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Quintessential
Dance
Learn To Dance Program
For
Social Ballroom Dancing If you can Walk – You can
Dance! Copyright – Trimarchi, Inc., all right reserved. No portion
of this may be reproduced for any reason. |
Rough Draft – Version 0.06
This is a very rough draft and it contains many errors, but it is a start. Please accept it for what it is. It will be refined as we move forward.
Objective
The KISS Principle
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
The objective of this program is simply to get new dancers
onto the dance floor with as little effort as possible. It is not intended to
prepare the student for competition dancing. As such there are very few rights
or wrongs. The requirements are to have fun and don’t get hurt. Very few “steps”
are necessary to enjoy ballroom dancing. This is designed to help beginners
overcome their initial fears and empower them, using very simple methods, to
just start dancing and have fun. If you can walk you can dance – and if you can walk to the
beat of the music - then you can dance well!
Dancing is SIMPLE - Please keep it that way. If anything traditional can confuse the student just DO NOT USE IT. All patterns are always started on count one (1) and words with non-obvious meanings are eliminated. Examples, Cha-Cha is NOT counted "2,3,4 ah, 1" to describe the first half of the ten step basic pattern. Nor is "1, ah, 2" used to describe a three steep Samba basic pattern where the 2 is step 3 and who knows what an "ah" is! This kind of unnecessary confusion drives beginners away. Just say NO!
The few steps that are taught are those that can be used in many different genre - a promenade, underarm turns, etc.
One genre (dance type) is taught at each session. The sessions are structured such that they alternate between fast and slow dances. As such, in any four week period one can learn two fast and two slow dances.
The four most popular dances are the waltz, foxtrot, east coast swing, and cha-cha. One or two of these will be included in every consecutive 4-week section. As such, students can start at any time and be assured they will learn two fast and two slow dances and at least one of the most popular dances. This is more then enough to get out and start enjoying social ballroom dancing.
Introduction
Ballroom Dancing is a fun, physically and emotionally healthy, social activity for all ages.
Learning the basics of Ballroom dance requires neither a lot of time nor learning a lot of steps.
If you want to learn to swim, get into the water. No one ever learned to swim on dry land.
If you want to learn to dance, get on the dance floor. Lessons alone are not enough. You need to go to the dances to observe others and to practice and to realize it is fun and everyone, from all skill levels, is welcome. You are also encouraged to study the patterns (steps) at home and to watch DVDs. A very useful one for beginners can be found at:
http://www.kultur.com/page/kultur/PROD/dvd_dance/D1206
and costs $20.
Ballroom dance is a partner dance – you dance WITH someone – Two move as One - yet the moves are not choreographed. This is one of the reasons Ballroom Dancing is so attractive. It is the dancers who are the artists, they are free to do as they please, and their dance is their interpretation of the music. However, this requires that there be a leader, a follower, a communication mechanism, and a physical attachment between the two partners. These are the four (4) basic requirements:
1) Frame – a physical attachment;
2) Connect(ion) – a communication mechanism between the partners;
3) Lead(er) – someone who drives the frame; and
4) Follow(er) – a passenger who listens to the Connection and stays within the Frame.
And, of course, a few steps to get around the floor and have fun.
Learning these four basics is a requirement. Learning a lot of steps is not. These basics will be taught and stressed over and over again at each and every lesson. Steps will not! So get used to the following. You’re going to hear Frame, Connect, Lead, Follow - Frame, Connect, Lead, Follow - …!
When steps are taught, they are primarily taught to the leaders since the
followers are to follow whatever the leader does. It is not that the follower does not learn the steps – she
does. However, most beginner followers have an overwhelming desire to learn the
steps and it is much more important for followers to learn to follow. So the
initial emphasis will be to teach the steps to the leaders.
Lead and Follow
Traditionally the male is the leader and the female is the follower. But, this is not a requirement and some people learn both rolls. But, for the purpose of this discussion we’ll assume the traditional male female rolls.
