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Hartford Ballroom Blog


Step List For June 2017

8/15/2017

1 Comment

 

Dances Covered:

Level 1: Tango and Hustle
Level 2: Argentine Tango
Level 3: West Coast Swing
Level 4: Viennese Waltz
Level 5: Bachata and Salsa

Level 1: Tango and Hustle

Hustle:
  • basic
  • inside turn
Tango:
  • basic
  • corte
  • ​promenade

Level 2: Argentine Tango

Milonga
  • Baldosa Box
  • Traspie ("rock-and-rock")
  • repeat steps 5+6
  • repeat steps 3,4,5,+6
  • rhythm play
Argentine Tango
  • Crusada with an 8-count
  • Crusada with only a 5-count
  • forward ocho
  • back ocho with crusada ending
  • calisita
  • parada and pasada

Level 3: West Coast Swing

Steps:
  • back wrap (aka "hammerlock")
  • left side pass with a tuck turn
  • whip
Styling:
  • tap step
  • sailor step
  • kick 'n point

Level 4: Viennese Waltz

  • Left turn (involves a cross)
  • Right turn
  • Cross body lead with inside turn
    • end with open break
    • end with open break, ladies turn, then leaders turn
  • Back spot turn (taught by Nate only)

Level 5: Salsa and Bachata

Unfortunately, the step list for this class is missing.  If we find the list, we will update this post
1 Comment

Step Lists For March 2016

3/31/2016

 
Dances Covered:
Level 1: Tango and Hustle
Level 2: Salsa and Bachata
Level 3: Foxtrot
Level 4: Hustle
Level 5: Argentine Tango

Read More

Step Lists For December 2015

12/31/2015

 

​Dances Covered

Level 1: American Tango and Hustle
Level 2: Argentine Tango
Level 3: Samba
Level 4: Rumba and Bolero
Level 5: Cha cha

Level 1: American Tango and Hustle

Tango (Note- this is American Tango):
  • Basic
  • Corte
  • Promenade
Hustle:
  • Basic
  • Inside Turn
  • Pickpocket

Level 2: Argentine Tango

Keep in mind that there are 3 times of Argentine Tango: milonga, Argentine, and vals.  For the month of December we focused primarily on Milonga, which is the easiest of the 3.  Towards the end, we introduced something that belongs more in Argentine Tango.
Milonga:
  • Basic, aka "Baldosa Box" (6 steps)
  • Traspie ("quick-quick-slow"), can be done on any of the first 5 steps of the Baldosa Box
  • Side together (repeat "5-6" as many times as you'd like)
Argentine Tango:
  • ​Forward Ochos
  • Leader's out-of-the-way rock step to forward ochos
  • Forward Ochos to parada (means "stop", as in leader blocks the follower's foot and stops the ocho), to pasada (means "go", as in follower steps over the leader's foot and continues)

​Level 3: Samba

  • Basic forward and back
  • Basic side crosses
  • Side crosses with followers' underarm turn (outside turn)
  • Box step
  • Promenade
  • Routine: forward and back, side crosses, promenade, box step
  • Counterpromenade
  • Bota fogo with promenade and counterpromenade (goes back and forth)

Level 4: Rumba and Bolero

Rumba:
  • Box step with Cuban walk
  • Shadow crossovers (uses right handshake), turn and loop to shadow back break
  • Crossover with inside turn endings:
    • Right hand loop (inside turn with leader's right hand)
      • Optional: you can include Cuban walks in the right hand loop, between the loop and the final turn
  • She goes/he goes (inside turn with leader's left hand)
  • Half moon (one shadow crossover+one cross body lead), turn and loop to shadow back break (optional)
  • Half moon to arm hook, aida (rock-and-turn), fencing line (across-and-side), end with she goes/he goes
  • Open break to Copa*
  • Open break to triple fans, grapevine and ronde with a copa ending*
​*these moves do not require that you end with a fifth-position ending.  It's cleaner if you simply do a box step and slowly get back together

Bolero:
  • Shadow crossovers (uses right handshake), turn and loop to shadow back break
  • Crossover with inside turn endings:
    • Right hand loop (inside turn with leader's right hand)
      • Optional: you can include Cuban walks in the right hand loop, between the loop and the final turn
  • She goes/he goes (inside turn with leader's left hand)
  • Half moon (one shadow crossover+one cross body lead), turn and loop to shadow back break (optional)
  • Half moon to arm hook, aida (rock-and-turn), fencing line (across-and-side), end with she goes/he goes
  • Open break to Copa
  • Open break to triple fans, grapevine and ronde with a copa ending

