Intermediate Step, Combo 2, June 19, 2010

Can you tell I've been busy? Finally I'm getting Combo 2 embedded here for you, with the choreography notes.

I have a question for you. Do you ever look at my breakdowns and think, "What? How did she get from the last layer to this one???" while scratching your head and frantically trying to figure out what my twisted Step-infused brain had been thinking? If you ever think this, please let me know, and I'll give you my thought process. Yes, a free glimpse into what makes me tick! Every layer in my breakdowns have a purpose -- they are either providing the next logical step in the journey to the final choreography, or they are providing a change that is needed for the next logical step in the progression to occur.

Anyhow, here's Combo 2. Combo 3 and the complete Step class coming soon!

Dana



Choreography:

Hold-Chasse over (3)
Pivot (3)
Stomp 1/2 around the world (6)
V-Slide & walk/spin to the front side (6)
Shuffle, Rock forward, & straddle (6)
Revolving Door (8)

*Simpler option for the first 12 counts: Stomps all the way around the step (as shown in the video at the beginning of the breakdown).

The six count moves that make up the majority of this routine can make the breakdown tricky. I opted to teach the end of the combo first because that is where the lead change occurs (in the Shuffle, Rock & Straddle). Remember, when you're working with moves that are between 4 and 8 counts (but not EXACTLY 4 or 8 counts), or between 8 and 16 counts (but not EXACTLY), etc., you want to be working with choreography that involves more counts than is used by your moves. Since I was working with two 6-count moves, which is 12 counts, I knew I needed to work with choreography that was 16 counts. You always want to be working WITH the music, so you simply use the next longer musical phrase...8, 16, 24, or 32 counts. Use 8 counts of music to break down moves that contain anything less than 8 counts..... Use 16 counts of music to break down moves that contain less than 16 counts, etc. You simply fill in the leftover counts with a filler move (a very easy move) that you later eliminate from the choreography when you no longer need any filler. The closer your number of counts in your choreography to the number of beats of music, then you may need to go even higher with the number of beats of music (example: if you have a 7-count move, you can't break it down using 8 counts of music because your filler would need to be only 1 count of music.... not very logical) -- so I typically will work in a 16-count chunk of choreography for a 7-count move). In the video, my filler move was a Mambo. Later in the breakdown, rather than eliminate my mambo, I doubled it, -- which worked out beautifully for 2 reasons: first, because the class was already used to doing a Mambo at that point in the choreography, so doing 2 was simple, and because 2 Mambos was an acceptable starting point for my Revolving Door. Clear as mud?