Help With Lindy Move . . .

[Vince A]

If it's not too difficult to explain in words, can one of you Lindy hoppers detail a move (with the counts) for me?

I don't know what it's called, but here is a brief description:

You and your partner are crotch-to-crotch, chest-to-chest, his R (face) cheek is up against her R face cheek . . . he has his R arm around to her back, she has him high on the shoulder with her L . . . he has his L arm around back of himsel on his L side with her R arm there too - hand-in-hand . . .

Now the step . . . all they are doing is bouncing up and down on one foot at a time, switching to the other, back and forth, then out . . .

What's it called, how do you do it, what's the count, how do you get into it, and how do you get out.

I actually want to use this in WCS . . . and YES IT CAN BE DONE! I want to use it as a fun part of my WCS dancing. I want to learn it and use it next Saturday night . . . there's a dance we're going to . . . :D

Thanks,
Vince

[DWise1]

Cakewalk? Though that last part, "he has his L arm around back of himsel on his L side with her R arm there too - hand-in-hand", is a new one on me.

Our instructor put an 8-count cakewalk in one of our intermediate patterns. However, it's not a straight 8 counts, but rather you hold for some counts to vary the pattern.

There's a very strong up-down feeling to it. And we're squared off to each other like for flash kicks, offset a bit to our lefts, so that on the down when the non-bearing foot slides forward, the right foot goes between the partner's feet.

Oh, nearly forgot. We entered it just like for flash kicks: rock-step and hold her in close. But then instead of leaning to the lead's right for a flash kick, you hop up.
And then to exit we lead a rock-step.

Though if that's the step you're talking about, I have trouble imagining how to port it to WCS, unless you're doing it in closed position (the only time I know of when the follow ever rock-steps).

[Vince A]

Cakewalk? Though that last part, "he has his L arm around back of himself on his L side with her R arm there too - hand-in-hand", is a new one on me.
It may have been just "his" styling for that move, and that's where he wanted his hand . . .

I'm a rookie at Lindy, so I'm not sure if it's called a cakewalk or flash kicks . . .

Though if that's the step you're talking about, I have trouble imagining how to port it to WCS, unless you're doing it in closed position (the only time I know of when the follow ever rock-steps).
I assume maybe pulling her into a whip, then stepping right into her, and getting her to cakewalk . . . I'm just not sure it it's a leadable move for a WCS, so I guess, maybe my wife wil be the only I do it with???

Thanks for the great tips and info on the move . . .

[etchuck]

Isn't that a basic balboa?

From US Swing Server ( http://www.swingcraze.com/ussds/other_swing_dance_styles.html ):

Balboa
Very fast, 8-count, partners basically glued together, all footwork. The Balboa was created in, and named for, the Balboa Park Club, an enormous wood-frame building, home of the Naval Officer's Club in San Diego during WWII (Lowell Gosser, several-time WCS champion, *was* here in San Diego during the war, and backs up this story.). The floor is about 13,000 square feet. The Balboa has lots of fast footwork but not much whole-body movement, and was developed as an answer to the question, "what do you dance when the band plays Dixieland jazz?" (The Balboa uses a "shuffle" basic, with short foot movements and overall "look" optimized for really fast swing music, such as Dixieland.) It goes 1-2-3 kick. Skippy Blair says that the Balboa is *not* a swing dance since it has no 6 count patterns, only 4's and 8's --Skippy said that all swing dances have a 6 count basic pattern.

According to _SylviaSykes (who, along with _JonathanBixby, has made Santa Barbara the Balboa capitol of the world), the Balboa really isn't a style of swing at all. It is danced almost exclusively in closed dance position and most closely resembles a dance the natives of 1930's Chicago called the "Shag". The Balboa has an eight count basic but the rhythm pattern isn't like traditional single swing's "slow, slow, quick, quick". "It looks like cartoon dancing, close together, with lots of footwork, although the feet hardly leave the floor. The upper body remains still and the dance doesn't travel much around the room. You could dance to very fast music - 190 to 250 beats per minute! while being dressed up. At one time it was popular up and down the west coast, from Seattle to southern California."

Also see : http://cuswing.proboards11.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&num=1044386992 for more specific details.

Is that it?

[DWise1]

Cakewalk? Though that last part, "he has his L arm around back of himself on his L side with her R arm there too - hand-in-hand", is a new one on me.
It may have been just "his" styling for that move, and that's where he wanted his hand . . .

