Skeleton Patterns of Imperial Swing - Bare-Bones Moves That Make Up the Structural Body of a Pattern
When new dancers take their Basic lessons, they learn fundamental swing moves that leave little room for interpretation; that is, students are expected to perform the moves the same way they were taught to them.
As the novice dancers advance to the Intermediate and Advanced levels of their training, the moves that they learn become increasingly sophisticated because they incorporate more complex footwork rhythms and innovative adaptations which include creative new entries and exits.
According to champion dancer Matt Auclair, who is one of St.
Louis' most respected, professional swing dance instructors, these refinements are what give the basic, bare-bones moves their style.
He strongly believes that dancers of every skill level need to become proficient at executing these underlying, fundamental moves before they progress in their training and attempt to learn more challenging patterns.
In Matt's Intermediate/Advanced classes at St.
Louis Community College, which always include a segment on "Leads and Styling," he teaches that a "skeleton" is a basic pattern that the male dancer may stylize by embellishing the individual moves that combine to make up that overall pattern.
For example, if a pattern consists of: (1) a "Basic Step"; (2) a "Tuck and Turn"; (3) a "Crossover"; and (4) a "Return," the male dancer and his partner may stylize each of these four moves by syncopating the rhythm of their footwork and by creatively modifying how they execute these moves.
Auclair is dedicated to helping his students learn how to become more accomplished, versatile dancers.
Because he believes that teaching them how to stylize their patterns is an important lesson objective, he continually reminds his students that they will master this skill much more quickly if they will take the time to differentiate between the underlying, bare-bones moves that make-up a "skeleton" pattern from the add-on "bells and whistles" that embellish it! STYLIZING A "SKELETON" (1) Basic Step Footwork: The male dancer may stylize his triple step footwork in the closed position as follows: on the 1 and 2 count, he steps diagonally to his left for momentum.
On the "3" count, he hooks his right foot behind his left foot.
On the "and of 3" count he steps down with his left foot, and then on the "4" count he unhooks his right foot by stepping to the right of his left foot.
The male dancer and his partner do not turn away from each other when they "hook" their feet on the 3 and 4 count.
They take small steps and their legs should be close enough together so that their ankle shin touches the calf of their other leg.
On the 5 - 6 count, the male dancer leads his partner into their rockstep.
This styling is accomplished by using six-count footwork that may be verbalized as follows: 1 and 2 ("left and left"), 3 and 4 ("hook and step"), 5 - 6 ("rock-step").
(2) Tuck and Turn Footwork: Instead of leading his partner into a traditional, six-count "Tuck and Turn," the male dancer may stylize this move into a contemporary version of the vintage "Tuck - Turn" by modifying his footwork and verbalizing the count as follows: And 1 ("point") - 2 ("cross"), 3 and 4, 5 - 6.
On the "And 1" count of the syncopated triple step count of 1 and 2, he points his left leg backwards while he twists his left foot clockwise and touches the floor behind him with the toe of the right side of his dance shoe (keeping his heel down).
On the "2" count, the male dancer crosses his left foot in front of, and to the right of, his right foot with his left ankle twisted so that his toe points to his left.
On the 3 and 4 count, he pushes off with his right foot, pivots on his left foot and drags his right foot around over to the right side of his left foot while he simultaneously turns his partner counterclockwise into their slot.
Afterwards, the dancers complete their 5 - 6 count breakstep in the open position.
(3) Crossover Options: A move is considered a crossover if the male dancer faces his partner in the open position and then he leads the reversal of their respective positions in the slot within the next 6 or 8 beats of the music.
Some dancers believe that the crossover got its name because the male dancer's hand "crosses over" in front of his partner's face when he turns her under his left arm; however, this is not true because not all crossovers incorporate an underarm turn! The "Basic Crossover," does incorporate a woman's underarm turn; however, when the male dancer leads his partner into a Breakaway, a Glideaway or a Pass-by, he leads these crossovers without an underarm turn.
The male dancer may use a variety of creative entries, inside and outside turn variations and exits to embellish the original "Basic Crossover.
" He also may accomplish this by using the same basic step footwork styling that is described above as he completes his crossover turn.
To review this adaptation of the basic step footwork, remember that on the "3" count, the dancers hook their non-lead foot; on the "and of 3" count they step down with their lead foot, and then on the "4" count they unhook their non-lead foot by stepping next to their lead foot again.
On the 5 - 6 count, they execute their breakstep in the open position.
(4) Return Options: The male dancer may stylize his returns into the closed position by using the same modified basic step footwork described above.
The return that is taught most frequently to new dancers at the various clubs is called a "Straight Basic Return.
" This is a great fundamental return especially when it is executed with a half-turn; however, rather than learning how to embellish this basic move, it may be more productive simply to learn how to stylize one of the other ten to fifteen more commonly used returns.
These popular returns enable the male dancer to use a creative variety of different entries, inside and outside turn variations and exits into the closed position.
Some of these popular returns do not even need to be embellished because they are already very stylish, while others, like the venerable "Imperial Break Return," the Tuck and Return," the "Hammerlock-Hug Return" and the "Waterfall Return," cannot be stylized using the same basic step footwork described above because of the physical positioning of the male dancer relative to his partner at the conclusion of these returns.
Naturally, if you or I were a six-time, national swing dance champion like Matt Auclair, we could stylize the simple act of walking out onto the dance floor with our partner and still garner the applause and adulation of everyone present; however, as Clint Eastwood says in his vintage movie Dirty Harry: "a man's got to know his limitations," and for most of us that means stylizing our basic step and then applying that same footwork to other moves.
