abcdefg. I have a promenade into a Running Finish after an Open Imputus in the Quickstep. Been doing it for years. Maybe that syllabus should try to catch up. As far as the head movement are concerned, Sandra can't go far wrong if the head is to the right in promenades and to the left when not.

On the contrary, maybe dancers should stick to syllabus until they understand useage of the head

Hi Onlooker, Many thanks. Your encouragement helped me to confidently use my head and meanwhile other things have flowed. With the head in the right place for the routine I was able to think about the body staying low (with some stretch)in the overturned Spin turn before powering into the forward lock. My teacher was pleased and my routine is feeling better. Sometimes we take things for granted - thanks for your help.

Sandra. Just a reminder. When turning you head into promenade. don't roll it up and over. Simply turn it from left to right. The other way does shorten your neck and can cause a shift in balance. Make a point of remembering that the head weighs about 16lbs. If your partner was standing balanced with his hand out and you suddenly dropped a bowling ball in it I'm sure it would not be appreciated.

Don . I have a promlem with that advice. My wife has the habit of turn ing her head that way and it pulls her shoulder back and away from me so that we are to open in the promenade position,it's a question of how flexable the neck is. The other promblem is that we tend to go in the direction we are looking so we dance off on different tracks. I have notice that some Lady Pros don't take the posative or proud look that the man takes and are not looking where they are going but following the man on a parallel track. Dave

in promeande you are going neither where you are looking nor where your feet are pointing (unless you are looking or pointing to open).

You should be moving in a direction substantially inside both. Think almost of trying to cross your partners path and it will come out about right.

Thanks suomynona. You are keeping me busy with all these tips.Dave

Dave. Another problem when going into promenade. Is to open too far and too early. Bill Irvine once told us if you have a fault look at the steps before, thats where the problem will lay. We are taught after an Open Impetus we are still closed. The feet are pointing in the new direction but at that point we are still closed. Think this as lady. Do you turn your head into promenade allowing your shoulder to open also. Do you then find yourself looking through the inside instead of the outside of your arm. Open Telemark is another. A fault with some ladies is they cut short the movement. Because they see where thay want to go they think that's the time to come out. It isn't. Finish the movement by keeping the head still and allowing the shoulders to rotate that extra little bit.

"in promeande you are going neither where you are looking nor where your feet are pointing (unless you are looking or pointing to open).

You should be moving in a direction substantially inside both."

Sorry all, I hadn't had my coffee when I posted that and it's rather backwards as a result. What I mean to say is that feet are likely to be pointing somewhat inside the actual track of motion in promenade - if you turn your feet all the way out to the intendended direction, most people will move on divergent paths. Officially the feet are 45 degrees in from the direction of movement - you can point them close to it, but not to the point where you open your body or move on divergent paths.

Speaking of opening the body... there's really not much point to doing so until you have to. Open the head, and point the feet in the new direction and you are fine. The hips open some, but the topline must stay closed. Many rotate their hips out to bring the back leg forward for the step through, but unless you are turning away from that leg (easy to identify as your partner is using CBM) you really shouldn't, if anything you should rotate your hips slightly closed towards your partner as you move the whole body side and slightly forward to take a step of the inside leg. This is afterall the step that results in the most pronounced CBMP - forward AND across.

Sorry ,but the problem is before the exit in our case,on the third step of the telamark usually waltz. My wife turns her head to the right and that makes her shoulder turn to the right which turns the top part of her body away from me, I am then forced to exit in her direction since I don't wan't to pull her into the direction I want to go. This is most prominant after an overturning lock from a curved feather to the right.