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Step Lists For Berkshire Hall October 2017

11/3/2017

 

Dances Covered:

Beginner: East Coast Swing
​Intermediate: Cha Cha

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Step List For October 2017

11/3/2017

 

Dances Covered:

Level 1: Swing and Foxtrot
Level 2: East Coast Swing
Level 3: Cha Cha
Level 4: Slow Waltz
Level 5: Bolero

Level 1: Swing and Foxtrot

Swing-
  • Basic (single step)
  • Follower's underarm turn
  • Leader's underarm turn
Foxtrot-
  • Basic
  • Hesitation

Level 2: East Coast Swing

  • Tuck Turn
    • with a "stop sign" hand
    • with followers' free spin
    • with both leaders and followers turn (apart turn)
  • Charleston with tuck turn ending
  • Peekaboo
    • original (inside turn)
    • with leaders' hands on follower's back
    • with leaders' right hand only on followers' back (the cool way)

Level 3: Cha Cha

  • Crossover, back breaks, outside breaks (review)
  • Big box from outside breaks
  • Alternating underarm turn with man's loop to cross body lead and shadow crossover
  • Shadow crossover, turn and loop to shadow back breaks
  • Half moon (shadow crossover + cross body lead)
  • Triple progressive cha cha

Level 4: Slow Waltz

  • Twinkle with promenade chasse ("one, two-and-three")
  • Grapevine with apart turn (starts with a twinkle and check)
  • Chasse (the in-and-out move that starts with a twinkle with leader's turn)
  • Twinkle with inside turn to left turn
  • Zigzag with develope to inside turn ending
  • Butterfly, with leader's going across

Level 5: Bolero

  • Rope spin
  • Back spot turn with Rudolph Ronde
  • Half moon with quick turn
  • Right hand loop, with optional Cuban walk
  • Crossover with quick turn ("quick, quick, and-slow") to fencing line and right hand loop)
  • Three Threes (J-hook lead, followers' full spot turn to the left, back break and half spot turn to right, then "forward-and-forward-and side")

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For September 2017

10/6/2017

0 Comments

 

Dances Covered:

Beginner: Cha Cha
Intermediate: Slow Waltz

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Step List For September 2107

10/3/2017

 

Dances Covered

Level 1: Salsa and Cha Cha
Level 2: Cha Cha
Level 3: Slow Waltz
Level 4: Bolero
Level 5: Argentine Tango

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Steps Lists For January 2016

1/31/2016

 
This month's dances are:
Level 1: salsa and cha cha
Level 2: hustle
Level 3: Argentine tango
Level 4: samba
Level 5: rumba and bolero


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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

Step Lists For November 2015

11/30/2015

 

Dances Covered

Level 1: Waltz and Rumba
Level 2: Samba
Level 3: Rumba and Bolero
Level 4: Cha Cha
​Level 5: Slow Waltz

Level 1: Waltz and Rumba

Waltz:
  • basic traveling step (aka "progressive step")
  • box step
  • side hesitation
Rumba:
  • box step
  • chasse ("side-together-side")
  • underarm turn

Level 2: Samba

  • basic forward and back
  • side crosses
  • side crosses with ladies turn
  • promenade
  • box step
  • samba line dance

Level 3: Rumba and Bolero

Rumba:
  • crossover
  • back breaks
  • outside breaks
  • cross body lead
  • open break
  • open break to backwrap and walkaround
  • underarm turn with Cuban walks
Bolero:
  • crossover
  • back breaks
  • open break
  • open break to backwrap and walkaround
  • copa

Level 4: Cha Cha

  • Cross body lead to crossover, back breaks, and outside breaks
  • Cross body lead with right handshake to shadow crossover, shadow back breaks, and outside breaks
  • Cross body lead with ladies' turn
  • Shadow crossover (with right handshake), underarm turn with double hands crossed, men's loop into shadow back breaks
  • Crossover with Cuban breaks
  • Shoulder check from crossover
  • Paseo
  • Turkish Towel
  • Big Box step from outside breaks
  • Half moon

Level 5: Slow Waltz

*Note: all of these steps can be done either with feet coming together (Bronze styling), or with feet brushing past (Silver continuity styling).  Keep in mind that hover and impetus patterns always involve feet brushing.*
  • Left turn
  • Right turn with impetus
  • Hover and impetus
  • 4-way underarm turn
  • ​Waterfall

Step List For September 2015

9/30/2015

 

​Dances Covered

Level 1: Foxtrot
Level 2: Cha Cha
Level 3: Slow Waltz
Level 4: East Coast Swing
Level 5: Salsa

Level 1: Foxtrot

Foxtrot
  • basic
  • hesitation (also called "trouble step")
  • promenade
  • routine: 2 basics,  3 promenades, 1 hesitation

