Quickstep: Trying not to Die

Part: Follow

Dances: Nightclub 2-step, Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep

Hovers: 1

After an arms and back workout, we headed back to the practice room for our warm up nightclub 2-step, a round, and more quickstep work. For some reason my lower back was kind of messed up tonight, and my bad knee hurting more than usual, so that didn't help my form any. Yesterday night I had gone out social dancing (Jeff didn't go this time) and danced with a lot of different leads, some more successfully than others, and I think it took more of a physical toll that usual. I'm getting better about dancing somewhat "defensively" and being more adaptable, but there are still times when the leads want to try out all of their line figures and crazy turns on me and the balance and frame leave something to be desired, and usually my back takes the hit. There was one particular one in tango that I like to call "promenade floor" because the promenade is aimed directly at the floor...that whisked me into an involuntary sort of tipping eros line just to keep my balance. I've gotten very used to dancing with Jeff and the way our frame and his lead feels, comparatively speaking, but I need to make sure I don't get locked into a certain position because I'm so used to it. It'll help my dancing with others and with him if I continue to work on that flexibility.

Anyways, after the round (which by the way is getting easier stamina wise), we went to work on the section of quickstep following the rumba crosses, with the running right turn. Jeff says it always feels like I don't know what the heck he's doing, and to me I just feel sloppy in this section...just because of the way the balance and partnership shift, I guess. I also gave Jeff an unfortunate knee or two in undesirable places as I was trying to align myself correctly for the exit from the rumba cross. After dancing through it a few times, sometimes very slow and balancing, we finally got through the section a few times in a row that were quite passable. Jeff figured that was the best time to end practice as he knows how I hate to end on a bad note.

Jeff brought up a rather depressing thought yesterday, and it was that when we get to open level, quickstep will likely be the most drastically changed of our routines, and therefore the one requiring the most work. We foresee much more quickstep practice in our future. Once we get really good at it though, I think it will actually be quite fun. Once we get to the point where we aren't merely hoping to survive... Quickstep really is the all or nothing, make it or break it dance.