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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

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For December 2015

12/31/2015

 

Dances Covered:

Beginner (Level 2): Argentine Tango
​Intermediate (Level 3): Samba

​Beginner: Argentine Tango

Please note, there are 3 types of tango: Milonga, Argentine Tango, and Vals.  This month we mainly focused on Milonga, although I introduced something that was technically Argentine Tango.
Milonga:
  • Baldosa Box (6 steps)
  • Walking into, and out of Baldosa Box
  • Side together (repeat 5 and 6 as many times as you would like)
  • Traspie (rock steps, changes the rhythm to quick-quick-slow, can be done on any of the first 5 steps of the Baldosa Box)
Argentine Tango:
  • Forward ochos 
  • Leader's rock to forward ochos 
  • Bonus: Leader's parada (means "stop", where the leader "stops the ochos with his foot), to follower's pasada (means "go", where the follower initiates the next move by stepping over the leader's foot)

Intermediate: Samba

  • Routine: forward and back, side crosses, promenade, box step
  • counterpromenade
  • windmill (from counterpromenade)
  • international combination (promenade, bota fogo, voltas, spot turn voltas)

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

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