the leader has sent the follower back on 4, he can allow the follower's movement to establish the leveraged connection again. If she took a large step on 4, her 5&6 must be small to avoid running out of arm or doing a coaster step. SUGAR PUSH WITH KICK-BALL-SWIVELS [Back to Top] Counts 1,2 are the same as a basic SP with leader catching the follower’s left hand by count 2 to lead the variation. Open out on 3&4 (leader’s left, follow’s right) with the kick on 3, ball-change on &4, point out on 5 (leader’s L, follow’s R), sweep across and place on 6, repeat the sweep/cross up to a 12 count. Sweep on the odd counts, cross and change weight on the even counts. When the follow’s right foot is crossed in front of her left, the leader pushes away to finish with an anchor step. The point/sweep/cross should be smooth. Connection in both partner’s hands is the key. Neither partner should balance on the other. Alternate: same as above to count 8. When partners have feet apart, do 4 twist/swivels to shift the weight from one side to the other. Swivel back on two counts, back again on the next two, then push away to an anchor step. Leader goes right 4, left 2, right 2, follow swivels left 4, right 2, left 2. The feet don’t really move, just twist in place as your weight shifts from one leg to the other. INSIDE ROLLS FOR BASIC PATTERNS [Back to Top]
NEVER-ENDING SIDE PASSES [Back to Top] Additional variation to the RUA w/ Inside Roll from last week: the leader can do a repeating series of lunges right and left while spinning the follower back and forth. His feet don’t move. This takes a stronger feel from the leader’s hands to keep the follower “caged” in his arms. The follower sticks on her left leg and changes orientation from the leader’s hands while her right foot steps through each time. She needs to keep her left elbow up and out of the way as he leads from her left shoulder blade. She should be able to “shoot a gun” down the slot at each change. He needs to be careful as his right hand will repeatedly cross the follow’s front. Be polite but don’t lose the shoulder. This can be done in regular time on the 3&4 or if the music is slower it can be done in single time (3 4, 5 6, 7 8, 9 10) and repeated more times. At double time, twice is enough. Leaders: do not attempt this unless your partner is familiar with it or very experienced. Infinite Side Pass: Start a basic LSP with the leader’s right hand going to the follower’s R wrist to increase the connection and signal the variation. Continue backing (from the 3) and turning to keep the follower rotating around. She needs to keep her left foot forward and to the inside of the circle so she stays in the slot. His hand will stay in front of his belly until he is ready to open out and release her. She needs to wait and release to her anchor step after he does to avoid getting flung out. This should accomplish a 360 degree rotation in a six count or 540 degrees in an 8 count.
Adding a slide is one way to alter the rhythm within a basic pattern without affecting your partner. Within a Sugar Push, the lady's footwork becomes walk-walk on the 1-2 as usual, tap-step on 3 with the right foot and step back on the right foot on 4, dragging the left foot backward in time to do a normal anchor on 5&6. The leader's slide is on the 4 and 5; he reaches forward on 4 with his left heel and drags his right foot up to it through counts 5&, settling his weight into it by count 6. Leaders can also slide through their anchor to blend into the next pattern. He puts the right foot down on 5& just outside the slot. The left foot then slides in a "7" shape - sideways on 6 toward the right foot then back at a diagonal on 6& to start the next pattern on 1. Another simple syncopation is to switch a triple step for a walk-walk within a basic pattern, since both are 2 beats in duration. You do need to make sure that you end up on the correct foot by the end of the pattern, so make sure you put the walk-walk in somewhere else. The basic six-count patterns are walk-walk, triple-step, triple-step so you can make them triple-step, walk-walk, triple-step (the normal anchor). Or, on a Left Side Pass, a follower can syncopate a little cha-cha-cha action by doing a triple-step, triple-step walk-walk. This replaces the anchor-step, so be careful not to do three triple-steps by mistake. PATTERN BLENDING AND STYLISH ANCHORS [Back to Top] Tips for smoothing out the basic patterns and adding some ways to make one pattern blend seamlessly into the next one, giving the follower advance notice of the next pattern and allowing her to play with the anchor step. First, both dancers roll back on their anchor steps, placing the toe first and keeping the heel up on 6 so there is no abrupt stop. The foot rolls back through the & count after 6 and then the center begins moving forward to count 1. The follower allows her arm to stretch out on the & count after 6 as the leader begins the next lead. Maintain tone through the body so that the head and torso move as a unit and leads can be clearly transmitted to the center. Keep the spine straight by