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Round Dance Tips by
Tim Eum—
Three Left-Turning
Figures
Reverse Wave (Foxtrot, phase 4)
It is very common for dancers to encounter "Reverse Turn" in Foxtrot
but less common to encounter "Reverse Wave". It is curious, because the
Reverse Wave is simpler to do and should probably be taught to dancers
before the Reverse Turn. For one thing, all six steps of the Reverse
Wave are done in closed position (CP) while in the Reverse Turn dancers
must change from CP to banjo (BJO). Another thing is that you turn a
lot less in the Reverse Wave than in the Reverse Turn. However, both
are two-measure figures and the first measure is the same for both.
Start a Reverse Wave in CP (often facing LOD or DLC). The first step is
a slow forward with heel lead and as you take weight onto the foot turn
the upper body frame toward the left. Then as the man is able to rise a
little onto the toe, he turns left as he takes his second step to the
side (right). The lady's second step is not to the side -- she instead
does a heel turn -- which means that she will bring her feet together
while turning left face on her right heel and then transfer weight onto
the toe of the closing foot (left) for her second step. The third step
for both is simply a quick back step still in CP. In these first three
steps of the Reverse Wave, you should not turn very far and end facing
DRC or even COH (i.e. only about 1/4 left face turn). The last three
steps of the Reverse Wave (i.e., the second measure) is very easy --
simply progress backwards one slow step and two quick steps curving
gently left face to end still in CP but now facing RLOD. Overall the
timing in the Reverse Wave is SQQ SQQ. Note how the pattern of the
figure on the floor makes a wave and that you were turning left face
(i.e., in the reverse direction). I encourage dancers to be "playful"
when dancing and here's one way to play --- in the last three steps of
the Reverse Wave let go of lead hands, turn your hands around so the
palm faces the same way as your back, and then raise and lower the
fingers together quickly --- this is a "Reverse Wave" :-)
Reverse Fallaway and Slip (Foxtrot, phase 5)
One of the figures in All That Jazz by Sehrist is Reverse Fallaway and
Slip. It is done with only four steps that are simply one step per beat
(i.e., QQQQ). So what makes it so difficult as to be designated a phase
5 foxtrot figure? One thing is that on step 3 the couple must go
backwards, which always seems a bit more awkward. The big thing is that
the fourth and last step requires a slipping action, which many ladies
find hard to do and does require coordination between dance partners,
which men should lead. The Reverse Fallaway and Slip starts in CP or
BJO with lead foot free. The first step starts just like a Left Turn –
man steps forward (lady back) and as you take weight turn left face
about 1/4 . Note that unlike many foxtrot steps the timing on this
first step is quick not slow. The second step is a simple side step to
man’s right (lady’s left) staying in CP (or going to CP if started in
BJO) with no turn or only slight left face turn. Now the tricky steps.
On the third step, the couple turns to semi-closed position (SCP)
while crossing in back (man XIBL, lady XIBR), which has the couple
traveling backwards in SCP. This by the way is what ballroom calls
“fallaway”. Now the final fourth step of the figure – the slipping
action. While in SCP with trail foot free moving backwards, the man
will step back and side onto his right foot and turn left face. The
trick is to turn at the same time as the lady. That means a momentary
“wait” while the lady completes her slipping action before turning. It
will also mean transitioning the top frame from SCP to CP in a way that
helps the lady do her slipping action. The lady’s fourth step begins
almost immediately after she takes weight on her third step. She will
swivel left face on her right foot while keeping her left foot in
front. At this point she will feel the man taking his fourth step back
and because of her swiveling action she should now be almost facing the
man and able to step forward with her left foot into (CP). When the man
feels the lady place weight onto her fourth step, he can lead the
couple to finish the figure by rotating another 1/8 to ¼ turn left
face. Note that in this slipping action, the lady swivels to CP and
that in CP the lady’s left foot is outside of the man’s right foot –
not in-between the man’s feet. However, because the couple must still
swivel another 1/8 to ¼ turn after placing weight onto the fourth step
of the slipping action, the lady may actually place her fourth step
in-between the man’s feet and then as the couple turns end with the
foot properly outside the man’s right foot. Practice with your partner
will enable you to learn where the lady’s foot is best placed for her
fourth step. Placement depends on factors such as how close you dance
CP and how much you turn on that fourth step. The Reverse Fallaway and
Slip usually starts in CP facing DLC and ends in CP facing DLW and thus
turns ¾ left face over the entire figure.
