Ballroom Blitz #122

Video

youtu.be/egadNR2GPPw

Transcript

Ian: Hey guys and girls from the inter-webs. My name's Ian,

Lindsey: and my name's Lindsey,

Ian & Lindsey: and welcome to Ballroom Blitz.

Ian: Hello there Ballroom Blitzer, welcome back to the channel! We are going to do another Paso Doble figure today, we're going to do a compilation figure of sorts from the previous two, we're going to be looking at the Sixteen. Let's have a look.

[Demonstration without music]

Ian: So this is one of the longest Paso Doble figures we have blitzed so far. It has, as the name suggests, 16 beats; so two whole phrases. But it is a smashing together of two figures we have previously done. In fact, the previous two figures when we have visited the Paso Doble. It's the Promenade and it's the Huit, and all we need to do is have a look at the conversion of steps in between those two figures to get from one to the other, so it's not as straight as doing one and following it into the next. We just have to tweak a few steps in the middle. Once we get that down, we've got Promenade, and then a transition, and then the Huit, and that gets you your Sixteen.

Leaders, we're going to have a look at your steps first, and I'll leave a link in the description to both the Promenade, and the Huit and the first Six steps of this figure is basically the Promenade, so I'll blitz through those pretty quickly so that we can get to the transition, and the same for the Huit at the other end. So if I am doing what starts as a Promenade with my Appel, I walk forward in Promenade, I walk forward, I block around the follow and I start to step back in Fallaway, that gets me six steps through my Promenade. When I get to seven, instead of taking a side step and closing my feet, which is what we did in the Promenade figure itself. I've stepped back in my Fallaway type position I'm now going to close my feet on step seven, allowing my follower to get a little bit beyond me to commence their Huit type section, and now I'm going to Sur Place on eight. So, that gets me my transition period out of the Promenade. Instead of side close I'm dancing Close, and then Sur Place. And then in a very Huit type fashion, I'm going to do basically eight Sur Place(s) starting on the right One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, as my follow Huits from one side to the next, returning in front of me on Seven, Eight of the Huit section, which would be Fifteen, Sixteen.

Ian: So if we remember those steps into the Huit, for us not a lot has changed. We have one, two, three, four, five, six, transitioning seven, eight. Now, of course, a Huit would start in promenade, so the next two steps, the nine and ten we're going to be Sur Placing on the spot, and that is the modification of the Huit section. So we would have nine, ten, and then from there it is the last six steps of Huit, Sur Placing on the spot. So remembering those four transition steps Side-Close, and then two Sur Place, beg your pardon, Close, Sur Place, and then two more Sur Place, instead of the Side-Close. That gets you your transition between your Promenade and Huit and makes it a smooth Sixteen.

Lindsey: Now followers as far as our footwork goes and the transition that we need to make with our footwork to make the Sixteen work between the Promenade and the Huit, we actually have less to do in some ways. Our Huit is exactly the same as it was before it's just the leaders position that has changed slightly. So it's just a few steps at the end of the Promenade that we want to be ready for. To begin, we have the same as our Promenade so we have our Appel to Promenade Position, and then walking Two, Three, Four as the leader comes round. We're still keeping down our line, Five, Six, and then we're ready for our side step on Seven but because the Leaders stopped short we will find ourselves instead of going side and close, we're going to go side and replace. And we will magically find ourselves in more of a Promenade Position, which is perfect for starting our Huit. So at this point, our steps for the Huit are very much the same. So we have step through side replace, through side replace and the ending as normal we step through in front of our leader, close our feet and square up with them.

So with my counts, I have One for Appel, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, over Seven and Eight I'll feel that transition, and then Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, just enough time to go Fifteen, through Sixteen close and change weight back in a closed position with my leader.

[Demonstration with counts]

[Demonstration with music]

Ian: And there you have it; the Sixteen. Two moves of eight put together and to form a move of Sixteen steps. As long as we modify the fork and joining ones in the middle, it's pretty much the same, so you are getting a two for one. Go back and revise the Up Promenade video. Go back from Revise the Huit video. There's a few extra bits on how to shape a few things there on those two sections, focusing on that nice clean transition and then give it some sway, give it some something else and make your, swooshing of the cake that little bit bigger. If you choose to, you can dress it up or down and make it your own.

But here is how you take a figure that needs to start in a Promenade Position and commence it from a Closed Position; that's how you make the Sixteen work. So, that's it from us today for the Sixteen. Don't forget to try your Paso. It's never as hard as people make it out to be. It's loads of fun, it should be danced more, and I would highly recommend you get up on the Paso floor and give it a go and give it some flair. Until next time, keep dancing and we will see you then.

Ian: Well, that's it for this blitz boys and girls. Don't forget to like,

Lindsey: comment,

Ian: share,

Lindsey: and subscribe.

Ian: See you next time.