moving forward and back without a lot of twisting hip action. Twist adds static to the connection and makes it less clear. The follower can modify the 4, 5&6 at the end of a SP or passing move to travel in a slight teardrop or paisley shape at the end of the slot by using a coaster step. The point of the paisley is toward the leader’s center. Follower must keep her center and toes aimed at the leader and make the loop by foot placement using small steps back and to the right, then across to the left. She needs to keep her heel up and rotate the foot as the heel is placed. Leaders can use a big coaster step to get off the track on 4, 5&6 to indicate the next passing pattern. The class worked on Sugar Push to a Right Underarm to a Left Side Pass. The leader does a hand change from his left to his right hand at the end of the RUA as he clears the slot. The lead for the LSP then becomes a straight sideways move to his left with a second hand change as the follower passes by. Followers can link the paisley shapes to travel in an hourglass or bowtie; close to the center of the slot when nearest to the leader and using the width at the ends of the pattern. These adjustments are individual and do not require an experienced partner; leaders can do the zigzagging coaster steps with beginner followers because the feel of the lead does not change and followers can play with the end of the slot with any leader as long as the connection stays centered. LUNGES AND LEVERAGE MOVES [Back to Top] Starting from a two hand grip, begin a LSP. Counts 1 and 2 are normal for the follower but she will feel the lead change immediately afterward. Create the lunge on the & following the 2 by rotating the follower to her left and straightening her arm back to where she came from. Both leader and follower are “shooting a gun” down the slot and are parallel to the slot on 3, weight over the right leg. Knee bend is optional. The leader’s right arm is now the primary leading arm and the left can let go. Follower MUST maintain a solid frame through her left arm and shoulder before the 3 so he can “push the gun” down the track. From here the leader can do a repeating series of back and forth lunges. Dancers straighten and come together on the even counts and lunge away on the odd counts as weight shifts from leg to leg. Keep the spine straight without leaning or twisting. Follower’s arm stays straight and the leader’s elbow bends to transmit the lead back and forth. Simple exit is a right underarm. Alternate: Bring the follower through on the 4 count with a large arm circle. She steps ahead and through on 4, pivots right on her right foot and steps back on the 5, left arm and hip behind her right side. Leader is looking away down the slot, right hand behind him as he leans forward to his left leg. He leads her forward one step on the 6, then into a left spin with a hand circle. She has to maintain her frame all the way from the 3 count until she is released for the free spin. Follower’s left foot is all that moves on the 5, 6. Her right foot plants on the 4 and doesn’t lift until the spin starts. She spins left on the 7 & 8 and both partners finish with an anchor step on 9 & 10. Sugar push version: Start from a handshake hold in open position. Lead her forward and reach over with the left hand to get a double cross hand grip by 2. The leader steps slightly back and to the left on 1 and brings his feet together on 2 but he stays facing his partner and does not completely clear the slot. Bring the hands up to her shoulder level and turn her to her left on 3&4, bringing her into the shadow position as coasts forward. She plants the left foot on 2 and paddles or pivots on it, touching the right foot forward slightly on 3, reversing on 3&, and placing the right foot forward on 4. Keep the weight back over the left foot. His right arm is behind her shoulder and she is forward of him on his right side. From here he can send her out by leading with his left thumb on the back of her hand, his forearm on her shoulder, and his center as he steps forward. On 5&6 she does a chasse' turn to her right, finishing at the end of the slot where she started. His right hand goes around her head and it will feel like twice. He will let go with the left hand right away. Left Side Pass Variation: Same handshake grip to start. He brings her by his left side in a left roll. He turns to his left and she comes into the same shadow position only this time facing down the slot, not back where she came from. The lead out is exactly the same. Add Swivels: He can add extra swivels in the middle before leading her out. She will triple step from side to side in front of him, repeating the paddle turn and placing her forward foot on the even counts. If she has good balance she can pivot entirely around on one foot, being careful not to kick the leader as she turns. She should look down the slot, not at the leader. He should lead her out on a multiple of four beats, from the right side position. CLEVER HAND CHANGES [Back to Top] Tip: if leading a pattern with the right hand reverses the grip, lead a tuck