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Heel Turn -- Not Just Another Turn
by Sandi
& Dan Finch
One of the hardest transitions in round dancing is learning the art of
the heel turn. Turning left and right was mastered -- hopefully -- in
phase II, but a new kind of turn awaits beyond that. Ladies do heel
turns most often, but the first one encountered in the round dance
syllabus is done by Men.
They sound simple enough. Step back, bring heels together and turn. But
just wait.
The technique to do a heel turn takes many words to describe in the
syllabus, the Roundalab Manual of Standards. It goes like this: "A turn
on the heel of one foot with the free foot directly alongside. The turn
continues through the heel of the other foot as the second weight
change is taken and then the weight is transferred to the ball of that
foot before the end of the figure."
The most common figures with heel turns are Impetus to Semi (Phase III)
for Man and Half Natural and Telemark (Phase IV) for Lady in Waltz and
Foxtrot. The Telemark is one of the most important figures in round
dancing because it -- and its heel turn -- are elements within so many
other figures. Can you spot the Telemark in the Reverse Turn, Natural
Weave, Double Reverse Spin, Hover Cross, Double Natural, and the “tele”
family of Telespin, Mini-Telespin, Double Telespin, Telefeather,
Teleswivel, and Teleronde? Good idea to learn the Telemark -- and its
heel turn -- correctly from the beginning.
The idea of a heel turn is to make the rotation of some turns easier
for the partner on the outside of the turn. They force the partner on
the inside of the turn to keep feet together so as not to step in the
way, and when done right, that makes you skinnier through the hips so
partner can skim past you.
Impetus
Men often do a sloppy heel turn through the Impetus by not bringing
their feet together. This is not a fatal flaw for their partner
swinging around them unless they take a big step in her way. Man steps
back left, brings his right foot along side the left foot and turns so
his hips rotate as partner swings around, then both rise and step out
on lead feet in Semi-Closed Position (SCP).
Half Natural [The Foxtrot version of Maneuver]
This is a right turning figure starting backward for Lady with trail
foot. Instead of back left, side and forward right turning, then close
left, as in Waltz, she steps back left, brings right foot along side
the left foot without weight for the heel turn, then forward left in
Closed Position (CP). It can start in Closed Position (CP) or Banjo.
Because it turns right, Man steps forward right with early turn (see
description to follow) and usually there is no issue of messing up her
frame because she is already on his right side.
Telemark
The Telemark is a turn to the left, usually beginning in Closed
Position. Lady steps back right, brings her left foot along side the
right without weight, turning 3/8ths before shifting weight to the
left, rising and stepping out on right foot in SCP.
The usual flaw is Lady not being able to get her feet together for the
heel turn or being knocked backward out of the heel turn as Man steps
forward. Man has two responsibilities: He should rise early (see
description to follow) on his first step to cause her to rise, which
draws her feet together, then he crosses her path, “trapping” her into
a tight turn.
Early Rise
This is simply a slight change in when rise occurs to ensure Lady can
do a heel turn. In most Waltz and Two Step left turns, Man steps
forward left for a left turn beginning his rise at the end of the first
step. She steps back, then follows his lead with a side and back step.
When he wants his partner to do a heel turn, he uses early rise,
stepping forward onto a straight leg, accomplishing a full flat-footed
rise on one step. This causes Lady to also step back onto a straight
leg, which draws in her free foot. This form of rise prevents him from
overpowering her, which would force her to take a step back out of the
heel turn.
Early and Late Turns
This concept describes when the Man initiates a turn. Man always dances
straight forward on the first step of a turn, but going left or right
depends on when he applies CBM (contra body movement). This is the
signal for the lead.
CBM is an impulse communicated through his body to signal a turn is
coming -- called “commence to turn” in the description of many figures.
When turning to the left, the leader takes his first step forward, and
using CBM, his torso will shift slightly left after his left foot takes
weight. This tells her to turn. Turns in smooth rhythms take place
between steps -- as he is moving to step two. This is called late turn.
If he just cranked to the left as he took his first step, he would
cause his partner to shift her position onto his left side, out of
proper frame.
If he is turning to the right, he can apply CBM sooner, as he is taking
his first step. Because she is on his right side in proper frame
anyway, his first step will not cause her to shift out of position.
This is called early turn.
There will be more turns to come -- Man’s heel pull, often done in
Quickstep, and any kind of turn in Tango, for example -- but
understanding the heel turn goes a long way toward making you a
proficient dancer.
From a club
newsletter, February 2023,
and
reprinted
in the Dixie Round Dance Council (DRDC)
Newsletter, March, 2023. Find a DRDC Finch archive here.
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