If Ballroom dance is this simple why do many people have difficulty getting over the initial learning curve? It’s because they don’t learn the four (4) basics. And, why don’t they learn the basics? Well … there can be many reasons. Sometimes the basics are not taught. But, more often then not it’s because of some basic differences between how men and women learn.
Women are born dancing and learn dance quickly – men aren’t and don’t! And, to make matters worse, without intervention, the biggest obstacle for a man to learn to dance is a woman who wants to “help” him.
The basics require a partnership – a leader and a follower. On the dance floor the man leads and the women follows. That is, the slow learners (in the case of dance) tell the fast learners what to do. At first this might seem backwards. But think about it. What if it was the other way around? By the time the slow learners heard the command and processed it the measure would be over. So like it or not, on the dance floor the men get to tell the ladies what to do. In other words most men are too slow to do the women’s part.
So, why are women an obstacle for men trying to learn to dance? It’s because the women, who learn dance quickly, get bored and want to “help” the men. That is, because the follower wants to “help” the leader - lead? Think about that. The follower wants to tell the leader what to do. Why? Because women don’t like being told what to do by slow learners! Who can blame them for that?
And, what happens when a man’s slow train of thought is interrupted by a woman’s “help”? The train derails. The man’s brain enters total chaos for several seconds. He becomes so confused he even forgets how to walk and just stops dead on the floor – end of dance!
Ladies, the best thing you can do is to learn your part and then just be patient and wait for the men to catch up. If you do, he will! And, if you don’t, he won’t. So, if he can’t dance it’s your fault.
And ladies, when you are dancing you listen to your leader. You don’t listen to the dance instructor and you don’t listen to the music either – unless you’re bored and can do both at the same time – but at least give your leader priority. If the dance teacher says “turn left” and your leader “turns right” just remember he is the leader and go wherever he leads you – you are part of a unit You shouldn’t have heard the teacher say, “turn left” anyway. If you heard the teacher then you were eves dropping. The teacher was talking to the leader – not the follower. The follower’s job is to follow – no more and no less!
Anything you do, other than follow, will confuse the leader. So, if your leader is off beat you should be off beat too or you’ll totally confuse him. It is okay to be slightly behind him. But, if you get ahead of him he will become confused.
Most importantly, do not move unless the leader moves you. Don’t anticipate what the leader might do. Every now and then he’ll fool you and do something so different that it actually works and if you follow him everyone else will want to learn that cool new move, he’ll be a hero, and thereafter he’ll want to take you dancing.
And men, if the follower leads, humor her for a little while and then just freeze. After she is a step or two away from you, ask her to introduce you to her dance partner. If she continues to lead reminder her “Me Tarzan – Me Lead!” When it comes to following, women can be just as slow learners as the men. Following is not easy.
Nor, is leading! The men have to learn the basic steps, listen to the music, and navigate around the floor. The latter is not easy – especially when you can’t call in an air strike on the rude dancer who keeps getting in your way or taking your space – and there is almost always one at every dance. Well, air strikes no. But, if you notice the same couple behind you for most of the dance, chances are they are protecting you by forming a blockade behind you that other dancers must go around.
Frame & Connection
The frame is the physical attachment between the leader and the follower. For the smooth dances (waltz, foxtrot, etc.):
1) The man and women stand slightly to the left of each other – they are not toe to toe. The right foot of each partner points between their partner’s feet.
