Social Dancing

This works with just about any style or speed of ballroom or pop music. Non-music such as rap and rave need not apply.

Tempos & Time Signatures

There are a couple of ways to interpret triple time (ie 3 beats). For slow waltz music, each beat is 1 slow or 2 quicks. For fast waltz music, each bar is 1 slow or 2 uneven quicks (giving it a bit of a swing).

Duple time may be written as 2 or 4 beat but there's often little distinction in how it sounds. Plus the half beats may also be emphasised anyway (making it 4 or 8!). For slow or fast 4 beat music (foxtrot, quickstep, rumba, jive), 2 beats make a slow and 1 is a quick. If you are counting just 2 beats then each beat is 1 slow or 2 quicks. Though a very fast 2 beat (eg samba) would be easier with each bar being 1 slow or 2 quicks.

All other normal time signatures, eg 6, 9 or 12 compound times, will actually sound like one of the above. Fairly slow 6 or 12 beat music seems to be fast waltz (and 9 is always a triple beat whatever its speed). Whereas fast 6 or 12 beat seems to be the same as 2 or 4 (and a really fast 3 would probably pair up in its bars for the same duple effect).

So this all reduces to counting 3 for slow waltz and 2 for everything else.

Line Of Dance Basics

These are steps that progress slowly anticlockwise around the dance floor.

Take either a close hold or double handhold. The man should be facing the wall of the room while the lady faces the centre. He takes 2 slow steps forwards (left and right) while she takes 2 back (right and left). They both take a quicker side step and close the other foot to it (using the same feet as for the walks). Next he takes 2 slow steps backwards while she takes 2 forwards (same feet as before). Finally they take the side step and closing step again.

Forwards Basic (FP, CH/DH) Backwards Basic (FP, CH/DH)
3-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 3 (Q) and (Q) 1 (S) 2 (S) 3 (Q) and (Q)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (Q) and (Q) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q)
Man LF RF LS RC LB RB LS RC
Lady RB LB RS LC RF LF RS LC

Repeat this sequence over and over again to get round the floor. Cheat at the corners by turning the steps slightly.

Chassés / Quarter Turns

These are a natural development of the basics above when danced to faster rhythms (see Quickstep dance style).

Forwards Chassé (ORP-FP/FP, CH) Backwards Chassé (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q) 3 (S) 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q) 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q) 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (Q) and (Q) 2 (S)
Man RF LFS+1 RC LSB+1 RB LBS-1 RC LSF-1
Lady LB RBS+1 LC RSF+1 LF RFS-1 LC RSB-1

On The Spot Basics

These are steps that go nowhere - for crowded places.

The man steps forwards on the left foot while the lady steps back on the right. They both take a side step (using his right foot and her left). Then they close the other foot to that one (moving his left foot and her right). Next he steps backwards on the right foot while she steps forwards on the left. They both take a side step (using his left foot and her right). Finally they close the feet again (moving his right foot and her left).

This should draw out a (clockwise) box shape on the floor which can be repeated over and over again. The figure can also be rotated slowly to the left - just like a reverse turn in the Waltz.

Forwards Basic (FP, CH) Backwards Basic (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 3 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S) 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q) 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q)
Man LF RS LC RB LS RC
Lady RB LS RC LF RS LC

Obviously, it's possible to do the same thing the other way round - stepping forwards on the right and backwards on the left instead (for an anticlockwise box). The figure would then be rotated slowly to the right - a natural turn.

Backwards Basic (FP, CH) Forwards Basic (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 3 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S) 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q) 1 (S) 2 (Q) and (Q)
Man LB RS LC RF LS RC
Lady RF LS RC LB RS LC

Step-Close Basics

These work well with Charleston, Samba or fast Waltz rhythms. The Step is sideways, forwards or backwards and the Close is without weight. The couple can rotate by alternating forwards and backwards steps. They progress by alternating forwards and sideways steps at an angle to the line-of-dance.

LS Basic (FP, CH) RS Basic (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S)
Man LS RC br RS LC br
Lady RS LC br LS RC br

LF Basic (FP, CH) RF Basic (FP, CH) LB Basic (FP, CH) RB Basic (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S)
Man LF RC br RF LC br LB RC br RB LC br
Lady RB LC br LB RC br RF LC br LF RC br

LF Reverse Basic (FP, CH) RB Reverse Basic (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S)
Man LFX-1 RC br RBX-1 LC br
Lady RBX-1 LC br LFX-1 RC br

RF Natural Basic (FP, CH) LB Natural Basic (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S)
Man RFX+1 LC br LBX+1 RC br
Lady LBX+1 RC br RFX+1 LC br

Progressive Basic (FP, CH)
3-beat 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S)
Man LS RC br RF LC br
Lady RS LC br LB RC br

The Right Forwards Basic can be used as a Change of Direction to turn a corner.

Change of Direction (FP, CH)
3-beat 1, 2 (S) 3 (Q)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S)
Man RFS-2 LC br
Lady LBS-2 RC br

The Left Sideways Basic can be used to progress by closing with weight and repeating that side-close figure as many times as desired. To go back the other way, simply make the last close a brush as before.

Left Side-Closes (FP, CH) Right Side-Closes (FP, CH)
3-beat 1, 2 (S) 3 (Q) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S) 1, 2 (S) 3 (Q) 1 (Q) 2, 3 (S)
2-beat 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S) 1 (S) 2 (S)
Man LS RC LS RC br RS LC RS LC br
Lady RS LC RS LC br LS RC LS RC br


© Susan Foord (sf@pedag.org) 2010-07-27
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