Abbreviations

LF - Left Foot

RF - Right Foot

L - Left

R - Right

Q - Quick (1 beat of music)

S - Slow (2 beats of music)

CW - Clockwise

ACW - Anti-clockwise

DC - Diagonal to Centre

DW = Diagonal to Wall

LOD = Line of Dance

OP - Outside Partner

Sway and alignment is given for the man, lady is normal opposite unless stated otherwise.

Musicality

The Quickstep music is 4/4 timing, four beats to a bar, each beat being the same length.  The dance is not bar disciplined - i.e. movements do not have to start at the start of a bar and finish at the end (and therefore contrasts with, for example, the Waltz).  It is up to the dancer to carve out the timing by joining two beats together to give the 'slow'.

Technique

Points of technique that we looked at were as follows:-

Posture - we looked for both dancers to be upright, with your heads high.  Gents in particular were looking up and over their partners.  The more advanced ladies tipped their pelvis forward, keeping the back otherwise straight, which gives an impression of leaning back slightly.  nb the stylised view we have of ladies arching their back is incorrect - the back is straight but from a tipped forward pelvis.

Rise and Fall - we start with the knees slightly flexed and try to avoid ever completely straightening the knee (certainly avoiding the 'lock back' position'

We also generally avoid going from an 'up' to a 'down' or a 'down' to an 'up' - instead we are looking for a much smoother look by adding 'lowering' or 'rising' in between.

So, what we are faced with (one we've started) is a 'lower, down, rise, up, lower, down, rise, up'.  The knees work to achieve this, allied with the footwork.

Footwork - a 'lower' is always a 'toe, lower'  - in other words you start with pressure on the toe, but let the heel lower to the floor, and the knee then continues to flex. 

A 'down' is either a 'toe, lower' if going back or a heel if going forward.

A 'rise' is achieved by putting the toe in contact with the floor and starting to strectch through the knees

An 'up' is always the toe

When the feet close they should close properly, the toes and the heels touching each other.

The Steps

We looked at the following steps:-

Basic (sometimes called a quarter turn)

Lockstep

Spin turn

Tipple chasse

'Reverse step hop' (nb this does not have an official title, but the one given is a good description)

The order that they worked in was:-

Basic to either another basic or a lockstep

Lockstep to either the second half of a basic (step 5), a spin turn or a tipple chasse

Spin turn to either a basic, a lock step or the reverse step hop

Tipple chasse to step 3 of a lockstep

Reverse step hop to step 2 of a lockstep

Of course, those that know other steps can intersperse these as well - the notes will only focus on the steps we danced on the day.

 Basic - not novel to anyone, this was danced forward, forward, side, close, back, back, side close.  The timing is SSQQSSQQ, and the rise and fall is lower, down, rise, up, lower, down, rise, up.

To get out the basic into a lockstep the man turns about 1/8th ACW so that he is then ready to take his first step of the lockstep outside of his partner

Lockstep - again, not a novel step.  As a result of the turn just prior it is danced DW, forward, forward, forward and slightly in front, cross, forward, forward, side, close.  On the penultimate step turn is made to the desired alignment in CW direction.

The timing is SSQQSSQQ, and the rise and fall is lower, down, rise, up, lower, down, rise up.

The alignment at the end determines which step is coming next - facing the wall means into step 5 (backwards) of a basic, backing down LOD means a spin turn or tipple chasse.

Spin Turn - The spin turn sees you turning CW.  The steps are LF back which turns into a pivot, RF forward, LF back and to the side, RF back, LF to side, RF closes.  The lady dances the normal opposite except that she adds a brush without weight in between steps and 3 with the RF.

The timing is SSSSQQ, and the rise and fall is unusual - down, rise, up  which then lowers, down, rise, up.

The amount of turn will determine what is coming next.  Facing the wall means a basic, facing DW or LOD means a lockstep and facing DC means the  reverse step hop.

Tipple Chasse - the tipple chasse is a chasse danced entirely on your toes, it comes after the end of the lockstep with the man backing LOD.  He steps back on the LF, then side, close, side, turning to face the way that the next step (the lockstep) is intended to go.  This may be down the existing LOD or if near a corner down the new LOD. 

The timing is SQQS, and the rise and fall is again unusual - down, rise, up, up (and this means that step 3 of the lockstep is also an up not a rise).

Reverse Step Hop - this was based loosely on a reverse turn, i.e. turning ACW, and starts with the man facing DC.  The man takes  LF forward, then flexes the knee and slightly hops, turning as he does so.  The RF is taken back, then flexes the knee and slightly hops, turning as he does so.  Lastly, the LF is taken forward, then flexes the knee and slightly hops, turning as he does so.  The lady dances the normal opposite.

The hop is not intended to set Olympic high jump records !  It is a very casual 'bounce' with the foot just leaving the floor.

At the end the man takes the second step of the lockstep OP.

 

 The above notes are not verbatim copies of the approved technique of the teaching societies, but are intended to be easily digestible aide memoires from the course you attended. (c) 2010 Ballroom Experience Co