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Once you can easily transfer the weight from your LEFT foot side and slightly back to your RIGHT foot and create the necessary body shape, we can move on to the next part: completing the weight transfer and moving into the next step.

  • Repeat the action from above
  • As the weight transfers onto the RIGHT foot start to pull with your right hand along the crease between your hip and the top of your thigh. You want to pull upwards and in the direction that the RIGHT HEEL is pointing, i.e. backing DW
  • As weight transfers you want the weight to move from the front of the RIGHT foot to the middle and then back to the heel. This must happen BEFORE the LEFT knee passes the right knee in order to create enough room for your partner to step forward outside, and remain in good body contact with you.
  • Once the hip weight has moved to the heel of the RIGHT foot, the LEFT leg can pass the RIGHT leg into the backward that follows.

Part of what we are dealing with here is the need to create enough space so that partner can step forward outside, while remaining in a good dance position and appropriate body contact.

Your right hip is quite literally in your partner’s way. In order for them to be able to step forward and maintain position with you, your right hip has to move past your right heel before their right leg and move forward into the space.

It is also important that neither you nor your partner take a step that is ACROSS the line of your body. Your left foot needs to stay on the left side of your body and their right foot needs to stay on the right side of their body.

In addition, your right hip needs to lead the movement backward, and their left hip needs to lead the movement forward. This is due to the OUTSIDE PARTNER position that we are trying to maintain as we take the step.

I’ve struggled for two days over this portion of the description, and at this point, I surrender to the inadequacies of written language and my own understanding of the phenomenon in question. I will give it further thought.

In the meantime, there are TWO things you are trying to achieve here:

  1. Keep the body weight moving backward through the foot as you take the landing step onto the right foot into the back step that follows; and
  2. Maintain the OUTSIDE PARTNER position without impeding your partner’s ability to move forward through their own foot as they land on their left foot and take the following forward step outside.

I suspect that I will address this whole concept in greater detail when I discuss the various dance positions, but until then, good luck.

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This entry was posted by Richard Lamberty on January 9, 2008 at 5:53 pm under Rise. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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