Today's private practice was better. Maxi, the instructor, is tough but he is also encouraging. He will bring you through a step 10 times without saying anything, just listening to your body but then once you nail it, he will exclaim, "Si!" and smile a huge smile. Other times its: "No, no, noooo, sort of, no, SI!" So even tho you messed up 5 times to get one step right, you still feel like you are improving. At one point he said "Don't worry, this is training. You are teaching your body things and it takes time." That felt really good.
However, the group class today was a little more difficult. I was leading. The completed step was an a rebote back with the followers right leg (rebound), enganche on the forward step of the rebound (lead the follower forward to the right of the leader's body in an accelerated motion, pulling the leg in with a downward swooshing intention to the leader's left), diagonal back step with the followers right leg, open side step to begin the hero, on the followers front step sacada follower's back leg with the leader's right leg (step into the leg you use to sacada to pivot), sacada on side step with left leg to follower's right (same side), boleo with follower's right leg, followers sacada (their right leg to your right leg), Americana out to leader's left. Ha. Needless to say, it was a challenge for me (and everyone else in that room).
Robin & Maya, I expect you to be trying these in your living room!
16 years ago
Let me see if I got it straight:
ReplyDeleteRock step, to psuedo-volcada (leg-wrap) on the outside of the leader's left leg, to an almost-major back-ocho, to a side-step, to sacada, to sacada-back boleo combination, to follower's sacada across the body, to promenade after a wacky pivot?
I think I can do that. Although the enganche is bothering me: where is it going. Like I said, I am imagining a psuedo-volcada-esque move creating a leg-wrap with the follower's right leg on the leaders right leg, which sounds awkward at best.
Hmm... Let me know.
Ok no. I see what you have wrong. The enganche is more linear, in a diagonal across the back of the followers body, not a swing of the follower's leg and there is no leg wrap.
ReplyDeleteSo,rock step back with followers right leg, accelerated forward step with followers right leg to leader's right side (slight diagonal), enganche followers left leg across the back of the followers body to their right side - this will cause the followers left leg to come into their right leg (as long as their legs and hips are free), which will automatically bend their right leg and transfers their weight to their left leg to accomodate the incoming leg, leaving the right leg free to come around the left leg and out to a back ocho. The back ocho should be a decent size step, but not much of a pivot.
The lead for the enganche is a downward swoosh to the leader's left, which should bring the followers free leg across the back of their body.
Also, the follower's secada is a straight step forward, not diagonal (well maybe a tiny diagonal). As the leg comes out of the boleo, it comes forward.
Ok, ha. Plus, keep your hips back, breathe into your sides and always step with your heal!
PS. This is my first blog comment (not posted by me) I think! Yay!