Having mastered forward steps with NO RISE, it is time to try backward.

  • Stand with your feet together, your RIGHT hip next to the barre (table, etc.), weight on your LEFT foot and your feet parallel to the barre. (Free foot next to the barre.)
  • Touch the barre with your RIGHT hand.
  • Bend your knees to your set height, and place the tip of the toe of your RIGHT shoe on the floor behind you with your RIGHT knee pointing straight down towards the floor.
  • Notice where the barre is relative to your body.
  • Take a backward step, transferring 100% of your weight onto your RIGHT foot. The footwork will be TOE HEEL.
  • Make sure the toes of your LEFT foot release as you step away from your LEFT foot.
  • Once you have full weight on your RIGHT foot, lift the LEFT knee and relax your calf so that you end with your LEFT leg in front of you, with the LEFT heel high off the floor, and the toes of your LEFT foot touching the floor.
  • Do NOT collect the LEFT foot under the body.
  • Make sure that your RIGHT foot is parallel to the barre.
  • Check to make sure you at the same height relative to the barre.

If YES, good, and do it again.
If NO …. well, do it again until you ARE at the same height. Then do it some more until it becomes easy to maintain that height.

Once you can easily take a backward step from your LEFT foot to your RIGHT foot and maintain your set height, then turn around so that your LEFT hip is near the barre and repeat stepping from your RIGHT foot to your LEFT foot.

There are not a lot of figures in the swing dances that have NO RISE, but the few that do are important and useful: Change Of Direction; Natural Hesitation; Drag hesitation, to name a few.

Tango, on the other hand, has NO RISE throughout. Being able to maintain your set height in Tango is a large part of what gives that dance its fundamental character.

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