demagogue on 11/12/2008 at 00:55
wow, that brings back memories. Yeah, totally, it's almost a free for all where everybody dances with everybody, every age & personality combination you could imagine. Everybody's anxious to pick up new things. One thing I liked about the scene was how "democratic" it was, for lack of a better term.
I remember all the things my instructor would go on about ...
For what it's worth:
- Watch your frame! (Imagine a board between your arms and chest; when your elbows get pushed back, it pushes your whole body back when they hit that board, and they can't go back farther. Joints are flexible but firm ... not too loose like spaghetti, not too stiff like a zombie; then it looks retarded).
- Keep those knees bent and bouncy; guy's head should be a little lower than the girl's.
- The triple step is really a triplet, not a 8th-16th-16th note but a "tri-pel-et" (it even helps to say the word when you do it) ... I just mean the duration of each step should be the same and have a triplet feel. The (seeven) ... (and) (8) timing is technically inaccurate. It's (tri) (pel) (et) for all three notes.
- In (2) & (3), you have to walk *directly* towards the girl, not to her side (like you might tend to do if you get lazy), so when you whip her around you in (&) (4) you are spinning her around your center of mass, not just walking around her, and you get a nice centrifugal kick.
- The whole Basic, your arms work like an accordian. Always start with the (&) (8) hops, then (1) you pull (pop) the girl towards you (stretched arms pop back); (2) (3) walking into her (squeezing into hold), (&) (4) spin and kick-out, (5) (6) (7) she's walking directly away (arms stretching out, pushing her away); (&) (8) she turns around, ready to be popped back at max stretch at (1).
