My wife, Linda, loves Texas Two Step! I have had a really hard time with it, even more than West Coast Swing. Our first Texas Two Step teachers were Rex and Rachel Jones at Daza Ballroom Dance Academy. They are phenomenal dancers and hold the World championships in addition to writing the Texas Two Step Syllabus for the United Country Western Dance Council (UCWDC). I've broken down the Texas Two Step elements so I can understand them.
The Texas Two Step basic has six beats and goes like this:
With experience, the Texas Two Step can also be danced to a four count (Q,Q, S) or an eight count.
It's danced like walking. The man and woman adjust the distance of their strides to each other as they dance in order to maintain the correct dance frame. The man should raise the woman's right hand to a comfortable shoulder level. The walk is slightly paused, held and stretched on slow.
The second slow is a preparatory step meaning that the dancers are about to prepare to do some maneuver on the upcoming next quick step. It is the man's responsibility to clearly communicate what will be done next. This preparatory step ( second slow ) signals the woman so she will know what to do.
The maneuver done on the upcoming quick step can be completed in either one quick or two quicks depending on what is being done and the skills of the dancers.
There are different lead styles and hand holds. The old way was for the man to gently place his right hand on the front of the woman's left shoulder. Essentially the man's right hand is used to signal and guide the woman while the man's left had reinforces the right.
Texas Two Step Video Reviews
UCWDC (#2) for Division 6 Basic steps UCWDC (#1) for Division 6 Advanced Basics
UTube demonstration #1 Robert Royston Lesson Utube
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