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Hartford Ballroom Blog


Step List For August 2017

9/1/2017

 

Dances Covered

Level 1: Bachata and Merengue
Level 2: Slow Waltz
Level 3: Bolero
Level 4: Argentine Tango
Level 5: West Coast Swing

Read More

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

Step Lists For July 2015

7/31/2015

 

​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

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 November 2014

11/29/2014

 

​Dances Covered:

Level 1: rumba, merengue and waltz
Level 2: Salsa
Level 3: Foxtrot
Level 4: East Coast Swing
​Level 5: Bolero

Level 1: Rumba and Waltz

Rumba
  • Box Step
  • Side-Together-Side
  • Underarm Turn
Waltz
  • Basic box step
  • Basic traveling step
​Merengue
  • inside and outside turn
  • alternating underarm turn (she goes, he goes, she goes)
looping over the head ("combing the hair")

​Level 2: Salsa

  • basic step
  • full solo turn
  •  ladies underarm turn
  • alternating underarm turn (half version), ending with a loop 
  • Cross body lead
  •  Alternating Underarm Turn (full version), ending with loop and cross body lead
  • side breaks

Level 3: Foxtrot

  • Basic Routine: 3 basics, 3 promenade (with a turn on 2), 3 side rocks, hesitation to finish
  • Box step with 1/4 turn
  • Forward and back basic
  • 1/4 turn basic
  • Twinkle
  • Parallel Twinkle
  • Chasse
  • Grapevine From 1/4 Turn Basic

Level 4: East Coast Swing

  • Basic Charleston
  • Toe-Heel Swivel
  • Inside Turn With Chasse (the skippy one)
  • Overturn With Swivels 
  • Double Inside Turn (changes rhythm slightly)
  • Charleston Crossover
  • Kicks While Turning Right

Level 5: Bolero

Note: The steps are titled by the name Michele uses, which are apparently the original names that you can find in any dance textbook.  I've added a short description as well, in order to help trigger your memory.
  • "Three-Threes": This is the Gold Level step where the ladies do a bunch of turns in front of the leaders.  She first does a half turn to the right, a full turn to the left, followed by a final right turn
  • "Cross Body Lead With Syncopated Turn": this is the one where you do a half moon, but with the ladies turning.  The ladies rhythm while turning is quick-and-quick-and-slow.
  • "Back-To-Back Line": This is the one where the leaders and followers quickly step back following the followers' underarm turn.  This is followed by a fencing line and a double turn for the ladies
  • "Opening Out": compared to the rest, this was an easy one!  It consisted of multiple back breaks for the followers, finishing with a spiral turn.
  • Open Hip Twist
  • Romantic Sway
  • The "Pizza Slide": the bit that usually followed the back-to-back line
  • Hip Rock (aka "Jim's step")

Step List For October 2014

10/31/2014

 

Dances Covered:

Level 1: Cha Cha, Foxtrot, and Merengue
Level 2: Foxtrot
Level 3: East Coast Swing
Level 4: Bolero
​Level 5: Samba

​Level 1: Cha Cha, Foxtrot, and Merengue

Cha Cha
  • Basic Step
  • Full Turn
  • Ladies' underarm turn
Foxtrot
  • basic
  • hesitation

​​Merengue
  • basic turns: outside and inside
  • how to do more than one turn
  • leader's turn

​Level 2: Foxtrot

  • Basic step
  • Hesitation (a.k.a. corner or trouble step)
  • Promenade
  • Promenade with underarm turn
  • Side Rocks
  • Routine #1: 3 basics (steer to the wall), 3 promenade with an underarm turn on the second one, hesitation to finish
  • Routine #2: 3 basics (steer to the wall), 3 side rocks, hesitation to finish 
  • Box Step 

Level 3: East Coast Swing

Note: steps were done both in triple step and single step
  • Underarm turn
  • She goes/he goes
  • Hand change behind the back
  • Hand change behind the back with ladies underarm turn
  • Open break to cuddle
  • Cuddle with yo-yo ending
  • Single tuck
  • Double tuck
  • Over the head
  • Back walk
  • Back breaks
  • Promenade Walk, a.k.a. "Promenade Swivels" (works well if followed by back walk) 
  • Peekaboo
  • Windmill (new as of Sunday 10/26)

Level 4: Bolero

  • Shadow crossovers and shadow back breaks with loop
  • Copa
  • Triple ronde into copa
  • She goes/He goes ending
  • Right hand loop ending
  • 1 crossover, apart turn, 1 back break, underarm turn, 1 outside break, right hand loop ending
  • Half moon (crossover with the right hand, bring her across), arm hook, rock and fencing line, she goes/he goes ending
  • Rudolph Ronde (starts with open break and back spot turn, ends with copa)

​Level 5: Samba

  • Forward rock, spiral turn into counterpromenade, bota fogo, bota fogo in place, maypole
  • Bota fogo into "easy" grapevine, ending with spot turn voltas
  • Bota fogo into "difficult" grapevine
  • Left turn into bota fogo (with guys going backwards), into ladies swivels

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)

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