Could someone give me some tips in breaking down the spot turn in American Cha Cha for the gentlemen's part? After doing the open break on 2, and coming back to the lady, I know the foot work is a sort of "7-11" pattern where the feet form an 11 by being parallel, while the 7 is from a reverse 5th position (at least that's what it seems like)

I get easily messed up trying to maintain the timing of the cha cha. When I see it done right, it looks like the dancers have abandoned the timing, and are just spinning in place, but I know that's not what's going on.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks

If they are anything like the international spot turns, the 'spot' part of the term may be initially misleading.

What you do is step through on the inside legs on 2 (like a new yorker if you know that). Then on the and you both pivot in place, keeping your weight on that foot and turning through being back to back. On 3 you replace your weight on the other foot and pivot to face each other. Then do a 4&1 chasse facing each other.

Key points are that it's change weight on a "number" and pivot on the "and", keeping your weight on that foot you just stepped on. Thus there are the same number of weight changes on the same beats 2,3,4&1 as in a basic.

It's called the spot turn because the second step on the 3 is really a replace action - you shift your weight back onto the foot which has stayed in the same position the whole time. This is very slightly different from the lady's alemana underarm turn in international, where she will take a small step forward onto that foot.

I said nothing about left or right as you can do the spot turn in either direciton, and it's symmertical betwen the partners.

A Spot turn is only a foreward walk turning. A New York is a checked foreward walk, in other word you are coming back. In the Spot turn get the whole of the foot in contact with the floor. For all Spot turns and Spirals the foot is down before you turn. Do not turn and then lower which is a common mistake. And don't forget to get the heel down again, this time on the beat of three, then nail it. This is an expression we use here Unless things have changed in the past few years this is how I was taught.

Yes, you are right about forward walk vs. checked forward walk. The analogy to a NYer hit me for step direction, but the action is different, at least in cha (some do rumba NYers as a full forward walk)

(Checked forward walk basically means keep your knees together, back leg bent, so it's a smaller step into a braced position)