Moving forward at the start of a dance.

G

Gola

New Member
As just a social dancer I'm sure I always start a ballroom dance ( and most if not all of the numerous sequence dances I can do after a fashion) by moving my left foot forward and placing the weight on it (I'm a male) . But when I view ballroom demonstration videos (on YouTube) the male often moves his right foot forward at the start of the demo. I find this rather confusing - why does it happen? (If it's because the couple are demonstrating some steps that take place in the middle, not the start, of the dance, would it not be less confusing for a newbie dancer if s/he saw the demo with the man starting any moves by moving his left foot? In my minds eye, when trying to learn new ballroom or sequence moves, this is what i do; and I'm sure many newbie dancers too would like this to happen.) Thanks for any info.
 
Joe said:
You can move either foot whenever you want.
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As long as you make clear to your follower which one it's going to be. If, before we start, you've got your weight split between your feet, I, as a follower, am going to have to guess which foot you're planning to start with, and without more information, I'm going to assume that I'll be starting back on my right because of convention. But if you've got your weight clearly over one foot or the other, and especially if you clearly shift weight back and forth so I can feel it and match it, then I'll be ready to follow with either foot.
 
@Joe and @bia : I'm not asking about what I myself can do here. I'd just like to know why a male teacher, for instance, doesn't start his demo by moving the weight on to the left foot. If he always did this, I feel it wouold make it easier for a newbie to learn the steps being demonstrated.
 
I think your question was answered!

As a newbie, you are looking for .'constants' or 'truisms' and for you, if all figures started with the same foot, you would feel that your truism was validated. Unfortunately, it is not a constant, as mentioned.

What is a constant is that you move off the standing leg to the next foot. There is no symmetry in steps that you want to see.

Looking at this in another way, not all waltz figures are simply 1,2,3. Ditto for your rumba - not all figures are a box.
 
There are different reasons, and it's hard to give you a satisfactory answer without seeing the video or talking to the person who made it. If it is a right-turning figure, maybe it technically starts on the right foot so that's where he started. Maybe it was international, which can start on either foot. Maybe he didn't intend it for absolute beginners.
 
At the studio I go to the dance with the exception of the Argentine Tango the man always starts leads off with the left foot. However, I took a recent cruise and the teachers were teaching a group class in the waltz. They had the men start off with leading with the right foot in the different patterns. I asked them why are the men leading off on the right foot rather than the left foot? She said the man can lead off on any either foot. I am guessing but in the United States in American style the man leads off on the left foot. I guess in European or International style the man leads off on the right foot or either foot. I could be wrong.
 
Many figures move backwards and not forwards, and you may be surprised to find that your figure that starts off is actually curving... Remembering that the last step of the preceding figure is also the first step of the next figure will also make it easy to coordinate and also prepare you for the future.

I may be wrong but American style is not dependent on every figure starting on the same foot.
 
It entirely depends on the figure being danced, doesn't it? If I move into a Reverse Turn, I'll start with my LF and a Natural Turn will start with my RF. It's rather out of fashion, now, but a traditional Quickstep amalgamation of the Quarter Turns will start with the man stepping RF back!
 
The sad fact is, even though the man CAN start on either foot, and he should be able to convey which foot he's on to the lady, the average saturday night social dancer doesn't understand this.
 
True. I witness many self appointed teachers on the social floor telling their victims how to dance, and it certainly never includes information relevant to actual dancing. They have all been 'dancing for 20 years' but repetition of the same poorly conceived box step and spasmed arm movements have convinced them that what they are doing is natural and correct. Wen you ask them to, ,for instance, start on another foot, they either glare at you or literally stumble, not realizing that it is weight change that makes dance.

"Don't be THAT guy " lol
 
@ twnkltoz ; The sort of thing I refer to can be seen on YOUTube - Marcus & Karen Hilton Simply the best Waltz part 1. He starts by going on to the right foot. And the count he uses is "one". If you have been taught to start with the left foot and that is the "one" count it becomes rather confusing !
 
The sad fact is, even though the man CAN start on either foot, and he should be able to convey which foot he's on to the lady, the average saturday night social dancer doesn't understand this.
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True, but in the UK, the Instructor has usually had enough training to be able to explain such things ... ;)
 
As far as making instruction accessible to newbies, if the step being taught requires the man to step forward with the right foot on the first beat of a musical measure, the instructor has two choices, and it's not clear which is more accessible. He could tell the man to start forward on the right, as in the videos you're referring to. Or he could tell the man to start with a prep step forward on the left, which it sounds like you'd prefer, but that then requires you to start dancing on the last beat of a musical measure rather than the first. Plenty of new dancers have trouble starting on any beat but "one". Whichever choice the instructor makes, some newbies are going to find it difficult.
 
Gola said:
@ twnkltoz ; The sort of thing I refer to can be seen on YOUTube - Marcus & Karen Hilton Simply the best Waltz part 1. He starts by going on to the right foot. And the count he uses is "one". If you have been taught to start with the left foot and that is the "one" count it becomes rather confusing !
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Yes, this makes your question clear. The natural turn in international style waltz does in fact start with the man moving forward with his right foot on beat one. Marcus Hilton can't change the step in order to teach it, and if he did, you wouldn't be able to combine the step with others. So he has a choice between teaching a prep step with the left foot on beat three or telling you to start with your right foot on beat one. And it's not clear which is easier for a new dancer; ultimately, the new dancer will have to learn to do either.
 
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