Troupe-adore

So it seems I have the swing out down pat*. Yay! Just a tip to be more connected was to give the connection not with my fingers but with my palm (from the top of my palm to the middle; so when you bend your fingers at a 90-degree angle, it's where the palm bends). And one last tip: RELAX!!! And don't ever get so caught up in the technique and moves that you forget to have fun and enjoy the dance! =D

Apparently I also have good posture, so hooray for that! I heard myself being used as an example for one of the follows beside me and she told me later on that it's true that I do have a really nice dance posture. So thanks, once again, Trish!

But onto the new moves we learned! A little choreography (to Jailhouse Rock, Blues Brothers style).

Commence swing out
fall of the log variation counts 7-2
3&4 triple step to close/circle
8-beat tuck turn (leave your left hand visible for the lead!)
over the head, twist out, spin towards the front
step and to the left for 8 counts
step and to the right for 4 counts
slide trombone
step and to the left for 8 counts
kick your backside (right, left)
5,6,7,8 (head left, right, left, right)


Just a personal note on the fall off the log variation:

• on count 7: kick ball change step (these two counts are in quaver time)
• kick ball change triple step 5 6 7 8 (so it's basically a swing out with a kick ball change variation over the 1, 2.)

And some choreography that we learned from the first troupe meeting, but I didn't write it down, although now, apparently it's important, because it has a lot of the basics of the moves that we'll need to know (hence the writing of it now). This one is to Carl Perkins' version of Blue Suede Shoes.

"two for the show

bam bam" right, left pose

"now" left

"go" (count 5) right foot forward pivot around

"cat"

"go"
"but" left step on the spot

1 pump kick right

4 pump kick left

5-8 kick ball change scoot step

1-7 tap left foot

8 bring feet together, bring it up!

1-8 stepping with shoulders

1-7 tap with heel (left first)

8 crank to the right

spin to the left (remember to stay balanced and more importantly stay low)

at 4 left heel

ball change *2

ball change with shimmy

1, 4 Elvis knees

1, 3, 5, 7 Elvis knees

lead jive step

lead jive step with slide

step on the spot

running man (very small running man!) on the spot

And finally, a video. I love what the very first couple do when they come out for the first time, also love Thomas Blacharz & Alice Mei's first spotlight, love the second spotlight from Todd Yannacone and partner (it's probably written there somewhere) and there is SO MUCH GOLD in the rest of the video... But the thing that made me cry out with awe was probably around 7"48'-7"55' (when he starts to spin her and he bumps her around. AMAZING!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlTVJ9fOmro

*nobody ever has the swing out perfectly down pat. This is a relative term, used in its loosest form, in this case, meaning close enough for jazz.