Ballroom Blitz #005

Feather Steps in Foxtrot - Feb 09, 2023

Transcript

Ian: Hey guys and girls of the interwebs, I'm Ian,

Lindsey: and I'm Lindsey,

Ian & Lindsey: and this is the Ballroom Blitz

Ian: Today dancers we are blitzing the feather step in foxtrot.

Depending on who you talk to you either have eight ways to dance one feather; or one feather danced eight ways; or eight different feathers...

We're just gonna do one. One blitz, one feather.

So, the feather step is the first thing we learn in foxtrot really and if you ask anyone that's done foxtrot for any length of time "what makes a foxtrot a foxtrot?" they will probably say feather and heel turns. Heel turns are not today.

So, feather steps are four steps, four. Some people will count them as three and it kind of fits in because foxtrot gets a bit mushy so the last step becomes the first step of the next step and all that sort of nice continuity bollocks. But, really if you're just talking about feather steps one at a time they are four steps.

So, a slow-quick-quick-slow or a slow-slow-and-slow to get that nice foxtrot feel. Leaders will commence forward on the right foot with a driving step in line with partner through we prepare to step outside step outside in our classic feather position, and then settle with a step on the left foot which as we've said is usually the first step of whatever you're putting afterwards.

[demonstration with counts]

Ian: Lindsey's going to talk about her steps.

Lindsey: I am. So, they're really the sort of natural opposite of what the leader is doing. They're starting with the drive step on the right we are going backwards on the left there's really not terribly much that we have to do you certainly don't want to go "oh they are about to step past me" and jump away from them. [You] should be nicely on the hip and nicely in a closed hold the whole time.

So, if we have a look at the follower steps I'm ready on the left and I'm going

[demonstration with counts]

Lindsey: And doing my best to stay just nice and calm in my leader's frame.

Ian: So, you will notice they're in classic foxtrot fashion there are no feet together and the whole idea of the move is to actually keep progressing forward down the floor. This is why we move outside of our partner so that they don't sort of block us as we try and go, and it would be the same whether we're doing forward feathers or back feathers.

Of course there are, as we've said, a number of different ways to dance your feather some of them cross into other feather territory, but in this example we just really want to pay attention to whether the lead is putting any body side lead in to keep the motion going in one direction or whether indeed we're changing direction over the prepare to step, and then step outside step.

So, with body side lead

[demonstration with description]

Ian: continuing [in] one direction towards you. And, without body side lead

[demonstration with description]

Ian: Slow changing direction but still fulfilling all the things we need to for an actual feather step.

[demonstration with music]

Ian: Well, that's it for this blitz on foxtrot feather steps. Of course, there is loads more to talk about with feathers, at least eight times more; one blitz for each type of feather, and a lot more nuances to get that real foxtrotty feel.

But, this should be enough to get you started, so crack that into your foxtrot the next time you're on the floor and we will see you in the next one.