I Like the idea of the open Rt turn, I was just going to go to closed on the next 3 steps, as in the end of the Twinkle. :)

My American Style Smooth manual has 1 2 & 3. Is that an error?
thanks, Larry

You need to be very definitive on the chasse. Make sure the steps a big enough to be clear to her take you're not planning to close your feet on 3. Keep a strong frame. Watch your weight transfer - it's faster on a syncopated count than a full count. If you're doing all this and she's still not following then, she'll be left behind and you'll be draging her like a rag doll. In this case, she's just not following, or don't want to follow?

Hi Larry: Ballroom dancing is just fantastic!! I'm only sorry that I took it up late in life (65) but am making great strides in all the dances. As was taught to me by my instructor, as you are about to do 2 and 3, with you right hand you must push her gently in the line of dance and (hopefully) she will follow. To make it a little more plain, after the twinkle, you step forward with your left foot and as you are about to do 2 and 3, you slightly nudge her with your right hand.

Regards,
Jerry

Jerry, Thanks, that helps a lot. Larry

Hi, Larry. The primary lead should come from the angle of the body, secondary lead is your frame. So simply put, as you finish step 3 of the twinkle, change the angle of your body a few inches clockwise and keep it there until you wish to close the lady at the end of the 2 chasses. As you are doing your chasses down line of dance, your feet are pointed diagonally towards the wall but your body is facing the wall. To close her your body will turn back to facing the corner, including your frame.

Remember to keep your head in promenade position (left) throughout and shorten your steps when your wish to close the lady, as she comes around you slightly.

This will be the same concept any time you open the lady into promenade in any smooth dance, think about what the body does rather than how do I push her with my arms. Trust me, it's heaven for the ladies when a man leads from his body.
:)
Jewel B.

If I am with a person who can dance but not my partner. I softly tell them a Chasse or what ever. This isn't a cross word we are doing. There are no prizes for guessing. The same with a Fallaway, or a Throwaway. They and you must know the names of the moves and how to carry them through. We can't have one of them that comes after that. This is where doing medals is so important.

"If I am with a person who can dance but not my partner. I softly tell them a Chasse or what ever. This isn't a cross word we are doing. There are no prizes for guessing. The same with a Fallaway, or a Throwaway. They and you must know the names of the moves and how to carry them through. We can't have one of them that comes after that. This is where doing medals is so important."

If you really understood the material, you would lead with your body and not your big mouth!

"They and you must know the names of the moves and how to carry them through. "

There is absolutely no need to know the names of moves in order to DANCE them - that is needed only in order to DISCUSS them.

You need to have the skills to dance all of the types of action used in a figure, but there is no need to actually know the figure itself, unless your following skills are so poor that the only way you can get through something is to recognize what the leader wants and then do that pattern on your own.

If the follower is really following with sensitivity, she may not even know what the figure was until after it is over (and may not even bother to mentally name it then).

As my composition teacher used to say, SHOW, don't TELL.

Thanks for the help Jewel, like the name also, I have an aunt with that name. Larry