Last Class Before Summer

This one was a lot of fun, and I felt loose and relaxed, and involved. It was kind of neat.

We ran through the Honi Coles Stroll really quick, and left it. It's something that will come up in Tap 1, and it'll be nice to have at least seen it. Lots of warm up stuff that was a little different, but I think Tanis is always trying to throw something different into that part. Warmups could probably get a little tedious otherwise.

We ran through a routine that we got into right off the bat, in the first lesson of the spring session. I described it pretty good there, up to a point - we did do all that,but after we did Suzy-Qs, which are a weird rotation on the heel. Back and forth doing that, four times, then launching right into the very first moves again, but this time at a 45 degree angle to our original direction. Then we do drawbacks, back to our original starting point, a little toe rotation kind of thing, a quick marengo (I think that's what it's called, and I'm guessing at the spelling, too) and a rather dramatic stomp to end.

And we were hot! After a couple of times through, we were totally together, and were keeping our line together, even when we changed direction. What a sound!

Now, the reason we practiced this so much, was that, since it was the last class of the session, we got to perform it for the other two classes that ran at the same time. But they started. First was the Beginner African Dance group. Very cool, with very physical and loose movement. Even cooler, was they had live musicians. Six drummers, doing amazing stuff.

Then the Jazz Dance 3 group. These people have been doing this for awhile, and it looked pretty amazing, too. Our stand-in teacher from last week, Shannon, was one of the students. Pretty impressive, and a huge group. I think there were 20 people there.

Then we got to do our stuff. We did the routine outlined above, and then the Shimmy. Total fun, and I felt relaxed and loose, and just ready to let it happen. I didn't even get out of sync, although at one point, I had to kind of vamp until I could figure out what we were supposed to be doing. So not perfect, but way, way too cool.

I'm going to take the summer off from this, but I think I will definitely be going in the fall, and this time I think it will be Tap 1.

Stand-in Teacher

Tanis wasn't able to come tonight, so we had a subsitute. Shannon used to dance with the company at DJD.

She had a little different approach, in that she had us sing the rhythm before she showed us the steps. "Da-da, da-da, da-da-da-da-da, da..." - that kind of thing. What this did, for me anyway, was set the rhythm in my head, so I didn't have to think about timing. The tune was already there, and the feet just seemed to follow it naturally. Then I could concentrate on the actual steps

Now, I think the step that really stuck in my head was created by Paul Draper, who (if I got the story straight) moved from ballet to tap and brought a lot of ballet type moves to the genre. And there are a couple of places where this is obvious. There's a point where you step to the side, with a kind of launch into flight, spread armed pose. It's something I can see Gene Kelly doing. That part has a neat syncopated pause, where you stick for a minute, but it's right after a weight transfer to that foot, so you have to arrest any momentum so you can stay in place.

And then a little later there's a shuffle, toe-heel, step, with a couple of weight transfers, and you stop and hold for two beats. Again, stopping the momentum like that is hard, but on the third try or so, I managed, with lots of wobbling and arm-waving, to keep my balance.

We didn't get back to Honi Coles Stroll, which I was kinda hoping for, cuz it's so neat as a group dance. But we did work through the Shimmy. I love that one cuz the moves are easy and accessible, but it looks impressively complex. It's also the only complete routine in my repertoire, so far.

Shannon's warmups were also a bit different, but worked the ankles and thighs just as hard. And there were some other things that she threw in, different sequences of steps and such.

So it was a fun night, and I learned a new way of hanging on to what we've been taught. It gives me a better understanding of what Tanis is telling us as well. It's very cool that a different perspective can make so much fall into place.

Jumping Right Into It

I just realized I never did a write up for last week. But last week we started to learn the Honi Coles Stroll. Of course, Tanis started us with the last and most difficult move, and I have totally forgotten anything about it. But it was pretty cool, anyway.

Tonight, we started at the beginning, with the walk for sixteen steps, then the heel-toe for sixteen steps. Follow that with a brush-heel-toe-heel-toe for sixteen steps. Now you do the brush with the left foot, which is the inside foot, because you're travelling in a circle. It actually feels a bit like a round dance, sort of a community thing, where you're all doing the same thing.

Anyway, after the doing the brush with only the left foot, comes sixteen steps of brush-heel-toe-brush-heel-toe, that is, you're brushing with both feet. After that, there's a hop thrown in after each brush. Actually by that point, I'm totally discoordinated, and trying desperately to find a way to get back into the loop.

I admit I totally forgot all of this tonight, but I found a web site which spells out the whole Stroll. That could be really helpful.

We also did the Shim-Sham-Shimmy again, but to a faster beat. With me trying to do the extra taps on the first and third parts, I got totally lost again, having to stop and go through it slowly just to try and coordinate my feet again. Terribly frustrating.

Tanis introduced a couple of backward moves, and of course I've forgotten what they're called. I think I finally can do a paddle and roll, after several repitions. Keep pounding it into me, and it'll eventually stick, I suppose.

There were a couple of other routines we worked on, including the one I talked about a couple of weeks ago. We have a few more moves now than what I described, but again, while I can sort of remember how they go, I couldn't tell you what they're called, or what order we do them in. And I'm certain my memory of the whole thing is incomplete. Theres an awkward step where one foot rotates on the heel while you step with the other. It's got a cutesy name that totally escapes me. I assume the awkwardness will disappear eventually.

The frustration can be maddening, but even so, I find I'm still having a great time with it. My shuffles are getting closer to actually sounding like something, and I no longer hurt in the hips and thighs, like I did way back when I began this adventure.