Ballroom Blitz #123

Video

youtu.be/efw-XEpJ_2Y

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.

Lindsey: Hi there, ballroom dancers and welcome back to another Ballroom Blitz. We are in the standard ballroom world today. We're going to be looking at a Quickstep figure. It's the Quarter Turn to Right. This figure follows a very common, pattern for your base Quickstep moves. It has a drive step, and then a chasse and as the name suggests, it turns a quarter to the right as you go; let's have a look.

[Demonstration without music]

Lindsey: As you can see, nice and easy. Progresses us nicely down the floor. Only four steps long. Let's have a look at the leader's steps first.

Ian: Leaders, the Quarter Turn to Right is probably the first move you will learn in your Quickstep and a lot of the time the first move, you will jump up and dance on the social floor or in a routine of some sort. It's going to commence with a drive step and follows this pattern of drive and chasse, and as Lindsey mentioned, as the name suggests, we are going to turn a quarter to the right. Because we're turning to the right and it's a ballroom we're going to start by driving forward on our right foot; the direction we're turning. So we're going to drive in line with our partner. Don't start this outside, it will feel a bit wonky. There's other things that we can do if we're in that position. Driving in line with our partner, get the power, use that nice and straight, and then commence to turn between steps one and two to select your quarter.

Take a toe step, close your feet in the chasse on a toe step, and then settle out. We're going to take a slow step backwards. It's a toe lower. This is going to get you nice and settled and ready for the follower to drive forward. Because we've turned a quarter, we've basically exchanged who is going to drive. So, if we look at that again, we have, driving forward, I would be usually Diagonal Wall so my line of dance is this way. Driving forward on a heel, rising slightly through a toe and turning it my quarter toe, toe keeping up, and then settling down toe lower on the second slow, ready to go backwards. So when we are doing this faster, remember to bend into that knee, release the toe of that remaining foot so that you can get a nice absorption of your follows power going into the next figure, which quite often is your Progressive Chasse.

Lindsey: Followers, our steps are the natural opposite of the leader. So as they're driving at us on their right foot, we'll be ready to go backwards on our left for a slow. We'll then feel that slight rise, and we'll be taken to the side and turned a quarter over the next few steps, right together for a quick, quick and then settling the end of that chasse slow and will be brought forward slightly. This means that this sets up a nice drive step on our left foot into the next figure, whatever it may be. So if that's my line of dance, I'm starting Backing Diagonal Wall, back for Slow Quick-Quick and by the time I have taken my slow step out toe lower, I should be ready to drive diagonal center.

[Demonstration with counts]

[Demonstration with music]

Lindsey: And that is it the Quarter Turn to Right. So, as Ian said, it's often the figure that people start off with to get going. If you want to be cheeky about it, you can add on the Quarter turn to Left after that, and then rinse and repeat for a nice, easy, Quickstep around the floor. So give it a go, let us know how you go and we will catch you next time.

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.