Ballroom Blitz #044

Video

youtu.be/_juZ-JoT9fw

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: Welcome back dancers we are going to smooth it out with some lovely Foxtrot today and we're going to be looking at a classic figure it's the Three Step. Just like it says on the tin, this figure is exactly three steps long. Now you may think that it is following the classic Foxtrot rhythm of slow-quick-quick, it's not! It's going quick-quick-slow, just to be cheeky. So let's have a look at it.

[Demonstration without music]

Lindsey: Now, unless we're doing the backward version of this, it is forward for three steps for the leader and backwards for the follower. The leader is starting on their right foot and they have a rhythm of quick-quick-slow and some rather important footwork. The first step is a heel second step is a toe and then comes back to a heel again. I'm just going to switch myself to a leader for a second. Starting on my right foot I have got a heel and I rise up to the toe. Now, I say rise we don't actually want a rise in Foxtrot so it is being absorbed by my bent knee here. That means that my second step is toe to a heel, that then means that I am ready for another heel step.

Now, that final step is probably going to be the drive into your next figure probably a turning figure to the right, some kind of natural figure; but, that is where our Three Step ends. So we've got a heel toe heel. Now, if you are not only a Foxtrotter but you dance New Vogue as well, you'll find that Three Steps come up all over the place for both the leader and the follower. And whenever we're going forward we will find that timing usually that quick-quick-slow if we're in a Foxtrot or a March Rhythm, slightly different if we're in the Waltz, but it will always have that heel-toe-heel footwork.

Followers we're going backwards. The leader is starting on their Right, we have to start on our left and we, because we are going backwards, and we want a nice smooth action we're going to roll through the foot. So toe first, as is always the case when we're going backwards, but we're going to roll through the heel as we go, and that keeps us nice and smooth as the leader comes forward.

[Demonstration with music]

Lindsey: And that is the Three Step in the Foxtrot. You'll find that it is one of your base moves to use, nice and smooth, nice and easy. So, keep it beautiful, let us know if you want any extra information. There's so much to talk about, particularly with the Foxtrot shaping and what have you; so, leave a comment down below and we'll see you next time.