Three Fallaways with Feather Finish (Foxtrot, phase 6)
Many dancers encounter the phase 6 figure, “Three Fallaways with
Feather Finish” in the classic dance, Symphony by Slater. The timing is
very straightforward – simply 9 quick steps all in a row for the Three
Fallaways and then 3 more quick steps for the Feather Finish – 12 quick
steps all in a row with no syncopation. The difficulties arise in this
figure if the lady has not mastered the slipping action of Slip Pivot,
if the couple is not familiar with the proper way to hold each other in
a reverse semi-closed position (RSCP), and finally if the man has no
idea what the lady does in a slipping action.
The first four steps of Three Fallaways is the same as the phase 5
figure, Reverse Fallaway and Slip. Starting in CP generally facing LOD,
the man steps forward with lead foot turning left face ¼, then steps
side right, then crosses in back with left to SCP, and finally steps
back & side right pivoting ¼ left face. The lady does the opposite
by stepping back with lead foot (right) turning ¼ left face, then steps
side with left, turning slightly RF to SCP, then crosses in back with
right in SCP swiveling left face to face man after taking weight (i.e.,
slipping action) on the third step, and on the fourth step goes forward
and pivots left face ending in CP with man facing wall.
Note how the slipping action between the third and fourth steps (lady
swivels to face) and the fourth step (left face pivot step) itself are
the same as what happens between the first and second steps and then
the second step of the phase 3 figure “Slip Pivot”. To smoothly do
Three Fallaways, we must be able to smoothly do the slip pivot movement.
Steps five and six of Three Fallaways are simple but troublesome.
Starting in CP with man facing wall, the man simply steps side left and
then crosses in back with right (XIBR) to RSCP. The lady does the
mirror image by stepping side right and then XIBL to RSCP. But herein
is a problem. Most dancers are unfamiliar with the proper way to hold
each other in RSCP. The primary problem is that the man pulls his right
shoulder away from the lady instead of maintaining upper body frame by
rotating his right shoulder TOWARD the lady. When the man incorrectly
pulls his right shoulder away, two bad things happen: first, the lead
arms become crunched together uncomfortably, and second the man’s right
arm gets stretched across the lady’s chest. Note that doing the proper
thing of rotating right shoulder toward the lady for RSCP is NOT
intuitive because the man is crossing his right foot behind him and
turning his head to his right which would seem to go with turning the
upper body to the right as well – but instead he must turn the upper
body frame to the left – not natural at all – but a must to properly
dance RSCP. The couple should be in proper RSCP at the end of the sixth
step of Three Fallaways.
The last three steps of Three Fallaways is easy for the lady. She
simply takes three back steps. It is the man who has to master step
seven, which in essence is what the lady did in step four of this
figure, i.e., the slip pivot movement. As the lady steps back on step
seven, the man must swivel on his right foot turning left face toward
the lady (i.e., turning from RSCP to CP) and step forward to CP
pivoting left face. If done successfully the man will then easily be
able to step side right to SCP (step eight) and finally cross in back
left (step nine) to finish the Three Fallaways in SCP facing RLOD.
Three more beats of music must be danced after dancing the Three
Fallaways to get back on measure. In Symphony, the lady will do a
slipping action to face the man at the end of the Three Fallaways
(i.e., swiveling on right foot to face man after step nine and before
the first step of the Feather Finish), and then do a Feather Finish. In
a Feather Finish the man steps back with right turning left face, side
with left turning to BJO, and then XIFR ending in BJO facing DLW. The
lady finishes her slipping action and steps forward to CP turning left
face, steps side right turning to BJO, then XIBL.
Note that the term “Fallaway” is a ballroom term for moving backwards
in what round dancers call SCP. In this figure we are indeed doing that
on step 3, then moving backward in RSCP on step 6, and finally moving
backward in SCP on step 9. Thus there are Three Fallaways.
There is a lot in this figure, but if you have mastered the previous
figures of Slip Pivot, Reverse Fallaway and Slip, Left Whisk (an
example of using RSCP), and Feather Finish then learning the Three
Fallaways is just a matter of putting it all together smoothly in 12
quick steps. Okay, perhaps not simple – that’s why it is rated as a
phase 6 figure.
Tim
Eum has
prepared many Round Dance Tips for Calls 'n' Cues,
WASCA, for his weekly Rocket Rounds email reports, and for
other
publications. DRDC is
grateful for permission to collect and reprint. A Tim Eum archive.
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