| Article | : | "Dancing Tid-bits" Issue #137, Thursday-March 6, 2003
Today's Topic: "Cross Hesitation in Waltz"
Hi Dr Max, I have a question that I hope you can help with.. The ISTD Ballroom book says that a cross hesitation can be followed with 4-6 of a natural turn.The cross hesitation ends facingDW with weight on RF and 4-6of natural turn starts with LF backdown LODwhich is fine BUT the alignments don't match up. To turn right on the natural turn you end up facing the wrong way. Can you shed any helpful information of this query. Many thanks, Pat
Sometimes it is hard to tell whether Pat is a guy or a girl but if I think who this Pat is, I will just describe Man's steps and Ladies can reciprocate or maybe something like that.
First of all, I want to point out that Pat shows that he is an analytical student. He can go to the written technique and do this extensive "homework" and can save $$$ big time. All this information is available by acquiring a book that does not cost more than $30.00 and it amazes me that students will take lesson after lesson spending hundreds and thousands, learning their feet positions and alignments, but when it comes to buying a book or video; "well, maybe later, I am short on cash". The 2 popular Technique books are 1. Ballroom Technique (ISTD) and 2. Technique of Ballroom Dancing (Guy Howard). And of course Ballroom Dancing by Alex Moore. All excellent works.
Getting back to Pat's dilemma, let's first get some idea; what is Cross Hesitation?
Most commonly done in Waltz, start in PP, say facing Diagonal wall (actually body should be facing wall but for sake of simplicity we will not go into all those details). Man will step forward in CBMP in PP on the RF, count 1, and then close LF to RF without weight, count 2.3. Lady will be lead to step same way forward and across in PP, LF on count 1 but not knowing what else to do she will step to side, RF on 2 and then close LF to RF on 3. Cross Hesitation is done. There is slight body turn to left for man and lady makes a 1/4 1/8 turn to close the Promenade. They would end up in a position that will be slightly offset and therefore the next figure will be started with "outside positions" on step 1, usually man stepping back on LF.
I suggested the following to Pat:
1. Cross Hesitation finished DW..Do 456 of Natural turn but do not turn...just like Backward Change Step (man). This is described in Howard's technique but perhaps omitted by error in the ISTD book. We can then follow with a complete natural turn started facing diagonal to wall.
2. Open Impetus to Cross Hesitation ended facing DC, do 456 of NT 1/4 turn to right.
3. Do a Turning Cross Hesitation started from DW, end facing DC, then do as in 2.
With Best Wishes, Sincerely, Max. |
