Ballroom Blitz #007

Video

youtu.be/9h11j0Repjk

Transcript

Ian: Hey guys and girls at the end webs I'm Ian,

Lindsey: and I'm Lindsey,

Ian & Lindsey: and this is the Ballroom Blitz.

Lindsey: Today's blitz is all about the forward lock in the Quickstep a very useful one and a fun one so let's have a look at it.

[Demonstration]

So, this figure is following a classic pattern that comes up a lot in the Quickstep where we have a slow for a drive, [and] then we're rising up onto our toes for some kind of chasse, in which case this is the lock.

So, we have a quick-quick to take a step, and then lock the foot, a slow to come out of that chasse, and then ready for the leader's drive step after that into the next figure.

Ian: So, leads from your point of view this figure can commence inline or outside of partner, although most of the time you will probably be commencing it outside of partner. Irrespective of that, the first step is a driving heel on the right foot, slow.

We're going to take a side step to commence our locking chasse with a quick-quick up on the toes. We're going to come down with a toe lower after that, and the next step this is the one that has to proceed outside of partner so you will be taking a driving heel on the right foot and you will be taking it basically into whatever figure comes next; but, it has to come outside of partner there's no option to move in line with this final step.

So, in its entirety it would look like inline or outside slow step lock come down off the toe proceed outside of partner.

Lindsey: For the followers I'm going to demonstrate this both ways so that you can see. We're starting with a backward step on our left that's our partner's drive so it will be low. We'll feel them rise up and that will be our cue to rise up as well so we're coming up onto our toes, back with the right locking in front with the left and ready for a slow. Lowering the heel coming out of that lock they will then drive past us so we are backwards on the left foot again into our next figure.

From the other side we have,

[Demonstration with counts]

Lindsey: So, even though most of these steps in this figure are outside we still want to have contact right hip to right hip we still want to be in a nice comfortable closed position; this is not an excuse to go "oh I have to step outside" and really twist away from each other. [That] just puts pressure where it doesn't want to be.

Ian: That's right, and leaders even though you can daisy chain these even though it's technically possible to do forward lock-forward lock-forward lock that's a boring as batshit Quickstep and it's really uncomfortable for the followers please don't do it. Experiment with it, use it in cases where you kind of need to but if that is your standard Quickstep get yourself to someone that can teach you a few more figures because it's really: a) boring; b) uncomfortable; and c) just poor choreography.

Lindsey: Now, we often get questions from the followers saying "how do I know it's a lock step?" and not something else that's a sort of a more traditional chasse where you just put your feet together. One of the major cues for us to note that it's a lock step is that this one doesn't turn. So, a lot of our other figures that sort of operate in the same way a drive step and then some kind of chasse usually have some kind of turn either to right or left this one shouldn't have any and that's one of our big clues that it is a lock.

Ian: That's right and the other clue is of course it should move in a diagonal fashion there should be some diagonal component. If you're moving dead straight with your hips it's really hard to lock, and if you're moving dead square with your hips it's also really hard to lock, and even harder to feel if you're the follower and you don't know if this is an actual lock or not. So, there should be a forward and a sideward component diagonalizing those hips to make it easier for you to lock forward or behind and feel for the follower.

[Demonstration with music]

Lindsey: Locks and chasses in general are such a staple of our Quickstep so make sure you try this one out on the social floor next time a quickstep comes on.