Hartford Ballroom
  • Home
  • About
    • The Teachers
    • Hartford Ballroom
    • Ballroom Dancing
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • What We Offer
    • Private Lessons
    • Wedding Dances
    • Group Classes
    • For Salsa Dancers
    • For Tango Dancers
  • Directions
  • Contact
  • Blog

Level 5 (Pre-Silver) For February 2016: Samba

3/24/2016

0 Comments

 
  • Argentine Crosses with and outside turn ending
  • Promenade Runs from bota fogo
  • Shadow Bota Fogos and Voltas
  • Easy Grapevine from promenade position to spot turn voltas
  • Forward Rocks to follower's spiral turn, continued with walks, bota fogo in place, ending with the Maypole
0 Comments

Level 5 (Pre-Silver) For January 2016: Rumba/Bolero

2/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Rumba:
  • Sliding Door Variation
  • Backwrap to Pattycake

Bolero:
  • Natural top with Rudolph ronde
  • Hip rock
  • Right side pass
  • Triple Fans to ronde and copa ending
  • Natural top to same foot lunge
  • Opening out right and left, with spiral turn ending
  • Half moon with ladies turn (quick-and-quick-and-slow)
  • Back-to-back to aida and fencing line, ending with right hand loop (turn to back-to-back is syncopated)
0 Comments

Level 5 (Pre-Silver) For December 2015: Cha Cha

1/3/2016

0 Comments

 
  • 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
0 Comments

Level 5 (Pre-Silver and Silver) For November 2015: Slow Waltz

11/23/2015

0 Comments

 
*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
0 Comments

Level 5 (Pre-Silver) For September 2015: Salsa

9/15/2015

0 Comments

 
  • 4 different shoulder checks:
  1. Right handshake (the original)
  2. Hands crossed, right on top (right hand loop)
  3. Hands crossed, left on top (Titanic)
  4. Both hands uncrossed (cuddle to backwrap)
  • Copa
  • Turkish Towel
  • "The Illusionist"
  • Lady's backwrap with hand flicks
  • Opposition with stop-and-go
0 Comments

Level 5 (Pre-Silver/Silver) For August 2015: Huslte

8/12/2015

0 Comments

 
  • 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
  • Right handshake with underarm turn to wrapping behind follower's back
0 Comments

Level 5 (Pre-Silver) for July 2015: Foxtrot

7/9/2015

0 Comments

 
  • 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
0 Comments

Level 5 (Pre-Silver) For June 2015: Rumba

6/9/2015

0 Comments

 
  • 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.



0 Comments

Pre-Silver For May 2015: Cha Cha

5/8/2015

0 Comments

 
  • 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
0 Comments

Pre-Silver For April 2015: West Coast Swing

4/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Note: steps marked with an * were taught by Nate Evans

  • pop step with body roll*
  • right side pass with sailor step*
  • whip with man's foot drag*
  • extended whip (3-and-4-and-3-and-4)*
  • backwards whip with tick tock ending and half a sombrero*
  • Sugar push with styling*
  • Whip with inside turn and men's pickpocket to handshake, followed by twinkle, and ending with a tic toc to half a sombrero
  • Backwrap to double turn
  • Backwrap to Basket
0 Comments

Pre-Silver For March 2015: Waltz

3/2/2015

0 Comments

 
  • Left turn (Bronze styling)
  • Advanced Right Turn with Bronze styling (involves a twinkle start, open right turn, impetus/heel turn, and twinkle close)
  • Butterfly with men's turn
  • Waltz Combination: twinkle start, leader's turn, chasse with inside turn, grapevine with apart turn, grapevine to cuddle, chasse with inside turn, twinkle finish
  • Whisk (the crazy new one with the ladies leg flick)
0 Comments

Pre-Silver For February 2015: Salsa

2/10/2015

0 Comments

 
  • Shoulder check with hands crossed
  • Shoulder check into cuddle and backwrap with 3 endings: (pass on left side, pass on right side, pass on right side with an extra turn)
  • Out of the way
  • Out of the way with hand flick
  • Out of the way into Turkish Towel
  • cross body lead with tangle, to out of the way into shoulder check with cuddle and backwrap
  • Hand switch combination
0 Comments

Pre-Silver For January 2014: Foxtrot

1/5/2015

0 Comments

 
Note: all steps been done both with Full Bronze Technique, and with Silver Continuity Styling
  • Left turn
  • Right impetus turn
  • Promenade Full Pivot
  • Waltz Variation
0 Comments

Pre-Silver For December 2014: Charleston

12/30/2014

0 Comments

 
  • 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
0 Comments

Pre-Silver For November 2014: Bolero

12/30/2014

0 Comments

 
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")

0 Comments

Pre-Silver For October 2014: Samba

12/30/2014

0 Comments

 
  • 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

0 Comments

Pre-Silver For September 2014: American Tango

12/30/2014

0 Comments

 
  • 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

0 Comments

Pre-Silver Steps For August 2014: Hustle

12/30/2014

0 Comments

 
  • 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)


0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Absolute Beginner
    April
    Argentine Tango
    August
    Basics
    Beginner
    Berkshire Hall
    Berkshire Hall Intermediate
    Bolero
    Cha Cha
    December
    East Coast Swing
    February
    Foxtrot
    Full Bronze
    Hustle
    Intermediate
    January
    July
    June
    March
    May
    Merengue
    November
    October
    Pre Silver
    Rumba
    Salsa
    Samba
    September
    Tango
    Waltz
    West Coast Swing

Book A Private Lesson With:

Lisa Spiro
Nate Evans

Find Us Elsewhere:

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
    • The Teachers
    • Hartford Ballroom
    • Ballroom Dancing
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • What We Offer
    • Private Lessons
    • Wedding Dances
    • Group Classes
    • For Salsa Dancers
    • For Tango Dancers
  • Directions
  • Contact
  • Blog