Standard Lesson with Giampiero

We worked on foxtrot routine today. There are a few technique that was mentioned today.
1. In feather step, and in the synchopated feather, instead of thinking left side forward, think right side backward, this helps to move and give my partner space to move. My goal in feather step is to not let partner pass me.

2. Don't force the movement/technique with muscle. Have just the right amount of relaxation. Absorb like water, think ghost in a dress.

3. Think of the steps before doing it. Visualize the steps with the count before doing it. Only after you know what to do (timing, footwork, steps), will you be able to relax and do it with the right amount of relaxation. (It feels like i need to be active in the mind to know what to do, then do it with the right amount of relaxation)

4. on the spin turn after the tipple chasse, need to rise on the 3 of the 3234.

5. Count the three fall away as three numbers in a group, to seperate the first and second fall away. (i.e. 623, 472)

6. In the second fall away, lower more between the 34 of 623,472. 4 is a heel lead for me.

5. Head positions:
a. turn head right at the reverse pivot after the QQQ feather.
b. remember to open head to right on the reverse feather.
c. three fall away, the first one need to turn head to right,
d. rounde can turn head to the right, but the same foot lounge need to turn head back to left.

Foxtrot Routine

4 bar of prep.
Choreograph has 6 phrases (48 bars) going around 6 wall before repeating. Adding 4 bar of prep. Totally 52 bars. With 28–30 bar/minute as Foxtrot tempo. We should finish the whole routine in between 104-111 seconds.

1st wall (long)
1. feather (1234, SQQ)
2. reverse turn (2234, SQQ)
3. feather finish (3234, SQQ)
4. three step (4234, SQQ)
5. syncopated feather step with a reverse pivot (5234, QQQQ)

2nd wall (short)
6. reverse wave (i.e. back three step, back feather, back three step)
(6234,7234,8234, SQQ,SQQ, SQQ). (Lady: two heel lead on the back three steps)
7. tipple chasse(1234, SQ&Q)
8. spin turn(2234, SQQ)
9. rounde(3234,QQQQ)
10. standing spin(4&2&34)

3rd wall (long)
11. feather step from PP(5234, SQQ)
12. three fallaway with feather ending added after the second fall away.
  a. first fall away(623,QQQ)
  b. second fall away(472, QQQ)
  c. feather ending(34,QQ)
  d. fall away slip pivot( 8234, QQQQ)
13. change of direction(1234, SS)
14. contra check (2234, SQQ)
15. rudolph rounde(32)
16. same foot lounge(34)
17. reverse pivot and close telemark (&4234)
19. throw away oversway (5234)
20. recover to PP (6234), heading toward corner
21. continues hover cross to outside swivel(7234,8234, SQQ,QQS, )
22. wing (1&2), head left.
23. 1 back swivel, another swivel to end PP (34,2234, SSS)

4th wall (short)
25. weave from PP(3234, 4234, SQQ, QQQQ), flat, no rise. Check to make sure the Slow is at the beginning.
26. fall away slip pivot ( 5234, QQQQ,)
27. double reverse overspin( 623&4, QQQ&Q) ? Need to check if this timing is SQ&Q& instead?
28. challenge line  (7234, SS) (Lady: head left on 72, right on 34)
29. Oversway  (8234, SS)

5th wall (long) 
26. split rounde to slip pivot (1234, SQQ)
27. weave ending  (2234, QQQQ)
28. bounce fall away (3234, QQQQ)
29. tumble turn (423&4, QQQ&Q)
30. left whisk (523&4, SQ&Q)
31. 2 swivels (6234, SS)
32. run around (7&2&34), ending with lady's Left foot stepping on the 4 to get into PP.
33, rise and step out from to PP( 8234, SS), heading toward corner.
34. feather from PP. (1234,SQQ )
35. half of a V cross. (22&,QQ&, ) (Lady: head right).
36. reverse impetus (34,QQ)  (Lady: head left on 3, head right on 4. Early rise on 3. early rise by straighten right knee early. Still a heel lead on 3)
37. right foot lounge (3234,SS)
38. Natural wing (4234,SQQ)


6th wall (short)
39. feather (5234, SQQ)
40. chasse to R (623&4,SQ&Q)
41. weave (7234, QQQQ)
42. hover telemark(8234, SQQ)
43. feather,(1234,SQQ) (first step outside partner)
44. repeat from three fallaway.

standard lesson with Danny on 12/21/2011

We had a lesson on waltz with Danny today at Ballroom Off Fifth.
It was a great lesson, we were able to work on some finer details of the dance.
1. we talked about fitting first.  Especially the fitting of the hip/thigh joint.
2. We then talked about the standing spin:
a. Denis need to lead the turn with the back of his neck, not his right arm.  He need to screw into the floor to stop, not still high up to stop.
b. I need to move my foot before my head, and leave my head with the standing leg. Need to ensure this on the first step stepping out of the left whisk.
3. we talked about free up the body for movement, instead of having it rigid and all thrown toward the partner at the same time. We started this topic while Danny was trying to tell Denis how to do the double reverse. He need to the step, rotation and swing in that order, not all at the same time. As he was talking about it, I realized that this rotation is what was missing in our natural turn, so I asked him to elaborate on this using Natural turn as an example. An example is the rotation of the body in the natural turn. In particular for the leader, after moving weight to the right foot, then it's rotation of the body (shoulder?), then it's swing the leg (think of the leg started at the shoulder). He demonstrated the rotation and usage of the body with me, using some figures like a zig zaging (but not really zig zagging, it's like weave, but I go backward). He showed how dancing is rigid and boring without this part.  He mentioned o do this as well in the spin turn.  We need to talk about  this more in our next lesson with Danny. Denis asked an interesting question when we were talking about the rotation in the spin turn vs the turning in the standing spin. Earlier in the standing spin, Danny was instructing him to only lead the turn with the back of the neck, do not pull the right side(shoulder) away to lead the turn. Here on the running spin turn, Danny talked about using rotation of the body after weight is commited at the first step (i.e. on the left step).
4. We talked about switching roles in the double reverse over spin to left whisk. In general the person going back is the person who is active.