2) The woman’s left hand is on the front of the man’s right shoulder;
3) The man’s right hand is on the back of the woman’s left shoulder and just below the woman’s left armpit. The mans fingers are together and pointed level or slightly down;
4) The woman’s left elbow is outside the man’s right arm;
5) The man’s left hand holds the woman’s right hand, out and up at the woman’s eye level with elbow slightly bent;
6) The woman gently PUSHES away from the man with BOTH hands and gently pulls her left elbow inwards until she feels resistance and then relaxes but maintains muscle tone;
7) With equal force the man PULLS the woman towards himself with his RIGHT hand, PUSHES her away with his LEFT, and pushes outward with his right elbow until he feels resistance and then relaxes but maintains muscle tone;
8)
Both the woman’s and the man’s shoulders remain rigid and
parallel. This does not mean that your mussels are rigid. It means that
the upper body, shoulders, arms, etc. move as a single unit. And, since the man
and women are connected, they move as a single unit.
It is important that you not LEAN on your partner. If anything there should be a very slight lifting action.
For beginners it is initially easier to feel the frame and easier to learn to lead and follow if slight pressure is maintained. However, you would not want to do this for long because it is very tiring. As soon as you feel confident that you both know where you are going relax but maintain muscle tone.
An advanced leader can make a beginner follower who has never danced before look terrific on the dance floor, if she will just maintain her frame. In fact, since there are three pressure points between the man’s right and women’s left arms, the man can lead using only his right arm.
The Frame is physical. But, the Connection is as much psychological as it is physical. The leader orchestrates the dance and the follower listens via the Frame and follows the leader.
The man LEADS with his frame. If he rotates to his right or left the woman will move with him – if she maintains her frame.
When the man moves forward, his upper body moves BEFORE his feet do. This is exactly what happens when we walk. We don’t move our feet first and wait for our body to catch up. We fall forward and move forward to keep from falling down. This is obvious when running. Because his upper body is part of the frame, the woman feels the man’s frame move and moves backward BEFORE the man’s feet move. As such the woman’s feet do not get stepped on. If her feet do get stepped on it is her fault, assuming the man moved the correct foot, for either not maintaining her frame or for not listening to the connection. The converse is true when the man moves backward. That is, his feet move first.
This simple Frame and Connection allows two people, a leader and a follower, to move as a single unit – Two become One! And, when they flow as one to the tempo of the music it can be very beautiful.
The Patterns:
You will find that what appears
as many complex steps are really just combinations of very simple patterns.
You’ll also learn that steps
learned in one genre (dance – waltz, foxtrot, etc.) are used in many genres. So
what initially looks like an over whelming amount to learn is actually just a
very finite number of small patterns.
In fact there are really only
five basic steps:
1)
Walk Forward;
2)
Walk Backward;
3)
Step sideways right;
4)
Step sideways left; and
5)
Close step – move your feet together and shift weight.
The woman’s steps will only be
shown when they are not the exact opposite of the man’s steps.
The man always starts on his left foot and the woman on her right.
Waltz
The waltz is a flowing smooth dance and is easy to learn. Waltz music has a very distinctive ONE-two-three tempo. All beats have the same timing and the ONE beat is very pronounced. The waltz is characterized by rise and fall, which gives a smooth, graceful movement around the dance floor.
Traditionally the Waltz Box step is taught first because it is so simple. However, it is primarily used as a means of marking time when the dance floor is congested.
Almost all waltz steps consist of multiples of 2 groups of 3 steps. The 3 steps match the ONE-two-three tempo. It takes 2 groups of three to make an even count so the foot we started on will be free to start another group of steps.
Waltz Change Step
Waltz Box
Steps 1 – 3 are just from the change step above.
Waltz Progressive
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The Waltz Progressive, as the name implies, allows you to move around the dance floor.
The figure on the left is what is usually taught to beginners. The figure on the right alternates 45 degrees right and left of the line of dance. Since the line of dance is counter-clockwise around the room, this is often described as diagonal wall and diagonal center. This combined with the rise and fall gives the waltz its beautiful flowing motion.
Waltz Forward ???
The last 3 steps in the Waltz
Forward ??? are also called a “Pickup Step”. The Pickup Step will be used in
many combinations.