​Level 5: Cha Cha

  • Sweetheart Twinkles
    • open break, leader's foot fake, back break (no cha-cha-cha), 5 twinkles (4+1, 2+3, etc.), back break (with cha-cha-cha), inside turn ending while leader foot fakes.
  • Cuban break combination with shoulder check ending
    • 2 crossovers, 2 Cuban breaks (2+3+4+1), 2 short Cuban breaks (2+3, 4+1), 1 Cuban break for follower only, shoulder check for the followers (technically check from the arm) 
  • Bota Fogos and Cuban break combination from an outside break
    • 2 outside turns, 2 bota fogos, Cuban break (2+3+4+1), 2 bota fogos (in other direction), Cuban break (in other direction), outside break
  • Crossover, grapevine into back break
    • "run-run-run"
  • 4 Natural Tops (aka "back spot turns")
    • Original
    • With an outside turn
    • with follower's swivels
with follower's grapevine

Berkshire Hall Step List For August 2015

8/31/2015

 

Dances Covered

Beginner (Level 2): Slow Waltz
​Intermediate (Level 3): American Tango

​Beginner: Slow Waltz

  • Travelling basic
  • Box step (turn a 1/4 turn each measure)
  • Box step with ladies' underarm turn
  • Zigzag
  • Twinkle
  • Parallel twinkle

​Intermediate: American Tango

  • Open left turn (starts diagonal center)
  • Rock-and-corte (starts diagonal center)
  • Turning rocks (starts in line of dance with 2 slows)
  • Promenade
  • Promenade with ochos (aka "fans")
  • Damian and Janice's ocho and skater routine

Step List For August 2015

8/31/2015

 

​Dances Covered

Level 1: Hustle, Tango, and Merengue
Level 2: Slow Waltz
Level 3: East Coast Swing
Level 4: Salsa
Level 5: Hustle

Level 1: Hustle, Tango, Merengue

Hustle
  • Basic
  • Inside turn
  • pickpocket
Tango
  • Basic
  • Corte
  • Forward Rocks

Merengue
  • inside and outside turns
  • backwrap, with lasso
  • cuddle, with yo-yo
  • pickpocket
  • Routine: backwrap with lasso, pickpocket


​Level 2: Slow Waltz

  • Progressive basic (travelling basic)
  • Box step
  • Ladies' underarm turn from the box step
  • Zigzag
  • Twinkle, turning twinkle

Level 3: East Coast Swing

  • Charleston
  • Tuck turn (left hand only)
  • Double tuck turn (left hand then right hand shake)
  • Back breaks (rhythm change)
  • Tangle
  • Threading the needle
  • Routine: Tangle, followed by threading the needle
  • Hand change behind the back (2 ways)
  • Over the head (with or without twist choreography)

Level 4: Salsa

  • Routine 1: Alternating underarm turn, with loop and cross body lead, to shoulder check, canopy, and loop with cross body lead
  • Turkish Towel
  • Lasso
  • Backwrap with hand flicks

Level 5: Hustle

  • Sweetheart with three different endings (sombrero, cool hand slide, and sliding door)
  • J-hook to sweetheart
  • Butterfly to sweetheart
  • Diva walk
  • Syncopation in sweetheart
  • Disco hand and outside turn
  • Nate's pickpocket (uses right handshake)
  • Triple right side pass
  • Ladies' free spin with a left arm reflex

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For July 2015

7/31/2015

 

​Dances Covered

Beginner (Level 2): American Tango
​Intermediate (Level 3): East Coast Swing

​Beginner: American Tango

  • Basic
  • Corte
  • Promenade
  • Forward rock
  • Open Promenade
  • Open promenade with yo-yo
  • Promenade walks
  • Rock-and-corte

​Intermediate: East Coast Swing

  • Basic: single step and triple step
  • underarm turn, hand change behind the back, and backwalk (all in triple step)
  • Charleston
  • tuck turn
  • Double tuck turn (left hand, then right hand)
  • Back breaks
  • Peekaboo

Step Lists For December 2014

12/31/2014

 

Dances Covered:

Level 1: tango, hustle, and merengue
Level 2: slow waltz
Level 3: salsa
Level 4: foxtrot
Level 5: east coast swing/Charleston

Level 1: Tango, Hustle, and Merengue

Hustle
  • basic
  • inside turn
  • pickpocket
Tango
  • basic
  • corte
  • forward rock
Merengue
  • outside/inside turn
  • double turns
  • guy's turn
  • cuddle
  • yo-yo from cuddle
  • backwrap
  • lasso from backwrap

Level 2: Waltz

  • Basic Traveling Step
  • Box Step
  • Box Step With Underarm Turn
  • Balance Step
  • Hesitation
  • Zigzag
  • Twinkle
  • Parallel Twinkle

