Cha Workshop - 10:00 a.m. February 18th
This workshop will have a two hour morning segment, potluck lunch, and a one-to-two hour afternoon segment.
It will introduce you to a few common cha-cha figures and sequences, some of which will take you out of the "slot".
The main sequence is arranged so that you can dance it in the order presented, as a learning tool.
Each of the numbered moves and mini-sequences may be used stand-alone, whenever your lead foot is free, except "whip" which can only start if your "trailing foot" is free. (To get the trailing foot free do a New Yorker or a Fence Line to reverse line of dance.)
The names applied to these moves are those used in international cha cha. Different names are sometimes used in American cha cha.
Advanced Cha Sequence
... starting with a Shoulder-to-Shoulder
1. Break Back to Open & cha (to side-by-side position)
+ Walk (forward 2 and cha) (to line of dance)
2. Sliding Doors (over & back)
3. Circle Away & Together to Butterfly (or to left-hand star for umbrella turns, or a bolero wheel, or a full natural top)
4. Peekaboo Chase Double to Butterfly (if to butterfly may be followed by a facing chase with alternate finger pointing)
5. Fence Line/Fencing Line (to reverse line of dance in this case, but may be either direction as in New Yorker)
+ Crab Walks (to line of dance in this case, but may be either direction based on which foot is free)
6. Whip to closed (from "trailing foot free" - changing sides)
7. Closed Basic (forward & recover & cha-chas to left, back & recover & chas's to right - for leader)
8. Cross Body changing sides (think of it as half a basic and a whip with a pre-lead).
9. Chase with Underarm Pass (changing sides - leader might want to change left hand hold at start)
10. Open Hip Twist + turning Walk - changing sides (a sort of jazzed up Cross Body)
Demo of the move list.
MOVE TIPS
Break Back to Open from lead feet free in closed or facing position:
both step back with lead foot turning 90 deg. to face man's original left (woman's original right)
then cha in that direction.
Walk walk forward taking two steps followed by forward cha's in the same general direction (slow, slow, quick, quick, quick). Styling on the cha's can vary - e.g forward locking steps (or not).
Sliding Doors when standing side-by-side, both rock away from each other and recover, changing sides with a "cross-side-cross" foot movement. Whichever foot is free at the start of the "cross-side-cross" crosses in front of the other foot. "Side" describes the movement of the remaining foot as it moves further in the direction of the crossing foot, so that another "cross" may be done by the original foot.
There is a similar move named "traveling doors" that may be used when facing your partner. Both of these figures do a "rock-recover, cross-side-cross" movement.. If you start with the man's left (woman's right) foot "free" (no weight), the man or woman would rock toward that foot (taking weight) and recover to the original foot. Then that "free again" foot would move toward and cross in front of the foot currently taking weight and assume the weight. For instance if the man rocked onto his left foot and recovered onto his right foot, the left foot would then cross in front of the right and assume the weight. Next the right foot would be moved further to the right passing behind and beyond the left foot and assuming the weight. Finally, the left foot would cross again in front of and past the left foot. The "cross-side-cross" action is the "cha-cha-cha".
Circle Away & Together is simply two "Walk" figures circling away from and returning to face your partner. The direction of circling away is determined by whichever foot is free. If your left foot is free you circle away in that direction. If your right foot is free circle in that direction.
Chase with Underarm Pass starts the same as a normal chase, except the leader cups their lead hand (left for man) under their partner's hand as they are about to pivot for the chase, and the lead hands remain together during the figure. As the chase progresses into the 2nd "Walk" (as in walk 2 and cha) the follower passes under the upheld hand of the leader, and turns counter-clockwise ending on the cha-cha-cha facing their partner. The lead hands remain joined.
Fence/Fencing Line is similar to a New Yorker in that both dancers "step through" with whichever foot is free. Instead of moving the hands out to the side like in a New Yorker, in a fenceline movement those hands remain together and the arms extend to point those hands in the direction of the movement. The partners also both look in the direction of the movement. It is similar to a "lunge" in fencing.
Crabwalks go to the side, and may go to the left or to the right depending on which foot is free at the start. So, if the leader's right foot is free and they are facing their partner, the crabwalks will proceed to the left starting with a crossing step (right crosses in front of left). If the leader's left foot is free crabwalks will proceed to the right with a crossing step (left crosses in front of right). One way to remember the footwork as the movement progresses along line of dance, or reverse line of dance, is "cross, side, cross-side-cross, side, cross, side-cross-side", or "cross, side, cha-cha-cha, side, cross, cha-cha-cha." It always ends with the trailing foot free.
Whip may be done (typically when facing your partner) when both dancer's trailing feet are free. So, a whip typically constitutes the 2nd half of a full cha movement. For instance it could be preceeded by a New Yorker or Fenceline to the leader's right followed by the accompaning cha-cha-cha, which leaves the trailing foot free. PS -- A single "New Yorker" is simply the action of steping through (in which ever direction) and recovering with a cha-cha-cha. What we've been doing in class is a succession of 4 New Yorkers.
Cucaracha (used in next move) step side with partial weight and twist on ball of foot as though you are crushing a cockroach, recover, close/step, step.
Chase Peekaboo Double [with touches] - starts like the first measure of a basic chase. After the leader pivots and chas away being chased by the follower, instead of pivoting back the leader does a cucaracha right and looks over their left shoulder (peek) as their partner peeks over that shoulder and touches it. Then the leader does a cucaracha left and looks over their right shoulder (aboo), as their partner peeks over that shoulder and touches it. Then the leader and partner both pivot (as in a standard chase) and the roles are reversed - with the follower pausing and peeking over their left shoulder as the leader looks over that shoulder and touches it -- followed by the follower peeking over their right shoulder as the leader looks over that shoulder and touches it. And finally, the move concludes, as in the end of a standard chase, with the follower pivoting to face the leader and a final cha-cha-cha.
Cross Body starts similarly to a standard cha from butterfly position (partners facing and standing a little apart with hands together at about shoulder level.) When the leader does the 2nd part of their initial rock-recover, they lead their partner by pulling with the leader's left hand, while stepping to the leader's right out of the track. Both are doing a cha-cha-cha during that transition. This is followed by the leader doing a sort of reverse j-hook movement with their right hand as their partner passes by. During the little reverse j-hook the partner takes two steps turning to their left while the leader takes two steps back into the track to face their partner. The movement ends with both doing a cha-cha-cha.
Open Hip Twist + Walk is very similar to a Cross Body. It starts similarly to a standard cha from butterfly position, however, when the leader steps forward for the initial step of the rock-recover they move the followers right hand back and pull slightly the follower's left hand forward. This causes the follower's body to twist slightly to her right as she steps back. As the leader recovers back, they pull with their left hand and push with their right hand. The follower uses this "lead" to twist her body a bit left-facing as she steps forward. The movement may end with a side chasse or a forward chasse. We will follow a side chasse (chas) with a Walk turning to change sides. The leader can lead this change of direction with their left (lead) hand, as in cross-body.
Open Hip Twist is more often followed by another pair of moves "fan and hockystick", or fan and stop-n-go hockystick. You can find videos on YouTube.
------------------------ List of Moves on the Wall during Cha Workshop --------------------------
Basic Cha Cha Top 10 Steps (with Latin knee/hip action)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_s1OUizfQ
International Cha Figures (as explained to squaredancers):
http://www.rounddancing.net/dance/figures/cha.html
Cues for Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off
http://www.mixed-up.com/cs/community/Tequila_makes_her_clothes_fall_off_-_Scott_-_Cha_IV+2.pdf
Cued recording of Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off featuring Al Wolverton.
