Ballroom Blitz #028

Video

youtu.be/VCjgJG6vAx4

Transcript

Ian: Hey random dancer on the internet. My name's Ian,

Lindsey: and my name's Lindsey,

Ian & Lindsey: and this is a Ballroom Blitz.

Lindsey: Today ballroom blitzers we are heading into the world of Tango. We've got a fantastic move for you; it's a reverse turn there's several different ways of doing a reverse turn in the Tango. We're going to show you the lady outside version.

[Demonstration without music]

Lindsey: This figure takes up two bars and its timing is Quick-Quick-Slow Quick-Quick-Slow. In many ways it's very much like reverse turns in our other dances where we want the person coming forward on the left foot, which turns us to the left, and there is a forward half and a backward half.

The thing that makes this a lady outside, or partner outside, is in the middle portion the leader is encouraging the lady to step past them rather than straight at them. So there's  some care they need to do with setting up a particular angle to lead that.

Ian: So, leaders you should be prepared to come forward to start this figure on your left foot, because we are turning to the left; turning in the reverse direction. And as with a lot of these types of turns we will turn about three quarters of a turn over the figure; so, the best way to start is actually facing diagonal center.

Moving in for the first portion, and then back out for the second portion. If we start on our left foot we come in with the left. Quick. We turn around the follow quick here I'm going to make about a quarter of a turn so not quite half [way] just yet. That keeps the follow outside of me so if I take a contra step. Back and underneath. They will be inspired to take a contra step forward and across and that way they remain outside of me in the first half of the figure hence lady outside. For the leads it would be

[Demonstration of Leaders Steps 1 to 3]

Ian: Now that we've arrived at the Midway point we have a second series of quick-quick-slows but we're going to instead of approaching this like an open term with open feet at the halfway point we're going to end it much more like a chasse turn. I now have a little bit more than 3/8s (three eighths) of a turn to make up for. So that over the whole figure I have 3/4 (three quarters) of a turn.

I'm going to inspire the follow to come forward as I take a quick, I'm going to take a small step quick aligning towards the wall, and then slow to close my feet ready in my Tango position to follow with any figure that comes from a closed footed position. Putting that all together we have:

[Demonstration of Leaders Steps]

Lindsey: Followers we'll start this move backing diagonal center as the leaders are coming forward diagonal center on that first step. We're ready to go backwards on our right, we've got a couple of steps but by the end of step two we should have realized two things:

a) that it is in fact a reverse turn; and
b) that they are setting up our step past them.

So we should feel it in the frame and the amount of turn. So we're going backwards on the right as the leaders come forward. Quick. And Quick.

By the time we land our step to the side here we should feel like there's a bit of a passage there. Now, this doesn't mean that the leaders have disappeared or given us a huge amount of room we should be still nice and snug on the hip but we should get the feeling that we are being guided to take a step across ourselves and that should pass outside of our partner. Meaning it's not through their legs it's it's sort of on their outside of their leg there.

So that's our first half we've got quick-quick-slow to get there. [The] second half I'm ready to come forwards on my left that will help a nice drive step there will help the leader turn us the rest of the way off to the left so we've got a Quick. Quick. and then close the feet Slow.

So all together I'll have

[Demonstration of Followers Steps]

Lindsey: and those two center steps are my forward work having an nice passage past my partner.

As with all of our Tango figures we are staying low we are staying close. Even though we are stepping past our partner we don't need to worry about coming to promenade position; we stay in a closed hold the entire way.

So we have

[Demonstration with counts]

[Demonstration with music]

Lindsey: And that is it for the reverse turn lady outside. You will come across reverse turns in Tango and indeed other dancers as well. We'll put some on in future blitzes so look out for them there are different ways to end it so all sorts of fun that can be had. But, that will get you going that will be your base for a while so try it out on the Tango floor have some fun with it, be nice and dramatic with it and we'll see you next time.