On Tuesday 23/03/10 we concentrated on moves that we could enter from back-step footwork. Note that these moves work equally well with pub-rock footwork, also. Ev decked herself out in some pretty red clothes especially for our movie clip.



We begin with a basic back-step into an overhead turn, with the man turning under anti-clockwise. From there the man turns away and performs a 'comb' of his hair (if he has any!). A 'return' brings us back to the face-to-face position. The lady then goes into a 'neck-breaker' move. We end by going into a carousel move, exited into a 'swizzle-stick'. Beginners can skip this last bit, as the timing needs to be extremely good to perform it correctly. The first three moves are fine for beginners to copy and practice.

This (rather poor quality) video is to help beginners at our classes remember how to perform the three basic moves that we use. They are the overhead turn, the cuddle and the push-spin. We will update this with a much better quality video ASAP.



Note that our hands are kept low. In that position the arms are the most comfortable and it's easiest to relax. That's the greatest secret of good dancing. This position also allows the greatest versatility of subsequent moves.

Many thanks to our star demonstrator Ev and to Bernie for cinematography.

This is a hastily done video of basic back-step footwork. It won't win an AFI award, but it's useful for instructional purposes. Thanks to our starlet Ev for helping demonstrate and to Bernie for film production. We will replace it with a more polished sample as soon as possible. It's very short, but you can set it to repeat.

You can download these videos if you have the latest version of Realplayer installed on your PC. Simply place your curser on the top right of the video window and a download option will appear.

This is our first dance routine for medium to advanced dancers. Gareth and Ev demonstrate the moves. We've done this is to help the guys in particular remember their moves away from class. By practicing the one routine, they will memorise individual moves and when they are confident, they will begin changing the order of them. Many thanks to Bernie for taking the video and to Ev for volunteering to help demonstrate.

This popular move is easy to learn. Holding right-hand to right-hand the man pulls the ladies hand towards him and upwards, turning her so that his hand is around her neck. The lady keeps turning until the couple are almost facing. At that point, if they are intimately acquainted, the man might sneak a quick kiss. If not, best leave that idea until later! To escape the move, the man simply raises his right hand for the lady to turn fully through 360 degrees until she is facing him again.

Note how Jeryl spins quickly on the spot like a spindle. Her speed is great! It leaves plenty of time for the man to plan what comes next.