as the next pattern to fix it. On the other hand, leading a RUA can fix a messed-up left hand grip. Starting from a handshake hold, lead her forward on 1 and reach under the hands to get a left-left double connection by 2. Leader steps back and slightly to his left on one but stays facing the follower. His right hand goes around her head so she turns to her right while he also turns right to face the same direction. By 3 she is in a posed position facing the left side of the slot with the leader behind her and both partners have their arms open. There are many pose variations possible for the follower but her weight is balanced over her right foot without leaning on the leader. The leader's left hand takes over the lead to help the follower brake on 3. He can let go with his right hand to style the pose. From here he can lead her back down the slot in a free spin using only his left hand. Keep the left hand low on 3,4. She comes over her left foot on 4, free spins to her left on 5&6 and both partners anchor on 7&8. Variation to closed position: Start the same as above to 3 but keep the right hand and as she spins back, take it up to her ear then loop it behind her head on 7. He must catch her shoulder by 6 as she goes by to get her in closed position. Do a triple step on 7&8 in place (RLR for him, LRL for her) then lead her forward and out in a left side pass. She will be thinking tuck; to get a LSP be sure the direction from her shoulder is telling her to go straight forward. He will push her away and then rotate to face her in the slot. Alternative for the leader to spin: Start as above but on 3 as soon as his left hand stops the follower, let go and bring his right hand over her head to hook her left forearm with his right forearm. Stay away from the joint areas. Then as he leads her free spin, he can spin to the left himself. Do not step back until the follower has started her spin and is safely beyond; it is easy to step on her right leg on 4 if he opens out too soon. If she travels in her free spin, the leader should chase her on 7&8 to maintain proper distance. RIB TICKLER STRUT [Back to Top] This move gives the guy a break and lets the lady show off a little. Start by leading as in a regular whip but bring her right hand to the leader's right ribcage by 2. Step forward on 3 into her hand and turn 90 degrees to the left. She needs the "J" lead to be stepping sideways on 2. On 3&4 she will triple around the guy's left side so her right foot is forward. She then walks around the leader, keeping her right foot to the inside and staying centered toward the leader while her right hand trails across his back/ribs/stomach. She has several choices in how she walks around him; shimmy, prance it, rumba walk, drop low and boogie walk, whatever she wants. He can stand still, or sway back and forth in opposition to her, or rotate himself to the left inside her circle. He does this by stepping BEHIND her with his right foot and pivoting on his left foot. Both dancers are stepping on whole counts in the music. The leader keeps his arms out of the follower's way by putting both hands behind his head (elbows up, not out!) or alternately "swimming" his arms over as she goes around him. If she is unfamiliar with the move, he can lead her through it by reinforcing the connection, keeping her hand on his side and directing her around him from her shoulder. At some point he will drop his right hand and extend it as the follower comes around his left side. When she sees the hand, she triples into closed position LRL. He then leads a rock step RL and sends her out in a tuck. He should keep her in front of him in the slot on the triple so she doesn't open out too far on the rock step. This move can also be led with the right hand from a handshake grip. For the leader: stepping back diagonally to the left for count 1, hooking leading arm to the right and then immediately left and around the followers head clockwise by count 1-e-. As leader begins to move to count two by turning immediately left one-quarter-turn, he'll reach behind his head to continue leading around her head. As his arm continues to lead her clockwise rotation, he needs to turn his body one-quarter-turn to the left for count 3. His left elbow needs to stay tucked in at count three to prevent hitting his partner. Then, he'll continue around her head for won more turn to finish by count 4-e-&. He'll drop his hand by count 5 as she finishes her anchor. For the follower: as the leader begins his hook, she'll take a tiny step forward for count 1and follow the hooking motion of his arm clockwise to turn to a chaine' by count 2 (one-quarter-turn) and continuing the chaine' to counts 3-&-4, finally turning to face the leader by count 5 and finishing anchor on counts &-6. Whip Variations WHIP SPIN TECHNIQUE [Back to Top]
