Hartford Ballroom Blog

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

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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

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)