The Quickstep Dance
The quickstep is one of many dances that evolved from the immensely popular Foxtrot. It took cues from many different dances, from the One Step to the Shag to the Waltz. Though its roots are varied, it is very distinct in combining all of these different dances. Once you become familiar with the Quickstep, you will be able to recognize it almost instantly. Some of its trademark features include very light hearted steps, with dances springing around at a fast pace. The footwork is quick, and often complex. If you have two left feet, then it’ll take lots of practice to keep you from hitting the floor with your face.
The beat of the Quickstep is as follows: Slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick. Changing your balance is a vital part, since that is what keeps you from falling over. When you make the slow moves, your heel should be on the ground. When you make the quick moves, keep your toe on the ground. Some of the trickier steps require you to have a perfect understanding of how to use your ankles and legs. Just getting your body to the right place isn’t enough – you also have to focus on doing it gracefully and with a low chance of injuring yourself.
The basic beat won’t give you enough of an understanding of the movement of the Quickstep. It is very important to have the springy and happy feel, and following the beats by the book won’t achieve this. Therefore, most Quickstep dancers consider a quick beat to be “extremely quick”, and a slow beat to be “extremely slow”. So, the slow beats are extended and made up for by doing the quick ones even faster. This sounds like a small and insignificant detail, but it helps to make the dance what it is.
The Quickstep is a dance that takes a lot more craftiness than any other dance. So if you are going to learn it, you should start with simpler dances, and work your way up while you begin to understand the movement and rhythm required of dancers. You may even need to develop certain muscles in the ankles and feet, since the Quickstep is extremely taxing as you spring around. So if you get tired out really fast, don’t despair. Overall, it is a very fun and very challenging dance to learn, and one of the most popular ones out there.
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May 6th, 2007 at 5:46 am
I appreciate Carrie Ann’s and the other judges’ “10’s” for Laila Ali and Maks. But I was startled and hurt to see Carrie Ann ( another woman of color) accept a few racists’ opinion of Laila Ali’s cha cha! Carrie Ann, in a later show, actually called it “sexual instead of sensual!” Did she even SEE Julianne Hough’s samba that occurred before? Now THAT was ten times more “sexual” than anything Laila Ali has done!! Julianne and Apolo actually appeared to be grinding into one another at LENGTH during their samba. In the SAME dance Julianne ALSO shook her breasts at LENGTH in two back-to-back moves that went on forever. Black people are fed up with the evil negative stereotypes. Laila Ali’s 2-second “butterfly” at the end of her cha cha was a dance that has been performed by CHILDREN on playgrounds all over this nation! Cut the racism! Laila Ali has been no more “sexual” than any of the other women on the show!
Verily