It also means that whenever we learn a new pattern, we always need to differentiate between the core, bare-bones moves that make up that basic pattern and the entry, body and exit embellishments that elevate that "skeleton" into a stylized pattern.
As the novice dancers advance to the Intermediate and Advanced levels of their training, the moves that they learn become increasingly sophisticated because they incorporate more complex footwork rhythms and innovative adaptations which include creative new entries and exits.
According to champion dancer Matt Auclair, who is one of St.
Louis' most respected, professional swing dance instructors, these refinements are what give the basic, bare-bones moves their style.
He strongly believes that dancers of every skill level need to become proficient at executing these underlying, fundamental moves before they progress in their training and attempt to learn more challenging patterns.
In Matt's Intermediate/Advanced classes at St.
Louis Community College, which always include a segment on "Leads and Styling," he teaches that a "skeleton" is a basic pattern that the male dancer may stylize by embellishing the individual moves that combine to make up that overall pattern.
For example, if a pattern consists of: (1) a "Basic Step"; (2) a "Tuck and Turn"; (3) a "Crossover"; and (4) a "Return," the male dancer and his partner may stylize each of these four moves by syncopating the rhythm of their footwork and by creatively modifying how they execute these moves.
Auclair is dedicated to helping his students learn how to become more accomplished, versatile dancers.
Because he believes that teaching them how to stylize their patterns is an important lesson objective, he continually reminds his students that they will master this skill much more quickly if they will take the time to differentiate between the underlying, bare-bones moves that make-up a "skeleton" pattern from the add-on "bells and whistles" that embellish it! STYLIZING A "SKELETON" (1) Basic Step Footwork: The male dancer may stylize his triple step footwork in the closed position as follows: on the 1 and 2 count, he steps diagonally to his left for momentum.
On the "3" count, he hooks his right foot behind his left foot.
On the "and of 3" count he steps down with his left foot, and then on the "4" count he unhooks his right foot by stepping to the right of his left foot.
The male dancer and his partner do not turn away from each other when they "hook" their feet on the 3 and 4 count.
They take small steps and their legs should be close enough together so that their ankle shin touches the calf of their other leg.
On the 5 - 6 count, the male dancer leads his partner into their rockstep.
This styling is accomplished by using six-count footwork that may be verbalized as follows: 1 and 2 ("left and left"), 3 and 4 ("hook and step"), 5 - 6 ("rock-step").
(2) Tuck and Turn Footwork: Instead of leading his partner into a traditional, six-count "Tuck and Turn," the male dancer may stylize this move into a contemporary version of the vintage "Tuck - Turn" by modifying his footwork and verbalizing the count as follows: And 1 ("point") - 2 ("cross"), 3 and 4, 5 - 6.
On the "And 1" count of the syncopated triple step count of 1 and 2, he points his left leg backwards while he twists his left foot clockwise and touches the floor behind him with the toe of the right side of his dance shoe (keeping his heel down).
On the "2" count, the male dancer crosses his left foot in front of, and to the right of, his right foot with his left ankle twisted so that his toe points to his left.
On the 3 and 4 count, he pushes off with his right foot, pivots on his left foot and drags his right foot around over to the right side of his left foot while he simultaneously turns his partner counterclockwise into their slot.
Afterwards, the dancers complete their 5 - 6 count breakstep in the open position.
(3) Crossover Options: A move is considered a crossover if the male dancer faces his partner in the open position and then he leads the reversal of their respective positions in the slot within the next 6 or 8 beats of the music.
Some dancers believe that the crossover got its name because the male dancer's hand "crosses over" in front of his partner's face when he turns her under his left arm; however, this is not true because not all crossovers incorporate an underarm turn! The "Basic Crossover," does incorporate a woman's underarm turn; however, when the male dancer leads his partner into a Breakaway, a Glideaway or a Pass-by, he leads these crossovers without an underarm turn.
The male dancer may use a variety of creative entries, inside and outside turn variations and exits to embellish the original "Basic Crossover.
" He also may accomplish this by using the same basic step footwork styling that is described above as he completes his crossover turn.
To review this adaptation of the basic step footwork, remember that on the "3" count, the dancers hook their non-lead foot; on the "and of 3" count they step down with their lead foot, and then on the "4" count they unhook their non-lead foot by stepping next to their lead foot again.
On the 5 - 6 count, they execute their breakstep in the open position.
(4) Return Options: The male dancer may stylize his returns into the closed position by using the same modified basic step footwork described above.
The return that is taught most frequently to new dancers at the various clubs is called a "Straight Basic Return.
" This is a great fundamental return especially when it is executed with a half-turn; however, rather than learning how to embellish this basic move, it may be more productive simply to learn how to stylize one of the other ten to fifteen more commonly used returns.
These popular returns enable the male dancer to use a creative variety of different entries, inside and outside turn variations and exits into the closed position.
Some of these popular returns do not even need to be embellished because they are already very stylish, while others, like the venerable "Imperial Break Return," the Tuck and Return," the "Hammerlock-Hug Return" and the "Waterfall Return," cannot be stylized using the same basic step footwork described above because of the physical positioning of the male dancer relative to his partner at the conclusion of these returns.
Naturally, if you or I were a six-time, national swing dance champion like Matt Auclair, we could stylize the simple act of walking out onto the dance floor with our partner and still garner the applause and adulation of everyone present; however, as Clint Eastwood says in his vintage movie Dirty Harry: "a man's got to know his limitations," and for most of us that means stylizing our basic step and then applying that same footwork to other moves.
It also means that whenever we learn a new pattern, we always need to differentiate between the core, bare-bones moves that make up that basic pattern and the entry, body and exit embellishments that elevate that "skeleton" into a stylized pattern.
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