Hi Ray,

A Hinge is an above-Gold figure. We haven't quite completed our syllabus work yet, so above syllabus material is still a ways off.

Effectively a Hinge is a Left Whisk where the leader doesn't join the follower in taking the third step; Instead, he leaves his right foot extended where he left it on step 2. In some cases, the leader might choose to extend the right foot further as he flexes his left knee while leading the follower into her Whisk action on step 3.

Like the Left Whisk, the follower's 3rd step (LF) is a smaller step placed under the body, but not crossed behind like a basic (right) Whisk -- It's placed more in line with the right foot.

The resulting dance position is a sort of counter-promenade, which is to say the connection point is follower's right "corner" to leader's centerline. The leader leads the 3rd step and helps facilitate the position by rotating the frame leftward while shaping rightward. All of this is true of both the Left Whisk and the Hinge, the primary difference between the two figures being the placement of the leader's LF on step 3.

All this to say, you can learn the Hinge pretty easily by watching the videos and reading up on the technique of the Left Whisk, which is a syllabus figure, then simply not cross your RF behind on step 3. And if you have additional questions about execution, don't hesitate to ask!

Regards,
Jonathan