Big Pivots - Advanced - Turning Woven Lunge

Often, if something doesn't work, the answer is an adjustment of 1/4 inch for the leader's and/or follower's foot. That is very true for this step.

Things to remember:

Precise placement of the feet such as at 9 seconds in the video
Spiral of the follower's back starting in the low abs through the upper spine towards your partner

Artist Name:: Kristina Olsen
Song Title:: Maria
Album Title:: Live From Around The World
Artist Website:: http://www.kristinaolsen.net

From a review on the website: Olsen, an itinerant troubadour who regularly graces Australian folk festivals, was at her most engaging. Such was the candour of her songs and chatty tales that it would impossible for anyone with blood in their veins not to empathise with her. Her full-throated voice and crisp guitar served up such diverse subject matter as crop-dusting and prostitution, while a revealing yarn about life-drawing classes introduced The Truth of a Woman. From her new CD came In Your Darkened Room, the title track to an album containing some of her finest work, a black frost edging her usual warmth and humour.

00:10: Nice, nice. And this really is one of my favorite
combinations I’ve choreographed, you know.
00:16: One of the thirty favorites or eighty favorites, you know.
00:19: The number just keeps growing.
00:21: So let’s teach it.
00:22: So do again, first part.
And I’m going to just freeze you.
00:26: They’ll be like ‘Ah.’
00:29: Stop. The thing is he knew I was
going to stop him there, too.
00:32: It’s really funny.
00:33: So, you notice that he’s stepping left foot
around the follower's right foot.
00:37: So that will keep the spin.
00:39: Wait a minute, did you notice his back as well?
00:42: It was so cool.
00:44: That’s not fair.
00:45: D: Okay again, again.
N: Look how strong his back his. That’s really important.
00:50: Okay, keep going.
00:54: Now, right there. That’s very nice foot placement.
00:56: You see that his right foot is
stepping around the follower's foot...
00:59: ..but staying close so that on her next step, go for it…
01:02: ..she can weave through him.
01:04: Look at the curve of her back, how she’s straight
and then she spirals around towards him...
01:11: ..without compromising any of
her straightness inside her body.
01:14: That’s really cool.
01:16: So if I’m doing the leader's part,
for the leaders, you want to, in you upper body,...
01:22: ..rotate to your left and with your left foot rotate to your left.
01:26: So it’s both.
01:27: The body takes her,
the left foot places the foot.
01:35: And you’ll notice, also, that
it comes quarter turn around me.
01:38: So we cheat. We start the turn
before we start the turn.
01:41: And likewise, for the followers,
so I’m going around him, go for it.
01:50: He collects in and then it winds around.
01:55: And I want to have the sense that, for the followers,...
01:58: ..it's really a lot about winding.
02:00: Let me move you guys a little more to the side...
02:02: ..just so there’s not noise in the background.
02:04: So, for the followers, after I step around,
it really comes in and then goes wrapping around more.
02:14: For the leaders, after you step her around,
it spins close to her,...
02:21: ..you see the invisible follower.
02:24: And then it keeps wrapping, as well.
02:27: Your invisible follower was not as
spectacular a dancer as my real follower.
02:31: Gentle hint.
02:44: So do it together. Do it together.
02:55: D: Nice.
N: That is so beautiful.
02:57: And because I can’t resist.
02:58: I should. At this point it should fade out,
but because I can’t resist…
03:03: ..notice the way her leg goes between his legs
and the way that it keeps wrapping…
03:08: ..they’re both pointing with that trailing leg.
03:11: So they have a mirrored line,
heads toward each other.
03:14: And now we’re going to fade out.

Series:: Big Pivots - Advanced
Tags:: Vocabulary, Advanced, Turning, Lunge, Flashy