Hartford Ballroom Blog

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")

Dances Covered:

Level 1: Rumba and Waltz
Level 2: Fast Waltz
Level 3: Salsa/Bachata
Level 4: Foxtrot
Level 5: Hustle

Level 1: Rumba and Waltz

Rumba

Box
Side-together-side
Ladies' underarm turn (aka "turn with Cuban Walk")

Waltz

Box
Travel
Box with underarm turn

Balance step

Level 2: Fast Waltz

Progressive (travel) step
forward and back
1/4 turns to the left
1/4 turns to the right
Side crosses
- with ladies' outside turn
- with ladies' inside turn
Promenade
- with ladies' outside turn

Level 3: Salsa and Bachata

Bachata

Basic to the side
Forward and back
Cuddle
Pickpocket, using leader's right hand
Ladies' inside turn
Leader's inside turn
Back wrap
Hand change behind back
Rock step

Salsa

cross body lead
canopy, cross body lead, man's loop, cross body lead
out of the way
shoulder check
out of the way to shoulder check
hand flick to right handshake

Level 4: Foxtrot

Left 3/8 turn
Simple twinkle (aims down the line)
Turning twinkle (aims across the line)
Promenade Chasse (slow, quick-and-quick)
Twinkle with guy's turn to chasse
Butterfly
Twinkle to grapevine (mirror image)
Fallaway twinkle
Twinkle with guy's turn to chasse with inside turn ending
Grapevine with apart turn
Finishing twirl

Level 5: Hustle

The New Yorker (like a left side pass in West Coast Swing)
The Las Vegas (involves syncopated rhythm for the ladies)
Cool hand slide to 1/2 a sweetheart and inside turn ("cool hand slide...with a twist")
Triple right side pass
Outside turn to 1-1/2 ampersand
- switch sides to back wrap with other hand and then roll-in from backwrap to cuddle (leader needs to simultaneously change hands to accomplish this)
  - optional: guy turns at the same time
Switch sides to ampersand (a double turn)

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For March 2016

3/31/2016

Dances Covered:
Beginner (Level 2): Salsa and Bachata
Intermediate (Level 3): Foxtrot

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

Step Lists For February 2016

2/29/2016

Dances Covered:
Level 1: East Coast Swing and Foxtrot
Level 2: Foxtrot
Level 3: Hustle
Level 4: Argentine Tango
Level 5: Samba

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For February 2016

2/29/2016

1 Comment

Dances Covered This Month:
Beginner (Level 2): Foxtrot
Intermediate (Level 3): Hustle

1 Comment

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

Dances Covered

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

Level 1: Rumba, Waltz, and Merengue

Waltz

basic box step
basic traveling step

Rumba

box step
chasse (aka "side-together-side")
box step with underarm turn

Merengue

basic turns (inside and outside)
merengue in closed position (travel forward, side, in circles, etc)

Level 2: East Coast Swing

Basic: single step and triple step
ladies underarm turn
hand change behind the back
cuddle
backwalk

Level 3: Salsa

Cross body lead, cross body lead with leader's loop
canopy (ladies' loop)
alternating underarm turn
shoulder check
out of the way
Routine #1: alternating underarm turn, cross body lead, out of the way
Routine #2: shoulder check, canopy
Routine #3: alternating turns, mens' loop to cross body lead, basic, out of the way, shoulder check, canopy

Level 4: Hustle

Cuddle
Right hand cuddle (aka "right hand loop")
sweetheart with either sombrero ending or cool and slide ending
parallel sweetheart (as opposed to a "sloppy" sweetheart)
pocket tuck to backwrap to cuddle
grapevine (technically grapevine to the right)
backwrap with guy's underarm turn
parallel sweetheart with ladies' turn
closed position basic
dip

Level 5: Foxtrot

Fallaway twinkle
Double spin
Hover and impetus
Open right turn (with impetus)- taught in both Bronze styling and Silver continuity styling
Twinkle with Silver continuity styling
Open left turn with silver continuity styling

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.

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For May 2015

5/31/2015

Dances Covered:

Beginner (Level 2): Hustle
Intermediate (Level 3): Foxtrot

Beginner: Hustle

Hustle basic (a.k.a. the compression basic)
inside turn
pickpocket
cuddle
cuddle with yo-yo
introduction to New York Style basic

Intermediate: Foxtrot

Quarter turn basic
grapevine from quarter turn basic
butterfly
grapevine with apart turn

<<Previous