WHIPS WITH INSIDE TURNS [Back to Top] A whip with an inside turn starts like a regular closed whip for the first half, then becomes more like a right underarm turn for the second half. The follower should underrotate to her right on the first half so her position on 4 has her left shoulder slightly behind her right, forming a solid connection to the leader's hand. The primary lead is from the leader's right hand on the follower's left shoulder sending her ahead and left instead of around like a "normal" whip. His left hand will come up on count 5 and crosses to about the level of her left eyebrow by 6. She takes a small step on 5, turns left 90 degrees on 6, then another 90 degrees as she finishes by backing away on her anchor step 7 & 8. Variation: add a spin by keeping the leader's hand up and doing a small circle CCW around the follower's head. This is a soft, gentle flick that allows her to turn under her own power. She should spin on the count of the music: small 5, 1/4 turn on 6, full turn on 7 &, finishing with a ¼ turn on 8. The entire pattern can be danced in a four foot slot. Small steps keep the spin under control and prevent her from running out of arm. Inside or Cutoff Whip: Start with a SP to a hand change. Leader's right hand has the follower's left hand. He leads her straight forward on the 1,2 then on 3 does a "frisbee flick" to his right to generate the turn. She turns to her left, wrapping herself into her own left arm and backs into his right hand, again with the left shoulder slightly behind the right. KEY: leader must reach across behind the follower after the "flick". He contacts her spine with the back of his hand and she will roll into the connection. She needs to feel his hand on her back as soon as possible in order to lift her elbow up high enough to clear his arm. If he is late, her arm may get trapped. Both dancers position on 4 is the same as in a basic whip. From here the second half is as above, with the same spin variation possible. The Apache Whip is also called a Texas Tommy Whip in some areas. It starts like a basic closed whip to count 4. By count 5 the leader starts to push his left hand back and down to do a hand change behind the follower's back on 6. At this point the dancers connection is palm to palm. Follower footwork on 5 and 6 is close to normal, but the wrapped arm creates a turn to her right as she unwraps on 7&8. Tips: the hand technique and timing is key in these moves. Both partners have to allow their hands to roll and shift through the patterns to keep a connection without getting grabby. Fixed hand positions can hurt somebody. Followers need to take small steps to avoid pulling away, losing contact, or adversely impacting the leader. To stay in the slot through all the turns, she should keep looking down to the end of the slot until the last moment before completing a turn, allowing her head to turn last. Watching the leader tends to make the partnership wobbly. The Cutoff Whip starts from the handshake hold just created. The leader does a "frisbee flick" as practiced last week, but does not let go, keeping the hand low. This wraps the follower into her own right arm behind her back as she rotates and backs up to a hammerlock on count 4. Since the connection is closer, she needs to keep her left elbow in front of her until she has established her right foot position on 4 with her weight back over her left leg. At this point she can lift the elbow up to clear the leader's right arm, keeping her hand high enough and forward of the shoulder to avoid getting trapped. She then unwraps out of the pattern with the leader switching hands again on 7. Variation: The cutoff whip can be done to a shadow position by lifting the hand up and to the back of the follower's neck. This is a light contact, not hard pressure. The flat hand connection is mostly fingertips, with her hand palm up and his palm down. From here he can lead her out in a double outside turn to her right and do a hand change in a sugar push (or two, if she needs them). Tips: the hand technique and timing is key in these moves. Both partners have to allow their hands to roll and shift through the patterns to keep a connection without getting grabby. Fixed hand positions can hurt somebody. Followers need to take small steps to avoid pulling away, losing contact, or adversely impacting the leader. To stay in the slot through all the turns, she should keep looking down to the end of the slot until the last moment before completing a turn, allowing her head to turn last. Watching the leader tends to make the partnership wobbly. VERY TANGLED BASKET WHIPS [Back to Top] An alternate way to get to the basket whip position on 4 is to lead a left roll (LSP with the leader's hand going over the follower's head to get a 360 degree CCW turn on 3&4) but keep both hands connected. This wraps her up into his arms, facing down the slot. He relaxes his arms down to her left shoulder and right hip as she places her right foot on 4. He moves across the slot and out of her way on 5 as she puts her left foot down (not back) and transfers her weight. This frees up her right foot to go back on the 6 as he leads her back, then a backing anchor 7&8 with the leader coming into the slot to face her. A more advanced variation adds another 180 degrees of follower rotation before the 4. The leader now moves forward on his 2 to