Level 2: Cha Cha

  • Basic (with the cha-cha-cha going either to the side, or forward and back)
  • Full turn
  • Crossover with underarm turn
  • Back breaks with underarm turn
  • Butterfly
  • Double crossover

Level 3: Slow Waltz

  • Routine 1 (a review): 4 travel, 4 box
  • Routine 2 (a review): 6 zigzag, 1 box, box with underarm turn
  • Chasse with a box beginning and ending
  • Chasse with twinkle beginning and ending (where the guy goes under)
  • Balance Step
  • Hesitation

​Level 4: East Coast Swing

  • Charleston crossovers
  • Over-the-head and twist choreography
  • Windmill
  • Lindy rhythm
  • Double inside turn with Lindy rhythm
  • Chasse (from an inside turn)

Level 5: Salsa

  • 4 different shoulder checks:
  • Right handshake (the original)
  • Hands crossed, right on top (right hand loop)
  • Hands crossed, left on top (Titanic)
  • Both hands uncrossed (cuddle to backwrap)
  • Copa
  • Turkish Towel
  • "The Illusionist"
  • Lady's backwrap with hand flicks
  • Opposition with stop-and-go

Berkshire Hall Step List For September 2015

9/30/2015

 

​Dances Covered

Beginner (Level 2): Cha Cha
​Intermediate (Level 3): Slow Waltz

Beginner: Cha Cha

  • Basic (cha-cha-cha either progressive or side)
  • Full turn
  • Half turn (chase turn)
  • Crossover with underarm turn
  • Back breaks with underarm turn
  • Outside breaks with underarm turn
  • Open break with underarm turn
  • Butterfly
  • Double crossover

Intermediate: Slow Waltz

  • Left turn
  • Twinkle, Twinkle with 1/4 turn (aka "turning twinkle")
  • Basic routine: Twinkle, Turning Twinkle, left turn
  • Zigzag with develope
  • 2-way underarm turn (review)
  • Chasse, with either box step beginning or ending, or twinkle beginning or ending
  • Grapevine with apart turn

Step Lists For June 2015

6/30/2015

 

​Dances Covered:

Level 1: Cha Cha and Salsa (and Merengue)
Level 2: Salsa
Level 3: Hustle
Level 4: Foxtrot
Level 5: Rumba

Level 1: Cha Cha and Salsa (and Merengue)

Merengue
  • Inside and Outside Turns
  • Alternating Underarm Turn
  • Tangle
  • Rainbow
  • Cuddle (inside turn)
  • Yo-yo from cuddle
  • Backwrap (outside turn)
Salsa
  • Basic
  • Turn
  • Ladies' underarm turn
  • Side breaks
Cha Cha
  • Basic
  • Full turn
  • Ladies' turn

​Level 2: Salsa

  • Basic
  • Ladies underarm turn
  • Alternating underarm turn
  • Rainbow
  • Hand clap
  • Out of the way
  • Routine: out of the way, alternating underarm turn, rainbow, hand clap

​Level 3: Hustle

  • Outside turn and inside turn
  • Cuddle with two endings: inside turn ending and yo-yo ending
  • Guy's underarm turn
  • Sweetheart with two endings: sombrero and cool hand loop
  • Right hand cuddle (a.k.a. "right hand loop")
  • Threading the needle
  • Backwrap with guy's turn
  • "The Dip That Is Not A Dip"

​Level 4: Foxtrot

  • Quarter turn basic
  • Grapevine (from quarter turn basic)
  • Twinkle- ends diagonal wall
  • Turning twinkle (also known as "1/4 turn twinkle")- ends diagonal center
  • Triple twinkle (we sometimes also call it "the double twinkle")
  • Left turn (also known as "Left 3/8 turn")
  • Basic pattern: twinkle, turning twinkle, left turn
  • Chasse with a twinkle beginning and ending
  • Promenade pivot: 3/4 quarter or full
  • Zigzag with develope, inside turn to left turn
  • Routine: quarter turn basic, grapevine, twinkle, turning twinkle, left turn, twinkle to chasse
  • Zigzag to shadow twinkles

​Level 5: Rumba

  • Romantic Sway
  • Forward spot turn* to aida and fencing line
  • Right hand loop with Cuban walk
  • Back spot turn* to opening out and closed hip twist
  • Advanced grapevine
  • Half moon with arm hook to aida and fencing line
  • Opening out (left and right) to open hip twist
  • Forward spot turn to surprise check and swivels
*A Note On Spot Turns: the forward spot turn is also known as the "Reverse Spin Turn".  It steps forward and rotates to the left.
The back spot turn is also known as the "Natural Spin Turn".  It steps backward and rotates to the right.

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