Monday, January 14, 2008

Last Week's Lessons.... A True Sample of Rhythm

Ok...so let's see... Last week I had four lessons scheduled Monday with RT, Tuesday with Buddy, Thursday a double lesson, one with each instructor. Whew! It was great! Fortunately I can tell you what I did with each instructor, but not which lesson they all happened in.

Buddy was all about the steps, and let our brains rest from technique (even though I was trying to fine tune stuff the whole way... I guess RT and I aren't THAT different) we worked on Samba, and how it's not to dissimilar from the Viennese Waltz... THAT was a blast and a connection I never made before! (I'd never really done the V. Waltz before, so that was definitely worth it!) I could have done that for hours. I attempted to follow my way through the regular basic, the side basic, then a traveling basic and a few turns... We also worked on Rumba...(Seems I'm always working on my Rumba) I learned a new sequence of steps for Salsa... (that I now can't remember) and our favorite to work on Cha Cha... I know I think at least two steps that RT doesn't even know I know yet! That was WAY too much fun!

RT was a pleasant combination of both steps and technique, which is my all time favorite way to learn. I like to learn the steps and kind of start fine tuning them as we go so I don't fall into any (more) additional bad habits before we continue. Interestingly this time when there was Bolero music on... I actually got to learn the Bolero! I'd never done this dance before... it feels like it's the Waltz of the Latin dances, slow, graceful, very controlled. LOTS of knee work... I think I actually like it! Bolero to a Bolero beat makes much more sense than Rumba to a Bolero beat... surprisingly, I don't think RT and I drilled on my Rumba box last week... hmmm... I'll have to continue practicing my weight shift, hip settle thing at home.

Oh! and we did West Coast! Almost an entire lesson of West Coast! Man I tell ya, if my Coaster step and the end of my Sugar push isn't improved by now I'm really hopeless... I really worked on that one at home this week too... What I do is pace myself about a good long step and a half from the wall, then take my two steps forward, check my right foot all the way behind my left, push off the wall for another long step back and then do the Coaster (kind of a triple step) I can't really do it just right at home as normally there's a lot of leverage at the end of that, but it's fair for practice. We worked on Salsa too... my mission is to be able to spin two or three times...but I'm not nearly there yet... but I am much more familiar with the "Coca Cola" turn.

Man I wish I could do that many lessons every week...but then again too much of a good thing...just makes that thing too much, so I'll be back to my one or two lesson weeks shortly. But hey the good thing about that is it's easier to keep you all updated!

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