1/4/2023
What
is Round Dancing? Round Dancing is Choreographed
Ballroom Dancing. A cuer gives figure cues about half a measure before
dancers
execute the figure, much like a square dance caller lets the dancers
know what
comes next. In freestyle ballroom, the man must decide on the next step
to do
and communicate to his partner through his lead. This is challenging,
prompting
many men to repeat the same 6 or so steps in patterns again and again.
Round
dancing is a godsend for the men because the choreography has already
been done
and the men and women simply learn the figures which are cued by the
cuer. The
result is a beautiful dance with many different steps (figures).
We
will be teaching the figures and cues for those figures you
need to round dance. For example, if the cuer says “waltz box” the
dancers
execute a waltz box figure. DEMO
There
are some conventions that need to be understood about
the physical space we dance in.
For the Man
(Leader):
Line of
Dance
(LOD) is the counterclockwise direction.
Reverse
Line of Dance (RLOD) is the clockwise
direction.
Wall is facing
out from the center of the hall toward the wall.
Center is facing
away from the wall.
For the
woman (Follower): All the above are
opposite for the woman.
There
are four diagonal directions that we will learn along
the way that are combinations of the above directions; such as [Show] Diagonal Center
Line of Dance, Diagonal Wall
Line of Dance, Diagonal Wall Reverse Line of Dance, and Diagonal
Center Reverse line of
dance.
Looking
Circle:
During instruction and demonstrations, students look to the
instructors in the center with shorter partner in front. Talking
should be limited to question to the
instructors.
Feet: The Man’s
left foot is his lead foot and the right foot is the trail foot. The
Woman’s
right foot is her lead foot and her left foot is her trail foot. A Free foot is ready to move and the weight
is on the other foot.
Dance
positions:
Closed position, Semi Closed position, Open position, Banjo
position, Sidecar position, Butterfly, Open Facing, Left Open Facing.
Dance
positions are often given in cues to tell the dancer
what position they need be in to start or finish a figure. Tonight we
will only
be using Open, Butterfly, and Closed positions.
To
get started our first figure is Forward Waltz. Demo
1,2,3
1,2,3 or long, short, short - long, short, short or heel, toe,
toe -
heel, toe, toe. Left, Right, Left – Right, Left, Right. In Waltz, there
is also
an up and down motion - Down, up, up- down, up, up. Every
beat of the music is a step (usually). Listen to the music
Run for the Roses to identify the down beat.
Demo: Forward Waltz [Students in Open position
face line of dance lead
feet free (weight is on the trail foot) once around the hall to the
music.]
Demo: Forward Waltz [Students facing each
other in Butterfly position face
line of dance lead feet free. With the first step, the man steps
forward on his
lead foot (left) and the woman steps back with her lead foot (right) ]
once
around the hall to the music.
Demo:
Closed position and Frame: Facing partner offset so the
man’s lead foot is to the left of the tip of woman’s right foot. Man’s
LEFT arm
should be held up with elbow bent. Gently hold the woman’s hand just
below her
eye level. Man’s RIGHT forearm is under the woman’s arm with hand on
woman’s
left shoulder blade, angled down. Woman’s LEFT forearm and hand on top
of the
man’s right arm, gently hold the bicep with thumb and middle finger,
turn hand
slightly outward from the wrist.
The
Patch – Connection of the two dancers below the ribcage
near the pelvis. Posture is upright with lifted rib cage, shoulders
down, with
a bit of tension/resistance as torso and head lean back slightly. Both
dancers
look forward past the partner’s right shoulder.
Demo
Forward Waltz:
[Students in closed position, face line of dance, lead feet free.] Once
around
the hall.
Demo
Backward Waltz:
[Students in closed position, face Reverse Line of Dance, lead feet
free.] Once
around the hall
Figure:
Waltz Box:
L
R L R
L
R
Man lead foot free step Forward, side, Close – Back , Side, Close
R
L
R
L R L
Woman lead foot free step Back, Side, Close – Forward, Side, Close
Note:
Close implies there is a change in weight so correct
foot is free.
Figure:
Progressive
Box Demo
L
R L
R L
R
Man lead foot free step Forward, Side, Close – Forward, Side,
Close
R
L
R
L
R L
Woman lead foot free step Back, Side, Close – Back with trail foot,
Side, Close
Progressive
Box [Students in closed position, face line of
dance, lead feet free.] Once around the hall.