Quickstep
by Warren &
Sandy Teague
Quickstep is
usually
danced at 48 to 50 measures per minute. Sometimes dancers are
reluctant to accept quickstep because of the speed of the dance. But
there are some ways to make quickstep more danceable and hopefully
less taxing on the partnership.
Quickstep should
have
flight and should be danced with a very light airy feeling. It is
danced very "up" with lots of ankle movement. Once we
initiate body flight we try to maintain a forward poise by keeping
our steps compact and very centered. This gives the illusion of
gliding across the room and barely touching the floor.
It is critical to
maintain proper dance position and frame so we can continue to dance
comfortably and execute the figures properly. We find this to be one
of the most important points to work on in the quickstep. If we are
unable to maintain our dance position, we begin to feel heavy -- the
dance loses its character and becomes work instead of fun. Another
useful point we have learned is for the woman to dance into the man's
right hand. Also, the "tray" lead for the man: that is, the
man places the lady, as if she were a tray, from side to side ahead
of his steps or body. This action opens the door for the lady making
room for passing feet. A third important point is the lowering action
-- this allows time for the partners to move past each other
comfortably.
Again, we stress
the
importance of small steps very centered over the feet and staying
very "up" and light while maintaining a good dance frame.
From clinic
notes prepared
for the URDC Convention, 1994, and
reprinted in the Dixie Round Dance Council (DRDC)
Newsletter, November 2013.
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