Ballroom Blitz #049

Video

youtu.be/CisaRye3SXo

Transcript

Ian: Hey random dancer from the inter-webs, my name's Ian,

Lindsey: and I'm Lindsey,

Ian & Lindsey: and this is a Ballroom Blitz.

Ian: Hello Blitzers, and welcome back to the channel. Today we are going into the world of Cha and Rumba, and we're going to be going right back to basics. We're going to be looking at Closed Basics and Open Basics; what's similar about them, what's different. So we can get you Cha-ing and Rumba-ing between all the fancier figures that we've done on the channel.

[Demonstration without music]

Ian: So as you can see from that demonstration, we were demonstrating Rumba steps, but if you add the Chasse at the appropriate portion over the four-and-one you get exactly the same effect in your Cha Cha. Now, generally speaking Closed Basics are danced in closed position and Open Basics are danced in open position. Another definition is doing the rounds where a closed basic moves to the side and an open basic moves forward and backward. So, there are a few schools of thought out there that say you can dance Open Basics in Closed Position and vice-versa. We're not going to get into that, we're going to keep it nice and simple; Closed Basics in Closed Position, Open Basics in Open Position, and this will cover you for 90% of the time.

Now, in your Cha and Rumba, particularly in the basic sort of steps that we're covering in these blitzes, the first two steps the Step and the Rock, are pretty much interchangeable between Cha and Rumba, and we just add or remove the Chasse. Same-same for the basics and in all of these cases we are going to have a Step and a Rock, that's going to be steps one and two danced on beats two and three, and then we're just going to move to the side or forward and backward as appropriate.

Now when you're dancing your basics in Cha and Rumba, if you're going forward you should be going forward on your left foot, and then after you do half a basic you will have changed feet, because there's only three steps or five if you dance Cha, and then your partner will be dancing forward on the left foot, like so. I step forward on the left, I rock back, and step to the side. I'm now due to go back on my right my follow comes forward left, we rock back, to the side, and we have now returned to our starting position so if I wanted to do another basic I would be ready on my left foot to go forward again. Now in the Closed Basic a lot of people will dance it without any turn, and that's completely fine as well. However, you can dance up to a quarter of a turn over a basic, so that's six steps [ten in Cha], a forward and a backward half for both parties. You can turn up to a quarter in both your Cha and your Rumba if you wish.

The open versions of these basics are pretty much the same for the first two steps you have the Step and the Rock, it's just that it's in an open position. The major difference is after that we're instead of moving to the side we're going to move forwards and backwards

Now, 95% of the time if you are in open position you will be dancing forwards and backwards on that final step, and if you're in close position you will be dancing to the side in those final steps. There is nothing to say that you couldn't change that up and in open position move to the side or in close position move forward and backward if you need to, that's completely legit, we just see it far less on the floor.

[Demonstration with counts]

[Demonstration with music]

Ian: And that is it for basics in Cha and Rumba of course demonstrated in Rumba but completely transferable to Cha as well, just putting in those Chasses. Don't make them too big. Smash these in between all the other things that we have been blitzing so that you can get the most out of your dancing. Have fun on the Cha and the Rumba floor, and we will see you next time.