I'm a rookie at Lindy, so I'm not sure if it's called a cakewalk or flash kicks . . .


Flash kicks involve actually kicking past your partner in very close closed position -- right foot goes between your partner's legs, left foot outside. Calkwalk, as we were taught, involves more of a hop and the forward foot pretty much slides along the floor and doesn't extend much beyond your partner's in-step if at all.

At the beginning of the Lindy in the Barn scene in "Day at the Races", I think the fat guy is doing the calkwalk before he does a split.

[quote=DWise1]Though if that's the step you're talking about, I have trouble imagining how to port it to WCS, unless you're doing it in closed position (the only time I know of when the follow ever rock-steps).
I assume maybe pulling her into a whip, then stepping right into her, and getting her to cakewalk . . . I'm just not sure it it's a leadable move for a WCS, so I guess, maybe my wife wil be the only I do it with???

Thanks for the great tips and info on the move . . .
Maybe you should try it out at home with her before attempting it on the floor. In order to work out any rough spots.

For example, in a WCS before-dance lesson I learned a neat move where I pull her in with my right hand, by 3 I catch her by the waist with my previously free left arm and do a head loop with my right (her left). Then for 3&4 I turn to my left, so that when I release her she's heading back to whence she had come, where she then anchors on 5&6 -- with a surprised look on her face. Later that night at a Lindy dance, I tried it on the floor but couldn't get it to work. Finally in my sleep that night, I realized that in Lindy I effectively lose the first two beats to the rockstep, so I would need to turn it into an 8-count move in order to port it over to ECS.

Here's a thought you might try for getting into position for your move. I forget what the 6-count WCS move is called, but it starts out like a whip, at count 5 you have hold of her and rotate right 90 degrees just like in a whip, but then you keep her in closed position and complete the triple step to your right. The move ends with you in closed position, so that might be as good a place as any to insert your new killer move.

Let us know how it turns out.

[d nice]

Cakewalk is a dance not a step, the step most often refered to as the Cakewalk is the Strut. While this could be done partnered (it is both a solo and partnered dance) the Strut of the Cakewalk should be done in side by side position.

Vince the step you are talking about sounds like its either the Balboa basic or a Blues basic. BTW Skippy may know West Coast Swing she is not an authority on all types of swing, not all swing dances have six-count patterns... but she is correct straight Balboa is not a swing dance, Bal-Swing is and does not normally contain any six count steps.

Balboa basic is normally done with holds on three and five (the "kick" mentioned in the quote above), but they can really be done on any downbeat.

(this is a simplified description) The leader starts with his partner in face to face, chest to chest slightly offset so the right foot points between your partners feet. The leder steps once every two beats, L:1, R:3, L:5, R:7. This is called "the Ramp-Up" and is used to put both the leader and follower on the same foot as well as moving together intime with the music.

1: The leader steps back on his left foot bringing the follower forward on the right foot.
2: Leader steps with his right foot next to his left foot, bringing the follower forward on her left foot.
3: The leader does a small "hold" with his left foot, a small scuffing kick or tap forward, the follower holds with a small kick or tap with her right foot backwards.
4: The leader steps down with his left foot directly underneath himself, and the follower steps down with the right foot.
5: The leader steps forward with his right foot, the follower steps back with her left foot.
6: Leader steps with his left foot next to his right foot, bringing the follower backward on her right foot.
7: The leader does a small "hold" with his right foot with a small kick or tap with his right foot backwards, the follower holds witha kick or tap with her left foot backwards.
8: The leader steps down with his right foot directly underneath himself, and the follower steps down with the left foot.

THe holds/kicks happen on 3 and 7 and the traveling happens on the 1 and 5. There are all sorts of flavors that can be added to this, some people travel on all but the holds, ome people do different types of holds, but this is the most popular way to do the Balboa basic...

Now if the step you are thinking about is a blues step... there are so many, with so much variation in execdution I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to describe how to do it without more inofrmation from you.

[bgirlswinger]

yeah it sounds like bal to me with a funky arm in it. I love balboa-,.. better than blues dancing. i get uncomfortable when i blue but bal is differnet.

sounds like bal.

-amber d.

[Sagitta]

Started learning a little bal last year, which is what your decsription sounds like Vince. Liked it, but decided to concentrate on salsa... Let's see if it is offered again and if I have the time to do it...

[Vince A]

Thanks to all . . . I'm incorporating this into my WCS . . . although I've had to modify it somewhat . . . it looks "KEWL."

[Sagitta]

I bet!!