Quarter Turn 1: Leaders
COURSE: Contra-Body Adventure
FOCUS: This lesson teaches leaders how to use contrabody to rotate and change directions, moving beyond linear movement, and introduces the elimination of the tap step for direction changes.
TIP & TRICKS:
- Start with weight on the right and do three steps, rotating more on step three to face the right.
- On step four, release the right leg to align it with the left on the same line.
- Time the contrabody with body rotation first, then step on the beat, e.g., 'and one, and two, and three'.
- Face the direction before stepping on step three to align your spine and prepare early.
- Use small steps if space is limited, but adjust to bigger steps if you have more room.
- Reset on step eight by stepping to the side, taking your time to ensure proper alignment.
REMEMBER:
- The tap step is no longer used from this video onward; it was only for changing direction on a line.
- Contrabody timing is crucial: body rotation precedes the step to generate early preparation, especially when dancing with a partner.
- Focus on your spine and facing direction to naturally guide your movement and watch where you're going.
- Practice with a slow song to build muscle memory until the movements become natural and effortless.
- Repeating the sequence four times should return you to the starting position, helping reinforce the rotation pattern.