Level 3: Salsa

  • Cross Body Lead
  • Alternating Underarm Turn
  • Canopy
  • Shoulder Check
  • Routine #1: Alternating Underarm Turn, Shoulder Check, Canopy
  • Crossover With Underarm Turn
  • Crossover With Apart Turn
  • Cross Body Lead Into Crossover
  • Crossover swivels

Level 4: Foxtrot

  • 1/4 turn Basic
  • Grapevine From 1/4 Turn Basic
  • Left Turn
  • Twinkle, Twinkle With 1/4 Turn
  • Zigzag, Zigzag With Develope
  • Chasse With Twinkle Beginning and Ending

Level 5: East Coast Swing/Charleston

  • Charleston Basic
  • Tandem Charleston
  • Overturn and Push-Out (to get in and out of Tandem Charleston)
  • Half-Moon a.k.a. "Rainbow"
  • Charleston Crossovers with Double-Kick apart turn
  • Half-Moon with kick choreography

Step List For September 2014

9/30/2014

 

​Level 1: Hustle, Salsa, and Merengue

​Hustle
  • Basic step
  • Basic inside turn
Salsa
  • Basic step
  • Side Breaks
  • Basic Turn
  • Ladies' Underarm turn
Merengue
  • The basic turns: outside and inside
  • Cuddle, with a yo-yo ending
  • Backwrap, with a lasso ending

​Level 2: East Coast Swing

Note: All steps were done both in single step and in triple step swing.
  • Basic
  • Underarm turn
  • Hand change behind the back
  • Open break to pickpocket
  • Open Break to cuddle

​Level 3: Bolero

  • Basic (make sure it rotates to the left, and make sure there's CBM)
  • Crossover, with underarm turn ending
  • Crossover Alternative Ending #1: Right hand loop (a.k.a. "The Dove Commercial")
  • Crossover Alternative Ending #2: She goes/He goes
  • Back break with underarm turn ending
  • Open break  with underarm turn ending
  • Open break into backwrap
  • Copa
  • Shadow Crossover and Shadow Back Break 

Level 4: Samba

  • International Combination: promenade, bota fogo, voltas, spot turn voltas
  • Counterpromenade
  • Windmill from counterpromenade
  • Bota fogo promenade/counterpromenade
  • Bota fogo promenade/counterpromenade with leader's foot fake
  • Open Break with underarm turn
  • Roll Off The Arm (from open break into cuddle)
  • Maypole
  • Bota Fogo in place

Level 5: American Tango

  • closed promenade with ronde to 1 or 3 fans
  • right foot lunge from corte
  • rock to corte from promenade or open promenade (an ending to a song if you like)
  • closed promenade, challenge line, oversway, ronde, slip pivot

Step List For August 2014

8/31/2014

 

​Dances  Covered

Level 1: East Coast Swing, American Tango, and Merengue
Level 2: Bolero
Level 3: Samba
Level 4: American Tango
​Level 5: Hustle

​Level 1:

East Coast Swing
  • Basic step (single step)
  • Ladies' Underarm Turn
  • Hand Change Behind The Back

American Tango
  • Basic step
  • Corte
  • Forward Rock (bonus step)

Merengue
  • cuddle (inside turn)
  • basic outside and inside turns
  • backwrap (outside turn)
  • hand change behind the back
  • tangle


​Level 2: Bolero

  • Basic step
  • Crossover With Ladies' Underarm Turn
  • Crossover With Apart Turn
  • Crossover Into Back Breaks
  • Shadow Crossover
  • Shadow Crossover Into Shadow Back Breaks

​Level 3: Samba

  • Basic Movements (forward/back, side crosses, box step, samba walk, volta, bota fogo)
  • Side Crosses With Outside And Inside Turns
  • Promenade
  • Open Break With Underarm Turn
  • "Samba Twinkle" (bota fogo+box close)

​Level 4: American Tango

  • Open Left Turn
  • Right Side Fans
  • Turning Rocks
  • Rock-And-Corte
  • Promenade With 3/4 Pivot
  • Closed Promenade With Challenge Line, Oversway, And Spanish Drag

Level 5: Hustle

  • Tangle To Ladies' Syncopated Tap Steps 
  • Nate's Crazy Pickpocket (involves a right hand shake) 
  • Ampersand Into Sliding Door 
  • Parallel Sweetheart With Ladies' Free Spin 
  • Butterfly Into Diva Walk 
  • Triple Right Side Pass  
  • Half-wrap To Cuddle From Closed Position Basic (Involves Ladies' Left Arm Reflex) 
  • The Crazy Advanced Combination (Involves Sweetheart With Inside Turn, Cool Hand Slide Back To Sweetheart, Ampersand, To Cuddle)

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