In, In Out, In, In Out...

Dances:  Waltz, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Salsa, Cha Cha, 3x Swing, Nightclub 2-Step
Part:  Lead
Workout:  Chest and shoulders at the gym.

The workout today was much better compared to last night's.  I'm getting very efficient at them.  They are starting to take less time and wear me out more.  As with any Friday night, I take it a bit easier both in the weights and at practice.

Tonight was Viennese Waltz.  Once again we worked on our Fleckerls.  I think in general we can get in and out of them with minimal effort now.  Sarah still complains that she can't really tell when I'm going to commence with a Fleckerl versus when I will just continue on down the floor.  I've tried various tactics but nothing has yielded concrete results yet.  In watching some more dance videos recently I noticed that many couples begin their Fleckerls with the Contra Check.  That accomplishes two things.  One, the Fleckerls are shorter (they usually do the back half them come out of them).  And two, the Contra Check is so obvious to the follow, they won't mistake it for anything else.  I'll have to experiment with that.  Though I am a little bit hesitant.  Viennese Waltz is a risky dance given how much momentum and velocity you have.  To stop it all at once like that could be interesting.

After practice, Sarah and I headed out to DanceWorks.  This time we had quite a few of our friends meet us there so it was lots of fun.  I'm starting to get to know the regulars there as well.  That always helps.  All the dances went really well.  I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of floor pressure and using it to my advantage.  I attribute this new upgrade to the leg workouts.  They really give me a better range of pressure to work with.  The result making our dances very stable and balanced.

During the Viennese Waltz that night I took our Fleckerls out for a test drive again.  Only this time I lost track of the "in, in, out" pattern.  So I just kept going round and round.  Finally I knew I had to make a decision and risk it.  Luckily I nailed the Contra Check and we came out of it just fine.  I really need to get the "in, in, out" down.  It's too risky otherwise.

One interesting point of the night was when our friends retreated to the tiny practice room DanceWorks has on the upper level.  I found them there practicing a part in their Waltz routine.  It's really quite awkward.  An Outside Spin into a Reverse Turn.  What kind of crap is that?!?!?  So I grabbed Sarah and gave it a shot.  It's doable, but feels so disjointed.  I can see doing something like that when you get to the open levels.  But in Silver?  Why risk it?  Going in to the Natural Turn is tough enough let alone having to change directions all of a sudden.  I do not envy their routine.  That being said there are many parts of our routines that are messed up as well.  *sigh*

Our night ended at The Matador for happy hour.  I hope more of our friends come out with us on Friday nights.  It's great fun!