cut in behind the follower and continues to lead the turn. He has to arc his right am around her, almost pushing forward a little; if he sticks to her shoulder it will stop her rotation. She will not be able to rotate this far unless she has good spin technique, keeping her ankles together with the left heel still off the ground on 3 and generating the twist from her hip and ankle. They end up slightly more side-to-side on 4 with this variation, but the leader still comes across to his right on 5 and leads her backwards down the slot. The follower's position on the 3 is the same in both variations since she will not know which one he is leading until then. If he keeps leading, she keeps driving her spin, staying centered back without traveling further down the slot. If he relaxes, she completes the turn, decreasing her energy (bell curve again.) Basket Whip: she goes forward and backs up to where she started, no turns Closed Whip: she goes forward, turns around CW 360, and ends up back where she started Left Roll Whip: she goes forward, turns around CCW 360, and backs up to where she started. "Cinnamon" Roll Whip: she goes forward, turns around CCW 540 and backs to the other end of the slot FUNNELS AND FAKEOUTS [Back to Top] Further variations on a basic whip count. The Funnel Whip does not change the footwork from the standard closed whip. Starting from a two hand grip, the leader's left hand leads a whip while his right hand comes up and goes partially or completely over his own head. He can do less and look through the window formed by his own arm or he can bring the hand briefly down to his left ear. The elbow stays in front of him, like a follower doing a RUA. The farther it goes, the faster he has to move it so it's free again by the 4& count, but if the follower is much shorter than he is, keeping the hand up may be a reach for her. Variation: he can do a very quick grip change on the 5, rotating his hand CW [?] to a palm to palm grip so he can lead her into an outside turn on the 6, 7&8. Next variation: she opens out after the turn with arm styling and left toe pointing toward the leader on 8. He can match the pose. She keeps tone in her frame so he can use the momentum to free spin her CCW back down the slot. He needs to spin her, not just pull her so that she can stay centered and do small footwork in the spin. A single spin is enough, opening to an anchor step on a 4 count. (1,2, 3&4) If she wants to spin twice she really has to keep her feet together to avoid traveling too far past the leader. Fakeout Variation: Funnel Whip to 5, when the leader brings his right hand straight down and does a grip change. His left hand goes up and turns her so she has her back to him but he continues to face her. He leads the rest of the outside turn and takes his left hand to his own right shoulder on 7, when he lets go and brings his right arm up and back. This creates the illusion that her arm goes through his. The grip changes here are the key. The leader also has to be certain that the left hand continues to lead the whip and that he clears the slot as usual while his right hand is being creative. THE BIG RONDE' WHIP [Back to Top] This move is like a leader's basket whip with footwork changes for both dancers. Start from a two handed grip (get in a SP or regular whip). The leader then steps back on the 1, forward on 2 to cut behind the follower, across/side/across on the 3&4. He is now wrapped up in a cuddle position facing away from the follower (away from the pins). She goes forward 1, 2, small turning 3&4 behind the leader. Foot position on 4 is critical to the rest of the move. Both partners need to have their knees and thighs close together, with heels in line and toes out for stability. The follower's right foot is slightly ahead of her left. Leader must allow his hands to drop all the way to his waist and keep the follower close to him so the torque he generates will transfer to her center. After the 4, he starts a twist from his hips without picking up his feet. This causes the follower to take a small forward/down step on the 4& and the continued rotation will swing her right leg up and out behind her, peaking on the 5. She reaches behind and back to place the foot on 6, then anchors 7&8. If she doesn't control the rotation from her hips, she will overrotate and be sideways in the slot. The energy of the twist from the leader should be absorbed by the leg swing. He can do the same ronde' leg swing with his right leg, but his will peak on the 6, just after hers. This is not a good move on crowded dance floors. Follower must spot around her and if she does not have space to safely swing the leg high, she can keep it lower and cut the foot in toward her calf sooner before reaching behind. Tuck Turn Variations SPINS FROM TUCK TURNS [Back to Top] The leader sets up the spin through count 4 of the tuck by drawing her deeper into his connection. The follower's right foot is pointing down the slot with the inside edge of the toes contacting the floor on count 4. She generates the spin to 5 by twisting her hip joints and taking her