We have figures of different dances, in the syllabus they
are classed into different levels, some refer them to Pre-Bronze, Bronze, Silver
and Gold, I still like to refer them according to the professional grading and
class them into Student-Teacher, Associate, Licentiate, and Fellow. If you are
taking medal tests or professional Exams, the instructors will definitely teach
you according to the exam syllabus; howevet, if you are taking interest classes,
you will are very likely to learn all the figures in the first few months even
you are taking a beginner class.
I found this very confusing at first, I suppose Fellow
figures are harder but they could be taught in a beginner class, then why they are
the harder one? As my learning progresses, I have found that the fellow figures
may not be harder than the Associate figures, the Associates ones may not be
easier than the Fellow ones. The hardest part lies at the actions, and how the
actions are linked.
Figures are all formed by linked actions, the Fan in Rumba,
is step, then a forward walk turn, then a step back; the hand to hand is also
step, forward walk turn, step back; there is one in Hockey Stick; the Opening Out,
Alemanas are forward walk turn based too! Another very commonly used is hip twist,
Open Hip Twist, Closed Hip Twist, Advanced Hip Twist, Circular Hip Twist, there
is a hip twist in Three Three, and we usually use hip twist and a point in Sliding
Door. These are only the syllabus figures, if you watch the world champ, you may
not see the world class couples dancing the figures but what they do are still look
familiar. What do they do? Actions! Twisting, swivelling, turning, ans of
course stepping.
Now, talking back the figures. Student Teacher figures are simpler
combinations of actions while Fellow figures are more complicated combinations.
They are still the same actions and can be handled by any beginner. Here comes
a question: if beginners can even do Fellow figures, what should advanced
dancers do? A very obvious answer is yhat do them way better than the
beginners. This is true, look at the world class couples, see how Riccardo and
Yulia do their flicks and chasse in jive, see how Michael and Joanna do their Alemanas
in Rumba, compare them to those in your social dance class, you know what I
mean.
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