The Drive Kings Cross

Hello Drivers :)

1. Thanks for coming this week after last week's impromptu break!

2.  Reminders to help you practise at home.

July 28 at 7:00 p.m. Lindy Hop class

Great work last class! Gary and Ash were super impressed with you all! Class on July 28 was all about changing rhythms.  As this was our first class about this topic we used some very simple figures and focused on how to lead/follow through the changes between:

Side-by-side charleston (which is 8 counts)
The Butterfly (8 counts using triple steps)
The Butterfly (8 counts using kicks instead of triple steps)
A send-out/throw-out (6 counts using triple steps; so: rock-step, triple step, triple step)

If you're having a practice before next week, remember: leads, the easiest way to communicate something to your partner is to do it yourself -- as long as you both have good connection to each other your follow will come with you : )

 

July 28 at 8:15 p.m. Balboa

Yet more great work was seen on the floor at 8:15 (and for the next 60 minutes)!  You guys really tried hard and got your teeth into some of the 'potatoes' of Balboa: the transition step, and 'outs-and-ins'/crossovers.  The transition step allows us to connect pure Balboa to bal-swing, and the 'in & out' feeling is really the basic step of Bal-swing -- if you add some twisting it becomes 'crossovers'. 

We started with a double-Bal basic (gathering the free foot under ourselves on 3 and 7) then entered the transition step. For leads: after stepping normally on 1 pivot to your left during the gather on the end of 2 and into 3. Then cross L foot in front to step on 4 while leading the follow to step back with their R; both leads and follows then step further 'away' from each other on 5 and 6 (closing your feet!) and the leads bring the follows and themselves 'in' on 7 and to stay in, holding on the same foot, on 8.

We then tried crossovers.  For leads, the body mantra is 'and-out-and-in-and-out-and-in' (thanks David Rehm), and the feet mantra is 'step-step-cross-hold-step-step-cross-hold. For follows, the step-mantra is 'step-step-step-hold-step-step-step-hold' and hopefully the feeling in the body will be 'out-out-in-in' per the lead's body mantra above!

See video for a recap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDCIYFLYNts   Isn't our kitchen lino *lovely*??

 

3.  Coming up this week (the 4^th of August) ...

In the 7p.m. Lindy class we are really going to get into the heart of changing rhythms! For those of you who have been doing 6 count and 8 count classes and would like to know how to join these rhythms we have the perfect class for you! This class will improve your musicality and focus on combining your rhythms within your social dancing! Please note that this class is aimed at dancers who are comfortable with the 6 and 8 count patterns.

In the 8.15 p.m. Balboa class we will get you out of crossovers/outs-and-ins back into the pure Bal position.  Then, because potatoes are a staple food, we'll give you the chance to get more comfortable with outs-and-ins by doing something quite different with them! 

 See you on the dance floor!

Ash, Gary and Lynelle

 

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