left arm across her body. The feet stay close together and she stays centered over her right foot through 5. The 5 is fast but she needs to slow down again as she approaches 5&. On 6 the left foot is placed slightly down the slot and she is facing sideways. Leave the right heel and left toe in place and rotate the feet back to the leader on 6&, settling into the left heel briefly and then rolling forward over the right foot without lifting it up on the 1 of the next pattern. The leader's hand goes around her head twice with this spin. Variation: lead the tuck from the leader's right hand and the follower's left. Here, instead of the palm compression on 3&4, the leader extends his right arm back down the slot (from where she came from) to get her shoulder to rotate to face him. He can gently lead her forward on 6 so her left foot is ahead of her right. Then when she steps forward on 1, her right shoulder and hip move forward together. The left shoulder stays back and maintains a solid connection to the leader. (Moving each side as a unit does not work when led from the standard left/right grip.) Variation: tuck from a sugar push. The leader stays in front of the follower and brings the left palm up for compression. She does a tap step on 3 (or doesn’t move her right foot at all) then turns to her right as she returns to the end of the slot. She should stay close to the leader through count 4 to maintain connection. Variation: tuck led from the neck. In a sugar push, the leader's right hand goes to the follower's neck/left shoulder junction. He has to travel with her slightly as she backs away in the SP. The lead for the tuck is a gentle nudge on the follower's trapezius muscle through count 4. She can walk it out or do a free spin--her choice. STARTER STEPS & CLOSED-POSITION TUCKS [Back to Top] Starter Steps: From closed position, he leads a small triple step to his left, then his right. He must have his fingers under her shoulder blade, cupping it so he can clearly indicate which way to move. She should draw the scapula down without leaning back or twisting to establish a solid connection. The follower can stay grounded and move her feet as little as possible; if she allows her ribcage to move with the leader that's enough. From here he can lead her forward in a walk, walk to a tuck on 3&4 or by gently pushing her right hand back he can lead a rock step into a tuck. Variation: start a closed whip to establish closed position on 4, then do a single triple step shifting the weight onto the leader's left, follower's right. At this point he can bring her around 180 degrees by bringing his right shoulder back and staying centered over his left foot. She stays centered on her right foot and allows her left to paddle around the corner. From here a rock step into a tuck is easily led because it continues the rotation and momentum she already has. If the dancers are well centered and connected, he can get a full 360 degree rotation, or close enough to keep the follower straight in the slot through the rest of the pattern. HAMMERLOCKS AND TANGLES [Back to Top] Starting from a two hand grip, lead a tuck. This is still primarily with the left hand and the right just follows along. Dancers end up in a double-diamond grip with their wrists crossed. To get out of it, lead a right-underarm to untwist. Variation to the RUA : the leader can turn to his right under both his wrists AFTER the follower. She turns on 3&4, he begins turning right after 4, continuing through 5& while she anchors in place. If she lifts her wrists up slightly, she can help the leader get around comfortably. This maintains the double diamond grip. Variation (discussed, not practiced): when leading the 2-hand tuck, the leader can turn under to his left while the follower does the tuck. Hammerlock: from the two hand grip, start a tuck but on count 4 keep the follower's left hand low. As she turns to her right on 5&6 she will wrap into her left hand behind her back, fingertip connection. Leader's left/followers right hand connection drops down in front of the leader. She should have her left foot slightly forward on 6; this gives the leader two options:
DALLAS SIDE PASS AND FOLLOWER'S ONE-FOOTED SPINS [Back to Top] The Dallas Side Pass is a right side tuck that is led from a handshake grip. The leader begins a RUA but switches hands by count 2(&). He should "karate chop" between her fingers and thumb with the pinky side of his hand so both dancer's fingers point up. He leads the tuck into 3&4, rotating to a palm-to-palm grip. In order to prep for a spin, he extends his right arm and rotates his left shoulder back, so that he is looking back down the slot and his center is behind the follower's left shoulder. If the follower is too far past him, he should look at her instead but maintain the position close behind her. The follower increases the tone in her arm and wrist going in to 4 and compresses into his hand with her hand at shoulder height and elbow out from her body. The footwork for her is the same as a standard left side tuck. She can paddle turn through the triple step