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Count
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Man’s Part
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Lead
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Woman’s Part
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1
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Left foot forward and take weight
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Closed Position
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Right foot back
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2
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Rock back on right foot
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Turn lady to open position
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Rock forward on left foot and pivot
180 degrees to open position
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3
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Rock forward on left foot and take
weight
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Open position
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Right foot forward
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4
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Right foot forward
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Left foot forward
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5
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Left foot side
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Bring lady in front of you. Closed Position
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Turn 180 degrees to face your
partner Right foot side
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6
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Right foot closes and takes weight
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Closed Position
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Waltz
Turning ???
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Count
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Man’s Part
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Lead
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Woman’s Part
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1
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Left foot forward and take weight
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Closed Position
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Right foot back
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2
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Rock back on right foot
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Turn lady to open position
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Rock forward on left foot and pivot
90 degrees to open position
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3
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Turn 90 degrees to the left and
Rock forward on left foot
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Open position
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Right foot forward
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4
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Right foot forward
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Open position start
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Left foot forward
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5
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Left foot side
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Bring lady in front of you. Closed Position
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Turn 180 degrees to face your
partner Right foot side
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6
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Right foot closes and takes weight
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Closed Position
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Left foot closes and takes weight
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Waltz Combination 01
This is not a beginner step. But it is composed of simple moves. The description is on the next page. Not all steps are shown since the first 3 are the change step and the last 3 are the pickup. That only leaves 6 steps in between.
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Count |
Man’s Part |
Lead |
Woman’s Part |
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1 - 3 |
Change Step |
Closed Position |
Change Step |
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4 |
Right foot forward and turn right to face wall |
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Left foot back and turn to face center. |
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5 |
Left foot forward and turn right to reverse line of dance |
Lady is on leaders left side |
Right foot forward turn right to face line of dance |
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6 |
Right foot close |
Lady is on leaders left side |
Left foot close |
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7 |
Left foot back |
Raise left arm |
Right foot forward |
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8 |
Right Foot back |
Arm stilled raised |
Left forward turn to reverse line of dance |
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9 |
Turn to face line of dance left foot forward |
Both are forward and lady is on man’s right open position |
Right foot back turn to face line of dance |
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10 - 12 |
Pickup Step |
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Foxtrot
Like the waltz the foxtrot is a smooth dance and has a subtle rise and fall motion.
Foxtrot music has a 4/4 beat, 4 beats to the measure, with the first and third beat accented.
It is danced in combinations of slow and quick steps. Each slow step takes two beats and each quick step takes one beat.
There are two popular ways to dance the foxtrot. Don’t let this discourage you. It is actually a big advantage since it gives you multiple ways to reuse steps learned.
The American Foxtrot is done with a slow-slow-quick-quick sequence that takes one and one half measures.
The International Foxtrot is done with a slow-quick-quick sequence that takes one measure.
For social dancing you can do whatever you want and it is okay to mix the two. And, some figures require all slows or all quicks or some other combination.
Note that the International
Foxtrot uses 3 steps per measure just like the waltz. As such, the waltz steps
can also be done in the Foxtrot.
Progressive:
This simple progressive motion – forward, forward, side, close – can be done to many different rhythms – not just the foxtrot.
Promenade:
The first figure shows moving from the progressive pattern to being perpendicular to the line of dance. The second figure is the promenade. You can repeat the promenade sequence as many times and you’d like. The third figure shows moving from the promenade back to the progressive pattern.
To lead the promenade the leader slight raises his right shoulder.
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Corner
Step:
The corner step can be used to get around corners but is more useful for style and getting out of tight spaces. It is shown twice below. For most men it is easier to visualize figures as 90-degree angles. So the first figure is shown that way. The second figure is just rotated 30 degrees and is what is usually danced. Note Steps 2a and 2b. Step 2a is a brush step. The right foot comes forward next to the left foot in a rocking motion. No weight is taken. It is immediately moved back in a rocking motion. Step 2b is a weight change.
