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Hartford Ballroom Blog


Step List For July 2017

8/15/2017

1 Comment

 

​Dances Covered:

Level 1: Rumba and Waltz
Level 2: Bolero
Level 3: Argentine Tango
Level 4: West Coast Swing
Level 5: Viennese Waltz

Level 1: Rumba and Waltz

Waltz:
  • box
  • progressive/travelling step
  • underarm turn
Rumba:
  • box step
  • chasse
  • underarm turn

Level 2: Bolero

  • Basic
  • Crossover
  • Back Break
  • Open Break
    • to underarm turn
    • to backwrap
    • to copa

Level 3: Argentine Tango

Milonga:
  • Baldosa Box
  • Traspie (rock step)
    • best done on either step 3 and/or 4
  • Repeat 5+6
  • Repeat 3,4,5,+6
Argentine Tango
  • Crusada
  • Calisita (keeping follower in one spot while leader circles around)
  • Forward Ochos
  • Back Ochos
  • Parada and Pasada

Level 4: West Coast Swing

  • Styling
    • music break ("freeze")
  • Right Side Pass with hand change behind back
  • Tick tock
    • with ladies' free spin
    • with right handshake
      • shoulder check
      • underarm turn (with optional man's loop at the end)
  • Twinkle

Level 5: Viennese Waltz

  • Cross body lead with turn into chasse
    • optional backwards chasse
  • Cross body lead with turn into explosion and braid, ending with a runaround
1 Comment

Step Lists For April 2016

4/28/2016

 

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)

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


Read More

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

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For November 2015

11/30/2015

 

​Dances Covered: 

Beginner (Level 2): Samba
​Intermediate (Level 3): Rumba and Bolero

​Beginner: Samba

  • Basic forward and back
  • Basic side cross
  • Side cross with an underarm turn
  • Box step
  • promenade
  • Bota fogo
  • Bota fogo with leader's foot fake

​Intermediate: Rumba and Bolero

Rumba:
  • box step
  • crossover
  • open break
  • open break to backwrap and walkaround
  • Paseo
Bolero:
  • basic (make sure it rotates)
  • crossover
  • open break
  • open break to backwrap and walkaround
  • open break to copa
  • open break to triple fans and ronde with copa ending

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 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.

Step Lists For May 2015

5/31/2015

 

Dances Covered

Level 1: Swing and Foxtrot
Level 2: Hustle
Level 3: Foxtrot
Level 4: Rumba
Level 5: Cha Cha

​Level 1: Swing and Foxtrot

East Coast Swing
  • basic step
  • underarm turn
  • pickpocket
Foxtrot
  • Basic
  • Promenade
  • Hesitation

​Level 2: Hustle

  • Compression basic (stays in place)
  • New York Style basic (guy does a tap step)
  • inside turn
  • pickpocket
  • cuddle
  • cuddle with yo-yo and free spin

Level 3: Foxtrot

  • Basic Routine: 3 basics, 3 promenade (with a turn on the second one), 3 side rocks, hesitation, 2 basics, box step
  • Twinkle
  • Parallel Twinkle
  • Chasse with box step beginning and ending
  • Chasse with twinkle beginning and ending
  • Quarter turn basic

​Level 4: Rumba

  • Open break to backwrap and walkaround to pattycake and shadow back break ending
  • Open break to peekaboo with inside turn ending
  • Cross body lead into wraparound
  • Paseo
  • Shadow crossovers and shadow back breaks

​Level 5: Cha Cha

  • Triple cha-chas with ronde
  • Natural Spin Turn (aka "Back Spot Turn")
  • Open break, threading the needle, to Turkish Towel, to cross body lead with ladies turn, to half moon, ending with arm wrap (aka "arm hook")
  • Hammerlock combination
  • Shadow crossovers, loop into shadow back breaks
  • Choreography: kick-ball-change, sailor steps, end with a spiral turn
  • Crossover swivels
  • Swivels from closed position

Berkshire Hall Step Lists For April 2015

4/30/2015

 

​Dances Covered

Beginner: Foxtrot
​Intermediate: Rumba

​Beginner: Foxtrot

  • Basic
  • Hesitation
  • Promenade
  • Promenade with underarm turn
  • Box Step
  • Twinkle
  • Parallel Twinkle

​Intermediate: Rumba

  • Crossover and back breaks combination (review from last month)
  • Right hand loop
  • Open break with underarm turn
  • Peekaboo (from open break)
  • Cross Body Lead
  • Wraparound (from cross body lead)
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