on 5&6, keeping the ankles as close together as possible and ending with her left foot slightly forward of her right. She then rolls over it to step forward on 1 for the next pattern. Variation: If he leads a double spin, he will continue to lead through 6&, dropping the hand on 7 as she finishes the second rotation. Her right foot will be slightly forward after a double spin so she can settle into her left foot on 8. Dancers will hold for count 8 and then begin the next pattern on count 1. If he leads a RUA he can change hands back to his left. Variation: for the follower to spin on one foot, she must drive strongly into the spin by using the leader's compression. Her right hip pulls her right heel around to start the spin as she pulls her left arm across her body from the shoulder. She must contract her abs and keep her backside tucked under to keep centered through the rotation on the ball of her right foot. Her right arm maintains the frame and position relative to her body through the spin. She should try to keep her left foot off the ground to count 6 at least, all the way to count 7 if possible. As the leader's grip changes from handshake to palm to the spin, he will roll into her fingers and point his middle two fingers down to "stir" around her head. Her hand goes from flat to curved around his fingers and she will flex her wrist slightly as though holding an ice cream cone. If she travels doing a paddle turn, he should go along with her. He can also help her balance during a one-footed spin by adjusting his lead. LEADER'S ONE-FOOTED SPINS [Back to Top] Beginner version: start a whip and then do a fake out; step back on 1 and forward lunge past the follower on 2. Normal whip lead on 1, then grab her right wrist with his right hand. Extend the right arm with an overhand grip on the follower's wrist. Step around to face her on 3&4, then anchor 5&6. Intermediate version: build the energy going into 3&4 by using the follower's inertia. As she backs up on 3 the energy is transmitted from directional to rotational. The leader can do a forward paddle turn centered on his right foot on 3&4 followed by a backward twist/untwist/retwist on 5&6 (right foot behind on 5&6). One-footed version: If he wants to spin on one foot, he opens up his shoulders wide on 2 and brings the left shoulder in to generate the spin, at the same time kicking around with his left leg. He will also need to be conscious of the same technique tips as the ladies; keep the spine straight, butt tucked under, abs tight, maintain the frame. Ladies; while he's spinning, do a big coaster step to left on 5&6 for styling. NECK WRAP RONDE’ [Back to Top] Start from a standard grip and lead a left roll. Follower goes forward on 1-2 then turns to her left into a hammerlock on 3&4, with her right foot ahead of her left by count 4, facing down the slot. Leader leads across the body after 2, causing the follower to rotate CCW. Important: around, then rotate the wrist. Early wrist rotation is dangerous. Her left hand is raised up to wrap around to her right shoulder. From here the leader unwraps her and she twists CW and drops her left foot down-slot on count (4)&. As the leader follows through with a push-pull lead, lunging to his right and parallel to the slot, she twists to spiral (figure 4) and kicks her right leg around clockwise and then behind her left leg. This “ronde’” takes 2-3 beats to begin on count 5 and end on count 7. Stepping &-8 (left, right), the leader leads a right underarm as she finishes left-right-left (anchor). If the floor is crowded, she can still do the move but must bend the right knee and keep the foot in close. Follower should keep her shoulders parallel to the slot and let the rotation come through the leg. As the follower completes &-8, the leader should shift his weight to his left foot and then as she passes, return to the slot and anchor right-left-right.
INTRO TO MUSICAL EXPRESSION
Once you are comfortable with the basic patterns, the way you dance them can reflect aspects of the music or your own emotions. If you try to dance "happy", it will look different than if you dance "sad", "nervous" looks different than "relaxed", etc. Most WCS music is written in phrases of 8 beat multiples, so changing your energy level or the amount of tension in your body when you hear the phrase change in the music is one way to start connecting to the song. You can dance a given series of patterns very smoothly and relaxed and flowing, or by stepping more firmly on the whole beat each time, or by accenting all the beats and the & counts in between them and allowing a little bounce in your step. There are infinite variations possible. If you can hear something (tension, drama, emotion) building and releasing in the music, allow some aspect of your dancing to build and then release when the music does. You don't have to hit a break or do a syncopation to express what the song is saying to you. If you know a syncopation, try to do it when it fits something in the music and not just because you have the chance.
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