Polka basic
- "triple-step" technique:
- man: left-close-left, right-close-right
- lady: right-close-right, left-close-left
- Count is 1-and-2, 2-and-2, 3-and-2, 4-and-2.
- Don't make your first step too large.
- Practice individually dancing around the room using triple-steps
- Practice the zig zag individually
- Practice turning individually to the left and to the right.
- Basic promenade:
- Use parallel footwork
- Both partners start on outside foot
- 1-and-2, 2-and-2, 3-and-2, 4-and-2.
- Don't pump the arms. Arms should do what the body does.
- If you are ambitious, you can add a hop before count 1: and a hop-2-3, and a hop-2-3, and a hop-2-3, and a hop-2-3. The way to learn this is to start with a small hop and then make your hops progressively larger.
- Right turns (man goes across, lady goes across)
- Always turn your head to look in the direction that you are traveling.
- Always tilt your body in the direction that your are traveling.
- in closed position
- with both of the man's hands on lady's back.
- When the man is going across, he will be going side-close-side and she will turn in place. When the lady is going across, she will go side-close-side and the man will turn in place.
- the man should take very small steps to allow her to get around. Man swing through, lady swing through.
Polka turns
- The lead should not too many turns as both he and his partner will become dizzy.
- Practice doing the basic promenade on 1-and-2, 2-and-2, and then turning right on 3-and-2 and 4-and-2, and then basic promenade on 1-and-2, 2-and-2, repeat…..
- Practice doing several right turns right after another. Try both arm stylings!
- Left turns (lady goes across, man goes across)
- Always turn your head to look in the direction that you are traveling.
- Always tilt your body in the direction that your are traveling.
- in closed position
- with both of the man's hands on the lady's back.
- Practice doing the basic promenade on 1-and-2, 2-and-2, and then turning left on 3-and-2 and 4-and-2, and then basic promenade on 1-and-2, 2-and-2, repeat…..
- Practice doing several left turns right after another. Try both arm stylings!
- Zig Zag in closed promenade position
- Turn toward your partner when you are stepping with your outside foot.
- Zig Zag in open promenade position
- Basic forward in closed: Man travel's forward and lady travels backwards.
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Polka underarm turn
- Underarm turn (lady turns on counts 4 and 5): lady: forward promenade 1-and-2, forward 2-and-2, (lead the turn) lady forward 3-and-2, (lady ½ turn) 4-and-2, (lady ½ turn) 5-and-2, (lady forward) 6-and-2, 7-and-2, 8-and-2.
Polka wheel
- forward promenade: 1-and-2, 2-and-2, (guy steps in place, lady continues forward and begins circling around the guy) 3-and-2, (lady at 90?) 4-and-2, (lady at 180?) 5-and-2, (lady at 270?) 6-and-2, (lady completes turn) 7-and-2, 8-and-2.
Polka Around the World
- Around the world to the left.
- Start with promenade → then underarm turn and change the hands to change to sweetheart position.
- Man steps in place.
- Lady travels straight around and then spins at the end.
- Start on your outside foot.
- After the pattern, change back to closed promenade.
- Around the world to the right
- Around the world to the right with an extra turn to cross-hold promenade. Then, unwrap her to the left and use around the world to the left, to return to sweetheart promenade.
- Forward and Back Turning Outside of Partner.
- Right Turn: 1-and-2, 2-and-2, side-close-side, side-close-side.
- Heel and Toe: (outside) heel, stand, (inside) toe tap, heel, step, kick, cross → (basic promenade or ANY other polka step) 1-and-2, 2-and-2, 3-and-2, 4-and-2 → repeat. To get into this pattern, stop her before your outside foot is free.
Polka Side slides in V
- Start in promenade 1-and-2, 2-and-2 → Then, turn the gal sharply to face us and go to the left side-2-3-step → Then, go to the right side-2-3-step.
- Be sure to look left when going to the left, and be sure to look right when going to the right.
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Polka Reverse Turns
- Start with promenade → then underarm turn and change the hands to change to sweetheart position.
- Man steps in place and does a reverse turn to the right.
- Man then leads the lady around to the right in a 180 curve returning to the Line-of-Dance: 1-and-2, 2-and-2, 3-and-2, 4-and-2, 5-and-2, 6-and-2, 7-and-2.
- With foot toward the lady, the man steps in place and does a reverse turn to the left.
- Man then leads the lady around to the left in a 180 curve returning to the Line-of-Dance: 1-and-2, 2-and-2, 3-and-2, 4-and-2.
Polka Heel Crosses
- (to the left) Heel-Toe, side-2-3
- (to the right) Heel-Toe, side 2-3
- Do four of them
Chicken Dance
- Chirp your hands 7 times
- Flap your arms 4 times
- Wiggle your tail feathers 4 times
- Clap your hands 4 times
- Hook arms with the lady and travel around her and change direction at each pause in the music and travel around her the other way.
Cotton Eyed Joe
- San Antonio Texas in 1800's
- Sweetheart position
- (Note: this is a same foot dance)
- Left forward kick twice → Triple back
- Right forward kick twice → Triple back
- Left forward kick twice → Triple back
- Right forward kick twice → Triple back
- Triple Forward left 1
- Triple Forward right 2
- Triple Forward left 3
- Triple Forward right 4
- Triple Forward left 5
- Triple Forward right 6
- Triple Forward left 7
- Triple Forward right 8
- Repeat
- Can do around the world on traveling 8-steps.
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