Round Dance Tips by Tim Eum—
Make Your Crossing
Steps More Comfortable
How
often and in how many different ways do we encounter a XIF (cross in
front), Side, XIF series of steps in round dancing?
First,
any time you do a crossing step, twist your lower body to make the
cross easier.
Crossing
steps are defined in phase I two step. You can cross in only four
ways. You can cross your left foot in front of the right. You can
cross your left foot in back of the right. Or you can cross the right
foot either in front or in back of the left. If you do not turn your
body at all, your legs will feel awkward as they cross and you will
be standing there looking like someone who needs to heed the call of
nature. If you turn your whole body, it will make the crossing step
feel more like a forward step (if crossing in front) or a backward
step (if crossing behind), which is much easier to do. However,
doing this also makes you lose contract with your partner. Try
keeping your shoulders and upper body facing your partner while you
turn just the lower body to do the crossing step. This allows for the
same ease of step as turning the whole body did but without losing
contact with partner.
Note
that crossing steps are used in other figures such as vines,
scissors, fishtail, cross hovers, crab walks, sailor shuffles, etc.
Master this at phase I and you have a body technique that will serve
you well for many figures, even those at higher levels.
SUSIE
Q (Two Step) — Do a XIF, Side, XIF, Flare to one side and then XIF,
Side, XIF coming back.
The
Susie Q is a rarely done figure. So rare that even experienced
dancers balk when they hear it cued. But it is a Roundalab standard
phase 3 two-step figure. Normally start in Butterfly and with lead
foot going to RLOD, do a XIF, Side, XIF and then flare the trail foot
from behind towards partner and thru to begin the second half of the
Susie Q which starts with the trail foot and goes XIF, Side, XIF
towards LOD. Note that you can “twist” as you do the Susie Q by
staying on your toes. Turn your hips in the direction of the crossing
foot when crossing and in the opposite direction when stepping side.
The steps in the Susie Q are really small.
CRAB
WALK (Rumba) — XIF, Side, XIF, -; but with rumba styling.
Unlike
the Susie Q, the Crab Walk in rumba is a very commonly done figure.
This figure most often starts with the crossing step in front and
does go XIF, Side, XIF, - ; However, if the Crab Walks are extended
into another measure you would continue by going Side, XIF, Side, -; In
rumba, hip motion is more emphasized, and so the side step here is
a normal size one (not the tiny one in the Susie Q) to allow the
latin motion to occur. You can still “twist” a little on the
crossing steps.
FRENCH
CROSS (West Coast Swing) — Side/XIF, Side with turning action
throughout.
The
French Cross is another of those “you never taught that to us"
kind of term. It is rarely used and almost never cued. But the lady
does it often as part of the west-coast figure “[Reverse] Underarm
Turn.” After her two forward steps, the lady does the French Cross
by stepping forward with right foot turning left face, then crossing
her left foot in front of her right while continuing to turn left,
and finally she steps side and back finishing her turn to face
partner, and then she does the anchor or coaster step to finish the
Underarm Turn. The French Cross is similar to the extended part of
Crab Walk where the first step is Side before crossing.
CROSS
CHASSE (Slow Two Step) — XIF, - , Sd, XIF;
This
is a new unphased figure (approximately phase IV) that has shown up
in some recent dances like “The Rose”. Note that although it is
like a Crab Walk, the timing here is slow quick quick. In Slow Two
Step you do not do latin motion but instead “travel” more by
taking longer steps. One side note is that the quicstep Cross Chasse
is a totally different figure (It is a fwd, -, fd, cl; XIF, ).
Tim Eum originally prepared
these Tips for
Calls 'n' Cues, (WASCA);
reprinted in the Dixie Round Dance Council
(DRDC) Newsletter, June 2010
|