Nightclub 2-step Basic
- Basic (similar to two-sided side breaks)
When you step behind:
- don't turn the hips much
- when you step behind, push with the toe and straighten the knee ("lift and side, lift and side") Elbows should do what the body does. Don't flap your arms.
- don't let the heel down
Traveling Steps (side cross basic)
- Side-cross-side (crossing in front).
- 1-and-2, 3-and-4
- Keep weight forward on your feet. If you stay on your toes, you will be smoother.
- Move hips and feet first
- Feet float across
- Feet don't come together
5th Position Breaks
- Side breaks (closed position)
- Side breaks (open position - The lady's arm is always above the man's. Keep free arm rounded forward and in front of you.)
- Side breaks (open position - bringing the hand in. Gentleman offers hand held sideways. Lady hooks her hand on top of his.)
Nightclub 2-step Basic
- Basic Patterns
- Balance Basic
- Side-break Basic
- closed position
- Open position (holding both hands)
- Cross one hand over the other.
- If you do the basic in open position, you can do any of the open break patterns described later.
- Side-cross-side basic
- Side-to-side Patterns:
- Run, run turn (quick, quick, slow, start on count 1)
- Travel forward 1-and-2, 3-and-4, 1-and-2, 3-and-4. Keep feet on a narrow path.
- Travel Backward 1-and-2, 3-and-4, 1-and-2, 3-and-4
- Spot turns ("turn and come-back")
- Practice Pivot Turns
- Practice forward crossover and promenade lead and follow.
- Practice grapevine footwork.
Spot Turn or Underarm Turn
- Ladies are doing spot turns.. After the lady turns, Guys, you can take hold of her in closed position, or you can catch her hand to lead her in open position rumba patterns.
- Outside turn (Lady turns on counts 3 & 4. Ladies remember to always "turn and come back")
- Double-arch turns.
- Inside turn (Lady turns on counts 1 & 2)
- Arch turns with joined hands: Both man and lady do an outside turn simultaneously with outside hands held throughout the turn.
- Double-arch turns with joined hands
- Figure-8 turn: Guys lead 1st turn with your palm and 2nd turn with the back of your hand. Move upper joined hand in a figure-8 pattern.
- Two-hand Spot Turn Patterns:
Starting with a 2-hand open basic, man leads the lady in a 2-hand underarm right turn → then after an open break, then the man leads her in a 2-hand traveling left turn followed by a 1-hand traveling left turn while the man does side-cross-side basic. Lady should end with her hand out.
- She turns, he turns:
From closed basic, the man leads the lady into a spot turn to the left, then after the turn, the lady leads the man in a spot turn to the right.
Left Turn
- Left turns (both people turn left): 1-and-2 (man goes forward and turns left on count 2), side-cross-side, (and then the basic) 1-and-2, 3-and-4. When starting the left turn, guys give her a solid push on her left side with your right hand to put a little space between you.
- Left turns with inside underarm turn for the lady. Instead of doing her "side-cross-side" on count 3&4, the Lady will turn to her left with traveling pivot turns. (As she turns, the lady should keep her free arm at same height all the way around) When she is done with the turn, she should step behind for the basic. Guys, whenever you lead a turn, you must lead the turn and then adjust to what she does, especially since her back is turned, and she can't see where you are.
- Left turn from handshake into right-hand head loop, side-cross-side, basic.
- Left turn from 2-hand handshake into right-hand head loop, left-hand head loop, side-cross-side, basic.
Right Turn
- Right turns (both people turn right): 1-and-2 (man goes backwards and turns right on count 2), side-cross-side, (and then the basic) 1-and-2, 3-and-4. Guys, when you back up on count 2, don't let lady travel to the side.
- Right turn with outside clockwise turn for lady. Lead the turn with both hands. Instead of doing her "side-cross-side" on count 3&4, the Lady will turn to her right with traveling pivot turns. (As she turns, the lady should keep her free arm at same height all the way around) When she is done with the turn, she should step behind for the basic.
- She turns / he turns:
- The lady does a left inside underarm turn followed by side-cross side, then the man does a right inside underarm turn followed by side-cross side
- Man's behind the back pass:
- Start with lady underarm left turn, side-cross-basic, then basic 1-and-2-catch her hand on top and walk around change on counts 3 & 4.
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Check Turn
- Opposition breaks in closed position (check styling):
- Lady continues to do her basic step throughout this pattern.
- Guy does side-and-together (step, step, together) Don't just touch!
- To start, man steps side on count 1.
- When the man steps left, he moves the lady to his right.
- When the man steps right, he moves the lady to his left.
- To end, go with her as she goes to your right.
- Check and left turn (with an underarm turn if desired)
- Flip Flops: Opposition breaks and open up the arms. Lady does basic and turns out a little extra. Guy should extend his free hand outward on each side of the flip flops.
