Wayne Abbey 04/04/10 (Linda and I)

        Right/Natural Quarter Turn (S,Q,Q) to a Chasse to the left to a Lock Step (S,Q,Q,S,S) to Right/Natural Quarter Turn (S,Q,Q) to a Hesitation (S,S,S) to a Chasse to the right (S,Q,Q,S).

        The Right/Natural Quarter Turn starts diagonal wall and ends back line of dance (BLOD).

        The Quick Step lock is done with the right shoulder twisted to the right. It's called a left shoulder lead. The right shoulder is back but the arm frame is still straight across the man's body. It is easy to break your frame in this position. Both the woman and man's feet start parallel to each other diagonal wall. It's slow, slow, step (stop slightly) on the lock to accentuate the lock. The toes are up on the lock. It's an ankle articulation rise movement not a bounce. You "place" your foot on the lock. Then you lower after the lock and take a big step.

        Your right shoulder is back all of the time in Quick Step.

Josh Jones 09/13/2010

       Dance lower. It might feel that you are too low but you're not. Turn your hips to tell the woman you are turning. The fall is on the fourth beat. Again, stay low. The Forward Lock Step is outside partner. Face your partner with your body but move forward. The quarter natural/right turn is really a chasse turn.

Josh Jones 09/20/2010

          Quick Step is so fast that you can get carried away rushing through the steps instead of slowing down and listening to the music. You have to learn to both LISTEN to the music and dance WITH your partner. It's easy to forget to concentrate on dancing with your partner if you are at all confused. You really need to know your steps by route automatically and should never be working out steps at Quick Step's speed on the dance floor. This is courting disaster and embarrassment.

          Dance towards and facing your partner, core to core. This becomes more apparent with a forward lock step because you have to twist towards your partner to keep facing her but at the same time your legs are going a different direction forward. Do NOT pop up and down. Dance snoothly such as with the chasse. Do not pop up and then drop down too soon.

Sven Juur 12/09/2010

            Slow down when practicing Quickstep figures and pay attention to the timing, slows and quicks. Pause and settle at the end of each figure. Do not worry about the speed of the music when practicing figures since the purpose of practicing is to build muscle memory that will respond later at the quicker timing.
Transfer your weight in a continuous movement. Do not reach your leg backward without moving backward. All of the body blocks move. No rushing.
Take adequate longer strides to reach to your heels so you can properly do the correct footwork. The first movement in each figure is the power movement and the rest of the figure takes its energy from the first movement. Bend/flex your knees. Every figure ends down.

Wayne Abbey 12/11/2010

          If your foot work is bad then your body posture is most likely bad. Step forward and shift all of your weight on each step. Straighten/correct your posture on the weight change. The other foot rotates to a toe before it moves. If you do not go on toe your body movement has not completed. Your body has not moved all the way. For the dance movement to be continuous, you must point the toe and you go forward before you move the foot. In the back lock, if the back lock is done properly, the heel will release and the toe will go up in order to have the correct movement. Do not drag your toe on the beginning of the back lock, release the toe to a heel.
On the Quickstep basic, look to the left with a shoulder lead. When begining the quarter turn movement, place your left foot forward and shift all of your weight before doing the Chasse. The chasse turns when you are leading into a back lock.
          In the Spin Turn, you do not close your feet. You step forward and go with her. In the Impetus Turn you close your feet and do not step forward. In the Double Reverse Turn you transfer weight completely. The right foot moves onto point and the left foot curves forward. At the end of every figure you go down and settle. Shift your weight completely.
Mirror Exercise CBM Drill
A. Stand straight. Raise your left heel up without bending the left knee. Shift your right hip forward. (This is CBM and precedes a turn).
B. After each drill above move your left foot forward and start tracing the footwork.
This also teaches you not to jump forward. It teaches you not to do a Latin motion in a smooth dance.
The Woodpecker is a like a Hesitation move in Vienesse. It holds time to get onto the beat. Wait and then do the Double Reverse Turn. In the Woodpecker, the first movement is with the right foot crossing to the left of the left foot. The second movement is with the left foot closing to the left of the right foot as with a hesitation. Then settle for the Double Reverse Turn.

Josh Jones 12/20/2010

The hesitation figure is not as simple as you might initially think. It starts with a back left foot movement in CBM. This twists the dancer's body.
As the left foot goes backward, it reaches to the left. At the same time as the left foot movement is made, the right hip moves backward also. The hip twist requires that the left knee be bent. The right foot then moves to close and brushes the left foot before immediately executing a heel turn.This is one continuous movement. The right foot then opens to the right. Remember, the movement is continuous.

Josh Jones 12/22/2010

Spin Turn. The first step requires specific head and chest positioning as you move. The head is above the left leg. As you step back with you left leg you pivot around with your head over your left leg. The right foot toes upward and swings. The head swings about 45 degrees and stops while the torso and right leg continue moving. You then make a forward movement onto the right foot with a heel toe upward movement. The head remains in the same leftward postured position. Do not over turn either in the first turn or the backward movement. The head must be pulled upward at all times. Begin thinking about what the woman is doing and where she is. From a previous lesson with Sven Juur, I also remember to keep the entire upper body blocks in the same position on all turns. Progressive Chasse: This is a forward linear movement and I tend to like making a 90 degree cut. The first three movements are linear and then there is only a slight change in angulation when moving backward.

Liene's International Quickstep
Forward Runs
Step Hop Step Hop 1-2-3-4
Step Hop Step Hop 1-2- Lock - Forward
Step Hop Step Hop 1-2- Kick Forward - Forward
Step Hop Step Hop 1-2 - Kick Behind - Slide into a Hesitation
Hopscotch
1-2-3-4-5-6-Forward Kick- 8
Woman's variation to kick sideways at the end
Promenade/Counter Promenade Runs
Practice Routine
Natural Turn
Pivot Turn
Natural Spin Turn
Two Back Locks
Two Come By steps [connectors]
Left Chasse
Fishtail
Open Right Turn
Step Hop Step Hop Scatter 1
Step Hop Step Hop Scatter 2
Step Hop Step Hop Scatter 3
Pepper Pot
Impetus
Spin Turns are not flat and level they have sway but there is no rise on the Spin Turn.

Quickstep Open Variations November 2011      Liene Reinbold
Half a Natural Turn
Pivot Turn
Tipsy to the right to Pepper Pot timing
Tipsy forward/Forward Chasse to Pepper Pot timing
Rocket
Quik Open Reverse
Slip Pivot
Double Reverse Spin
Don't control and move the lady. An advanced female dancer will know what to do and just needs guidance. Liene uses Slow Quick Quick for the Double Reverse Spin. The first two steps the man moves and goes around and during the next two steps the woman leads.
In the slip Pivot the man rotates and slips his right foot and leg behind the left and then shifts weight without falling forward.
In the Pivot Turn it is down down up up.

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