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East Coast Swing
There are many forms of swing – East Coast, West Coast, Lyndy, etc. We’ll deal with the East Coast Swing here. And to make it even more confusing, there are different ways to count the same number of steps.
The most common is the East Coast triple step swing. The basic pattern consists of 8 steps or weight changes. It can be counted as triple left, triple right, rock step or 1-2-3, 1-2-3, rock step, etc. No matter how you count it, it has 8 steps, it’s fun, and it’s easy to do.
The figure below on the left shows the steps for triple time.
If the music is fast or you’re tired you can do single time swing to the same music. The figure on the right shows the later. You step left and hold for three beats, step right and hold for 3 beats and then rock step.
It is easier to DRAW single time swing patterns so that’s what will be shown.
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It is very important in swing to not hurt your partner or allow a partner to hurt you. There is no rough pushing or pulling. And, ladies, NEVER – EVER pull your leaders arm down when it is up.
In closed position the man’s right and woman’s left arms are in the same position as the waltz & foxtrot. The man’s left arm is relaxed at about waist level with palm up. The woman’s right hand is “Hooked” palm down into the man’s hand. There is no hand holding. The hands are lightly hooked together.
In open position the man’s right and the woman’s left form the same connection – man palm up – woman palm down.
The rock step shown is done in closed position. In open position the rock step is straight back.
The arms act as shock absorbers. NEVER allow them to become straight. You can get hurt if you do.
Inside Turn from open position
The man drops his right hand on beat 7, the rock step, and raises his right hand, palm open, high enough for the lady to pass under, on beat 8. His fingers point in the direction he wants the lady to go – to his right. The lady’s fingers point straight up. His hand remains up for beats 9-11 and comes back down on beats 12–14.
Outside Turn
from closed position
The man’s left hand is raised high enough for the lady to pass under, on beat 8. His fingers point in the direction he wants the lady to go – to his left. The lady’s fingers point straight up. His hand remains up for beats 9-11 and comes back down on beats 12–14.
This is a slight variation from the Inside turn from open position. The Lady’s steps are the same. The lady begins her turn on step 5. The man waits for her to pass and then does a 180 degree counter clockwise turn on step 6.
This is different from the inside turn. For that the man
also starts his turn on step 5 with a 45 degree clockwise turn and
completes it with a 135 degree clockwise turn on step 6.
Cha-Cha
Progressive
Cha-Cha Parallel
Breaks
Cha-Cha
Open Break With Underarm Turn
Rumba
There are two popular ways to do the Rumba. Don’t let this discourage you. It is actually a big advantage since it gives you multiple ways to reuse steps learned. If you took the waltz and cha-cha, you are already familiar with the steps. The rhythm for both is the same:
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Step |
1 |
2 |
3 |
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Rhythm |
Slow |
Quick |
Quick |
And, for social dancing you can mix the two together.
The American rumba is danced with the same patterns as a waltz but with a rumba rhythm.
Rumba American Box Step
Rumba International Basic Step
The international rumba uses many of the cha-cha steps. It is done with a sway on steps 1 and 4.
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You can switch between
American Rumba and International Rumba whenever the man’s left foot is free.
Merengue
The merengue is an excellent beginner dance. If you can walk you can do the merengue. It is easy to learn, is danced with small steps, has a Cuban hip motion, and the upper body does not move. The count is just 4 quick’s. We’ll start by just walking 8 steps to the left, 8 steps to the right, 8 steps forward, and then 8 steps backward.
Merengue
– Left Chasse
Note that on count 8 the man’s left foot is free. It could move forward, backward, left, or just take weight in place. To make the drawing clearer, the next step will be forward and then we’ll do a right chasse.
Merengue
– Right Chasse
And again, on count 8 the man’s left foot is free. It could move forward, backward, right, or just take weight in place.
Merengue
Forward & Backward Walks
Merengue
Left Turn
To lead the promenade the man raises his right shoulder slightly.