Around the World
- Around the World: Lead an arch turn, and then invert the right hand and push her all the way around.
- Guy does a full basic and then a left turn.
- Lady does basic 1&2, turn 3&4, forward 1&2, side-cross-side 3&4, basic.
- (If you are not doing the outside turn during the around the world, keep your left hand very steady.)
- Around the World with outside turn for the lady – Lady must be traveling to do the turn.
- Lady turns during her side-cross-side 3&4.
- Running right turn with hook:
- Guy does: run, run, run, hook, turn, right
- Lady does: run, run, run, forward, forward, turn
Rumba patterns
Charge patterns
(Can add rotation: forward turning left, backward turning left):
- side-by-side charge
- cuddle charge
- open skater charge
- closed skater charge
- sweetheart charge
- open promenade charge
- closed promenade charge
Shake-hands position:
- The sweetheart shadow, skater shadow, and Don Sohn all start from shake-hands position. Teach how to lead a spot turn and switch to shake-hands position as the hand comes down from the turn.
- Shadow patterns
Passing patterns (from open break):
- passing hand change: switch to handshake position → open break → the man pulls her to his side while he passes behind her and goes to the opposite side (as the man passes her he lets his opposite hand slide down her opposite shoulder to switch the hands) → repeat the passing hand change 3 times
- You can end the passing hand change by leading the lady into an underarm turn into man's head loop into a side-cross-side basic.
- Don Sohn
- passing underarm turn
- cross-hold two-hand passing turns
- (From shake-hands position, start this pattern by first bringing one hand over her head, then ask for the other hand.)
- with man doing forward crossovers
- with man doing back breaks
- The advanced exit from this pattern is to lead an underarm turn and do a double haircomb to recapture her in closed.
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Open break patterns:
- Underarm pass.
- Push Spin
- Pull her forward to your right side causing the ladies shoulder to angle slightly left on counts 1-and-2 (connect). Then, at the beginning of count 3, the ladies shoulders are angled left, on count 3, push her by placing the upper part of your fingers on the inside of her forearm. After the lady gets pushed, she spins in 3 half turns to the right with her hands out. After the push, the guy does a spot turn left and follows her as she travels.
- Cradle: The man leads the lady into the cuddle on his right side and then into a cuddle on his left side: The man should step back on the same side as the lady.
- Shoulder check and spot turn: Take her wrist with your right hand then catch her waist.
- Open break: Lead an open break by either:
- Simply backing away from the lady during the basic
- Leading an arch turn (most common). When the arch turn is complete, you can take one of the lady's hands or both of the lady's hands (in either a standard hold or a cross-hand hold).
- Teach compression leads
Open break turns:
- Open break turns: Lady always turns to her left. Lady should begin turning on count 2. Lady uses traveling pivot turns. The guy should always take hold of her right hand (with his left or right hand) to start this pattern. The Guy does a regular right turn. Lead an open break and then any of the following turns:
- Inside turn with left hand lead:
(take lady's right hand with your left hand, and then lead an inside turn)
- Inside turn with right hand lead:
(take lady's right hand with your left hand, and then lead an inside turn, and switch the hand after the turn.)
- Inside Free turn with left hand lead: (take lady's right hand with your right hand, and then lead an inside turn)
- Left hand to double turn
- Right-hand to double turn (switch the hands after both turns have been completed)
- Right-hand to free double turn (extra pull, stronger than the regular) Guys use your right hand to lead the free turn.
- Peek-a-boo with a double face loop.
Side-cross-side (Waltz-like) patterns
- Progressive flip-flops
- Similar to triple twinkle
- Lady does quick, quick, turn, repeat.
- Remember to sway!
- Zig Zag Twinkle
- Progressive Right Turn
- Side-cross-side basic, then the man does back turn 180º cross, then Side-cross-side basic, then the man does back turn 180º cross.
- Remember to sway!
- Same-hand crossover (full moon):
Start with a cross-body lead and switch to same hands and roll into a forward crossover. The man hold the lady's right hand with his right hand throughout the remainder of this pattern. The man then turns 180º and leads the lady into a cross-body lead followed by a forward crossover. This pattern is repeated several times. During each crossbody lead, the lady raises her left hand in a large circular gentle arc that ends with her left hand on her right shoulder. During each forward crossover, the lady extends her left hand straight out to her left side. At the end of the pattern, the lady does an inside double-turn to the right followed immediately by the basic.
Corté
- Starts with opposition break → left turn → opposition break (guy points his left toe) → bring her into corté drop 7 (guy settles onto his left foot) replace 8.
Wheel and Spin
- Start with a cuddle turn → back up 3 steps (guy does back, replace, forward) → opposition break → lead her into a left turn while the man does side cross basic.
Man's Fan
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