A hairpin is a sharper or over turned Curvedfeather. A hairpin is nornallly used if sycopation is used as in pivot to hairpin. Here is an example for man in closed position facing line of dance with right foot free. Begin with one right turn, (now to begin pivot to hairpin) - step back with left foot and pivot one half, and do a sharp curved feather to outside lady and facing at least RLOD. After the pivot the next step with the man's right foot is between the lady's feet and, of coure you end on the balls of both feet lowering into the next step - could be back feather. The toe- heel is as with curved feather and the first step is normal pivot. The timing can be varied to suit individual choice. Common is 12&3, but one can use 123&, or 1&23.

It seems that I got the answers from my instructors, Keh Gough, Socialdancer, and Dronak all combined.

Curve Feather in Foxtrot is HT, T, and TH.
Hairpin in Waltz is H(not HT), HT, and TH. I always find it difficult to do Heel on the second step. Thanks.

The hairpin I know is basically a three step curved sharply to the left, half a turn. The footwork is the same as the three step. Using the Guy Howard/IDTA version that starts with the man's LF, that is heel, heel-toe, toe-heel.

Note the first step is not heel-toe as that would imply a rise and require the next step to be toe or toe-heel. That's not to say that the LF doesn't roll through from heel to toe as the next step is taken just as it would if walking normally, but there is no deliberate movement onto the toe.

I can't see a foxtrot hairpin in "popular variations" (oh for an alphabetical index!) but it does show natural hairpins in quickstep which would be tightly curved feathers.

Rgds
Howard

First let me note that I was taking the footwork out of the ISTD technique book for the Curved Feather and I tried to follow Alex Moore's _Popular Variatons_ on the Hairpin. The variations listed there, Keh, are:

* Natural Hairpin. Running Finish to Lock
* Natural Turn. Back Lock, Runing Finish into Hairpin, Running Finish to Hairpin. Check to V.6
* Natural Hairpin to "In and Out" Runs
* Natural Hairpin. Hop Turns to Side Flicks. Quick Chasse

--
James Marshall
marshall@astro.umd.edu
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall

Howard wrote:

So what is a useful application of Hairpin? Like what steps do you dance leading into Hairpin and after? Thanks.

Somehow I missed the word waltz in the subject of the original question and went off talking about foxtrot. Still I think everything still applies.

Keh asked about uses. I originally learnt the hairpin, like most figures, as part of a routine, but I find it useful when I need to take avoiding action. As such I don't have a particular preceding figure but if my LF is free with nowhere to go I might dance a hairpin. Follows could be 4-6 of reverse turn (feather finish in foxtrot)or possibly a reverse corte. If my RF is free I might dance the curved feather and maybe a hesitation change finish or open/closed impetus.

Howard

I learnt a Hairpin Feather after a Curving Three Step. Which means the man steps back on the right foot
TH then T TH Followed by a Chasse and a Travelling Contra Check

I learned that a hairpin is a syncopated feather, which is why it is often preceded by a pivot.

The Natural Hair pin is a named variation usually used to describe the 1-3 of Natural Turn, Back pivot and Curved Feather.

Slow foxtrot
Man - Forward right
Side Left
Back Right
Back left foot pivoting action to right
Forward right
Forward left Left shoulder lead
Forward Right in CBMP outside partner
The last three steps curving strongly to right

Lady- Back left
Close right to left (Heel turn)
Forward left
Forward right (Pivoting Action)
Back Left
Back Right
Back Left partner outside

Waltz
Man - Forward right
Side Left
Closes Right to left
Back left foot pivoting action to right
Forward right
Forward left Left shoulder lead
Forward Right in CBMP outside partner
The last three steps curving strongly to right

Lady- Back left
Side right
Close left to right
Forward right
Back Left
Back Right
Back Left partner outside

The footwork is
Slow Foxtrot Man HT T TH THT HT T TH
Lady TH HT TH HT TH TH TH

Waltz Man HT T TH THT HT T HT
Lady TH T TH HT TH T TH

Timing
Slow Foxtrot SQQ&SQQ
Waltz 123 1&23

Janet Chapman Fellow IDTA Fellew & Examiner UKA

In American Style Foxtrot there are (at least) two hairpins. The DVIDA Silver syllabus has a Hairpin from Reverse (1-3 of an Open Left Turn followed by a back check and two side and forward steps putting the lady into a hairpin) and a Hairpin from Promenade Position (essentially a strongly curved Feather starting in PP). You can see the details in the DanceVision video (my version is with the Marantos; DanceVision probably has a newer video now) or syllabus book.