Sur Place & Basics in Paso Doble

Ballroom Blitz #139

Sur Place & Basics in Paso Doble - Mar 27, 2025

Transcript

Ian: Hey, boys and girls on the interwebs. My name's Ian,

Lindsey: and I'm Lindsey,

Ian: and welcome to...

Ian & Lindsey: Ballroom Blitz.

Lindsey: Hello lovely dancers, welcome back to the channel. We're going to be having a look at a couple of moves today in the Paso Doble. Paso Doble has a bit of a reputation for being a little bit tricky, so we're going to show you some really tricky moves today. They're called Sur Place and the Basic Movement.

So let me show you these really tricky moves. The first one is called Sur Place, and you'll see it better if I stand side on view. Here it is.

[Demonstration without music]

Lindsey: Really tricky. If I show you the Basic Movement, it can, as the name suggests, move about, it should move about, it can go in pretty much any direction. So I can take that same action from the Sur Place and shift it forward. I can shift it back. I can even make it curve around to the alignment of my choosing.

Now, I'm being a bit dismissive, this move is testing our balance, but it is very easy, very versatile. The idea is that we are up on the balls of our feet through this movement, making what we sometimes refer to as a sort of penguin footed, motion. So if I step back a little bit, I'm going to rise up onto my toes. If you're a leader, chances are, you are going to start on your right foot. So I will do that up on my toes and I'm lifting my whole foot up, bending at the ankles. So we don't want to end up sort of marching like a soldier lifting our knees.

Our leg should be straight and it's just an ankle movement, and then I'm essentially slapping that ball of the foot down one foot, then the other. So right, left, right, left for as many times as needed. I'm doing that same movement for the basic movement. I am just taking that a little pace at a time. So you'll never take terribly big strides with this one, just gently moving forward, a little step at a time. But just one foot after the other. Just like we do when we are walking.

Lindsey: You'll probably find that when you get to more advanced Paso Doble dancing you won't use these terribly much. They're used mainly as fillers but they're great for when you're starting out. They can fill the time the Basic Movement, because it's so variable and versatile, it can take you wherever you need. So great for turning corners or changing your alignment. Ready for your next Paso figure?

Do make sure that you practice these, even though they don't come up terribly often as their own figure. You will keep on encountering, particularly the basic movement. Over and over again in your more advanced figures like the Grand Circle or the Caping Walks.

[Demonstration with counts]

Lindsey: So there you go, a couple of figures in the Paso Doble, couldn't be simpler, and there are lots of different ways that you can style these up in different holds and using shaping through the body. Of course, making sure that you're giving it that Paso Doble flair. So try it out, see how you go, work on your balance it will certainly help improve it, and we'll see you next time.

Ian: Well, guys and gals, that's it for today's blitz. Don't forget to like,

Lindsey: comment,

Ian: share,

Lindsey: and subscribe!

Ian: Keep dancing.

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