Desert Classic 7/10/2010

Daniel and I danced in Novice. totally 14 couples, we got 7th in a 8 couple final.

Dance lesson with Ikaika on 7/5/2010

Attendee: Sharron & Daniel

A very good lesson today. We walked on Waltz, focused on the part after coming out of the throwaway oversway.

1) A general method for analyzing what went wrong and what should be done.
a. ask the direction (forward, backward?), turn( natural, reverse, who is inside of hte turn, who is outside?), position (outside partner?)
b. Daniel: try to walk the steps without the shaping to find the feeling of having the weight on the foot. (Daniel tried this on the turning chasse).


2) outside spin:
leader: backward step, inside of the turn...

3) Open Natural turns:

4) Outside partner: the question was on how to lead the outside partner position in the open natural turn. The answer was for the leader to step back diagonally right ( right means relative to the lineup of the body and foot) to create the CBMP (the foot position achieved when the moving foot is placed on or across the line of the standing foot, in front of or behind it.). We tried to apply this on the outside change step after bounce fallaway.
and the back feather step in foxtrot, both worked! More precisely, imagine the leader's right foot as a vector of (0,0) to (0,1), this step should translate this right foot vector to vector (1, -1) to (1,0).

5) second natural turn: change the shape to left, but change the shape using the floor, feel the floor going to impact the hip, don't try to shape using the shoulder. The step before it need to end almost (leader backing) down line of dance (of short wall) direction.

6) open telemark:,
a. direction: should be turned to a prominent position that is aiming toward the corner. Reverse turning step, need to


7) bounce fall away.
a. Daniel complains that Sharron pass her after the bounce fall away. Since in this step and Sharron is the inside of the turn, the trick make more of turn.

b. Sharron's head position: close to the left on the bounce step. Feel it is the floor that is making the head turn.

c. Sharron needs to keep in the left space, especially in the bounce and turn step. almost like feeling like the head is over the left hip. To make the point, Ikaika lead Sharron into a special shape to indicate where the head should be (but what is the shape's name???)

Dance Lesson with Olya on 7/5/2010

1. Olya talked to us about hold. leader has the left elbow to right shoulder in one straight line, and right elbow forward. Follower does the same to complete the circle.

2. Connection: Be sensative to keep toward the partner, but don't press against each other.

3. Timing on waltz, Natural turn 123 for men: weight transferred over to right foot by count 1.

6. How to try to stay on the left space: don't let the right hip down, especially in the natural weave step in foxtrot.

standard lesson with Ikaika on 7/2/2010

Attendee: Sharron

Today we reviewed pivots and reverse wave.
1. the fallway slip pivot and then change of direction.
a. Need to remember to use every step. Think of the standing foot.
b. Need to remember to keep the upper body in the left space, while keep the right hip to the partner. especially on the pivot step. And in the change of direction step as well.
c. the weave step from prominent position need to go forward.

2. Reverse wave.
a. remember to use let the weight move from the back of the foot in forward steps.
b. Think of pushing the floor backward.
c. Outside partner step is stepping slightly to the left a bit. CBM is to help keeping the connection in the outside partner position, It is not saying to step straight forward.

3. Remember to keep the right elbow down.