Hartford Ballroom Blog

Step Lists For Berkshire Hall October 2017

11/3/2017

Dances Covered:

Beginner: East Coast Swing
Intermediate: Cha Cha

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

4 Comments

Dances Covered:

Beginner: Cha Cha
Intermediate: Slow Waltz

4 Comments

Dances Covered

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

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

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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