Scatter chasses in Quickstep

[tanya_the_dancer]

Any tips on them? In particular, getting them to speed and how long it took you to get them, would be helpful too.

[Ithink]

Use your ankles, a lot. And, despite all the hopping, try to think of still being really grounded with your center not bouncing it up and down but being pretty stable and pointing downward.... Don't concentrate on closing your feet either - no time. Keep them small and close your thighs; that'll help with the speed.

Whew, that's probably more than you wanted to hear:)

[tunape]

Use your ankles, a lot. And, despite all the hopping, try to think of still being really grounded with your center not bouncing it up and down but being pretty stable and pointing downward.... Don't concentrate on closing your feet either - no time. Keep them small and close your thighs; that'll help with the speed.

Whew, that's probably more than you wanted to hear:)

agreed. and don't try to shape it.

[Dancebug]

agreed. and don't try to shape it.
Why is that?

[jwlinson]

These took some practice before we got them down. We would do three down the floor, then switch sides, do 3 more, switch sides again, etc.

I'll try to describe how we do them... We'll typically do ours after a backlock coming out of a spin turn. I try to stay more over my trailing leg (i.e. R leg when facing wall, L leg when facing center traveling down the LOD) while staying grounded.

...I hate being stuck in a carpeted office.. so much easier to describe something by doing it, lol.

[elisedance]

Just push all the desks together.... :8

[Joe]

agreed. and don't try to shape it.
Waltz Tango Foxtrot? I totally disagree. Scatters without the shape is like cornflakes without the milk!

Tips:

1) As mentioned, don't bounce or hop. In fact try not to rise at all. You will rise anyway, even if you're trying not to, and that will be enough.
2) They aren't chasses like waltz--you don't need to close your feet. If you really want to cover ground, your steps will have to be larger than you have time to do if you close your feet one every chasse.

[Ithink]

I think perhaps tunape's emphasis there was on *try*, as in don't waste your time on trying to shape the scatters. They will shape but artificially shaping them because it's something you see done by others will just get you behind the music. I've seen people overshape scatters and get off because it took them so long to produce the shape...

[DanceMentor]

A couple of points I'll make (some made already)
1. Don't think of completely closing your feet, and keep your knees closer together like you do in tango.
2. Avoid bouncing upward
3. In your attempt to stay down, don't allow your torso to shrink
4. Lead with your bun. Say you are moving rightward. Think of moving your right cheek in the direction you are going, but don't drop your left side while doing that
5. Don't worry too much about constant contact with your partner. You'll get that better as you sync the movement together
6. Count the rhythm aloud with your partner.
7. Smile and good luck :)

[tunape]

I think perhaps tunape's emphasis there was on *try*, as in don't waste your time on trying to shape the scatters. They will shape but artificially shaping them because it's something you see done by others will just get you behind the music. I've seen people overshape scatters and get off because it took them so long to produce the shape...

yes. I think IThink is right. sorry, couldn't resist. :)

The shape will come from the movement, but don't _try_ to shape it.

[Angel HI]

All good posts. 2 points of emphasis...
1. Yes, do not 'try' to shape this for all of the reasons mentioned. Sway is, almost always, a natural movement...one that comes on its own when the supporting movement is danced correctly.
2. On bringing the feet together...if they are rolled properly from an inside edge, they will come together, or very close. Not going for bringing the feet together often results in a ragged, clipping look.

[Joe]

But going for bringing the feet together often results in getting behind.

[Angel HI]

True. But the answer to perfecting something isn't to not do it because it is hard or might yield imperfect results.

[White Chacha]

Aren't scatters one of those cases where the technique dictates closing "toward" rather than fully closing the feet?

[Angel HI]

Yes. It's all relative rather than technical, isn't it?

[DanceMentor]

I think to a point you have to look at the couple. Some you will tell to think more of closing their feet, and some you will tell keep the knees more inward and avoid that. This may be one of those things where the finished look is more important than what the couple is thinking at this juncture.

[Angel HI]

Indeed.

[tanya_the_dancer]

Thanks, that's a lot to of info to chew on. We'll see how it goes.

[TAK]

Here's a scatter chassé question. Say you are doing sets of scatters with step hops in between. Clearly, this is not a rotary step, but is there any sense in which one person is "anchoring," or on the inside of the "turn"/"curve"? If so, which person (the one closer to the center, or farther) and how does this work?

[TAK]

I would still love to know the answer to this if anyone has any thoughts...

[Josh]

Here's a scatter chassé question. Say you are doing sets of scatters with step hops in between. Clearly, this is not a rotary step, but is there any sense in which one person is "anchoring," or on the inside of the "turn"/"curve"? If so, which person (the one closer to the center, or farther) and how does this work?

There are different ways to do scatters and knowing specifically what you're doing would be helpful, but the same rules should apply as any natural turn, assuming that you're turning right on your step-hop.

Partner A moving left on scatter, (LRLR, Q&Q&), then step-hop on LF. Partner B is the natural opposite, moving right. In this case A is on the inside of the turn and is the "anchor," as you call it. On the step-hop, A and B essentially switch places. Partner A's spine is the axis of the rotation, and Partner B goes past Partner A. As you said above, the chasse portion is mostly linear.

If you did a double step hop, then you'd switch places twice. Again, there are many ways to do this but this is generally the idea--I hope this helps.

[TAK]

It does! Thank you!